By Emslie Kenall
Following the 30th anniversary season of the Methow Valley Chamber Music Festival in June, Abbey Bennett began her new position as executive director on July 1.
Bennett has been a permanent resident in Winthrop since 2019, but had started attending the festival three years prior. She is drawn to how the festival gives Methow Valley residents access to renowned music from throughout the world.
Bennett came into the part-time postion with experience from serving on the Winthrop Planning Commission, and her current position as the project manager and operations lead at North Star Construction. She is familiar with managing large-scale projects, and is curious to learn what goes into the administrative side of nonprofit work.
Bennett will continue her work in construction. However, as North Star recently completed the RiversMeet project in downtown Winthrop, she has time to gain her bearings before projects pick up again.
Bennett is also an avid lover of music. She described music as a way to express emotions that words can not replicate.
“When I hear the music, almost any music, I see colors and movements and patterns and waves in my head,” she said.
Bennett wants to share her love for music, hoping to expand the outreach of the festival to a greater variety of people.
The festival
The Methow Valley Chamber Music Festival is a nonprofit that has been running since 1996, that hosts a variety of events throughout the year.
The festival, after changing venues multiple times over the years, currently is staged in the Methow Valley Community Center. The building’s acoustics, ability to seat 200 people, cooling and filtering systems and proximity to the Methow Valley Inn — which houses performers during their stay — have made it an ideal location.
Over the course of the four main concerts of this year’s festival, more than 800 people attended. Every year there are also open rehearsals throughout the valley that allow the music to be accessible to the entire community.
There are various other events queued up for the year. On Sept. 5, the Portland Cello Project, a musical tribute to Stevie Wonder, will be at The Merc Playhouse in Twisp. In October, there will be a fundraising dinner which, after a resounding success last year, is now an annual event. There are plans for a Christmas season concert and the annual Valentine’s concert in February.
New position
During the two weeks of this year’s festival, Bennett had a chance to shadow Kathy Podmayer, the previous executive director, and see what goes into both the event and the position.
Since her official start, Bennett has been updating their website and filing system and planning for the fundraiser in October. She has also been working with Kevin Krentz, the program’s artistic director since 2009.
Overall, Bennett said she is not looking to change anything but to focus on learning about the organization. Throughout this year, Bennett will be overseeing the remaining events and help prepare for next year’s summer festival which will take place on June 17, 19, 24, and 26. Her job will be to manage the logistics of the event including all of the necessary instruments and equipment and coordinating housing the musicians.
She described her position as similar to running a construction job. She works with budgets, contracts, schedules, vendors, and subcontractors, who in this case are musicians.
Bennett is unsure how long she will be in this position but is committed to see the organization through its current transition for as long as she is needed. She encourages people, regardless if they like chamber music, to go out to at least one event to support the artists and connect with their community.
“Come out and check it out, support the artists and say hello to me,” she said.
