Travel and arts guru

Published 12:01 am Friday, October 21, 2011

EDMONDS — Rick Steves looks down the street from his office window and marvels at the Art Moderne structure now the home of the Edmonds Center for the Arts.

The 56-year-old grew up with the building, part of the cityscape since 1939. It once was his junior high school.

Steves comes f

rom a family where the arts were revered. Steves’ father, a music store owner in Edmonds, always made sure the local symphony had a top quality German grand piano.

So when Steves pledged $1 million to the arts it was a logical step for the travel guru, television host and publisher who owns Europe Through the Back Door.

This Sunday and Monday, Steves is helping the Cascade Symphony Orchestra kick off its “Golden Jubilee” season with a multimedia presentation, “Rick Steves’ Europe: A Symphonic Journey.” Steves will act as a tour guide in the presentation while the orchestra plays favorites from seven European countries.

Edmonds has some parallels with the European cities Steves frequents, such as Sandefjord on the Oslo Fjord, just south of the Norwegian capital. Both have sparse populations, sea that touches the land and a lot of trees, he said.

“The people in both places have a love of nature and a certain progressiveness. Every time I cross the border, I feel like I’m with family.” He even looks the part, with his fair complexion, tall stature and blue eyes.

Still, Steves claims that he could never imagine leaving Edmonds, getting his “other place stimulation” during the four months he travels abroad.

The gift

Spurring him to make his gift, Steves cited changes in the federal tax code, which has decreased the tax burden for the nation’s most wealthy. His donation will be spread over a decade, giving recipients a financial base to plan from.

“This way (the all-volunteer Cascade Symphony Orchestra) can operate with confidence, knowing its rent is paid,” Steves said. “Then making music will be more fun. It’s gratifying to think this gesture will take some stress off the symphony.”

He views his bequest as “the right thing to do for someone with a successful business in town. It’s not a heroic move. It’s a common sense thing to do.”

Europe Through the Back Door is one of Edmonds’ largest employers, with more than 80 employees.

“I think I’m about the best job creator in Edmonds, and bumping up my tax a bit would have no impact on my enthusiasm for employing people,” Steves said. “One of my great satisfactions in life is providing good, steady, meaningful employment and a good, stimulating and respectful work environment for 80 people right here in downtown Edmonds.”

His gift is aimed at maintaining the niceties that make Edmonds a great place to live.

“I won’t miss 3 percent of my income,” he said. “I want to enjoy my money. I don’t want to wake up one day and not have a symphony. A community this size should be able to afford a community symphony.

“Too many (people) think too small,” he added. “More should be asked of people like me to help the community whether that is funding arts, schools or helping the homeless.”

It is more than simply asking people to do their share, he contends. It’s asking people to be meaningful stewards of their wealth and contributing to the fabric of the community.

“I am tired of important dimensions of our community having to grovel for money,” he said. “They have had to hold one cake-bake too many. An orchestra should be practicing music, not putting on an auction.”

Part of the donation will prepay for Europe Through the Back Door’s rental of the center’s auditorium, about $12,000 a year. Another $30,000 a year will fund the symphony’s rent. The remaining $50,000 to $60,000 per year will go toward operations of the arts center and meeting its annual $1.2 million budget.

The concert

The upcoming concerts presented by the Cascade Symphony will punctuate Steves’ love for the European culture as his gift is celebrated. The concert will be this weekend at the Edmonds Center for the Arts.

Steves will serve as tour guide, a role that has fit him well for three decades, through seven countries. Video footage of each country will play in tandem with the symphony.

“The program will analyze how music stirs our soul and empowers people yearning for freedom,” Steves said.

The presentation will be filmed for future use by public television stations as a one-hour special next fall, showcasing the symphony and the city.

Additionally, the orchestra will have a DVD available as a souvenir for a fundraising activity.

Rick Steves and the Cascade Symphony Orchestra will join to present “Europe: A Symphonic Journey” this Sunday and Monday at Edmonds Center for the Arts. In part a celebration of the orchestra’s 50th year, in part acknowledgement of Steves’ recent $1 million pledge to the arts, the program casts Steves as the tour guide who will lead the audience through seven countries with music and video. Tickets are available through www.ricksteves.com/symphony or 425-275-9595.