Social change, in verse and chorus: Sequim musician, band puts cultural lessons to song in Humanities Washington series

If given the choice between playing in a big city or some small, out-of-the-way community, Janet Humphrey and her bandmates will often choose the town less populated.  An acoustic three-piece band that brings high energy and tight harmonies to the stage, Trillium-239 seems to be in perfect harmony with their role as one of Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau’s featured presenters.

“We think what Humanities Washington does is important, particularly for small communities,” says Humphrey, an East Coast native transplanted to the Tri Cities until moving with her husband to Sequim in early 2017.  “(The series gets) topics and discussions into their communities that might not normally be there. You get to hear someone else’s perspective. In many ways, (playing small towns) is more important.”

A regular touring group at various concerts, festivals and special events throughout the Pacific Northwest, Trillium-239 caught the eye of Humanities Washington, a nonprofit founded in 1973 and funded through the National Endowment for the Humanities. The entity served solely as a grant-making organization until 1984, when it launched its first program, Inquiring Minds (now called Speakers Bureau), a roster of traveling historical and cultural experts.