Cherry Festival Brings Noted Seattle Pianist
Valley piano music aficionados won’t have to head downtown to hear a concert this weekend - they’ll just have to head north on Argonne.
Seattle recording artist David Templeton will perform Sunday at The Harvest House and Orchard as part of Green Bluff’s annual Cherry Festival.
Templeton plays what he calls “modern” classical music. His soft, cascading piano works aren’t designed to dazzle the listener with show-off speed. Unlike a Chopin, Templeton writes music where virtuosity is understated, calm and sweet.
A lot of that probably has to do with Templeton’s writing process. He doesn’t come up with complex arrangements by sitting down and poring over sheet music. He said songs are always there, just waiting.
“I always hear them. Music is always in my head, day and night,” Templeton said in a telephone interview Wednesday.
So, for him the struggle isn’t coming up with songs - it’s sorting them all out and refining the ones that work. One of his favorite ways to do that is by taking a walk along a Puget Sound beach.
Modern accessibility aside, an indelible classical mark is stamped throughout his music. Templeton, who has played piano since he was 3, was raised on Mozart, Rachmaninoff and Mendelssohn. His latest release, 1994’s “The Deepest Water,” is no exception to those influences.
“It’s got a real classical feel. It’s the drama of today, with the elegance of 200 years ago,” Templeton said. And in the face of pop fluidity, he views writing forms of classical music as almost a duty. “I feel it’s important. It’s a lost art form. Songs come and go, but if you really write something right it stands the test of time.”
Finding time for those beach walks is probably getting a little tougher for Templeton now. He tours 40 weeks out of the year. And, with three selfproduced releases under his belt, he’s become a one-man record label.
“I’m the producer, arranger, promoter, marketer, seven days a week,” he said of the chores of keeping Mason Ridge Records afloat. “It’s the best way to get the music out there as fast as possible.”
And, it is getting out. His albums are currently in radio rotation in San Francisco, Seattle and the Tri-Cities. His second release, 1992’s “Promises” was named Recording of the Year by the Northwest Music Association.
With reviews like that, Templeton might not be on an independent label very long. Nonetheless, he said the experience was worth it.
“Eventually when I do join on with a large company, I’ll have an appreciation for what it really takes to run a company.”
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MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Getting there The Harvest House and Orchard is located at 9919 E. Greenbluff Road.> Admission to Cherry Festival concerts is free. The orchard gets its revenue drawing folks to pick cherries. Can’t wait until Sunday? Local country act “Occasional String Band, AKA Balding Men with Day Jobs” will play today. David Templeton will play Sunday. Both shows last from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Bring lawn chairs or blankets - remember, these concerts happen in a cherry orchard. There will also be hay rides, llama rides, a petting zoo and craft booths. There will be food, too. Expect lots of cherry cider, cherry pie and other homemade fixings. For more information, call The Harvest House at 238-6970.