POSTED: Sunday, Jun. 29, 2008
After a year away, Festival of Music returns to celebrate 15th season
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closeBELLINGHAM -- After a year hiatus, the Bellingham Festival of Music is back and celebrating its fifteenth season of beautiful music.
This July, the festival will bring classical music — and classical music lovers — to Bellingham. Festival board member Herb Fine, 77, talks to The Bellingham Herald about the road to recovery for the once debt-logged festival, and why it's good to be back.
Question: So why was the festival canceled last year?
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IF YOU GO
What: Bellingham Festival of Music
When: July 5 to July 20. Most concerts start at 7:30 p.m. and take place at the Western Washington University Performing Arts Center Concert Hall. The July 13 concerts will take place at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. at the Bellingham Yacht Club, with tickets for $50.
Tickets: Single tickets for Concert Hall shows cost $32-$42 for the general public and are available at Western's Box Office, the Community Food Co-op and Village Books.
More information: Call 201-6621 or go online at www.bellinghamfestival.org.
Answer: It was evident we were running out of funds. We opted not to go into Chapter 11. We wanted to pay off all our debts, and did that and paid off our staff. We decided to take a look, and this year we put together a financial plan that would work and went out there and contacted some sponsors. We got support from a lot of people.
Q: How does it feel to be back?
A: People are so enthusiastic. The community seems to be behind it. We decided in order to make this work we had to have a working board, who are all volunteers. We've all just pitched in and done it. It's so neat to be a part of this thing. I think there's a pride in Bellingham about this and that's why people are so enthusiastic.
Q: Why is it important to have the festival around?
A: It's the quality of music. It's the same quality of music you get at (festivals in larger cities). We get performers from all over the world. They want to come to Bellingham. They love it here.
Q: Tell me about the festival this year.
A: It's mostly Beethoven's very popular pieces. It's just fabulous. The closing number is "Ode to Joy, the 9th Symphony."
Q: How did you feel the first time you attended the festival?
A: When I heard that Mozart symphony my stomach vibrated with joy. I looked at the people around me and they were just as excited as I was. I didn't know anything about the festival at that time. It was just a lot of vibrations, a lot of electricity.
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