Volunteer Opportunities
The Bellingham Festival of Music benefits from the valuable and invaluable services provided by its many Friends of the Festival. There are many tasks throughout the year that our volunteers assist with: clerical, ushering, greeters, homestays for musicians, fundraising event planning, parties, receptions and more.
If you would like to join our Friends of the Festival volunteer team please give us a call. We will try to provide you with the level of volunteer experience you request.
If you are invested in learning more about volunteer opportunities, please fill out the form below or give us a call at 360-201-6621.
Hosting a musician
Every summer the community of Bellingham opens their doors to our wonderful Festival Orchestra. If you have an available guest bedroom, ADU, or basement suite that you would be able to share with one of our musicians, please contact us! We need both long stays (entire season June 27-July 22), and many short stays (2-5 days) for our musicians and soloists. This is a wonderful way to get to know our musicians better and to be a warm welcome to our visiting guests in Bellingham.
Orchestra Housing Committee
If you don’t have a room to house a musician, you can help the committee! We place over 70 musicians every year with the residents of Bellingham. Are you willing to make calls, or work the spreadsheets? We are always looking for help!
Dinner/Auction Committee
The auction committee has monthly meetings to prepare for our annual gala dinner and auction in April. We look for donations for both silent and live auction items, plan the event, select the décor, and reach out to the community for financial donations.
Planning or Helping with a Special Fundraiser Event (Party)
We love to plan parties! Connecting and socializing is such an important part of celebrating music. Are you willing to host, help plan, or work at one of our events?
Welcome Picnic for the Musicians
We welcome over 70 musicians from around the country and upon their arrival, we host a welcome picnic for the musicians and their host families. We need people to prepare food, set up and tear down the event venue, as well as help with the buffet.
Providing Transportation for Musicians
Each summer our soloists come into town for 2-3 days each and need to be taken to and from their rehearsals. Would you be willing to be paired up with a soloist?
Ushering at Concerts
We are always looking for ushers for our 6 Performing Arts Center concerts at WWU. We can teach you the ropes; you just need to be willing and able to walk the stairs and stand for at least an hour.
Grant Writing
Are you a retired grant writer, or someone who loves learning about the inner workings of a non-profit? We are always looking for people to help us with grant writing. As an arts non-profit, we rely heavily on the generosity of our community in sponsorships, grants, and personal donations. Come help us thrive!