Bloedel Reserve summer concert tickets now on sale

There are many mansion-like houses on Bainbridge Island, but you’d have to go to France to find one as elegant as the former home of the timber baron Prentice Bloedel.

Now known as the Bloedel Reserve and open to tours of landscaped and wild grounds by reservation, the estate was built by Seattle pioneers John and Bertie Collins. Prentice and Virginia Bloedel purchased it in 1951 (one can only imagine the price compared to today), and set about transforming it into a botanical showcase replete with shimmering pools, tranquil gardens and elegant lawns.

The Bloedels were great patrons of the arts and often invited artists to retreats on the estate. This was marred by the tragic death of poet Theodore Roethke on the estate in the early 1960s. He died of a sudden heart attack while swimming in the pool. The pool has since been filled in and there is no marker to commemorate where he died.

In 1970, the Bloedels donated the property to the University of Washington, but it was too costly for the public school to maintain. The Bloedels stepped in and founded The Arbor Fund, which runs the estate today.

Many people enjoy walking the estate’s trails and taking in the vistas, but for two weeks during the summer the birdsong is augmented with the sound of music. The Bloedel Summer Concert Series begins next weekend, July 14, and packs in seven performances in two weekends.

The concerts take place in what has to be one of the loveliest setting in the Northwest, or anywhere for that matter — on the sweeping lawn of the estate, with views across Puget Sound. A large circus tent is set up to accommodate both the performers and the audience; light refreshments are served.

The performances start this year with Opera Tonight!, 7 p.m. July 14. This concert features three talented opera singers performing a wide range of solos, duets and trios from grand opera and Broadway musicals. Performing are soprano Eleanor Stallcop-Horrox, tenor Gino Luchetti and baritone Charles Robert Stephens. They will be accompanied by pianist Glenda Williams.

The 16-piece Seattle Women’s Jazz Orchestra performs 7 p.m. July 15, with traditional, contemporary and Latin-influenced Big Band tunes. Formed just six years ago, the group has toured internationally, including a recent engagement in Lima, Peru.

The Jupiter Trio performs in an afternoon concert, 4:30 p.m. July 16. This chamber ensemble from San Francisco was the first American group to win a gold medal at the prestigious Osaka Chamber Music Competition. When not touring they keep busy as Ensemble-in-Residence for the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra and artists/faculty to the Yehudi Chamber Music Seminar at San Francisco State University.

The following weekend begins with “Light Out of Darkness: The Music of Ray Charles,” a tribute to the late great musician by jazz singer Greta Matassa and her quartet, 7 p.m. July 21. Matassa is a favorite of Seattle jazz fans, and has been named Seattle’s top jazz singer four times by Earshot magazine.

At 2 p.m. on July 22 the Reserve is hosting a special marionette performance for children (of all ages) with “Monkey goes Fishing and Other Tales,” presented by the Northwest Puppet Theater. The host of characters will be brought to life by master puppeteers Xie Zheng and Dmitri Carter, of the Carter Family Marionettes.

Two champion fiddlers will perform a celebration of Celtic music, 7 p.m. July 22. Jamie Laval and Ashley Broder perform music from Scotland, Ireland and Brittany, and are both fiddle champions. Broder also plays mandolin and cello.

Finishing up the series is The Lyric Brass, 4:30 p.m. July 23. The members of this unique quintet are all on the faculty of Pacific Lutheran University and perform music for brass instruments spanning seven centuries. The group won an Emmy for its PBS film, “Beauty and the Brass.”

Tickets for the musical events are $29 each; the puppet show is $15 adults, $10 children. Ticket reservations can be made by calling the Reserve office at (206) 842-7631.

For more information on the concert series or the Bloedel Reserve visit www.bloedelreserve.org.