Hear world-class chamber music on a farm at the Olympic Music Festival (June 27-28, 2009)

"Enjoy world class chamber music in an idyllic setting on a 100 year old farm."

This weekend (June 27-28, 2009) is the start of the 26th season of the Olympic Music Festival. Performances are held every Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 p.m., and the Festival runs through September 6th. According to the Festival website, the Olympic Music Festival was voted "Best Classical Music Festival" by readers of The Seattle Weekly. "Imagine a turn-of-the-century dairy farm nestled on 55 acres of tranquil farmland on Washington's beautiful Olympic Peninsula...the sounds of exquisite chamber music floating in the air."

Alan Iglitzin founded the Olympic Music Festival in 1984. Back then it was only three weekends long; today it is twelve, with over 10,000 people attending each summer. Performances are broadcast by Classical KING-FM.

This weekend’s program:

• Bach - Brahms: Chaconne from Partita for solo violin No. 2 in D minor, left hand
• Bruch: Four pieces for viola, clarinet and piano, Op. 83, No.1 Operatic Arias arranged for Clarinet and Piano
• Gounod: Romeo et Juliette -"Je veux vivre"
• Puccini: Gianni Schicchi - "O mio babbino caro"
• Bizet: Carmen Suite - Danse boheme
• Gershwin: Porgy and Bess - "Summertime"
• Intermission
• Dvorak: Piano duet, Op. 68 - Bohemian Forest

Artists: Alan Iglitzin, viola; Teddy Abrams, clarinet; Paul Hersh, piano; Theresa Yu, piano.

Festival promoters encourage festival-goers to picnic and roam the grounds before each concert. Box lunches are available by pre-order only. (Please call 360.732.4800 by noon on the Wednesday before the performance.)

Ticket options are for seating inside the barn on pews or hay bales, or on the lawn directly outside the barn. Concerts often sell out, so barn seats should be purchased in advance. "Concerts start at 2 p.m. Barn doors open at 1:00 p.m. so that you may reserve seats inside. Barn tickets are valid only for the date specified. Lawn tickets are good on any concert date." To order tickets in advance, go to brownpapertickets.com, select the concert day and date you wish to attend and follow the online instructions, or call the Box Office at 360.732.4800.

The Festival is in Quilcene, at 7360 Center Road. Quilcene is about a two-hour drive from Seattle via Tacoma and the WA-16 highway. (If traveling via the Washington State Ferries, please consult their website for ferry schedules, water crossing times, and related travel alerts.)

Dogs are not allowed on the Festival grounds.

For more information, visit www.olympicmusicfestival.org, or contact Susannah Woods at 360.732.4800 or susannah@olympicmusicfestival.org.