Centrum has been in the North Olympic Peninsula vocabulary for nearly 30 years?
But what does the word “Centrum” mean, anyway?
Says Executive Director Carol Shiffman, it means a roundhouse, or hub, and the word is used for stations in which trains come in from one direction and go out in another.
It’s a fitting analogy for what often happens to students who study through the Port Townsend-based foundation, which turns 30 years old next month.
Shiffman addressed the Port Townsend Chamber of Commerce this week on where the organization has been, where it is now — and what to expect during the next year of special anniversary events.
Shiffman said it is often that special “a-ha!” moment in the creative process that changes the course of an artist’s life and sends him or her in a new direction — like the trains.
That happened to Grammy-winning jazz vocalist Diana Krall, who at age 19 was about to give up jazz before she attended a Centrum workshop.
Musician Kenny G. was also a workshop participant at Centrum.
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