Fort Worden Festival
One of the best kept secrets for children's choirs." ~ Rebecca Rottsolk, Nothwest Girlchoir Artistic Director Emeritus
"The Fort Worden Festival was the most organized festival I have ever attended (and I have attended many in my 20+ years of touring)." ~ Susan Rahl, Piedmont Choirs Tour Manager
"Dear Stephanie, I just wanted to send a gigantic thank you from those of us with the Seattle Girls' Choir who attended this weekend's festival. Our girls and grown-ups had soooo much fun. Everything was so well organized and appeared to have gone off without a hitch. You did an awesome job!" ~ Suzie Ness, Seattle Girls' Choir Administrator
Founded in 2000, the Fort Worden Children's Choir Festival is designed to provide treble youth choirs with an intense, yet fun-filled two days of music making with one of our nation's leading children's vocal specialists.
We strive for the highest performance standards within a non-competitive atmosphere. This festival is ideal for young choirs seeking a first-time festival experience and for advanced choirs looking to make it part of a tour weekend to Seattle. Participants will join other young musicians for rehearsals, recreation and social time while preparing for the festival concert featuring each individual choir in addition to the combined massed choir.
Location
All festival activities are held at Fort Worden State Park and Conference Center in Port Townsend, Washington. Known for its historic Victorian charm, maritime heritage and stunning natural setting, Port Townsend is located across the water from Seattle. This small city is also a lively arts scene - hosting numberous annual cultural events.
Inclusions
Each festival participant will receive: one night on site lodging (linens included), three delicious meals, rehearsals and performance with guest conductor, Friday evening challenge activity, snacks and a souvenir festival t-shirt. Participants include all choristers, directors, accompanists, chaperones, and staff.
Featured Choirs
Advanced choirs have the opportunity to be showcased in a special way by becoming one of our festival "featured choirs." Featured choirs will be highlighted in all of our publicity, be given a longer performance time in the concert, and asked to share a song with the other choirs on Friday night. Please indicate your interest on the application form.
Dining Services
All festival participants receive three delicious all-you-can-eat meals provided by Bon Appétit! Bon Appétit is recognized for their practice of using the finest fresh, locally produced foods and preparing all meals from scratch using authentic recipes. The Local Goods Cafe is also conveniently located on site providing espresso, coffee, bakery items and a convenient grab-and-go menu.
Sample Festival Schedule click here
Festival Repertoire
The massed choir repertoire will include five pieces with varying degrees of difficulty. Once we have received your registration, a list of repertoire and detailed performance instructions from the guest conductor will be mailed to each choir. Choirs are responsible for the purchase of their own music. All music should be memorized prior to arrival at the festival. Advanced Choirs perform all five pieces, Intermediate Choirs perform four pieces, and Training Choirs perform three pieces.
Extended tour options
Build an extended tour to Seattle or the Pacific Northwest with the Fort Worden Festival as your main musical attraction. We would be happy to assist you in locating additional performance opportunities, choir-exchange connections, churches to sing at on Sunday morning, and fun activities to make this the perfectly balanced tour for choirs from all parts of the country and abroad.
Need Additional Information?
Contact:
Stephanie Charbonneau, Executive Director
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360.271-8086
Donald Stojack, Director of Operations
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360.710-1754
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