Happy Holidays from the

Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival!

Who Doesn't Love Shopping (and warm socks)!

We have many wonderful gifts available online and at the OICMF office for your holiday gift giving - including OICMF logo socks, hats, and vests; local Shaw Island teas and mustards (including the new spicy brown flavor!); Swedish dishcloths, to make your post-holiday party clean-up even more fun; and, if you have a new car, or need to make your old one shine, you need our new license plate frame. Happy Holiday shopping!

To order, visit www.oicmf.org/merchandise, stop by the OICMF office (call before you come to make sure someone is here) or call us at (360) 376-6636.

New Holiday CD by the Miró Quartet

Another wonderful new gift item perfectly timed to warm your home during this holiday season (yes, you need to buy this gift for yourself, too!) is the Miró Quartet's brand new release "Hearth," now available on our website and at the OICMF office. The Miró Quartet invites you to gather around the warmth of the holiday Hearth—a deeply personal and joy-filled album that celebrates the spirit of the season through the voices of today’s most compelling composers. Whether your traditions include Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or simply quiet reflection by the fire, this album captures the essence of holidays as a time of connection, memory, and hope. The recording features many of today's leading composers putting their own new touches on traditional holiday classics:

1. In Dulci Jubilo - arr. Clarice Assad

2. The First Noël - arr. Kevin Puts

3. Jingle Bells - arr. Michi Wiancko

4. I Wonder as I Wander - arr. Reena Esmail

5. Deck the Halls - arr. Karl Mitze

6. Ma'oz Tzur (Rock of Ages) - arr. Sam Lipman

7. In the Bleak Midwinter - arr. Alex Berko

8. Mother's Lullaby (Coventry Carol) - arr. Anna Clyne

9. Wexford Carol (Carúl Loch Garman) - arr. Jeff Scott

10. halfspent (lo, how a rose...) - arr. Gabriel Kahane

11. O Come, All Ye Faithful - arr. Michael Begay

12. Dejlig er Den Himmel Blå (Oh How Beautiful the Sky) - arr. Paola Prestini

13. We Three - arr. Derrick Skye

14. Silent Night - arr. Joel Love

15. Songs of Christmas Past - original composition by Hyung-ki Joo

Bach by Candlelight

During the holidays, relive our 28th Season Festival performance of the first movement of Bach's Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B-flat Major, BMV 1051, with our wonderful Candlelight Concert "Orcas~trations" artists - Jasper de Boor, viola; Aloysia Friedmann, viola; Valentin Radutiu, cello; Nathan Chan, cello; Christine Lee, cello; Pedro Giraudo, double bass; and Jon Kimura Parker, harpsichord.

This past Festival, we launched a new feature during our concert streaming, Intermission Artist Interviews, hosted by Sophie Parker. View this fun one with violist Jasper de Boor, who went on to win the Banff International String Quartet Competition with the Poiesis Quartet shortly after he performed at this year's Festival:

Stay tuned -

over the next few Scherzos, we will be sharing more wonderful performances from OICMF's 28th Season!

You can still read all about the concerts, artists, repertoire, program notes, and so much more that made up our 28th Season in our program book - here

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more fun and news -

updates on concerts, interviews with artists, OICMF fashion tips, and more!

We look forward to sharing more OICMF news and events with you — keep your eyes peeled for next month's Scherzo!

All the best,

Christopher Peacock

Executive Director

Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival