The Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival has many beloved island traditions but none are quite as seriously humorous as the “Early Birds” event which launches ticket sales for the concert season.

An entire month earlier than ever before, the 2009 Early Birds event will take place on Wednesday, May 20 when tickets for the August 16-29 Festival go on sale to the public. The Chamber Music Festival hosts the event adjacent to the Orcas Center Box Office at 917 Mt. Baker Road.

The Chamber Music Festival’s Early Birds event is considered as a once-a-year party that begins at 5 a.m. by all who attend. Event organizer Mary Poletti creates a welcoming scenario complete with music and flowers perfectly suited to the Chamber Music Festival’s guest artists and repertoire. Eager people arrive from all over the island to attend the Early Bird event, related by their mutual love of chamber music. These music lovers – in the order of their arrival – expectantly plunk down in their personal lawn chairs, pull out knitting or a good book, pat the occasional pet that has been brought along for the social moment, chat quietly with their line-mates, sip a cup of freshly brewed coffee or tea complimented by Mary’s Famous Dump Cake, and wait for the sun to rise, all in preparation to purchase tickets for a concert three months hence.

Promptly at 9 a.m. – again in the order of their arrival – all of those present visit with OICMF Executive Director Victoria Parker to select their preferred seating and concert evenings as well as register for the Music Lovers’ Seminars that introduce each concert pair. At 10 a.m. the box office telephone lines open (376-2281) to receive ticket order calls from those patrons who are off-island or who could not make it to the Early Birds party. No orders are taken via e-mail for festival concerts. Ticket sales do continue throughout the spring and summer.

Artistic Director Aloysia Friedmann has announced that ’09 Season guest artists will include Mark O’Connor, Chee-Yun, Gabriel Kahane, the Miró Quartet, Anne Martindale Williams, Jeffrey Kahane, Andrés Cárdenes, Monique Mead, and Owen Kotler. Artistic Advisor Jon Kimura Parker will also return to Orcas for the season. Program highlights can be reviewed on OICMF’s website www.oicmf.org. For any who may wish to purchase tickets before May 20 by participating in the pre-sale ticket purchase benefit for Prelude+ donors, please contact Executive Director Victoria Parker at 376-6636.