Immerse yourself and prepare for the transformative power that comes from being in a focused, supportive community that will guide your development as an artist—providing you the tools you need, renewing the energy that fuels your passion, and giving you the chance to discover your own unique voice. This summer, Centrum presents five week-long full-immersion workshops. Registration for all workshops is available online, as well as by calling Centrum at 360.385.3102, x117.

The action starts June 28-July 3 with Voiceworks, back by popular demand. Designed for aspiring, experienced, and pre-professional vocalists, Voiceworks features sessions for those who have never sung a note before, as well as classes for singers who are ready to take the next step in their development. Besides absorbing a variety of cultural and stylistic music–vintage country duets and trios, Western swing, blues, jazz standards, honky-tonk, bluegrass, and Appalachian ballads–daily technical sessions will be on the schedule, focusing on warm-up, proper breathing, tone production, and care of your voice. Join Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Laurie Lewis; blues, bluegrass, and roots favorite Orville Johnson; honky tonkin' Nadine Landry; western singer Wylie Gustafson—the Yahoo! yodeler!—and other faculty members to to find out what makes your voice unique. Visit our Voiceworks site for more information, including registration information, or call 360.385.3102, x127.

July 3-10. The Festival of American Fiddle Tunes, curated by Artistic Director Dirk Powell, has been since 1976 a week-long, total-immersion workshop in the many regional styles of traditional music. The program's particularly wide spectrum includes workshop classes, band lab classes, tutorials, dances, concerts, open jams, parties, and informal and spontaneous gatherings. The emphasis is on the oral tradition of close observation and listening. In 2010, you'll learn fiddle music from Cajun, Basque, Quebecois, New England, Virginian, Moose Cree, Tennessean, Midwestern, Mexican, and west-coast musicians. Daily instruction takes place in fiddle, banjo, guitar, piano, button accordion, keyboard accordion, singing, string bass, mandolin, and social dance. Evenings will feature intimate showcase concerts and social dancing. All of this is stirred up with night-long jamming. Visit our Fiddle Tunes site for more information, including registration information, or call 360.385.3102, x127.

July 18-25. The Port Townsend Writers’ Conference, designed for beginning, emerging, and actively publishing literary writers, has been since 1974 at the heart of the thriving Pacific Northwest literary scene. In the Conference's inspiring and supportive atmosphere, such literary figures as William Stafford, Alice Walker, Richard Hugo, Margaret Atwood, James Welch, Raymond Carver, and many, many others came to hone their craft and make breakthroughs in their writing. Whether you are coming to create or revise new work, build your writing community, or simply desire a writing retreat in an inspirational location, the Port Townsend Writers' Conference offers a number of tracks designed to to fit your current needs as a writer. Conference space sells out fast, so make sure to reserve your spot early. The Conference, helmed by Artistic Director Cristina García, features core morning workshops in literary fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction. The Conference also offers drop-in afternoon workshops, residencies, guided freewrites, and a vibrant readings and lectures series. Visit our Writing site for more information, including registration information, or call 360.385.3102, x131.

July 25–August 1. Jazz Port Townsend, one of the nation's oldest and most respected jazz workshops, returns for its 34th year. Artistic Director John Clayton has invited an outstanding group of world-class jazz artists to serve as your mentors as you develop your skills both as an individual player and as a member of an ensemble. In addition to daily combo rehearsals, master classes and participant-only performances with these artists, you'll also be able to choose from a wide range of electives–from special topic classes to unique performance opportunities. There's also plenty of time for informal jamming. The workshop culminates in public performances by faculty and all participants in concerts at Fort Worden and at clubs throughout Port Townsend. Your registration includes admission to all performances. Whether you’re a pre-professional or an aspiring jazz artist, Centrum’s jazz workshop will help you reach your potential. Visit our Jazz site for more information, including registration information, or call 360.385.3102, x109. 

August 1-8. Port Townsend Acoustic Blues Festival Artistic Director Corey Harris has expanded the Acoustic Blues workshop for 2010, offering two sessions
each morning and one in the afternoon. Classes are offered in blues guitar, slide guitar, Piedmont-style fingerpicking, harmonica, fiddle, mandolin, banjo, blues piano, bass, washboard, and blues singing–all taught by the masters of the country blues tradition who come to Port Townsend from all over North America. In addition to these offerings, there will be expanded opportunities for playing, including nighttime jams with the faculty, an assortment of band labs, and chances for solo performances for both friends and mentors. The Acoustic Blues workshop is open to and appropriate for all skill levels. If you don't play an instrument, hop on vocal track, including two blues-singing workshops and the Gospel choir. Visit our Blues site for more information, including registration information, or call 360.385.3102, x127.