Read on to discover how Vancouver, Washington is a beginning to make its musical mark...
Vancouver, Washington... an American city on the up
Walking around Esther Short Park during the 2024 Vancouver Arts and Music Festival is everything that, growing up on the other side of the world, I imagined idyllic small-town America to be. It’s warm and sunny, gently shaded by towering pine trees; families sit on picnic blankets; there are arts and crafts stalls, ice cream and hot dog vans. There’s a feeling of community and contentment, of expectation and pride.
That’s because Vancouver is a city on the up. Not to be confused with its better-known Canadian cousin, Vancouver, Washington was established in 1825 around Fort Vancouver, a fur-trading outpost between the Columbia River and the forests and snow-covered peaks of the Cascade Mountains. One half of the Portland-Vancouver metropolitan area, the city is located on the Washington-Oregon border, directly north of Portland. For years, Vancouver had been the junior partner, but the times, they are a-changin’ and the city’s population has steadily grown in recent years – something its excitingly ambitious mayor Anne McEnerny-Ogle is keen to exploit.
Vancouver, Washington... artistic ambitions
A former maths teacher, McEnerny-Ogle understands the value of education, and is particularly keen on the role arts and culture can play in building a happy and engaged community. She tells me of the town’s success in 1996 of establishing the Vancouver School of Arts and Academics, which provides state education alongside a full range of artistic disciplines. And there are also plans for a new state-of-the-art performing arts centre which, depending on funding, might seat anywhere from 800 to 2,000 people. I’ve experienced the bustling, energetic vibe myself on the Waterfront, where hip restaurants rub shoulders with sparkling new apartments overlooking the river.
‘Our art, our music and our side of the river is evolving,’ says McEnerny-Ogle. ‘Our population has grown from 35,000 people to around 200,000 in a relatively short space of time. If those people are surrounded by art, they are taken to another dimension. It’s calming, relaxing and joyful.’ Hence the role of Esther Short Park. The oldest park in the US, this central city hub is busy every weekend hosting a wealth of free activities, from food fairs and farmer’s markets to music, dance and pop-up art galleries.
Vancouver Arts and Music Festival... a new annual event
I’m in the city for one of its newer events: the second annual Vancouver Arts and Music Festival. The brainchild of Mayor McEnerny-Ogle and Vancouver Symphony Orchestra executive director (and principal clarinettist) Igor Shakhman, the festival brings together over 40 international and local musicians, plus more than 100 visual artists and an array of local food vendors for three days in August. Live music and dance, representing the city’s multicultural population, take place on three outdoor stages – in 2024, including Colombian, Irish, Vietnamese and Mexican dance, plus the Vancouver Pipe Band, hip hop and ballet. And it’s all completely free.
The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra
At the heart of the celebrations is the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, which during my visit performs three open-air concerts for the community, including a Tchaikovsky evening with solo cellist Zuill Bailey in the Rococo Variations; Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony and the ‘Emperor’ Concerto featuring 2001 Van Cliburn Gold Medallist Olga Kern; and a highly enjoyable Tribute to Bernstein, including the Symphonic Dances from West Side Story and Three Episodes from On The Town.
Formed in 1972, the Vancouver Symphony is a delightful local band with a strong commitment to community engagement and education. Each year it performs around 20 classical, pops and family concerts under the baton of its charmingly quirky music director Salvador Brotons, who has been in post for over 30 years. On stage to introduce the Tchaikovsky evening, Brotons has the audience laughing and thoroughly engaged, particularly during his entreaty not to miss the following evening’s Beethoven performance – hammily humming the famous opening.
Vancouver, Washington... and Gerard Schwarz
That performance and the subsequent Bernstein evening benefit from the expertise of festival associate conductor Gerard Schwarz, on hand to sprinkle a little star power and much musical wisdom, gleaned from his years as music director of the Seattle Symphony and Mostly Mozart Festival. His personal connection with Leonard Bernstein gives extra gravitas to the Bernstein performances too, enhanced by a revealing interval chat in which he shares his memories of Lenny.
Far from just a single, telegraphed appearance, Schwarz seems committed for the long haul – as captivated as I am by the combination of small-town charm, community enrichment and ambitions for the future. If ever a town deserves to emerge from the shadow of its larger sibling, it’s Vancouver.
The third annual Vancouver Arts & Music Festival runs from 31 July to 3 August 2025.
