QUILCENE — The 2020 Concerts in the Barn performances have moved online.
In the series, which runs each weekend from July 4-5 through July 25-26, musicians will record their performances and make them available to the public on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and evenings on the Concerts in the Barn website, www.concertsinthebarn.org, and its Facebook page, www.facebook.com/concertsinthebarnquilcene.
Concerts in the Barn musicians will record one concert per week, and it will be available for viewing online at the traditional concert time of 2 p.m. as well as an added 8 p.m. time each Saturday and Sunday.
“Too many people told us if they couldn’t be at the farm, they might be out hiking or gardening and would prefer to hear the concert in the evening … so we’ve made that possible,” said Leigh Hearon, series organizer.
The musicians will look to mirror the barn experience, presenting onstage performances that include the usual pre-performance comments by the artists.
Festival coverage throughout the summer also will include short videos of the festival grounds and interviews with musicians. The podcasts and videos will be available for viewing on the Concerts in the Barn website and Facebook page, and updated weekly.
This year, three members of the world-renowned Carpe Diem String Quartet will return: first violinist Charles Wetherbee, violist and composer Korine Fujiwara and cellist Greg Sauer.
To round out the quartet, Elisa Barston — principal second violin at the Seattle Symphony Orchestra and a guest artist for many years when the Olympic Music Festival made its home at the barn — joins the group.
On the final weekend, July 25-26, the musicians will be joined by cellist Walter Grey, founding member of the Kronos Quartet, and violist Rachel Swerdlow, both currently members of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, as well as Ariana Nelson, cellist for the Houston Grand Opera Orchestra.
Nelson is the granddaughter of Alan Iglitzin, the founder of both the Olympic Music Festival and Concerts in the Barn.
Opening weekend, July 4-5, will have as its theme, “Coming to America,” celebrating composers who made America their home and found inspiration here.
The second weekend, July 12-13, will celebrate the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth with two works from his “middle” and “late” period of quartet-writing.
On the third weekend of concerts, July 18-19, musicians will perform works that display creative inspiration, often remarkable for the time in which the pieces were written, Hearon said.
The concluding concert on July 25-26 will be a tribute to romanticism, with the cello quintet by Franz Schubert and string sextet in G by Johannes Brahms.
“Volunteers have always been an essential part of the festival community, and this year is no exception,” Hearon said.
County and state regulations permitting, festival staff will contact people who have expressed an interest in volunteering and organize small groups of people who can help maintain the festival grounds while practicing safe-distancing.
All volunteers will be required to wear masks and to sign up for a specific day and time of service.
“We look forward to opening our farm again in future summers,” said Alan Iglitzin, founder and board member of Concerts in the Barn.
“Despite the social limitations COVID-19 requires, we hope to bring the essence of the barn experience to all our audience. Patrons are assured that we will open our barn doors to the public as soon as it is safe to do so.”
To ensure the safety of volunteers, musicians and staff, no one will be allowed on the farm property except those invited by prior arrangement and for the sole purpose of helping with property maintenance, Iglitzin said.
