Music has been an important part of Seattle since its founding, but over the last twenty years this city has grown into one of America’s most vibrant musical scenes – and not just because of grunge rock! Seattle has supported Classical music throughout its history, and had a professional orchestra since 1903. However, since the end of World War Two, the city’s growth has been paced by the growth of Classical music in all its forms.
We have, of course, the Seattle Symphony, and one of the nation’s few financially viable full-time professional opera companies, as well as a professional ballet. But, amazingly, the Greater Seattle area is also home to more than twenty community orchestras and symphonic bands, a professional Baroque orchestra, an enormously popular Early Music performance organization, a number of world-class vocal ensembles, and one of Earth’s great chamber music festivals.
Every week throughout the year you have a choice of fine Classical performances – orchestral, chamber, solo recitals, many of them by artists with international reputations. And during the summer it gets even busier – the Seattle Chamber Music Festival, the Olympic Music Festival, the Orcas Island Festival, the Northwest Mahler Festival… the list goes on.
The economic landscape may be bumpy these days, but Seattle manages to remain a happy home for Classical music.