As I settled into a balcony pew in Queen Anne’s First Free Methodist Church, the woman to my left apologized. “I’ll have to beat a hasty retreat as soon as intermission starts so I can get into costume for the last piece.” I figured she and the other chorus members would be donning choral gowns. Little did I know I was sitting next to a Druid!

This program, Spring Rites, was the season finale of the Harmonia Orchestra & Chorus. The evening began with Bellini’s overture to Norma. Nearly fifty orchestra members were seated on stage, closely following Maestro William White’s baton. The acoustics in the church were warm and resonant, a promising start. As a community orchestra, Harmonia’s members (except for the conductor) don’t earn a living as performing musicians. Some teach music, and a few do gigs on the side, but none are paid. For them, participation in Harmonia is a labor of love, a passion, a hobby, and a demanding one on top of full-time work and life obligations. Their discipline and the passion shone through. The tickets were only $25, and I was enjoying it every bit as much as the Seattle opera and symphony.

The second piece featured a nineteen-year-old cellist who’s gaining national and international attention, Carson Ling-Efird. A Ballard High School grad now studying at the Curtis Institute of Music, her dark hair swished over a butter-yellow sun dress as her torso swayed in rhythm with the music of Robert Schumann’s cello concerto in A minor. This concert, so far, was high caliber and the excitement in the audience was palpable. After a rousing ovation, it was intermission, and all were invited to “the cookie room,” for a chance to snack and mingle. Then, it was back to the pews for the final piece.

Giggles erupted as an army of fifty Druids plus a scattering of hapless Christians filed onto the stage. The chorus had arrived. Next, Maestro Will bounded to the podium in his own Druid attire (more giggles), and the music began — Mendelssohn’s rarely performed Die erste Walpurgisnacht. Thanks to supertitles translating the German lyrics, it was easy to follow the plot — Druids v Christians in a midnight fight, with the Druids winning the right to practice their religion.

How ironic that this performance was happening in a church! But, with Harmonia’s enormous footprint – over one hundred singers and musicians on stage – finding an affordable venue in Seattle is difficult.

This sentiment was echoed by Dikla Kafka, first violinist for multiple community chamber music groups. “It’s very expensive to rent space,” she said. “We have to pay to play, and churches are not as expensive, plus the acoustics are better!”

The Mercer Island Presbyterian Church kicked off its concert season in January 2025 with Jazz Underground, a 20-member big band. Over successive months they featured W5 — a wind quintet, the Lyric Arts Ensemble and Chamber Orchestra — an 18-voice choral group and chamber orchestra, Russian Chamber Music, and for the season closer, the Boeing Employees Choir. Tickets cost only $20 (suggested). I attended a last-minute addition to the lineup — the U.S. Air Force Golden West Winds. The quintet, on French horn, flute, clarinet, oboe, and bassoon, plays jazz, standards, and classical pieces. Professional musicians, they joined the air force, went through rigorous boot camp, and serve by traveling around the country performing. Towards the end of their program, veterans were asked to rise upon hearing the anthem of their branch. Played on woodwinds, these familiar anthems sounded downright jaunty. I wiped away tears as men and one woman who’d served in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam rose to applause. MIPC hasn’t yet announced its 2026 lineup, but I’ll definitely go back to church to attend.

The closest thing Harmonia has to a home is the Free Methodist Church, where they perform a little more than half of each season. It’s only a half hour away from Mercer Island, and the quality of the music makes it well worth the drive. “Usually, the orchestra overwhelms the chorus. But something about the architecture (at the Queen Anne church) helps to amplify the chorus,” Maestro Will told me. “To address these venue challenges, our board is trying to create a larger organization with representatives from other groups to build a concert hall.” Stay tuned!

Meanwhile, every few months, Music Center of the Northwest performs “Musicale,” free chamber music concerts, and the Seattle Chamber Music Society is giving free concerts this summer at parks in Seattle and Bellevue.

There’s so much to choose from. Maybe I’ll see you in church.

Meanderings is a travel column by Mindy Stern, a Mercer Island resident whose essays can be found at www.mindysternauthor.com.