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Linda Woods |
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Bellingham Festival of Music 1300 North State Street, Suite 202 Bellingham, Washington 98225 (360)676-5997 Andrew Moquin, president
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The Bellingham Festival of Music is a non-profit organization formed in 1993 whose mission is "to provide the area with educational opportunities, to experience live music performances at the highest artistic level by nationally and internationally renowned musicians in a concentrated festival format." Over the past ten seasons, the Festival has presented over 150 concerts reaching nearly 85,000 people. Many of these performances aired on National Public Radio, reaching thousands more. The Festival's educational programs reach all ages and have included Elderhostels, the Jaroslav Pelikan Institutes, pre-concert lectures, open rehearsals, and the popular Beethoven in the Schools interactive educational program, which in the four years of its existence has reached over 12,000 children.
The Festival annually has presented fifteen concerts of mainly classical and chamber music but also presents some jazz and ethnic music programs. Venues have included the Mount Baker Theatre, concert halls at Western Washington University and Whatcom Community College, and outdoors at Bellwether on the Bay and Resort Semiahmoo. Some of the renowned artists who have performed with the Festival include Heidi Grant Murphy, Frederica von Stade, Pepe Romero, Carter Brey, Robert McDuffie, Janos Starker, Garrick Ohlsson, Alicia de Larrocha, and he Pacifica Quartet as well as many talented musicians from Bellingham and the Northwest. The orchestra-in-residence is comprised of musicians from around the country and is joined on occasion by the sixty-member Festival Chorus made up of talent from the Bellingham area. Local families, creating a real sense of community, house the orchestra musicians. The Festival has a budget of close to $500,000 and each season conducts an annual campaign, holds various fund raising activities, and seeks grants locally, regionally and nationally. Ticket sales cover about 30 percent of the annual costs, so to keep ticket prices affordable these annual fundraising efforts are essential. A 26-member Board of Directors cons, two full time staff members, and an army of volunteers runs the Festival. In addition to the cultural benefits to the area, the Festival adds significantly to the area's restaurants, hotels and businesses. The economic impact is estimated to be $500,000 annually. The festival has garnered regional and national attention and is considered the premier Northwest summer music festival. BFM is proud of its ten-year accomplishments, thanks to all those who make it a reality, and strongly encourages continued support of this vital cultural asset. |
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