Archives West Finding Aid

Award-winning composer Raymond J. Downey was born in Redwood City, California, on August 17, 1953. After graduating from high school in Lake Tahoe, California, Ray auditioned and received a four-year contract as a clarinetist for the United States Air Force Band at McChord Air Force Base near Tacoma, Washington. There he earned a reputation for his clever musical arrangements, gaining experience as both a performer and conductor. After his military service, Downey enrolled at Western Washington University, graduating in 1981 with a degree in Jazz Studies and Composition. He later taught saxophone and jazz theory at WWU, woodwinds at Olympic College in Bremerton, Washington, and saxophone at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma. In addition to teaching, Downey was an active performer, arranger, and composer, playing in numerous groups, including Eddie and the Atlantics, Saltwater Octet, Saxquatch, the Ray Downey Trio, and the klezmer group Millie and the Mentshn. He was principal clarinetist with the Whatcom Symphony Orchestra in Bellingham from 1989 to 2011. He maintained a successful music teaching studio for 34 years, writing arrangements for his students and other groups, and enriching their lives with his dedication to music education. In recognition of his contributions to the Bellingham community, Downey received a Mayor’s Arts Award in 2001 and 2013.

The Ray Downey collection contains works composed between 1970 and 2014. Ranging in scope from duets, trios, and quintets to orchestral, Big Band, and choral compositions, many were recorded during live performances, including Downey’s senior composition recital at Western Washington University in 1981. Two compositions, Struttin’ Around Downtown and Concerto for Jazzers and Orchestra, were commissioned by the Whatcom Symphony Orchestra and recorded live at the Mount Baker Theatre and WWU. Eleven works for brass ensemble composed between 2004 and 2014 were written for the International Chamber Music Contest at Humboldt State University in Arcata, California. Of these, Another Sweet for Brass Octet (2004) and Scenes from San Juan Island (2006) each received a third-prize award; Three Gnomes from Sonoma (2007) and Wind Dancers (2012) received honorable mentions. In 2011, Downey was awarded second prize for Woods in Winter, a composition for soprano voice and woodwind quartet, written for the Longfellow International Composers Competition in Portland, Maine. Muses of Chalumeau, written in 2012 for clarinet septet, was performed in London, England, by the London Concert of Winds.

Downey drew inspiration for at least two of his compositions from Bellingham-area sites. Scenes from San Juan Island, a piece for brass octet, was inspired by his reading about the Pig War of 1859 and early San Juan Island history. He composed a similar piece about the Peace Arch at the U.S.-Canada border crossing in Blaine.

A consummate musician until his death on December 26, 2014, Downey took great pride in his creative output, which has inspired players and audiences throughout his career. His family hopes that providing access to this rich body of compositions will ensure that they continue to be played and enjoyed in the future.