One of Seattle’s most talented and delightful baroque musicians, Henry Lebedinsky, will perform on the harpsichord. The Sunday afternoon concert will take place at 4 PM May 7, 2017 on the inn’s oceanfront piazza. Works by baroque and classical era composers include Élisabeth-Claude Jacquet de la Guerre, Georg Böhm, Elizabeth Turner , Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Dmitri Stepanovich Bortniansky. You can find the program here. The event is a benefit concert for the George Washington Society, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that sponsors the Northwest Colonial Festival.
Where trumpet, organ, harpsichord and piano joined with good food and great ambiance, Deux Voix was with us again on November 19, 2016 for their second event at George Washington Inn.
In the fall of 2015, George Washington Inn hosted the Houston-based organ/trumpet duo called Deux Voix to perform for our guests at a dessert tea. It was such a great experience for our guests and the musicians that Deux Voix wanted to come back!
At George Washington Inn we love music! George Washington, in fact, was born in the Baroque era and was a contemporary of Johann Sebastian Bach. Music was an important part of life at Mount Vernon, the beloved home of George and Martha Washington. A beautiful harpsichord graced their home and often filled the mansion with its harmonious sound.
This year’s event was hosted by the George Washington Society, an educational non-profit. All proceeds from the event went towards producing the Northwest Colonial Festival. This was the debut for the recently acquired a double-manual harpsichord to provide more opportunities for our guests to enjoy beautiful music.
Join others who love to sing the old hymns for an unforgettable experience! The annual “Hymn Sing by the Sea” at George Washington Inn and Estate will take place on July 30, 2016 at 2 PM. Further details to be announced.
For the second year in a row, Dr. Frank Garlock and his wife, Flora Jean, are coming to the Pacific Northwest. Internationally-known as an accomplished musician, composer, and conductor, Dr. Garlock is recognized in both the sacred and secular fields for music which is of the highest quality. His compositions have been performed around the world by professional choirs and instrumental groups. In 1997, Dr. Garlock produced Majesty Hymns, an inspiring hymnal with over 600 hymns.
As owners of the George Washington Inn, an oceanfront B&B inn and lavender farm on the Olympic Peninsula, we have sought to find ways to promote good, wholesome music. We invite you to join us on Saturday afternoon, July 25, 2015 for the second annual Hymn Sing. The event begins at 2:00 pm and will end by around 4:00. You are welcome to arrive early or stay late to enjoy the farm and lavender gift shop. Dr. Garlock will also have a supply of his CDs and books available for purchase.
Dr. Garlock will share hymn histories and other encouraging thoughts as he leads this “Hymn Sing By The Sea,” and Flora Jean will accompany on the piano. Please join us as we raise our voices in praise to our Savior.
Please share this event with your church members, friends and colleagues. We hope you will bring them along with you to enjoy the day with us as we celebrate the majesty of God’s creation here along the Strait of Juan de Fuca and in the shadow of the Olympic Mountains.
There is no admission charge or required registration for this event; however, it would be helpful to get an idea of how many will be coming. If you could send us an e-mail (info@georgewashingtoninn.com) with an approximate number of people who are coming from your church or ministry, it will help us to prepare for this exciting summer event. Please join us at 2:00 pm on Saturday, July 25, 2015, at George Washington Inn in Port Angeles, WA. If you have any questions, please feel free to call us at 360-452-5207.
“O come, let us sing unto the LORD: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.” Psalm 95:1
“…in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” Ephesians 5:19
Enjoy America’s rich hymn heritage in an inaugural Hymn Sing, directed by internationally know hymn writer and musician, Dr. Frank Garlock. Bring along your lawn chairs, sit back on the oceanfront inn’s front lawn at the peak of the lavender season and enjoy some beautiful music from George Washington’s day to the present.
Location: George Washington Inn and Washington Lavender Farm, 939 Finn Hall Rd., Port Angeles, WA 98362
Perhaps it’s still a dream, but we are really looking forward to next summer! We have been given the “green light” to plan for a world class organ concert here at George Washington Inn and Estate. The Dutch organ prodigy, Gert van Hoef, has accepted an invitation to come and put on a concert for the second annual Washington Music Festival, his first concert in the United States.
Just who is Gert van Hoef? Well, he got off to a late start when he started playing on the organ with his grandfather at the age of 14. (It’s great to see that the impact of his grandfather is still with him. He told me on the phone that he has coffee with him every week and is always challenged to “Keep up the good work!”)
Gert was inspired. Often he would practice from 5 to 12 hours a day. He made up for lost time and his dedication paid off when he won a national organ competition at the age of 16.
Just two years later, listen to his improvisation and performance of “‘Heer, U bent mijn leven de grond waarop ik sta”.
Here is a recent birthday party concert where he includes some incredible pedal-work for a very enthusiastic audience.
This fall he began his advanced musical studies at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. His concerts have taken him all over the Netherlands and into Belgium.
Here is his letter of acceptance for next summer’s concert here in Port Angeles, Washington:
“Dear Dan,
First of all I would like to thank you for your invitation. A concert trip to the US means a lot for me, and I am definitely willing to contribute to your music festival. The dates do not seem to be a problem, since your festival is planned during my summer vacation. My concerts might be slightly different from what people are used to. I usually reckon with 2 hours for an organ concert including a small break in the program. We can discuss your wishes for the program at a later stage…I hope that this message answers your questions for now. If you have additional questions, don’t hesitate to contact me directly. I am looking forward to hearing from you and wish you all the best in organizing the Music Festival.
Best Regards, Gert van Hoef”
We’re planning to have an Eminent Capella Concerto organ set up on the inn’s portico for Gert to use during the festival event. During his high school years he worked as a demonstrator for Eminent Organs in Voorthuizen, Netherlands. Of course he is partial to this fine Dutch electronic church and home organ!
Additional concerts are being planned while he is in the Pacific Northwest for his North American debut. If you are in the greater Seattle, Victoria and Vancouver areas and would like to host Gert for a concert, please submit the contact form, found below the links.
Unfortunately we are going to have to cancel our Organ Concert with Gert van Hoef as planned for this coming summer! His 7 yr old sister (Marjolein) is fighting for her life with a form of leukemia and the family’s efforts have to be focused on her treatment and recovery. Gert has provided a statement. Your prayers would be appreciated. Here’s the blog that her family has begun: http://www.marjoleinvanhoef.nl/blog.html
Gert’s Statement: “We have decided to cancel the trip to America and the concerts over there. Our reason is that my sister has leukemia. It is too dangerous to come to America, because she is very sick and may not survive this. So we would like to stay home this summer. Again, thank you so much for the support and all the effort you have taken to plan these concerts for me. We really looked forward to it. We are very sorry that we are unable to come. I hope sometime in another year that we can still come. Thanks for everything you have done to us.” With kind regards, Gert van Hoef
A recent article in the Peninsula Daily News had this to say about the upcoming Washington Music Festival.
“And then they’ve added the Washington Music Festival to their Farm Faire menu. Port Angeles conductor Dewey Ehling is putting together small ensembles to play music of the Baroque era, the kind George and Martha Washington would have heard. On July 19 and 20, these musicians will play on the inn’s patio, with its red, white and purple flowers blooming around them.”
Don’t miss all the excitement at this unique venue between Sequim and Port Angeles. Enjoy the beauty and sounds of an oceanfront farm that shares a panorama that showcases the Olympic National Park along the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Calling all participants. Rehearsals will be taking place with maestro Dewey Ehling at George Washington Inn on Monday evenings, July 8 and 15 from 7 – 9 PM. This will allow the ensembles to get acquainted with the facility.
The inaugural Washington Music Festival will take place this summer at George Washington Inn and Estate on Friday and Saturday, July 19-20, 2013 from 2-5 PM. It will include various ensembles playing music reminiscent of the era when our nation began. Bring your lawn chairs and a picnic basket. Sit back and enjoy some beautiful baroque music from George Washington’s day. Click here for more info on tickets, etc.
An imagination is a wonderful thing…so is good music!
George Washington Inn
“I sat in the lush green grass of early summer, beneath the dappled shade of two young oak trees, a strong sun piercing the leafy canopy above my head. Delicate clumps of daffodils about my feet bowed gracefully as they prepared to retire after a long spring, adorning the lawns in front of this great house.
I imagined guests arriving up the long winding gravel driveway in horse and carriage, each and every one dressed in fine cloth from exotic far off lands. I imagined a small group of musicians sitting in the great hall welcoming the guests arrival, with the most up to date popular music. One of those pieces could very well have been this beautiful Sonata in F by the then very famous George Frideric Handel.” Johnnie Lawson, Muzica Clasica de Relaxare-Relaxation-Classical Music
There’s no need to imagine any longer. Make those dreams come true. Bring your lawn chairs or blanket this summer, relax on the inn’s front lawn and enjoy some of the finest baroque and early American folk music as it wafts through the ocean air from under the portico of George Washington Inn.
Washington Music Festival 