Treat yourself or your loved one to a weeklong workshop or artist residency at Centrum, Fort Worden State Park, Port Townsend. Visit centrum.org to register for one or more of 10 immersive programs in the arts.

Explorations (Grades 7-9) March 4-9: Students take creative risks in a weeklong overnight program designed to foster creativity and critical thinking. Passionate artists teach visual art, music, acting, printmaking and dance every day in an intensive week of learning through the arts. Those same artists showcase their skills each evening and share their creative journey with students. The week concludes with a student showcase for friends and family to witness all that students discovered in their creative explorations. Must register in groups of 4-6 with an adult chaperone.

Brazilian Choro April 25-29: Choro (pronounced “shoro”) is a genre that blends European melodic and harmonic traditions with African rhythms. Classical and jazz musicians who are proficient with an instrument will build skills and find inspiration in this extended-weekend workshop. This workshop sells out quickly each year.

Water World (Grades 5 & 6) April 29-May 4: Water World is a collaboration between Centrum and the Port Townsend Marine Science Center. Students engage in activities and projects that enhance their experience of the marine world through the lenses of science and art. Must register in groups of at least 4-6 with an adult chaperone.

Voice Works June 25-30: The beloved Pharis Romero returns for a ninth year, this time as the first-ever Voice Works Artistic Director. Share your passion for singing with participants of all abilities in this five-day program as you learn from the best. Day and night, soak up new styles, songs and stories from a wide range of vocal traditions. Learn breathing techniques, phrasing, dynamics and find your unique style.

Fiddle Tunes July 1-8: More than 35 instructors convene from around the globe to lead classes, band labs, dances, concerts, open jams and spontaneous gatherings in this nonstop celebration of fiddle music. You will broaden skills and forge lifelong relationships with other passionate musicians in this weeklong program.With Artistic Director Joel Savoy

High School Writers’ Conference July 8-15: Back for a second year by popular demand, the Centrum High-School Writers’ Conference is open to students who will be entering grades 9-12 in Fall 2018 at all levels of writing experience–from beginner to advanced–as well as seniors who have just graduated and are seeking an intensive creative-writing experience. Core morning workshops put students together in a small class of twelve with one core faculty member in fiction or poetry. Class sessions happen from Monday through Friday. The Conference’s afternoon-workshop offerings in special topics are guided by by visiting writers and editors in-residence.

Celebrating 45 Years of the Port Townsend Writers’ Conference July 15-22: The Port Townsend Writers’ Conference, founded by 2018 faculty member Bill Ransom, is at the heart of the Pacific Northwest literary scene. With a focus on community, and a rigorous attention to craft, this conference offers morning and afternoon workshops, residencies, guided freewrites and a vibrant readings and lectures series. Whether you’re new to writing, seeking inspiration for new work, or looking for advanced post-MFA revision workshops, this conference gives you the craft and connections to make breakthroughs in your work. Patricia Henley, Lilly Hoang, Shawn Vestal, Luis Urrea, Melissa Febos, Suzanne Paola, Bruce Beasley, Ilya Kaminsky, Emily Kendal Frey. With Artistic Director Sam Ligon.

Jazz Port Townsend July 22-29: Honoring Blue Note Legend Lee Morgan; with Artistic Director John Clayton. New stars will stud the faculty this year, including vocalist Jazzmeia Horn who won the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz International Vocals Competition in 2015. This year will also honor the Blue Note Legend Lee Morgan, a trumpet legend whose meteoric career came to a tragic end with his death in 1972 at the age of 34. This weeklong immersion into the world of jazz is open by audition to instrumentalists and vocalists high-school-aged and older. Participants focus on improvisational skills in coached combos and vocal classes and then perform onstage at week’s end.

Acoustic Blues Festival July 29-August 5: Honoring the Legacy of Delta Blues Singer Son House with Artistic Director Jerron Paxton. 2018 faculty member Dick Waterman is a writer, promoter and photographer credited with helping bring musicians such as the legendary Son House from obscurity in the 1960s. His journey to find Son House is featured in the critically-acclaimed 2017 documentary film titled Two Trains Runnin’. Waterman will be new to the faculty in the coming season, joining the ranks of those who breathe life into blues traditions at Centrum every year. Since its inception, the Port Townsend Acoustic Blues Festival has been the largest of its kind in the nation. Delve into history with daytime classes and back-porch jam sessions that last until dawn.

DANCE This! (Grades 9-12) August 12-19: DANCE This!, presented in partnership with Seattle Theatre Group, is a nurturing but challenging week of practice, collaboration and performance. Some of the region’s most vibrant dancers come to teach technique classes and repertory sessions. Students also enjoy meals together and explore the beautiful seaside Fort Worden Campus. At the end of the week, students dazzle friends and family with a performance in the McCurdy Pavilion.

Ukulele Festival September 12-16: Ukulele players with solid skills will be blown away by the caliber of instruction at this extended-weekend workshop. Award-winning musicians from around the country fly in to instruct and perform for participants in a wide range of styles. This workshop sells out quickly each year. With Artistic Director Marianne Brogan.

Artist Residencies Year-Round: Since 1980, Centrum’s Artist-in-Residence program has welcomed hundreds of artists and creative thinkers of all genres to immerse themselves in the historic charm and natural beautify of Fort Worden. The historic campus has miles of beaches and a hillside of forest peppered with WWI-era batteries and bunkers. It is the perfect place to amplify your creativity. Residences are scheduled year-round, in weeklong blocks, with the exception of June until mid-August, and during Christmas to New Year’s Day.

                   – Centrum, Fort Worden State Park