FH Chamber Music Festival

Sasha von Dassow – Contributed Photo

San Juan Island cellist Sasha von Dassow – a former member of the Florida Orchestra and music director and conductor of the North Port Symphony – brings his Friday Harbor Chamber Music Festival back to San Juan Community Theatre this summer for its third year. 

Featuring NW professional musicians and a variety of full-length chamber and unique pieces, each concert will be different. The festival opens Friday, June 23 at 7:30 p.m. with a program of sonatas and the Schumann Piano Quartet. Performing artists are Cecilia Archuleta, violin; Charles Enlow, piano; Luka Sesek, viola; and von Dassow, cello. In addition to Schumann, Mozart and Eduard Toldra pieces will be presented.

Then on Sunday, June 25 at 2:00 p.m., the artists return to explore intimate sonatas from Debussy and Brahms, concluding with Mozart’s powerful Piano Quartet in G minor, K. 478.

The festival’s final weekend starting on Friday, July 21 at 7:30 p.m., brings van Dassow together with violist Eileen Swanson, pianist Grisha Krivchenia, violinist/violist Luka Sesek, guitarist Alexander Dunn and soprano Laurel Alyn-Forest. Von Dassow says this performance will have “a varied look at music for this unusual group of instruments” including two new pieces from Krivchenia and the Paganini Terzetto for violin, guitar and cello.

Finally on Sunday, July 23 at 2:00 p.m., festival artists will host a master class for area musicians. Von Dassow encourages students to attend and perform. Admission to the class is $10 per person.

The Business Partner for the festival is Friday Harbor Suites. Tickets for each concert are $25 for adults, $11 for student reserved and $5 student RUSH at the door. The SJCT box office is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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