The Bellingham Festival of Music returns July 3-25, with most concerts at Western Washington University.
For more than three decades, professional musicians have gathered at Western Washington University to perform in the Bellingham Festival of Music. The 2026 Bellingham Festival of Music runs July 3-25, with most concerts at Western.
The orchestra is composed of about 70 professional musicians from across the continent and even Europe.
With returning faces, residents who open their homes to touring musicians and a shared love of music, the festival is about found family as much as it is about the performances.
“This generosity of spirit, combined with the standard of musical excellence makes for a very special atmosphere,” Victor Contanzi, a Ferndale resident and 20-year member of the Bellingham Festival of Music Orchestra, wrote in an email.
Free concerts will take place at Hotel Leo, Mallard Ice Cream, Makeworth Coffee, Stemma West and Whatcom Museum, as well as an open rehearsal on July 16.
“I’m very pleased to present a summer season celebrating America 250,” said artistic director Marcelo Lehninger, who was born in Brazil and has been in his position since 2023. He also serves as the music director at the Grand Rapids Symphony.
“Marcelo is well-loved by the festival orchestra and is able and willing to bring in cutting edge, young guest artists that inspire even those new to classical music,” said Karen Berry, who finds host families for visiting musicians. “He is willing to take chances and is always teaching us through the season, offering opportunities to experience great classics as well as several pieces written by newer composers.”
The festival doesn’t hold auditions but instead invites its performers. As a result, “musicians who play here want to work with other high-quality, positive people,” said Eric Kean, who has played viola at the festival for seven years.
During their stay in Bellingham, musicians live with host families, rather than stay at hotels, and that often leads to longtime friendships.
“For three weeks, they become part of our community and grow to love our beautiful city, wanting to return each year to their home away from home,” Berry said.
Kean also hosts visiting musicians, and enjoys taking them around town, hiking, kayaking, visiting local breweries and exploring Vancouver, B.C.
Diane Norman, who’s been involved in various positions with the festival since 2004, said her six-year returning principal violist from the Cincinnati Symphony would check on her after her husband died suddenly the following winter — “had I had the oil changed in my car? Had I had the air filters changed in my furnace?” He wanted to make sure she was OK, she said.
The festival began in 1993, when Michael Palmer and Robert Sylvester, cellist and dean at Western, saw the need for an inclusive festival of the arts with different genres of music, explained Gail Haines, who has volunteered with the festival since its inception. After experimenting with jazz and other genres, it morphed into the present-day classical music festival, she said.
“Our programs offer a rich and engaging balance of American music, reflecting diverse cultural backgrounds and influences, alongside works that are new to our devoted audience as well as beloved symphonic staples they know and love experiencing live,” Lehninger said.
“Most concert halls are so big that the musicians seem distant and detached from the audience. At WWU, the hall creates a connected space where the musicians and audience participate together in the energy of the moment,” said Erika Block, a Bellingham clarinetist who is in her fourth year as executive director.
Oboist Harrison Linsey has performed with the Bellingham Festival of Music since 2022.
“What makes this ensemble exceptional is not only the individual caliber of the players, but also the care taken in assembling a group of musicians who listen deeply, collaborate generously, and fit together artistically,” he said.
He said the orchestra is a blend of longtime friends, familiar colleagues and new faces, who have crossed paths throughout their careers, whether in conservatories, summer festivals, auditions or professional orchestras.
“Coming back each year feels a bit like reconnecting with old friends — you pick up right where you left off. Rehearsals are focused and productive, but they are also filled with warmth, humor and camaraderie. There is always more catching up to do than time allows, which is part of what makes the experience so enjoyable.”
Garry Ianco plays in the second violin section and agrees with Linsey. He said that Lehninger’s passion for music is “electrifying and inspiring.”
“He gives everyone in the ensemble contact and inspiration during performance, which is actually a rare thing in most settings.”
Linsey is excited to perform Samuel Barber’s “Knoxville: Summer of 1915,” which he said is “an incredibly evocative work that beautifully combines orchestra and voice.” The work will feature soprano Maria Valdes on July 21.
“I’m greatly looking forward to making music with our superb orchestra, reconnecting with the many wonderful friends I’ve come to know in Bellingham and celebrating this country that I care so deeply about,” Lehninger said.
—By Margaret Bikman