WWU Orchestra

This evening Shelly and I went to a special concert at Western Washington University. It will soon be composer William Bolcom’s 80 th birthday. Tonight was the first of three concerts in his honor. When Bolcom was 10 he lived in Bellingham. He was known as a musical prodigy even then. When an old article in the local paper came to the attention of one of the music administrators at the college, a plan was hatched to celebrate his birthday. Tonight’s concert featured the WWU orchestra playing Bolcom’s second symphony. It was a complex work written in 1964 and the orchestra nailed it. We also heard songs, a Woodwind quintet and a violin sonata. What a treat. It felt like we were having a moment in history while we enjoyed the performance.

The extra is a beautiful flowering tree we passed as we walked by the performing arts center on our way to the concert.