Bellingham Music Club

10/13/2026

Last week, pianist Milica Jelača Jovanović completely captivated a crowd of over 200 with a brilliant program spanning romantic masterworks and vibrant contemporary voices. From Liszt and Rachmaninoff to a wonderful showcase of modern Serbian women composers, hers was a true journey through "Classical Crossroads"—a theme that sets the stage for our entire season by bringing different cultures, eras and traditions together to expand our musical perspectives.

Once again, Milica made some seriously demanding pieces sound totally effortless. Audience members raved, calling her playing "tremendous" and "outstanding." Those lucky enough to be at Night Beat also got to enjoy fun, special appearances by Milica's talented daughters, Ema and Ana, who shared some delightful solo and four-hand selections.

You can dive into all the repertoire details, plus community events and BMC board updates, in our October issue of FanFare.https://bellinghammusicclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/BMC-News-October-2026.pdf

Looking ahead, we're thrilled to welcome back "world music masters," Millie and The Mentshn for our November programs. Put these dates on your calendar:

Free Program Preview: Wednesday, November 4 at 10:30 AM at Trinity Lutheran Church.

Night Beat Concert: Thursday, November 5 at 7:30 PM at First Congregational Church, featuring an expanded program and accompanying slideshow.

We are so grateful for your ongoing support. Everything we do is made possible by your incredible generosity.

09/30/2026

Beloved Bellingham pianist Milica Jelača Jovanović returns to the Bellingham Music Club!

Our 2026–27 season, Classical Crossroads, celebrates the many musical traditions, cultures, and influences that meet in great classical music. Milica’s program is a perfect example, bringing together romantic masterpieces by Scriabin, Liszt, and Rachmaninoff, music by pioneering women composers Clara Wieck and Florence Price, and contemporary works by Serbian composers.

A superb pianist known for her energy, charisma, and deeply expressive performances, Milica has performed throughout the United States and internationally. She is also a familiar and much-loved presence in Bellingham as Professor of Piano at Western Washington University.

We hope you’ll join us for what promises to be an uplifting experience of beautiful and exhilarating music.

Wednesday, October 7 at 10:30 a.m. Free one-hour matinee recital

Friday, October 9 at 7:30 p.m. Full-length “Night Beat” concert. Suggested donation: $20 at the door; students free!

Both concerts: First Congregational Church, 2401 Cornwall Avenue, Bellingham. No tickets are required. All are welcome!

We look forward to seeing you at the concert.

P.S. The Friday Night Beat program includes pieces for piano four hands! Wait a minute and let me think... By any chance, does Milica have pianistic offspring to share the stage? Of course, she does!

09/20/2026

With the theme of Classical Crossroads, our 2026-2027 season opened on September 9 and 11 with a pair of uplifting concerts by the celebrated Bellingham String Trio. Violinist Shu-Hsin Ko, violist Yuko Watanabe, and cellist Coral Marchant brought us an outstanding program of works by Boccherini, Beethoven, and Leó Weiner (an early 20th century composer who delighted in blending Hungarian tunes in the Romantic style). At the heart of the performance was a superb sense of connection. It was a privilege to be part of the performers’ musical conversation!

You can read more in our monthly newsletter, Fan Fare, which features concert and artist details, and community happenings. Click here for your copy, or enter this URL in your browser:https://bellinghammusicclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/BMC-news-Sept-2026.pdf

In October, Milica Jelača Jovanović will perform Romantic-era masterpieces and evocative contemporary works for the piano. The free preview program – BMC’s gift to the community – is Wednesday morning, October 7, 10:30 am. The full-length BMC Night Beat is on Friday, October 9, 7:30 pm. Both programs will take place at First Congregational Church, 2401 Cornwall Avenue in Bellingham.

Concerts like these are supported by your generosity. We are grateful for your participation in our annual fund-raising campaign over the past two months. Right now, we are close to 200 new and returning patrons, with a goal of 250 this year. If you have been waiting to join in or to renew your membership, now is the time to help sustain our concert season, support local musicians, and bolster our ever-popular student awards. Join or renew your membership online at https://bellinghammusicclub.org/membership/ .

Of course, membership support is just one way to keep the music playing. The Bellingham Music Club thrives because dedicated music lovers like you also offer their time and talent! We have a variety of volunteer opportunities available, whether you prefer helping in person at concerts, working behind the scenes (with online calendars, graphic design, or newsletter editing), or getting hands-on with our student awards program (one of the most rewarding activities!).

Right now, we are specifically looking for a concert photographer to capture live performances as well as a social media or marketing enthusiast to help expand our reach. Tell us where your interests lie and join the dynamic team making it all happen!

We thank you again for being part of the BMC family and invite you to meet us for more exceptional music at our Classical Crossroads in October!

08/05/2026

We are so grateful to have the Bellingham Symphony Orchestra as a partner in supporting the next generation of musicians.

08/02/2026

Some future reasons to visit Vancouver: Four new concert halls in the planning!

This is Vancouver Concert Hall and Theatre Society's proposal to create a cultural precinct with four new concert hall venues.

07/22/2026

Let's get right to the heart of it: our 2026–2027 membership campaign is well underway, and we need you! As Membership Director, I see firsthand what your dues and gifts make possible — and I want to make sure you do too.

Every "Classical Crossroads" concert you will enjoy this season is the result of real, ongoing costs: paying and transporting our guest artists, renting performance venues, printing programs and promotional materials (like FanFare!), maintaining our website and member communications, advertising each concert, carrying insurance, funding Student Awards and adjudicator stipends, and covering the everyday administrative work that keeps BMC running smoothly. None of it happens without you.

Your membership is the engine behind all of it. When you renew today, you're not just supporting a concert series — you're investing in free, donation-based access to exceptional music for our whole community, and in the next generation of musicians finding their footing through our Student Awards program.

Here's the honest truth: our campaign only runs for two months, and this is your second invitation to join us this season. If you've already renewed, thank you — truly. If you haven't yet, now is the time!

Renewing is quick and easy, online or by mail. Just a few minutes of your time keeps our concerts free, our artists paid, and our students supported.

I'm so excited about this season's lineup, and I don't want you to miss a single note. Please renew today at https://bellinghammusicclub.org/membership/ — and if you know a friend or neighbor who loves great music, bring them along too!

Carol Reppun
BMC Membership Chair

BMC · Concerts 2026-2027 season details are here! July 22, 2026July 22, 2026 bellinghammusicclub We are thrilled to unveil our "Classical Crossroads" season line-up! Now in its 111th year, BMC will offer an array of exciting programs, where every turn will take you on an adventure! Together, we wil...

07/08/2026

Have you ever listened to a concert and felt the whole room breathe together — strangers and longtime friends, parents and children, neighbors and new acquaintances, all moved by the same performance at the same moment?

Music has that rare power — its language calls us together, across centuries, generations, cultures and backgrounds. With the performer as translator, notes on a page become something every listener can share. Living in times as complex as these, navigating varied viewpoints, influences and vast diversity, music provides what we urgently need: a place to restore our affinities, affirm our shared humanity, and voice our aspirations. Music becomes our common ground; our crossroads for hearts and minds.

In a community as tight-knit and caring as ours, that need is no less real. From young musicians finding encouragement from an older generation, to concertgoers discovering a musical tradition beyond their own, our programs use music to strengthen the ties that hold a community together, across every kind of divide. We've seen firsthand how a single concert can turn a room of strangers into something more like family — and open a listener's ears to a world they hadn't encountered before.

Let music bring us together…

Our 2026-2027 concert season is titled 'Classical Crossroads.' It celebrates the global music repertoire as a true community meeting place — where generations, backgrounds, and life stories intersect and remind us of what we hold in common. I am inviting you today to help us produce our 111th season of concerts and student awards, starting in September!

As BMC president, I've been moved by the range of guest artists who join us each year, and by the talent of the young musicians in our Student Awards program. I'm grateful to you and so many others for making our community so rich in musical opportunity. Most notably, with your support the Board and I plan to expand our artist compensation offerings. For our Student Awards participants, we're continuing our no-fee applications for the broadest possible participation. And we've reconfirmed our policy of concert admission by donation, keeping exceptional music accessible to all. These commitments are core to our mission, and your support makes them possible.

Let your membership make it possible...

With your early membership support, we'll launch our first concerts September 9 and 11, featuring string luminaries Shu-Hsin Ko (violin), Yuko Watanabe (viola), and Coral Marchant (cello)—all celebrated musicians from our own Bellingham Symphony Orchestra! This kicks off a monthly schedule of daytime and evening concerts through June 2027. Our 'Classical Crossroads' artists, most with strong Bellingham roots, promise concerts that bring together listeners of every age and background. Expect featured soloists, unique ensembles, and some surprises along the way! Our full 2026–2027 season schedule will be announced soon!

Your active BMC membership gives the Club the resources to jump-start our fall offerings and continue into the future. Renewing your membership is easy, online or by mail at https://bellinghammusicclub.org/.

Think of your gift as an investment in superb, accessible concerts that bring our community together across generations — and in student awards that support young musicians as they pursue their dreams. We're counting on your membership this year, and our campaign runs for only two months.

Please visit https://bellinghammusicclub.org/ to support the musical life of our community and the young musicians who need encouragement. And spread the word to friends! You'll make BMC's 111th season a reality — and help all of us find our way to the crossroads where music brings us together.

07/02/2026

What a great season-closing concert last Thursday! Our large audience in the Whatcom Museum rotunda enjoyed an intriguing mixture of experimental chamber music and jazz. Many people commented on how the cello and saxophone blended so well together. Reflecting their long collaboration, cellist Ben Shirley and saxophonist Jeff Crompton delivered moving moments and fun surprises. They performed with an almost telegraphic synchronization, intuitively anticipating each other's shifts like a single musical mind. Bravo!

06/17/2026

We love spicing up our concert seasons with a musical bonus—and this year is very special! To celebrate the grand finale of our 109th season, we are bringing a vibrant, soulful jazz experience to you in the beautiful Whatcom Museum rotunda, 121 Prospect Street in Bellingham, on Thursday, June 25, at 7:30pm. For this unique evening, we suggest a $20 donation; all proceeds will go directly to the performers!

An evening of cellist Ben Shirley and saxophonist Jeff Crompton promises a world-class experience in "off-center" jazz and avant-garde improvisation. Longtime staples of Atlanta’s progressive music community (though Crompton has relocated now to the Pacific Northwest) the duo has fused their unique styles into a spellbinding, intimate saxophone-and-cello dynamic.

For the past seven years, Crompton and Shirley have been combining composition and improvisation to create richly-textured music poised between contemporary chamber music and jazz. Their musical chemistry demonstrates a massive breadth of historical knowledge with a fearless approach to experimental soundscapes.

🎷 Jeff Crompton: The "Off-Center" Jazz Guru

Crompton plays what he describes as "challenging jazz" rather than standard hotel lounge background music. His style is deeply rooted in the history of New Orleans jazz, blues, and avant-garde pioneers like Ornette Coleman and Steve Lacy. For five decades, he shaped the Atlanta music scene as a performer, composer, and educator. He has led acclaimed groups like the Edgewood Saxophone Trio and Standard Practice, and even performed as a guest soloist with the post-rock band Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

🎻 Ben Shirley: The Dynamic Multi-Genre Cellist

Shirley uses the cello to meld the worlds of avant-garde jazz, old-time American fiddle, and experimental minimalism. His performances are famous for exploring texture, sustain, environment, and the beautiful friction between harmony and dissonance. He is a prominent member of several boundary-pushing projects, including the experimental orchestra Faun and a Pan Flute and the ambient, "deep listening Appalachia" duo Whispers of Night.

Don’t miss this incredible season finale - guaranteed to "Elevate Your Spirit!" Join us in the Whatcom Museum for an unforgettable evening of spellbinding music by these two extraordinary artists live. We cannot wait to share this soaring musical experience with you—see you there!

06/11/2026

A message from Rollanda O'Connor, BMC President:

BMC’s 2025-2026 Season – our 110th! – lifted our spirits to new heights!

Our pinnacle concerts on June 3 and 4 definitely took us flying. The Global Dimensions and WWU Percussion Ensembles led by WWU Professor of Percussion Patrick Roulet guided us on a heart-pounding tour of world percussion instruments and demonstrated the professionalism of WWU’s music program.

And we still have one final concert coming up June 25, 7:30, at the Whatcom Museum, with cellist Ben Shirley and saxophonist Jeff Crompton for an evening of jazz. The duo has fused their unique styles into a spellbinding, intimate saxophone-and-cello dynamic.

The student awards were particularly inspiring this season. I hope you were in the audience on May 6 for the last of our three Student Awards Showcases. The collective sigh of the listeners as each performer concluded and before the applause began was priceless! What talent we have among our young musicians, giving us pleasure now and hope for the future, and what a way to “Elevate Your Spirit!”

Bellingham Music Club is known for its incredible talent and wide variety of our contributing musicians and instruments, as this season demonstrated yet again. From Bellissima Brass (five wind-performing women playing selections composed by women), to the twin pianos of Rebecca and Gabriel Mañalac (One Soul, Two Pianos evoking playful interweaving of parts), to Vocal Extravaganza (Heather Dudenbostel and voice virtuosos from WWU and the opera community), to Samantha Sinai’s Romantic Cello (duets between deep, mellow tones and a dancing treble of piano), to violinist Grant Donnellan and pianist Judith Woodrig’s Musical Travelogue (playing music from American composers) to the final exuberant percussion extravaganza with Dr. Patrick Roulet's students and instruments from Ghana and around the world —all combining to create a magical array of experiences for our audience.

Each year I have the honor of recognizing the many, many individuals who make BMC strong and resourceful. Profound thanks to you, our BMC members (261 strong!) and many donors, who have made the BMC solvent and ready to embark on a spectacular 2026-2027 season. We are grateful to our Program Committee volunteers Mary Passmore, Carla Rutschman, Ed Rutschman, Celie Thomas and Joan Youngquist, led by Committee Chair Isabelle Cormier, and Student Awards Coordinators – Celie Thomas, Mark Schlichting, Jami Templeton and Lisa McCarthy.

Setting our ambitious goals and meeting our budgets, my fellow Board members Isabelle Cormier, Joan Youngquist, Carol Reppun, Celie Thomas, Anne Hendrickson are a powerhouse team. They cheerfully work hours every month, often in their areas of expertise, but also jumping in on any and all work that needs to be done to ensure the concerts and awards programs run smoothly. Also, we are exceedingly grateful for the additional talents and contributions of volunteers Scott Henderson, Judy Corliss, and Lee Cole. As always, we thank our concert hosts, Trinity Lutheran and First Congregational churches, who allow us to bring the music to you in beautiful acoustical settings.

Our 2025-26 theme was “Elevate Your Spirit,” and that is what we set out to do. We believe, as you do, that music is a cultural, emotional, spiritual and intellectual force that transforms us as individuals and as society at large. We are dedicated to bringing positive community change, expanding our sense of the possible and elevating human experience. We are grateful to have your partnership in this endeavor.

The best part? Stay tuned, because 2026-2027 promises to be even more.

Rollanda O'Conner, BMC President