Classical composers have always been inspired by animals. Think of orchestral works like Carnival of the Animals by St. Saens or Peter and the Wolf by Prokofiev. In the field of vocal music, the great lieder composers found inspiration in bird flight, the galloping of horses, or the tranquility of the gazelle. The Italian madrigal, ...
The Masterclass returns with a once-a-month “open mic” concept. Class participants can bring in music to sing in front of class with a live pianist. Jenny and Daniel will provide feedback and suggestions in musicality, performance techniques, repertoire, and more. Classical, Musical Theater, and Standards are encouraged for this class. Previous masterclass students can bring ...
The Mendocino Music Festival Chorale will perform a concert celebrating American composers, including music by Aaron Copland, Norman Dello Joio, Gwyneth Walker, and the lovely Frostiana by Randall Thompson. This concert was originally scheduled for 2020 but was cancelled by the pandemic, so the Festival Chorale is particularly excited (one might even say "jubilant") to ...
In-person film premier with Susan Waterfall. You’ve heard music by Ravel and probably loved it. You’ve heard random gossip about this secretive composer. Now’s your chance to experience Ravel’s life and music in its historic context. With contemporary art and photographs, and 26 musical excerpts...
Celebration! Toast to the Tent We hope you can join us as we return to our Tent Concert Hall. It’s time to joyfully celebrate our amazing Festival community and the transformational power of live music in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Enjoy sparkling wine from Scharffenberger Cellars, and delicious hors d’oeuvres provided ...
CJ Chenier, “The Crown Prince of Zydeco,” was born into an indigenous American culture with a distinctive language and music. The Creole son of Clifton Chenier, he started playing in his father’s band shortly before Clifton died. CJ delivers soulful vocals along with masterful accordion-driven Zydeco and blues. A Grammy-nominated musician and recording artist, CJ ...
To begin the classical Festival, Maestro Allan Pollack will lead the orchestra in Shostakovich’s Festive Overture in A Major, Op. 96, an appropriately effervescent opening. Mozart’s joyful Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat Major for violin and viola will feature soloists Fellowes and Kadarauch. The partnership and equality shared by the soloists creates a searingly beautiful sound ...
From their base in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains, this acoustic roots music collective has played the most prestigious festivals, listening rooms, and clubs in the world, cementing a reputation as one of the top independent bands. The Steel Wheels give folk, folk rock and Appalachian roots music a modern twist. Their records and performances are ...
Over the past 20 years, Foxglove has established itself as a Mendocino County favorite. The band’s selection of heartfelt originals and carefully curated covers have featured tight harmonies and tasty string-band instrumentation. Gwyneth Moreland, a Mendocino County native, was a teenager when the band was formed. She was immediately adored by Foxglove fans for her ...
Susan Waterfall will play Pavane pour un infante défunte, Oiseaux tristes, and Un barque sur l'ocean. She will be joined by Julian Pollack on “Mother Goose Suite.” Jenny Matteucci, soprano, accompanied by Daniel Lockert on piano, will present Cinq mélodies populaires grecques. The Piano Trio in A minor will close out the concert, with Sam ...
The Blind Boys of Alabama have the rare distinction of being recognized around the world as both living legends and modern-day innovators. They are not just gospel singers borrowing from old traditions; the group helped to define those traditions in 20th century and almost single-handedly created a new gospel sound for the 21st. Since the ...
An internationally renowned violinist and composer originally from Copenhagen, Denmark, Mads Tolling now calls San Francisco home. As a former nine-year member of both bassist Stanley Clarke’s band and the celebrated Turtle Island Quartet, Mads won two Grammy Awards, and he was nominated for a third Grammy in 2015. He was the 2016 winner of ...
Jeffrey LaDeur is known for his rare blend of insight, spontaneity, and approachable, communicative stage presence. He is the founder and artistic director of the San Francisco International Piano Festival and president of the American Liszt Society, San Francisco Bay Area Chapter. Mezzo-soprano Kindra Scharich has been praised by the San Francisco Chronicle for her ...
Hailing from Boulder, Colorado, blues singer/composer Otis Taylor is a multi-instrumentalist whose talents include vocals, guitar, banjo, mandolin, and harmonic. Capable of exploring any musical mood at any given time, Taylor lets his audience experience the unexpected. While his music, an amalgamation of root styles in their rawest form, discusses heavyweight issues like murder, homelessness, ...
Kalil Wilson’s bright re-imaginings of jazz standards and originals are informed by the rich history of great jazz singing and meld with their heartfelt, eclectic stylings. An Oakland native, they are the offsping of Nigerian bassist/bandleader Babá Ken Okulolo and an American mom with a record collection of vintage jazz, African, R&B, and salsa. Mentored ...
Concert Version; Guest Conductor Ryan Murray The Barber of Seville, or The Useless Precaution, is an opera buffa in two acts by Gioachino Rossini. Musicologists believe that the music was composed in just under three weeks, although the famous overture was actually recycled from two earlier Rossini operas. Nonetheless, The Barber has proven to be ...
The artists will play John Adams’ Hallelujah Junction for two pianos, named after a small truck stop on US 395 near the California–Nevada border. Pinkham’s Mechanical Transcendence for two pianos tells the story of an android that wishes to become human. Joep Franssens’ Old Songs, New Songs for two pianos will be followed by another ...
This year the big band musicians are going to find their groove with Maiya Sykes, 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 and studied with Betty Carter ...
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. This concert will feature Ravel’s String Quartet ...
Julian Pollack, along with bassist Trey Henry and drummer Ray Brinker, will begin the evening with jazz standards beautifully and inventively performed. Tierney Sutton will join the band for the second half in a tribute to the great drummer Ralph Humphrey. A fabulous singer with a gorgeous trio—who could ask for more? Sutton is not ...
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.
Pianist, accordionist, composer, and educator from San Francisco, Reider brings together various streams of American music, from jazz and folk tunes to popular song and contemporary composition. He has appeared as a bandleader and soloist at major festivals and venues around the world, and his performances and original compositions have been featured on NPR, PBS ...
Susan Waterfall will play Sonatine. Silvie Jensen, mezzo-soprano, will be joined by Daniel Lockert on piano for Deux melodies hébraïques. Harpist Anna Maria Mendieta will be joined by a small group of string and woodwind players to perform the chamber piece, Introduction et Allegro. On Chansons Madécasses, Silvie Jensen, mezzo-soprano, will be joined by Mindy ...
Every year since 2012, banjo master Bill Evans brought together a stellar collection of banjo players from all over the world and joined them with an all-star California-based band to present his California Banjo Extravaganza. In 2021, Bill changed the format to a gathering of well-loved bluegrass musicians with strong California connections. These musicians have ...
Allan Pollack will open this concert by conducting his own “Scenes from the Pandemic,” inspired by sounds he heard while sheltering in place on his farm. Stephen Prutsman will play Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16, the atmospheric tone poem for piano and orchestra. Before the magic has evaporated from that performance, Dvořàk’s ...
A flatpicking bluegrass guitar legend with an international reputation for innovation, taste and brilliance, Dan Crary is one of the founding fathers of the flatpicking and “newgrass” movements in Americana and Bluegrass music. He is joined by Bill Evans, one of the most celebrated virtuosos in the history of the banjo, and their soulful-singing partner ...
Currently based in Germany, American pianist Rachel Breen’s performances have been described as “truly show-stopping” (Gramophone UK), having “a beautiful piano sound and original detail.” She has enjoyed an active and successful competition career and has performed and taught masterclasses world-wide. Breen will put her own stamp on Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Nicolai Medtner’s Sonata Op. ...
This new project finds Alicia and Michael Olatuja reuniting in music. OLATUJA blends Afro-Beat, Jazz, Funk, and Soul. Praised by the New York Times as “a singer with a strong and luscious tone and an amiably regal presence on stage,” Alicia Olatuja has been captivating audiences with her exquisite vocals and artistic versatility. She first ...
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
A musical ensemble based in Charleston, South Carolina, Ranky Tanky specializes in jazz-influenced arrangements of traditional Gullah music, a culture that originated among descendants of enslaved Africans along the coast of South Carolina and nearby islands. Apart from lead vocalist Quiana Parler, four of the group's members—Quentin Baxter, Kevin Hamilton, Clay Ross, and Charlton Singleton—previously ...
The final concert will open with Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem, with the Festival Chorus, and soloists Silvie Jensen, mezzo-soprano; Angela Moser, soprano, and Anders Froehlich, baritone. Fauré wrote of the 1888 work, "Everything I managed to entertain by way of religious illusion I put into my Requiem, which moreover is dominated from beginning to end by ...
The Festival Chorale will present its first concert under the direction of Matthew Evans, including music by Praetorious, J.S. Bach, and Vaughan Williams, followed by a selection of carols, both familiar and unusual. After the concert we’ll celebrate the season and each other next door in Preston Hall, with hot cider and homemade Christmas cookies. ...
The Mendocino Music Festival Chorale will perform a concert celebrating Spring and togetherness. Special treats will be texts read by Susan Maeder; the beloved Biebl Ave Maria; and the Fauré Cantique de Jean Racine, with harpist Anna Maria Mendieta. Other music includes pieces by Florence Price, Randall Thompson, and Ralph Vaughan Williams. Matthew Evans, Director; ...
Susan Waterfall's latest film explores the cultural milieu and creative life of Gabriel Fauré (1845 –1924.) It includes art and photographs from his era and excerpts from all his major works. A Q&A will follow the screening.
Six Tuesdays, 10 AM-11:30 AM Pacific, June 4–July 9. Come join a small group of seasoned singers who want to hone their skills and become better at their craft. If you sing in a local chorus, at church, at events, or even privately, this class will help you find better vocal technique and artistry, and will help you refine your voice and performance skills.
Celebrate and support the Festival by enjoying a mouthwatering family-style lobster-boil dinner at the enchanting Mendocino Grove. Enjoy fine Mendocino County wines from Baxter, Bon Pari, Drew, Handley, Lichen, Scharffenberger and Toulouse. Another hot dish being served up, CZ and the Bon Vivants, will provide "infectious Cajun/Zydeco dance music." Generously sponsored by Fedele and Linda ...
