Saturday, August 28, 2021

Concerts in the Barn - Quilcene, Washington - August 28, 2021

Concerts in the Barn - Quilcene, Washington - August 28, 2021

Annie's friend, Jim, was able to get tickets for all of us to attend one of the Concerts in the Barn, the last weekend of the season's performances.  Today's guest musicians were the Fulton Street Chamber Players (Cordula Merks on violin, Rachel Swerdlow on viola, Walter Gray on cello, and George Lopez on piano). The program included the Serenade in C major, Opus 10 by Ernö Dohnányi, Tangents and Detours by Ken Benshoof for cello and piano, and Piano Quartete in E-flat major, Opus 47 by Robert Schumann.  As a special guest, the composer, Ken Benshoof, was in the audience and gave a brief introduction to his composition of Tangents and Detours, which he wrote for his wife (a cellist) and his daughter (a pianist) to play together.  

We arrived early enough to tour the grounds ... which, in non-Covid years, would serve as a summer music camp for chamber orchestra students and a venue for chamber orchestra performers ... this season is just opened for a few limited concerts with strong Covid protection protocols for the audience and performers.  

Program for today's concert ...



Inside to the rear of the barn ...


Outside looking at the barn through grape vines on a fence ...


Inside the barn looking at the informality of the stage ...

Outside of the barn ...


People seated around the barn sharing a picnic lunch before the concert (or a pre-concert glass of local cider or wine) ...


In the world of interconnections, my piano instructor, Kim, studied at the University of Washington, and had taken a course from Ken Benshoof during his undergraduate years as a music student and knew Alan Iglitzin, Lara's father, when he performed with the Quartet in Residence at the UW School of Music.  

We met Alan on our way out of the barn after the concert ... he has served as the head of the Olympic Music Festival and has performed as a classical musician for over 30 years.  What a fantastic way to bring high quality music instruction together with international quality chamber orchestra musicians in a relaxed informal setting and comfortable performance venue with a very enthusiastic audience.  

A lovely afternoon of music ... 

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