PORT TOWNSEND — Classical meets jazz, Latin and blues in original arrangements by GardenMusic, a collective of musicians “back by popular demand” this weekend at the Olympic Music Festival.
GardenMusic will perform at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday in Wheeler Theater at Fort Worden State Park, 200 Battery Way. The musicians also will present a concert for children and families Sunday at 10:30 a.m., which has already sold out.
Tickets for the two main performances cost between $33 and $40 and can be purchased by phone at 800-838-3006 or at www.olympicmusicfestival.org.
“I think I hear more requests for the return of GardenMusic from our audience than any other program that we’ve presented in the past three seasons,” said artistic director Julio Elizalde, who also plays piano for the group.
“This group’s artistic process is so daring that the audience’s experience is one that can be simultaneously moving and electric.”
The weekend’s programs will feature Gershwin’s 1928 jazz-inspired piece, “An American in Paris,” as well as original compositions, arrangements and transcriptions.
The artists include Teddy Abrams (piano and clarinet), Harrison Hollingsworth (bassoon and violin), Tessa Lark (violin), Nathan Farrington (double bass and vocals), Gabriel Globus-Hoenich (percussion) and Elizalde (piano).
Abrams, OMF veteran and Lousiville Orchestra music director, leads GardenMusic.
“I can’t wait to bring GardenMusic back to the Olympic Music Festival this summer,” Abrams said. “GardenMusic is all about breaking down musical barriers and exploring the wide world of creativity with close friends.”
A question-and-answer session with the artists will immediately follow both performances.