Olympic Music Festival to begin 40th season

PORT TOWNSEND — The Olympic Music Festival’s 40th season will kick off on Saturday with a selection of compositions by Mozart and continue Sunday with French chamber music.

Magnificent Mozart will take place at the Wheeler Theater at Fort Worden State Park on Saturday and Fireworks in Paris on Sunday. Doors will open at 1:15 p.m. for seating and the concerts begin at 2 p.m.

Tickets are $40 for concerts throughout the season, which continues through Sept. 10, except for a special benefit at The Palindrome on Aug. 24, which will cost $100, and the season finales on Sept. 9-10 when each concert will cost $60 per ticket.

Saturday’s program will include Andante & Variations for two pianists at the same keyboard featuring Olympic Music Festival (OMF) Artistic Director Julio Elizalde and OMF 2023 fellow Robert Carlson on piano; and the Clarinet Quintet featuring clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein. Sunday’s program, Fireworks in Paris, includes pieces by Fauré, Debussy and Chausson.

Fiterstein is considered one of today’s most exceptional artists, organizers said. He has performed in recital, with distinguished orchestras, and with chamber music ensembles throughout the world. He won first prize at the Carl Nielsen International Clarinet Competition and received a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant Award.

Carlson is one of the five fellows who will be performing in concert during the Olympic Chamber Music Fellowship. Considered one of the best training programs in the country, the fellowship serves as a critical link for young artists making the transition from student to professional.

Recently, Carlson completed fellowships at Art of the Piano, PianoFest in the Hamptons, the Gilmore Festival, and Music Academy of the West.

Elizalde, a former student of veteran festival musician Paul Hersh, first appeared at the Olympic Music Festival in 2008, and has returned every subsequent season. Elizalde is a multifaceted artist with a career as soloist, collaborator, curator and educator.

For nearly a decade, he has appeared as recital partner to famed violinists Ray Chen and Sarah Chang and has collaborated with renowned artists such as Pablo Ferrández, Kian Soltani, Pamela Frank and Robert McDonald.

For information and tickets, see https://www.
olympicmusicfestival.org/ or call 360-385-9699.