Whidbey Island Music Festival Turns Twenty
by Russell Clepper • Photos by Dennis Browne
Nearly two decades ago in November 2005, Tekla Cunningham found herself at her aunt’s home in Greenbank for Thanksgiving. It was a trip she and her family often made during holidays and summer vacations. However, this visit would prove to be momentous for her, and for the cultural landscape of Whidbey Island.
Cunningham is one of the Pacific Northwest’s finest musicians—highly accomplished as a violinist in her chosen genre. She has had a life-long love affair with the Baroque period and what is called “early music.” In 2005, she had already built a resumé of music involvement that included many Baroque orchestras and music festivals up and down the West Coast and across the United States.
One day during that Thanksgiving visit, while she hung out with some musician friends, the discussion turned to the topic of a Baroque music festival on the island. There was already a healthy Baroque and classical scene led by local legends Michael Nutt and Buell Neidlinger. Why not build upon that? Her friends liked the idea and lent
