HERMISTON — The Inland Northwest Musicians will finish its 25th anniversary season with a final concert on Saturday, June 22, at the Hermiston Community Center, 415 S. Highway 395. The music starts at 3 p.m.

The Inland Northwest Orchestra and the Inland Northwest Chorale will both be performing under the direction of R. Lee Friese and Phillip Simpson. The concert is offered free of charge with donations welcome. It is being sponsored by the Good Shepherd Community Health Foundation, the city of Hermiston’s Transient Room Tax fund and Alice Massey, an INWM founding member.

The orchestra will present “Rhapsody in Blue” by George Gershwin with guest artist Bill McKay performing on the nine-foot Chickering & Sons grand piano owned by the symphony and housed at the Hermiston Community Center. “Rhapsody in Blue” premiered in 1924 and will celebrate its 100th anniversary this year.

McKay is the dean of Arts and Humanities at Columbia Basin College in Pasco, Washington. He received his degrees in piano performance from the University of Washington and the University of Texas at Austin. Before his administrative appointment in 1999, he was a member of the school’s music faculty.

After 25 years as a dean, he will return to the faculty in the music department at CBC in September. As an arts administrator, he was appointed by Gov. Gary Locke in 2005 as a commissioner for the Washington State Arts Commission and in 2007 was re-appointed by Gov. Christine Gregoire and continues to remain active in arts advocacy in Washington.

The Chorale and Orchestra will combine to present “Serenade to Music” by Ralph Vaughn Williams.

Written in 1938, the words were adapted from “The Merchant of Venice” by William Shakespeare. The combined ensembles will also perform the Hallelujah Chorus from George Frederic Händel’s “Messiah.”

Also to be performed is the “Fanfare for the Common Man” by Aaron Copland featuring the brass and percussion ensemble and “L’Arlésienne Suite #2” by Georges Alexandre César Leopold Bizet.

Following the concert, there will be a punch and cookie reception.

History

Founded in 1999, Inland Northwest Musicians is comprised of volunteer musicians from throughout Northeast Oregon and Southeastern Washington. The performance ensembles include the Inland Northwest Orchestra, Inland Northwest Chorale, and Willow Creek Symphony, all of whom present concerts throughout the region in communities of all sizes.

In addition to the performance ensembles, string instruction classes are currently offered in Hermiston to the surrounding communities.

Admission to all concerts is free of charge, funded by corporate sponsors, grants, local concert sponsorships, and individual donations. Corporate sponsors for this season include Amazon Web Services, The Blackbaud Giving Fund, Blue Mountain Community Foundation, city of Hermiston’s Transient Room Tax fund, Good Shepherd Community Health Foundation, Herbert A. Templeton Foundation, James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation, Kiwanis Club of Hermiston, Oregon Arts Commission, Oregon Community Foundation, Morrow County Cultural Coalition, Pacific Power Foundation, Umatilla Electric Cooperative and Umatilla County Cultural Coalition.