Welcome to Lynden Music Festival 2024!
I am delighted, as the Executive Director of Lynden Music Festival, to celebrate with you our fifteenth year of bringing together excellent musicians and our lovely community here in Lynden, and beyond!
This year we are celebrating the trumpet, welcoming Jake Baldwin with The Four Freshman, Dmitri Matheny and Folkert-Hans Tolsma all the way from the Netherlands! What better instrument for our 15th Year?
Jake Baldwin has been a member of the Four Freshman since 2020. He was a finalist in the 2019 Carmine Caruso International jazz trumpet competition, the most prestigious competition for jazz trumpeters in the world. The Four Freshman is considered by many as the greatest jazz vocal group of all-time, strongly influencing other vocal groups like our previous guest performers, Take 6 and The Manhattan Transfer. The current Four Freshman group also includes Bob Ferreira, Tommy Boynton and Ryan Howe from Minnesota, Iowa and Nevada, respectively.
We are excited to let you know that some members of The Four Freshmen Society, who has a following of 1.6K on Facebook, will be coming into town for our festival this year. This society is the “Fan Club” of the Four Freshmen that first started in 1948 with members in 26 countries. We met with their Regional Director Mark Schlicting for a delightful introduction to this wonderful group and we look forward to meeting each one of them! For more information about the society go to fourfreshmensociety.com.
Another trumpetist, as well as flugelhornist, joining us is Dmitri Matheny. He started his career studying with Carmine Caruso, one of the most respected and well-known trumpet teachers of all time. Dmitri has become one of the jazz world’s most talented flugelhorn players. His Jazz Group will be celebrating Henry Mancini’s 100th birthday by playing his famous music. You won’t want to miss these concerts!
Our third trumpetist is Folkert-Hans Tolsma who grew up playing trumpet in the Bicycle Showband Crescendo in Opende, Netherlands. With his vocals, trumpet and saxophone he turns festivals into big parties, creates the right atmosphere and makes every occasion unique. You can check him out on Amazon or Apple Music.
Although we are celebrating the brass instruments this year, our schedule as always includes classical, choir, gospel, soul and music from the ‘80’s and ‘90’s, all presented by musicians with excellence! It will be another delightful time when music fills the streets of Lynden, soaking it with an atmosphere of joy and giving it a buzz of anticipation of the wonderful performances awaiting us all.
Thank you to all our supporters, new and longtime friends! We could not present this incredible experience to our historical town without the support of City of Lynden, The Eleanor and Henry Jansen Foundation, WA State Arts Commission, Peoples Bank, Exxel Pacific, The Inn at Lynden, who kindly provides rooms for our musicians, several local businesses and many private music lovers!
Here’s to year 15! May we all be awestruck at the wonder of music!
You are all dearly welcome to our Festival!
Terhi Miikki-Broersma