There is Still Time to Take in Two Iconic Chamber Music Festivals

The Olympic Music Festival in Port Townsend and the Concerts in the Barn series continue through early September.

The Olympic Music Festival features an array of world-class performers taking place at Fort Warden Historical State Park in Port Townsend August 13 through September 11: 2022 Summer Season — Olympic Music Festival.

The Concerts in the Barn summer series continues with the remaining concerts scheduled August 10, August 17, August 27-28, and September 3-4. Concerts in the Barn take place in Quilcene on the Olympic Peninsula: Concerts in the Barn.


A Brief History of Concerts in the Barn

The Olympic Music Festival started life in a barn in Quilcene and has morphed into Concerts in the Barn. In 1976, founding member Alan Iglitzin of the Philadelphia String Quartet, started searching for a venue to showcase the Quartet’s music in a natural setting. At the time, the ensemble was Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Washington.

[From the website] On a cold, rainy November day that year, Alan got a call from his realtor to tell him about a farm for sale on the Olympic Peninsula. Alan and his daughter, Karen, raced out to the site, found the farm, and walked through the barn, which was near ruin. Alan made his way up to a dilapidated hay loft while Karen remained below and began to play her violin.

“She walked to where the stage was later build, stood on dirt and straw, and played,” Alan recalls. “The acoustics pleased me. Wood is always the best acoustically. The best European halls are wood.”

It took years to restore the barn … then the Hood Canal bridge sank, further delaying the launch of the music festival. But the barn doors finally opened for music in July 1984.

World-class music in the beautiful, natural setting was a hit.

When Alan retired in 2015, the new director of the Olympic Music Festival moved to the more formal setting at Port Townsend. But the musicians who had performed in the barn asked to return and, in 2016, Concerts in the Barn were born.

Alan and his wife, Leigh Hearon, decided to work with the Jefferson Land Trust to preserve the farm, forest and streams in perpetuity, to be used for cultural and educational activities (as well as for weddings and workshops).

Concerts in the Barn is committed to continuing to present affordable, world-class concerts that are accessible to people from all walks of life.

Olympic Music Festival Background

When the Olympic Music Festival moved from Quilcene to Port Townsend, the tradition of featuring nationally and internationally renowned classical musicians continued. The Festival attracts patrons from Asia, Europe and all around the Puget Sound region. The festival is designed as an up-close-and-personal event, with an intimate experience providing the chance to interact with the artists. The Festival has always included an educational piece, notably a Fellowship featuring young musicians. The current artistic director, Julio Elizalde, renewed the program, which now features young musicians fresh out of college. The fellows are paired with mentors and follow a rigorous rehearsal and performance schedule.  

The Olympic Music Festival works to present innovative programming with world-renowned artists. It provides free tickets to youth for all concerts and to encourage exceptional young artists embarking on their professional careers. The post-concert question & answer sessions with the musicians have become a highlight of the summer series. A free annual children’s concert includes music and storytelling, where children are invited to the stage for an “instrument petting zoo.” Another tradition, GardenMusic – an outdoor concert -- has come back this year.


Whether you go to Quilcene or Port Townsend to experience the concerts, beautiful music awaits.

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