Pulitzer prize winner to play at Music on the Strait
Published 1:30 am Saturday, June 6, 2026
PORT ANGELES — Tickets are available for Music on the Strait’s annual summer festival, which will bring chamber music from across the world to Port Angeles.
This year’s festival will take place from Aug. 20-30, with concerts at both Field Arts & Events Hall and Maier Hall at Peninsula College. Tickets can be purchased at musiconthestrait.org.
“We are thrilled to kick off our eighth summer festival with a world premiere by one of the world’s most celebrated composers,” said James Garlick, founder and co-artistic director of Music on the Strait.
Gabriela Lena Frank, winner of a 2026 Pulitzer Prize in music, will return for a second year as the festival’s composer-in-residence.
Opening Night at Field Hall will be Aug. 22 and feature a new adaptation of Frank’s aria El Mundo, from her opera currently running at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. This program is Music on the Strait’s first foray into the operatic world, with mezzo soprano Abigail Nims featured in multiple dramatic works for mezzo-soprano and string quartet.
On Aug. 23, audiences will have the chance to hear Dvorak’s “American” Quintet, composed during his summer in Spillville, Iowa, as well as the Mozart Flute Quartet featuring flute virtuoso Demarre McGill.
“It’s such a privilege to welcome these dynamic and inspiring performers back to Port Angeles,” Garlick said. “Collaborating with them year after year keeps me growing as a musician.”
Maier Hall will host the return of the Takács Quartet on Aug. 29. The quartet has been a frequent collaborator with Music on the Strait; violist Richard O’Neill, also the co-artistic director of the festival, has been a member of the renowned quartet since 2020.
This will be a historic performance, as cellist Mihai Marica will play with the ensemble for his first official performance, succeeding founding member András Fejér, who recently retired after a 51-year tenure.
Those interested in the Aug. 23 or Aug. 29 shows at Maier Hall should reserve tickets early; due to limited capacity, tickets are expected to sell out.
The festival will conclude on Aug. 30 at Field Hall, where pianist Jeremy Denk and the Takács Quartet will come together to perform three stormy pieces, beginning with works by Mendelssohn and Franck and closing with Beethoven’s “Tempest” Piano Sonata.
“Denk is one of the world’s foremost pianists,” Garlick said.
He is a MacArthur Genius grantee, a New York Times Bestseller for his memoir, “Every Good Boy Does Fine,” and a frequent collaborator with the festival, having now performed for seven summers at Music on the Strait.
“From our first opera star to a world premiere, we’re pleased to bring much new energy to this year’s festival,” Garlick said. “We can’t wait to share these exciting projects with the Peninsula community.”
