On Sunday, June 8 at 7 p.m., the Bishop Center for Performing Arts at Grays Harbor College will celebrate Grays Harbor’s rich history through music and storytelling with the original film Spirit of the Harbor and a full symphonic score performed live by the Grays Harbor Symphony.
Grays Harbor Symphony Composer in Residence and filmmaker Cathryn S. Davis produced, directed, wrote and scored Spirit of the Harbor.
“I am so grateful to Dr. William Dyer and GHC for commissioning this job to me along with all the talented musicians who will be playing in the orchestra and singing,” said Davis. “It has been my honor to produce, direct, write and score this film. I can’t wait to hear it live with an orchestra!”
Spirit of the Harbor will premiere as part of the Grays Harbor Symphony’s spring concert, which is titled Going Home and is directed by Dr. William Dyer. The evening concert will also feature Dvořák’s New World Symphony and the winners of the Grays Harbor Music Teachers Association Concerto Competition, Sam Dorsch and Ben Jurasin.
Tickets to Going Home are available at ghc.edu/bishop or at the Box Office.
Grays Harbor College and the Karen Miekle Foundation commissioned the composition and accompanying film Spirit of the Harbor in June, 2023.
The film traces the vibrant story of Grays Harbor from 1890-1930 and beyond, weaving together historical footage, archival images, and original narration, as well as contributions from community members today explaining “why we love Grays Harbor.”
With the support of assistant director Clyde McDade, script supervisor Ann Hartman, historian John Larson of the Polson Museum, and many community volunteers, Davis and her team crafted a narrative that spans five sections: Pristine Country, Timber Train, Quinault Spirit and Our Favorite Place. Larson narrated the film in a fun and informative manner.
The film’s opening sections, Pristine Country and Timber Train, highlight the region’s natural beauty and timber industry roots, with period footage underscored by original orchestral and jazz-inspired compositions.
“The conductor of The Grays Harbor Symphony, Dr. William Dyer wanted me to work with John Larson, director of the Polson Museum,” explained Davis. “We met, along with my assistant director Clyde McDade, and viewed historical footage from the time frame and edited footage for the first section called Pristine Country.”
The group did the same scenario for Timber Train. After seeing train footage, Davis said she heard a Duke Ellington style in her head.
“I had never written a jazz piece for orchestra, so I needed to take some time to study this style of music,” she said. “After editing vintage footage with John Larson, I took the footage back to my studio and wrote the music. It’s so much fun with the train footage hearing trumpet Wah Wahs and saxophone sounds as workers swing back and forth loading logs on a train.”
According to Davis, the third section of the film “unfolded miraculously.” Davis said she was looking on YouTube for a Quinault drum beat and came across a song written, sung, and performed by Quinault Nation President Guy Capoeman.
“The way he was singing and looking into the camera made me think that he was singing for me. The song moved me,” said Davis. “I immediately turned to my piano and wrote a counter melody for the orchestra to play along. The piece spotlights a gorgeous cello solo by cellist John O’Brien.”
With music in mind, Davis started researching the history of the Quinault Indian Nation and gathering images to feature in the film, working alongside assistant Director McDade, script supervisor Hartman, and many other community members.
“We received so much help finding images and history from Lee Marriot and Kelly Calhoun, President and Curator of the Moclips by the Sea Historical Society and Museum of the North Beach,” Davis said. “Clyde and I spent days with Nicole Law, Curator and Aubrey Della, Assistant Curator from the Quinault Tribal Museum finding images, treaties and learning about their culture. Many thanks to these museums for their help.”
The final section of the film celebrates present-day Grays Harbor, featuring community-submitted photos, videos, and artwork that reflect why locals love the region.
Davis wrote the music for the final section of the film with an idea in mind of how she wanted it all to look.
“For example, this section is for a photo, this section video, and so on,” she said. “I then worked for weeks with John Davidson editing these images to my music. It is so fun and tells us so many things about the current Grays Harbor and the people who live here.”
Composer and filmmaker Cathryn S. Davis
After producing commercials for years, Davis returned to college at 61 years old to study film scoring. She studied Music Theory at Grays Harbor College before moving to St. Paul, Minnesota on a scholarship to a contemporary music conservatory.
