Concerts in the Barn Returns With an ‘American Story’

“Watashi no chīsai akambō dōzo, yoku kiite kudasai” — “my little children, please listen carefully.”

So began each bedtime story young Korine Fujiwara heard from her dad, Karlo Fujiwara. The words and the tales that followed were passed down through four generations, from Japan to the United States. Now, Fujiwara, violist and cofounder of the internationally known Carpe Diem String Quartet, is one of five musicians sharing vivid family remembrances in “An American Story,” a special concert in Quilcene on July 10.

The performance, which blends visuals with the quartet’s own musical score, is part of this summer’s completely free Concerts in the Barn series. It all starts this week at the Quilcene Lantern, on the farm at 7360 Center Road in Quilcene.

All concerts begin at 2 p.m. after gates open at 1 p.m., with free tickets available at https://www.concertsinthebarn.org/. For seats inside the barn, reservations are strongly encouraged, since they get booked up fast; concert-goers also have the option of sitting outside on the grass, where there’s plenty of space and speakers broadcast the music. Snacks and drinks are sold on site, while concert-goers are welcome to bring picnics and stroll around the farm before the music starts.

Pictured left, Korine Fujiwara with her grandfather Rinney. Pictured right, Korine Fujiwara’s father Karlo, at left, with his siblings. In a special July 10 concert titled “An American Story,” Fujiwara and the quartet will share family stories set to a musical score they created. Photo courtesy of the Fujiwara family

Opening weekend this Friday through Sunday features separate programs that will fill the Quilcene Lantern barn with chamber music.

The concert this Friday, July 3 brings in members of the Fulton Street Chamber Players and works that celebrate the country’s birthday. These include pieces by two European composers who called America a second home: Anton Dvorak’s well-known quartet, “The American,” and Karel Husa’s “Evocations de Slovaquie” for clarinet, viola and cello. The performance also features Northwest composer Ken Benshoof’s “Odds and Ends for String Quartet.”

“Our goal is to make chamber music as accessible as possible.” — Leigh Hearon

Then on Saturday and Sunday, July 4 and 5, concert-goers will get to hear music by Edvard Grieg and Carl Nielsen, plus Beethoven’s popular Septet for Winds and Strings.

The Carpe Diem String Quartet arrives on the second weekend of the series. Its “An American Story” on July 10 follows immigrants whose journeys began in Europe and Japan, including that of Korine Fujiwara’s grandfather Rinney, who sailed into Seattle—at age 13—soon after the turn of the century.

The production is an interactive one: As the lives of each ancestor unfold, there will come turning points, and the audience will be asked to vote on how that person should proceed.

“The quartet debuted ‘An American Story’ in Ohio, and it was very well-received. I said, ‘Please bring it to the farm,’” recalled Leigh Hearon, the longtime volunteer director, advocate and spokesperson for Concerts in the Barn.

She added that the audience participation makes this a unique, empathic experience. “For example, the audience may be asked if a person should board the boat to Ellis Island or stay in Europe,” she said.

The Carpe Diem String Quartet will then stick around for the weekend and present a program of music by Beethoven, Schulhoff and Tchaikovsky on July 11 and 12. As with all of the series’ performances, tickets and indoor seats are available at no cost at concertsinthebarn.org.

On the final Friday of the run comes an illustrated, narrated musical tale: “Amy’s Journey” on July 17. The family-friendly production—for which Hearon wrote the libretto—follows a young girl who comes to spend a summer on a farm and discovers hidden treasures in the most unlikely places. With the help of animals, both from the farm and from the wild lands nearby, Amy learns the significance of what she found, and the history behind the objects.

“Think of an updated ‘Peter and the Wolf,” Hearon said, referring to Sergei Prokofiev’s story in music about a young pioneer.

This summer marks the first Concerts in the Barn season following the death of founder Alan Iglitzin last September. Iglitzin, Hearon’s husband of 20 years, was a celebrated violist with the Philadelphia String Quartet before he purchased a farm in Quilcene and transformed it into a destination for live chamber music.

Community support, from business people, individuals and grantors such as the Port Townsend Arts Commission, has kept the Concerts in the Barn going—and kept them free of charge, Hearon noted.

“Our goal is to make chamber music as accessible as possible,” she said, adding that the revenue from donations goes toward paying the musicians at rates commensurate with other music festivals.

“This [series] was so important to Alan,” Hearon said.

“There are a lot of really generous people and businesses . . . I’m just really grateful to our community for wanting to continue the concerts.”