Aren't we lucky?
Fran Taber
May 24, 2010
“Aren’t we lucky?” the lady said as she brushed past me, returning to her seat at the packed performance by the Tokyo String Quartet May 19th. And we were. To have the opportunity to hear a #1 world-class program right here in River Valley is astonishing and exciting as the audience showed, as they called the quartet back for several curtain calls. The delightful encore thrilled the audience even more.
“Aren’t we lucky?”, I thought, as I drove home, still basking in the after-concert glow. And then I thought further. Was it really luck to enjoy such an evening here? What if the Woods’, many years ago, had not started a musical subscription program, the Friends of Music, that brought excellent musicians to our (then) small town? What if we had not built an appreciation of music through the Ladies Musical Club, the Apollos, the many excellent, patient teachers ? I remember Wenatchee High School’s Mr. Norwood ( and so many since) who inspired students to pursue music beyond High School? Music Theater and the Wenatchee Valley Symphony have delighted audiences and given opportunities for local people to expand their talent and for the audience to become ever more attuned to fine music. And the Columbia Chorale and Village Voices are still singing their way to excellence. Even more extraordinary is the fact that most of these performers are volunteers, who play and sing for the love of the music.
Indeed, I thought, these hills are alive with the sound of music, not just a one night’s glorious concert, but every day, year after year! Is it just luck that the Woods family had a home place that could become the Woods House Conservatory of Music, a lively musical venue for eclectic performances and musical learning for beginners and adepts, young and adult—a beehive of activity? Right here in River Valley. That generous endowment will ensure quality music education and performance for our musical future.
And who could imagine that a defunct CCC camp from the Great (great?) Depression, serving as a retreat and meeting camp for decades, could become a musical Mecca for stellar performers and the home of our very own world-class piano trio? Luck? No, it’s the expression of a dream of a great lady, Harriet Bullitt, whose love for the Icicle led her to build a monument to the arts, and through her foundations to support local artists, our environment and education.
With the recent emergence of a youth symphony program and the building of the PAC; with the Big Band and Mariachis, the many Community Coffee Houses, and Leavenworth Summer Theater, and so many more diverse musical groups, the Wenatchee Valley is vibrantly alive with opportunity to play, hear, and luxuriate in the best of music.
But I wouldn’t call it luck. It’s a manifestation of the vision and commitment of hundreds, even thousands of Valley residents (just look at any local musical program’s list of donors). The luck is that we live here to enjoy it!
A fine story, Fran. While in the surveys, recreation and wine draw people to the area, music must rank way up there, too. And it's all kinds of music,to suit a variety of tastes. The success of the Wenatchee Blue Grass Festival is testimony to the love of blue grass and country music. The various coffee houses--Cashmere, Leavenworth, Cascade, to mention a few--are venues for musicians both amateur and professional. The Gorge isn't too far away, and draws thousands. Making this happen has taken the efforts and dedication of many people, most of whom are volunteers. And you are so right: "the luck is that we live here to enjoy it!"
July 1, 2010 at 10:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)