World-class musicians return for 29th Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival

Published 1:30 am Saturday, August 1, 2026

Submitted by the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival.

Internationally acclaimed musicians from around the world gather on Orcas Island this August for the 29th season of the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, presenting 10 performances at Orcas Center from Aug. 7-22, along with free community events, educational programs, a concert on Lopez Island and children’s concerts on both Orcas and Lopez.

Founded in 1998 by Artistic Director Aloysia Friedmann, the festival has earned a national reputation for bringing together celebrated artists for intimate performances in one of the Pacific Northwest’s most beautiful settings.

A highlight of this year’s season is “Intonations,” the powerful work by Grammy Award-winning composer Jake Heggie, inspired by the Violins of Hope, a collection of more than 70 violins that survived the Holocaust and preserves the stories of those who played, hid, carried and protected these instruments during one of history’s darkest chapters. Heggie appears on Orcas Island to give a special pre-concert talk about the work before the Aug. 18 and 19 “Intonations” concerts. The concert features internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, who recently starred in the title role of “Carmen” with Seattle Opera, with Zachary DePue, concertmaster of the Naples Philharmonic, young Seattle violinist Adeline Gao and an all-star string quartet.

The festival opens on Friday, Aug. 7, with Dueling Strings, featuring the acclaimed Miró Quartet, OICMF’s Quartet-in-Residence. They perform Dvořák’s beloved “American” Quartet in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. Making their festival debuts on this program are harpist Allegra Lilly and bassist Robin Kesselman, both principal players of the Houston Symphony, along with the Li-Cohen Duo, featuring Ukrainian American violist Matthew Cohen and Steinway Artist Zhenni Li-Cohen.

Additional artists appearing in the festival for the first time include internationally renowned French violist Antoine Tamestit, who regularly performs with Yo-Yo Ma, Yuja Wang and many of the world’s leading orchestras. Also joining the festival are Nathan Olson, co-concertmaster of the Dallas Symphony, and Eric Nowlin, principal violist of the Detroit Symphony.

Returning festival favorites include Lachezar Kostov, associate principal cellist of the Cincinnati Symphony; Ani Aznavoorian, principal cellist of Camerata Pacifica; and violinist Alexandra Preucil, a member of Europe’s Mahler Chamber Orchestra.

Throughout the season, Friedmann has assembled programs featuring masterpieces by Clara and Robert Schumann, Brahms, Schubert, Handel, Telemann, Bach and Chopin, alongside works by Astor Piazzolla, York Bowen and Frank Bridge.

Another festival highlight is Orcas~trations: Four Piano Spectacular, presented on Aug. 14 and 15, as four concert grand pianos and four internationally acclaimed pianists share the Orcas Center stage. Jon Kimura Parker, Lisa Bergman, Zhenni Li-Cohen and Adam Stern perform an exhilarating program showcasing the remarkable range and brilliance of the piano, with music by Tchaikovsky, Milhaud, Mozart, Dukas, Bizet, Gershwin and Scott Joplin. This rare musical event promises an unforgettable evening of virtuosity, color and spectacular ensemble playing.

In addition to the pre-concert talk featuring composer Jake Heggie, two additional free pre-concert talks provide audiences with a deeper look into the music and artistry of the festival. Orcas Island composer and pianist Thurmond Russell discusses his piano work and Joe Giarrusso talks about Orcas Island’s inspiration for his composition. Local luthier Athulya Monica Gehrig will introduce her handcrafted string instruments, which will be performed on by the Miró Quartet.

Festival performances include five evening concerts at 7 p.m., each repeated the following evening at 5 p.m. at Orcas Center.

Community events continue throughout the festival, including a free Open Rehearsal for Seniors at 1 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 21, offering a behind-the-scenes look at how these exceptional artists prepare for the concert.

Families are invited to the festival’s popular free Children’s Concert at the Eastsound Village Green on Saturday, Aug. 15. Beginning at 11:30 a.m., local favorite Charly Taylor entertains young audiences before “Harmony the Hare,” a musical adventure created by Alexandra Preucil, who is joined by festival musicians and narrator Nicole Starker. Families are encouraged to bring blankets or lawn chairs to enjoy the fun.

The festival remains committed to making great music accessible to everyone. For those unable to attend in person, every 5 p.m. performance will be streamed online and available for viewing for three days beginning 24 hours after the concerts. Registration is available at oicmf.org.

Thanks to generous donors, complimentary tickets are available through the Friends of Joyce program for children ages 6-18 and their families, as well as through the Tower Ticket program, ensuring that financial circumstances never prevent anyone from experiencing the Festival.

The complete concert schedule, repertoire, artist information and ticket details are available at oicmf.org.