Residencies with pianist Charlie Albright and composer Jessie Montgomery connect artists with students across the Olympic Peninsula.
As Field Arts & Events Hall enters its fourth season, the nonprofit performing arts center is expanding its Artists-in-Residence program. The program welcomes global, national, and regional artists to the Olympic Peninsula to create new work and share their craft through performances, workshops, and educational outreach.
From October 5 – 10, Field Hall hosted composer, improviser and classical pianist Charlie Albright as well as GRAMMY® Award-winning composer, violinist, and educator JessieMontgomery. Both artists spent their residencies engaging with local students and community members while advancing their own creative projects.
Renowned pianist Charlie Albright used Field Hall’s facilities to record a new album of spontaneous improvisations inspired by the landscapes of the Olympic Peninsula. Known for his virtuosity and imaginative musicianship, Albright brought his exploratory approach to music beyond the recording studio, connecting with students and community members through educational outreach and live performance.
During his residency, Albright engaged with students at Lincoln High School and presented a free performance at the Port Angeles Library. His residency closed with an improvised show on October 9th in the Donna M. Morris Theater. The show was Albright’s third time performing at Field Hall.
CHARLIE ALBRIGHT: PIANIST, COMPOSER & IMPROVISER
Renowned pianist Charlie Albright used Field Hall’s facilities to record a new album of spontaneous improvisations inspired by the landscapes of the Olympic Peninsula. Known for his virtuosity and imaginative musicianship, Albright brought his exploratory approach to music beyond the recording studio, connecting with students and community members through educational outreach and live performance.
During his residency, Albright engaged with students at Lincoln High School and presented a free performance at the Port Angeles Library. His residency closed with an improvised show on October 9th in the Donna M. Morris Theater. The show was Albright’s third time performing at Field Hall.
JESSIE MONTGOMERY: VIOLINIST, COMPOSER & EDUCATOR
Celebrated contemporary composer Jessie Montgomery’s October residency advanced the creative development of her new opera project intended for future production in partnership with the Metropolitan Opera. Her time at Field Hall provided dedicated space for musical exploration and engagement around the process of creating large-scale contemporary opera.
Montgomery’s residency also brought her work directly to local audiences and young musicians. On October 7, Field Hall hosted a Community Conversation with Montgomery, moderated by James Garlick of Music on the Strait.
The evening opened with students from the Port Angeles High School (PAHS) Orchestra performing Montgomery’s composition Strum. The students had studied the work with their orchestra director, Nathan Rødahl. The piece was performed by the 2025–26 PAHS Chamber Orchestra at the Washington Music Educators Association (WMEA) State Solo and Ensemble Contest, where it won the state title in the Large String Ensemble category.
Montgomery, whose music blends classical traditions with vernacular influences, improvisation, poetry, and social consciousness, has works performed regularly by leading orchestras, ensembles, and soloists around the world. She was named Performance Today’s 2025 Classical Woman of the Year.
“Our strategic plan calls on us to become a premier cultural destination, support the creation of new work, deepen educational engagement, and strengthen the economy of our region. The artistic residency program advances all those goals simultaneously,” said Steve Raider-Ginsburg, Executive and Artistic Director at Field Hall. “We are creating extraordinary moments of connection and inspiration, where audiences on the Olympic Peninsula can meet and work with acclaimed artists. And at the same time, we’re giving those artists the time, space, quality facilities, and stunning natural setting to inspire their next projects.”
THE FUTURE OF ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE AT FIELD HALL
“Our strategic plan calls on us to become a premier cultural destination, support the creation of new work, deepen educational engagement, and strengthen the economy of our region. The artistic residency program advances all those goals simultaneously,” said Steve Raider-Ginsburg, Executive and Artistic Director at Field Hall. “We are creating extraordinary moments of connection and inspiration, where audiences on the Olympic Peninsula can meet and work with acclaimed artists. And at the same time, we’re giving those artists the time, space, quality facilities, and stunning natural setting to inspire their next projects.”
Field Hall has announced several upcoming artistic residencies, including a 2-year Global Artist-in-Residence, playwright Abhishek Majumdar.
ABHISHEK MAJUMDAR • 2026-2028
Internationally acclaimed playwright and director Abhishek Majumdar will undertake a developmental residency focused on the creation of a new theatrical work.
Known for his powerful storytelling, global perspective, and exploration of social and political themes, Majumdar’s residency will include script development, staged readings, artist conversations, and educational workshops for emerging playwrights and theater artists.
BENJAMIN HUNTER • NOVEMBER 2026
Seattle-based musician Benjamin Hunter will lead a residency exploring music, storytelling, and regional history. Through performance, oral-history practices, and community dialogue, Hunter’s work will help connect audiences to the diverse cultural narratives that shape the Pacific Northwest.
KRONOS QUARTET • FEBRUARY 2027
The internationally renowned Kronos Quartet will undertake a creative residency focused on the development of a new climate-change-themed opera and related community engagement programming.
BYRON AU YONG • MAY 2027
Acclaimed composer and arts leader Byron Au Yong will undertake a creative residency at Field Arts & Events Hall to advance the development of Forest Aeternam, an ambitious multidisciplinary music project that invites people to listen and sing with trees while reimagining humanity’s relationship with nature, memory, loss, and environmental stewardship.
