Every summer, the Bellingham Festival of Music returns to Northwest Washington to offer an array of live classical music featuring accomplished musicians and soloists. Since the festival’s inception in 1993, Bellingham has served as its backdrop, and musicians and attendees alike are drawn to the natural beauty and the quality of musicianship.
“The festival provides an opportunity for people to hear the level of world-class music-making that is generally heard only in large international cities,” Executive Director Erika Block said. “We’re the only festival of this caliber in the state of Washington and one of only a handful on the West Coast.”
This year marks the start of what the festival calls “The Marcelo Era,” welcoming internationally acclaimed composer Marcelo Lehninger as the new artistic director. In his new role, Board Member Ellen Pfeifer said Lehninger will not only conduct the orchestra but will choose the repertoire for concerts, soloists and ensemble musicians. He will also work closely with the executive director and the Board of Trustees to balance artistic and financial operations and lead outreach and educational efforts.
Lehninger is currently the music director for the Grand Rapids Symphony, an appointment that has been renewed until the 2029–2030 season, which will be its 100th anniversary. “A big part of my life is actually traveling around the world and guest conducting for local orchestras,” Lehninger said.
According to his website, Lehninger has “led some of the leading orchestras in the United States,” including the Chicago, Boston, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Houston Orchestras, and the Buffalo and Orlando Springs Philharmonics — just to name a few.
Lehninger’s parents — Brazilian pianist Sônia Goulart and German violinist Erich Lehninger — had a strong influence on him. He reflected, “If I were to arrive home and say I want to be a doctor or lawyer, they would think that was really exotic.”
As a child, Lehninger would attend his father’s orchestra performances, and they would discuss them afterwards. “I learned the psychology of the relationship between conductor and the musicians in the orchestra even before I started waving my arms,” he said.
While trained in piano and the violin, Lehninger eventually pursued his interest in conducting, first in his home country of Brazil and then through a master’s program at Conductor’s Institute at New York’s Bard College, where he studied under Harold Farberman. To be a good conductor one needs to be a good musician. Lehninger’s passion for conducting was rooted in curiosity: “How can someone that is not really producing any sound, shape the sound of the orchestra?”
In most symphonies, the musicians are practicing alone 80% of the time. It is the conductor’s job to bring them together in a seamless and evocative way — a challenging role that Lehninger finds very rewarding.
When asked about his musical preferences or specific influences, being a Brazilian-German citizen living in the U.S., Lehninger expressed an interest in multiple genres, including jazz and Brazilian pop. He stressed that the term “classical music” encompasses a vast range of styles and eras.
On that note, Lehninger believes this season has a lot of variety, from Latin music to Mozart, that he hopes will appeal to a wide range of ages. There is nothing like hearing an orchestra play live for you: “The songs hit you, not only emotionally, but physically.”
Lehninger looks forward to being in Bellingham with his wife and two daughters over the summer months. Given his recent appointment, Lehninger used this opportunity to invite several friends to participate who are themselves tremendous talents. This includes violinist Sarah Chang and guitarist Pablo Sáinz-Villegas, among others.
This year the festival is also adding a conductor’s institute, modeled after the prestigious conducting academies at the Tanglewood Music Center and Aspen Music Festival.
“I’m really excited about that. Education is one of my passions and I’m happy that we’re augmenting or developing this side of the festival,” Lehninger said. Two fellows, Valery Saul and Ryan Dakota Farris, have been chosen for this season and will receive a month of lessons, rehearsals and podium experience with the festival orchestra.
Reflecting on the decision to offer Lehninger this role, Pfeifer said, “His performance here was dazzling and led to his unanimous choice by all Festival stakeholders. I’m looking forward to vivid, deeply expressive interpretations of works both well-known and new to our audiences.”
Block, who is also a member of the orchestra, added, “I am looking forward to the electric energy that is in store for the audience. The orchestra and Marcelo are ready to make a deep connection and bring their best performances to Bellingham this summer.”
The Bellingham Festival of Music runs from June 30–July 21 and includes five main programs as well as free events, a performance by the Caldicore String Quartet and chamber music. Free community concerts are also available at venues like Boundary Bay Beer Garden and the Whatcom Museum Rotunda Room. Info: bellinghamfestival.org. For a preview of this year’s guest performers, see Jesse Stanton’s The Beat Goes On column.
Jessica Gigot is a poet and writing coach. She lives on a little sheep farm in the Skagit Valley. See her work at jessicagigot.com.
