Frederick B. Mabalot (he/him)
Age: 47
City: Bellingham
Lived here for: 8 years
Originally from: Southern California
Notable: Filipino-American composer, director of liturgy and music at Church of the Assumption, artistic director and conductor for the Bellingham Chamber Chorale, newly appointed chorus director for the Bellingham Symphony Orchestra.
Your career has taken you around the world. What have you brought back from those experiences?
Having studied at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in Sydney, Australia, as well as in Copenhagen at the Royal Danish Academy of Music, were some of the most transformative experiences that I’ve had. It really opened my eyes and my mind to what’s out there in terms of opportunities and collaborations with other artists outside of the United States.
Your compositions have also been performed in similarly far-flung places. Of these concerts, which was the most powerful for you personally?
I think one would be the performance of my music at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. I was astounded by just being there to begin with, and then hearing my music [was] powerfully moving for me, coming from someone who, quite literally, started writing music just for the joy of it.
How did you end up moving to Bellingham?
Believe it or not, I didn’t even know that Bellingham existed before I moved here. My niece got very sick at the time. I had been living overseas for about 10 years in Australia, and then in Denmark. She was 2 years old and she was diagnosed with cancer, and that really moved me to rethink how far I am from my family.
And so I started looking for work to move back to the United States. I’ve always worked for the church — Catholic Church, specifically — and so I just happened to come upon this opening here at Church of the Assumption, went through the interview and just really trusted the process … I always give myself the benefit to change my mind, so moving here, I was also open to not stay. But thankfully, that has not happened yet. I’ve been here for eight and a half years, and it’s just been such an amazing ride.
Beyond your impressive resume, what’s something folks might be surprised to learn about you?
I love collaborating and making music and art, [but] I’m also just a real introvert. I love my quiet times, and I just really love simple things in life.
Like what simple things?
If you look into my closet, it’s just all black, because I like to get up, have my coffee, do my morning rituals and then if I have to go somewhere, I don’t want to think about what I’m gonna wear!
What would you say to community members who haven’t yet been to a concert with the Bellingham Chamber Chorale or Symphony Orchestra?
Keep your minds and your hearts open to that experience. [We] live in a culture now where we’re constantly on our phones, and so for an hour or two hours, you have an opportunity to just unplug from all of that. If nothing else, you get to unplug and just sit and be completely, utterly present. And there is, I think, tremendous power in presence.
You recently met Morten Lauridsen, the acclaimed San Juan Island composer who inspired the Bellingham Chamber Chorale’s upcoming concert (March 15–16). What was that experience like?
The first time I came in contact with his music, it really impacted me in such a profound way. It changed something in me. It provided a tremendous amount of clarity in the trajectory of life I wanted to pursue in music.
So then, fast forward into 2025, meeting him was such a gift and he is such a gift. [Lauridsen] was so present, and so generous, and imparted some really amazing wisdom and inspiration … I think it affirms to me, in some ways, this idea of trusting the journey, right?
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Cocoa Laney is CDN’s lifestyle editor; reach her at cocoalaney@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 128.
