09/26/2025
In Memoriam
Alan Iglitzin (1931–2025)
The Olympic Music Festival remembers the extraordinary life of violist and festival founder Alan Igliztin. Born in New York City, he served as assistant principal viola of the Philadelphia Orchestra before becoming a founding member of the Philadelphia String Quartet. For eighteen years, the quartet was the quartet in residence at the University of Washington, touring internationally to popular and critical acclaim.
In 1984, Alan opened the doors to the Olympic Music Festival, hosted at his home in Quilcene, with classical music concerts taking place in a renovated historic barn. The concerts were refreshingly casual, with listeners spilling onto the lawns as well as filling the seats or hay bales, but there was nothing casual about the music. For decades, Alan brought world-class artists to the Olympic Peninsula to perform chamber music at the highest level. In 2015, after suffering a stroke that curtailed his performing career, Alan retired as director of the Olympic Music Festival, and the festival moved to Port Townsend to continue its mission, led by OMF artistic director Julio Elizalde.
“Alan was a towering presence whose vision left an indelible mark on the musical lives of artists and audiences alike,” says Elizalde. “His legacy, from the remarkable ease with which he performed the most demanding works of great composers to his disarming charisma that charmed festival patrons year after year, is immense. I am forever grateful for having known him and for the musical gifts he gave to the public through this incredible festival, now celebrating its forty-second year."
The Olympic Music Festival sends heartfelt condolences to Alan’s entire family: his wife, Leigh Hearon, and his children, Lara, Karen, and Dimitri. A tribute to Alan will soon be announced by Concerts in the Barn, to be held at the Quilcene Lantern Farm. For more details, visit concertsinthebarn.org.
