Imagine yourself... ...in a stunning seaside setting, with a small gathering of fellow opera lovers, grazing on delicacies both savory and sweet, sipping fine wines and other libations, enhanced by the 'golden ...
Susan Waterfall's biographical film on Igor Stravinsky provides an ideal prologue to the Festival's programming this year. Experience the fascinating life of the greatest composer of the 20th century, including excerpts from 25 of his works, along with compelling images and photographs. A Q&A will follow the screening.
Enjoy a brilliant meal with friends as Fedele and Linda Bauccio (creators of Sostenuto, the Festival's legendary annual culinary event) bring us an evening of color and culinary exploration dedicated to New Orleans cuisine and the art of good food and fine dining. In a spacious and secluded area on the Mendocino Grove property, party ...
This Grammy-Award-winning family band is recognized as one of the foremost contemporary Mexican ensembles in the world. With their unique fusion of Mexican folk, jazz, and classical music, they have graced prestigious stages around the globe, including Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, and captivated audiences with their virtuosic musicianship. Hermanos Villalobos have frequently collaborated with ...
In the opening classical concert, Allan Pollack will lead the musicians in Igor Stravinsky’s 1922 Pulcinella Suite, one of the ballets commissioned by Diaghilev. We’ll catch our breaths when the orchestra and pianist James D'León transport us to Nights in the Gardens of Spain, Manuel de Falla’s set of nocturnes for piano and orchestra. The ...
Pianist Keisuke Nakagoshi will celebrate Ravel’s 150th birthday with “Moons and Insects,” a selection of short pieces by classical and contemporary composers that celebrate the moon and some of the many bugs in the world. His selections will include Grieg’s butterfly, Ravel’s moth, Scriabin’s mosquito, and Prokofiev’s grasshopper, interspersed with some moon music, and capped ...
This country singer and songwriter was raised in Monkey's Eyebrow, Kentucky. Waldon's family roots in the Bluegrass State date back over ten generations. She has performed with with artists of note within the country and Americana genres, including Willie Nelson, John Prine and Tanya Tucker, and she made her Grand Ole Opry debut in 2016, ...
Recently dubbed the "Superman of the Bay Area jazz scene" by the San Francisco Chronicle, Kenny Washington is a jazz virtuoso who thrills audiences with his soulful interpretations, seemingly limitless range, and rapid-fire scatting. Ravi Coltrane has declared Kenny his favorite male vocalist, and Mark Murphy said in a Jazz Times interview that Kenny was ...
A carnival mood will be created by pianist Sergey Belyavsky as he plays Schumann’s lively Carnival Scenes from Vienna Op. 26 and his Carnaval Op. 9. The spirit will only grow with Liszt’s “Carnival in Pest” (aka Hungarian Rhapsody No. 9), Rosenthal’s Carnaval de Vienne, and selections from Saint-Saens’ humorous The Carnival of the Animals. ...
Heralded as one of “Austin’s rising stars” by Rolling Stone and called “an Austin legend in the making” by Forbes, Jackie Venson has established herself as one of the most commanding R&B performers to come out of Texas. An Austin native, Venson has shared the stage with icons like Gary Clark, Jr. and Melissa Etheridge ...
Twenty-three years ago, three members of what would soon be Foxglove gathered on stage at the Caspar Community Center to record a live album in front of a capacity crowd. This trio of multitalented musicians—Morgan Daniel, Gwyneth Moreland, and John Bush—had been building a following at small, local venues, showcasing Gwyneth’s lovely voice, Morgan’s songwriting, ...
Prepare for an evening of soul-tinged jazz and fusion, with a look to the future, sprinkled with electronica and hip-hop. Described by Timeout New York as a musician who “deftly balances virtuosity with tenderness,” Julian Pollack is well-known in these parts as an amazing pianist and keyboard wizard. He will be joined by Berklee-trained Max ...
Zoe Ellis’s dramatic and colorful voice is well known to music fans in the Bay Area and beyond. Described by reviewers as “a resourceful and inventive vocalist,” she sang for many years with the Bay Area funk band, the Mo’Fessionals. A dynamic performer, Ellis’s credits include live performances with the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, Donald ...
In this concert version of Donizetti’s comic opera, conducted by Ryan Murray, the audience will be treated to all of the beautiful music in this bel canto masterpiece, and most of the shenanigans. Don Pasquale is generally regarded as the high point of the 19th century opera buffa tradition and five accomplished singers will lead ...
American pianist Rachel Breen’s performances have been described as “truly show-stopping” (Gramophone UK) and having “a beautiful piano sound and original detail.” She has enjoyed an active and successful competition career and has performed and taught masterclasses around the world. In the first half of this concert Breen will perform a set of ten etudes ...
Maiya Sykes is back for her third Big Band concert and she’s ready to pull out all the stops. She’s a former back-up singer whose rendition of “Stay with Me” on The Voice in 2014 catapulted her to lead singer fame. Based in Los Angeles, Sykes is a classically trained musician who graduated from Yale ...
L’histoire du soldat shows off Stravinsky’s familiarity with a wide range of musical styles: pasodoble, tango, waltz, ragtime, klezmer, and even Luther’s Ein Feste Burg. Concerto in E-flat (“Dumbarton Oaks”) is one of Stravinsky’s two chamber concertos. Stravinsky’s Octet for Wind Instruments is scored for an unusual combination of woodwind and brass. Completed in 1923, ...
Siblings Jasper Manning on mandolin and Jayna Manning on guitar are joined by their fiddler father, Chad Manning, an alum of Laurie Lewis and the Right Hands and the David Grisman Bluegrass Experience. They will be accompanied by Tyler Stegall, a versatile Bay Area banjo player, and either Mark Schatz or Paul Knight. Schatz has ...
Enjoy a delightful evening of gourmet food and music at one of the area’s leading restaurants, with premium wines generously supplied by Husch Vineyards. Located seven miles south of Mendocino on the Pacific Coast Highway (CA-1) in Albion, California, its bluff-top location on the Albion headlands allows panoramic views of the Pacific and breathtaking sunsets.
The musicians will reveal surprising new sides to Stravinsky through the years in these intimate concerts. Alexander Katsman will accompany mezzo-soprano Silvie Jensen in Le Faune, a songs composed by Stravinsky during his honeymoon. Jensen will be joined a bit later by Alexander on “Cradle Songs for a Cat.” Susan and Julian Waterfall Pollack will ...
Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Foghorn Stringband is considered one of the finest old-time string bands on the West Coast. Noted for "intense dedication to the sources" of the tradition, their music is billed as "a blend of high-spirited Appalachian dance music tying in sounds of traditional mountain fiddle tunes.” Their interpretation of “old time” is ...
The musicians will reveal surprising new sides to Stravinsky through the years in these intimate concerts. Alexander Katsman will accompany mezzo-soprano Silvie Jensen in Le Faune, a songs composed by Stravinsky during his honeymoon. Jensen will be joined a bit later by Alexander on “Cradle Songs for a Cat.” Susan and Julian Waterfall Pollack will ...
Festival Orchestra with guest conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong and soloist Julian Rhee. “Igor on My Mind,” Allan Pollack’s fun-loving, energetic and rhythmic piece, impishly steals motifs straight out of Igor Stravinsky’s orchestral music. Then the real Stravinsky will be heard in the Violin Concerto in D, a neoclassical piece in four movements, written in the summer ...
Hailed as “imaginative, skillful creators” by the New York Times, the Calder Quartet captivates audiences with its explorations of a broad repertoire, always striving to fulfill the composer’s vision in their performances. The group’s distinctive artistry is exemplified by the musical curiosity they bring to everything they perform. One of America’s most satisfying—and most enterprising—quartets" ...
American blues harmonica player and bandleader who came to prominence, along with Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield, and Elvin Bishop, as a pivotal figure in helping to revive the Chicago Blues ...
The annual concert by the wonderfully talented young string players from the Festival’s Emerging Artists Program is anticipated by all who love hearing accomplished musicians interpret chamber music classics. CHOOSE ...
Three-time winners of Scotland’s “Live Act of the Year” award, Skerryvore have evolved from their humble beginnings to become one of their country’s leading Celtic rock bands. With a mix ...
The final concert will open with Ad Matrem, Henryk Gorecki’s sacred work for soprano, mixed chorus, and orchestra. Based on the text of the 13th century hymn, Stabat Mater Dolorosa, ...
Treat yourself to a swirl of sparkle and song as the 26-voice Festival Chorale fills the air with festive cheer in two concerts, December 6 & 7, 3:00 pm, at ...
Treat yourself to a swirl of sparkle and song as the 26-voice Festival Chorale fills the air with festive cheer in two concerts, December 6 & 7, 3:00 pm, at ...
Sunday, December 14, 2025, 7:00 PM
Abalone Room, Little River Inn
Kenny Washington with Pianist John R. Burr
Wines and treats (savories and sweets)
Celebrate Kurt Weill with a screening of Susan Waterfall's 2021 film, The Life and Music of Kurt Weill, followed by a live performance by mezzo-soprano Silvie Jensen with pianist Sarah Cahill. We'll ...
Celebrate the richness and resonance of American song in this uplifting spring concert featuring the 24-voice Mendocino Music Festival Chorale. In two performances, May 2 and 3, An Afternoon of American Song weaves together beloved folk melodies, spirituals, protest anthems, and lyrical art songs—from the timeless beauty of "Shenandoah" and "America the Beautiful" to the ...
Celebrate the richness and resonance of American song in this uplifting spring concert featuring the 24-voice Mendocino Music Festival Chorale. In two performances, May 2 and 3, An Afternoon of American Song weaves together beloved folk melodies, spirituals, protest anthems, and lyrical art songs—from the timeless beauty of "Shenandoah" and "America the Beautiful" to the ...
The Mendocino Music Festival is, first and foremost, a community of music lovers who collaborate to produce the Festival, create the music, and enjoy the performances. Volunteers are at the heart of our production. Over two hundred people serve as door captains, ticket scanners, ushers, and concessions workers. Many more help out at fundraising events, ...
Imagine yourself... ...in a stunning seaside setting, with a small gathering of fellow opera lovers, grazing on delicacies both savory and sweet, sipping fine wines and other libations, enhanced by the 'golden hour' ambience of a mid-June North Coast evening... ...hearing Artistic Director Allan Pollack and Guest Conductor Francisco Lecce-Chong share a few opera insights... ...with ...
Susan Waterfall’s biographical film on Ludwig van Beethoven provides the perfect prologue to this summer's programming. The riveting story of western classical music's greatest composer, and the turbulent period of history he inhabited, includes excerpts from 25 of his works, along with compelling contemporaneous art and images.
When virtuoso Irish playing jumps the pond running naked through the wide open fields of bluegrass/Americana, JigJam is born. Bluegrass and American Folk music originated from the group’s home, and now JigJam is here to take it back! Described as “The best Irish band in bluegrass,” these lads have been hailed as “Ireland’s answer to ...
To kick off the Festival's 40th season's orchestral offerings, Allan Pollack will lead the musicians in Leonard Bernstein’s sprightly Candide overture. The energy will continue to flow when soloist Stephen Prutsman returns to Mendocino to perform Prokofiev’s demanding Piano Concerto No. 3. After we catch our breaths at intermission, we’ll enjoy the energetic 7th Symphony ...
Exploring a wide range of genres, Bay Area vocal band Business Casual is celebrated for their smart and surprising covers of popular songs. What would Mozart sound like as performed by a salsa band? What if Justin Timberlake were a jazz quartet? Taking inspiration from artists like Postmodern Jukebox and Scary Pockets, Business Casual delights ...
With her dynamic guitar playing, formidable songwriting and pure vocals, Carolyn Wonderland hits the stage with an unmatched presence, mixing the depths of the Texas blues tradition with the wit of a poet. Wonderland plays original, bluesified, cosmic soul music, mixed with heavy doses of Tex-Mex and riff-fueled rock 'n' roll. Performing professionally since the ...
Beethoven's charming, enigmatic, and deeply felt Sonata No. 7 in D Major, Opus 10 No. 3 will be played by Susan Waterfall. The brooding and complex String Trio in C minor No. 3, Op. 9 will feature Terrie Baune (violin), Susan Freier, (viola) and Stephen Harrison (cello). In the late-period Cello Sonata No. 1, Op. ...
For Brittany Davis, sound is three-dimensional. It is size, shape, and color. It is language. Blind since birth, Davis discovered a world of vivid, vibrant color in music. A childhood appreciation for gospel and jazz gave way to a teenage obsession with hip-hop and R&B. Later, Davis crossed paths with Afro-punk musicians, rock artists, and ...
Cuban-American artist and musican John Fonseca Fatum is the solo creator of Jacksonport, named for the small Wisconsin town where he spent summers growing up. Now a Los Angeles-based songwriter, session drummer, record producer, and performer, with four studio records as Jacksonport and two more under his own name, he's also worked with artists Sarah ...
Formed in New York City in 1995, Solas quickly rose to prominence as a revolutionary force in Irish-American music, and they have been lighting up stages across the globe ever since. Hailed by The Wall Street Journal as “an Irish traditional band bearing all the marks of greatness,” Solas continues to captivate audiences with their ...
Pianist Anthony Ratinov’s impressive talents will be on display when he performs selections from Debussy’s Douze Études, both Book I and Book II. The compositions address aspects of pianistic technique in the first book and explore new sonorities in the second. In between the Debussy, he will draw upon his virtuosity to carry us through ...
Virginia-based folk-rock band The Steel Wheels have spent almost 20 years writing, recording, and touring, all the while constantly honing their evolving brand of American roots music. Additionally, they are the founders and hosts of the Red Wing Roots Music Festival, a beloved staple of the Shenandoah Valley. Through the years, The Steel Wheels have ...
Zoe Ellis's dramatic and colorful voice is known to music fans in the Bay Area and beyond. Described by reviewers as "a resourceful and inventive vocalist," she sang for many years with the Bay Area Funk band, the Mo’Fessionals. Ellis’s credits include live performances with the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, Donald Byrd, Phil Lesh and ...
Puccini’s famous opera is the story of love, friendship, poverty, and tragic death. Set in Bohemian Paris of the 1830s, it tells of four friends, all struggling artists of one sort or another. Mimi and Rodolfo meet and fall in love on Christmas Eve. Musetta and Marcello also love one another and, like Mimi and ...
This dynamic collaboration between guitarist William Coulter and violinist Edwin Huizinga explores the world’s musical landscape. Their performances blend iconic favorites with classic ballads, mixing North American folk and Celtic melodies with Argentinian tango and Bach sonatas. Described as “a monument to musical diversity and crossover brilliance,” this duo explores classical, folk, and contemporary traditions ...