KPTZ is excited to welcome Quimper’s Watch, a local maritime musical group, to the Trinity United Methodist Church on Thursday, January 23 at 7pm. This is the next installment of our Candlelight Concert series. Hailing from Port Townsend, its five members bring together decades of knowledge and experience in maritime music, transforming it to a rich, dynamic musical experience. Whether it’s ‘a cappella’ shanty working songs or instrumented sea ballads, their strong voices and multi-part harmonies combine to capture the heritage and soul of these songs that once echoed across Port Townsend’s Victorian waterfront during the golden age of sail. The group’s name honors Spanish naval officer Manuel Quimper Benítez del Pino (1757-1844). In 1790, as captain of the sloop Princessa Real, Quimper is credited as being the first person of European descent to explore and chart both coasts of the Strait of Juan de Fuca where he named the peninsula on which Port Townsend sits. Among his many accomplishments, he was a gifted maritime cartographer, author, and poet, making him a fitting namesake for the group. Brought to you by KPTZ, this concert will also be simulcast on 91.9 FM KPTZ
