The Whidbey Island Music Festival celebrates its 20th anniversary by taking listeners on a classical and baroque musical vacation back in time and across the globe.

This year’s program, which runs from June 20 to Aug. 17, will feature a diverse lineup of unique events. Festival-goers can take a yoga class accompanied by a multi-instrumentalist or transform a casual afternoon stroll into a Spanish-inspired walk on the beach at Ebey’s Landing, complete with medieval and folk music serenades.

“I am most excited about all the different ways to experience music,” said Tekla Cunningham, director and founder of the festival.

She hopes that by offering both movement-based and traditional concert experiences, people will be inspired to engage with classical music in new ways while building a sense of community with fellow music lovers.

“We are learning more and more the power of music to really connect us,” Cunningham said. “It is important for me to share and to have people experience (that).”

Musicians use instruments that are historic or replicas of the same instruments used in the 18th and 19th centuries. Cunningham, who plays the baroque violin, explained how the musicians alternate between steel string bows, which are a more modern string, and gut string bows, to model the time periods of each song.

Gut strings are better at imitating vocal articulation, “so even if it’s music without words, it’s very impactful emotionally,” Cunningham said.

The performers, she explained, share the stories behind the music’s origins, allowing even those new to classical music to engage with the tunes more intentionally.

Distant Shores, a concert series that begins on June 21 as part of the Whidbey Island Music Festival, is what Cunningham describes as a “fascinating repertoire” that feels like a world tour of classical music. The concert pays homage to composers and singers from distinct cultures of the past, ranging from Japan to Cuba and Hawaii. The program highlights infamous composers and musicians from the end of the Age of Discovery until the Age of Empire. Audience members confront the unpleasant history of colonialism while marveling at the creativity that grew from centuries of oppression and bloodshed. The melodies showcase a range of elements. Some songs blend poetry with musicality, while others feature rhythmic flair or hidden layers of meaning, all while exploring lyrics ranging from lighthearted to sorrowful.

“You don’t have to have a long history with classical music to come and enjoy,” Cunningham said.

The music festival usually draws crowds from all over the community, from retired folks to young kids who love to dance. Free tickets are available to students of all ages to encourage the next generation to explore classical music.

“This made my 78th birthday one of the most memorable, the most unforgettable nights of my life. For my gratitude, words are inadequate,” a past visitor, David Locke, said on the Whidbey Island Music Festival website.

Since launching the festival in 2006, Cunningham has received an abundance of positive feedback.

“I’m just very grateful to the community for their incredible support these past 20 years,” Cunningham said. “That really lights me up to give people a moment in time to inspire them, refresh them and make them happy.”

Cunningham credited a large part of the music festival’s success to the many volunteers who help the concerts run and create a warm experience for visitors. Cunningham is excited for many years to come of concerts on Whidbey.

Musicians play Ku’u Pua i Paoakalani, written by Hawaiian Queen Lili’uokalani during her inprisonment. From right, co-director Henry Lebedinsky plays the ukelele, Kevin Cooper plays guitar, William Skeen performs on the cello (Photo by Allyson Ballard)

A violin rests in between rehearsals (Photo by Allyson Ballard)

A guitar sits on its case (Photo by Allyson Ballard)

William Skeen with a cello from the 18th century switches his bow from modern to classic (Photo by Allyson Ballard)

Kevin Cooper strums the guitar (Photo by Allyson Ballard)

Mexican vocalist Cecilia Duarte is a mezzo-soprano. She performs in multiple languages throughout the concert, a skill she mastered over several months by studying vowel sounds using the International Phonetic Alphabet (Photo by Allyson Ballard)