HS band from Japan to perform in Blaine

The award-winning high school wind orchestra from Japan at a recent performance. Photo courtesy of Leslee Smith

By Oliver Lazenby

An award-winning high school wind orchestra from Japan will play a concert at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 26, at the Performing Arts Center, 975 H Street in Blaine.

About 60 students from Asahikawa City, on Japan’s north island of Hokkaido, will perform with the Asahikawa Commerce High School Wind Orchestra.

The band, which has won medals in national competitions, is touring the U.S. and Canada.

The Japanese students will stay with families in Whatcom County and visit local attractions during their stay. In addition to the Blaine concert, they’ll tour Western Washington University, perform in Ferndale, ride the Plover ferry, visit Marine Park and take a walking tour of Blaine with a stop at Edaleen Dairy for ice cream.

“If you see the students at any of the activities in Blaine, you’re welcome to meet the students and say hi to them,” trip organizer Leslee Smith said at a February 26 school board meeting.

Concert admission is free and the school is collecting donations for the Blaine Food Bank. The Asahikawa wind orchestra previously visited Blaine in 2005 and 2007.