The Harmony Chamber Music Festival is a program of the Bellingham Chamber Music Society, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. BCMS believes in music as a powerful force that enriches the lives of young people. We run HCMF on a ‘pay what you can system’ because we believe that music programs ought to be available to all young people who are inspired to play. To that end the application process to HCMF events is free and we are committed to helping those accepted into the program with both partial and full tuition assistance if needed.

Program Cost

Full tuition does not entirely cover the cost of running HCMF. We rely on, and are grateful to, community donors and grants to help keep this program alive. We know income inequality is a reality. With that in mind, if you are in a financial position to do so, we respectfully ask that you pay full tuition. This will allow us to assist families who would otherwise not be able to participate.

If you find yourself with abundance, please consider donating to the Harmony Chamber Music Festival so we can continue to offset tuition costs to families.

Pay-What-You-Can Tuition Levels

Students accepted into HCMF will be able to specify their needed level of tuition support, when registering for their event. A range of support levels will be available from 10% up to 100% tuition coverage. Thank you for your consideration when choosing your needed level of financial aid.

Barter/Volunteer for partial to full tuition waiver

We could always use extra help. As an all volunteer run organization we understand the value of people’s time, and can offer some barter/trade options in exchange for tuition.

Examples of help we can use:

  • Securing and delivering snacks for the Weekend event for 50+ students
  • Moving stands/equipment and setting up the rooms at Whatcom Community College prior to the events
  • Registering students at the start of events
  • Monitoring students during lunch/breaks/performances
  • Fundraising (soliciting businesses for donations)
  • Have other skills we might love to know about (e.g. Grant writing? Fundraising?)

Upon your child’s acceptance to the HCMF program, if you are interested in bartering for tuition, please contact us and allow time to determine the details of a barter arrangement.