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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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” ...
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”) ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 movement of the 1960s, Musselwhite has often been called a "white bluesman.” He was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2010. At the ...
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 SEATS AND BUY
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 of bagpipes, fiddles, accordions, and whistles, alongside guitar and vocals and underpinned by driving bass, drums and keys, Skerryvore represent the best in contemporary Scottish ...
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, this piece is almost a symphonic poem. Lux Aeterna, by Morten Lauridsen, is a choral work fashioned on texts from several different Latin sources, including ...
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 the Mendocino Presbyterian Church, under the direction of Matthew Evans. From timeless carols to unexpected delights, every note is wrapped in warmth and joy, like ...
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 the Mendocino Presbyterian Church, under the direction of Matthew Evans. From timeless carols to unexpected delights, every note is wrapped in warmth and joy, like ...
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 see the uncut film (including the 21+ minutes missing from the abbreviated, 49-minute version that got 32,000+ YouTube views), and then enjoy a brief musical ...
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.
Enjoy a brilliant meal with friends as Fedele and Linda Bauccio (creators of Sostenuto) unveil an evening of culinary exploration dedicated to French cuisine and the art of delectable food and fine dining. At the newly remodeled Mendocino Cove Resort, party goers can mingle while enjoying exceptional wine and other libations, accompanied by music from ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...