Joshua Bell tops list of notables at Bellingham Festival of Music

It's always hard to predict Northwest weather, but somehow we think things are going to be very hot in Bellingham next month. That is when the Bellingham Festival of Music gets into gear, with an artist roster that includes some noteworthy names: violinist Joshua Bell, cellist Lynn Harrell and pianist Jeremy Denk among them.

Of course, this festival — founded in 1993, and successfully run except for a year's hiatus in 2007 — has featured famous instrumentalists and singers in the past. The great pianists Garrick Ohlsson and Alicia de Larrocha have appeared there, as have singers Frederica von Stade and Heidi Grant Murphy, and violinist Sarah Chang. There's no denying, however, the considerable star wattage generated by Joshua Bell, an undisputed master who enjoys rock-star status in the classical firmament.