Calder Quartet 2023

Cotton Auditorium 500 N Harold Street, Fort Bragg, CA, United States

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 ...

$14 – $45

Tierney Sutton

Tent Concert Hall 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

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 ...

$15 – $45

Ledford House: the Iconic Festival Dinner Party 2023

Ledford House Restaurant 3000 CA-1, Albion, CA, United States

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.

$100
Event Series Sam Reider

Sam Reider, with Jorge Glem

Preston Hall 44867 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

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 ...

$15 – $30

Ravel: The Attraction of Modernism, featuring Susan Waterfall

Preston Hall 44867 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

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 ...

$15 – $30

California Bluegrass Reunion

Tent Concert Hall 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

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 ...

$15 – $45

Festival Orchestra 3

Tent Concert Hall 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

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 ...

$15 – $45
Event Series Dan Crary

Crary, Evans and Barnick

Preston Hall 44867 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

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 ...

$15 – $30
Event Series Piano Series: Rachel Breen

Piano Series: Rachel Breen

Preston Hall 44867 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

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. ...

$15 – $30

Olatuja

Tent Concert Hall 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

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 ...

$15 – $45

Emerging Artists Recital

Preston Hall 44867 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

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

$15 – $30

Ranky Tanky

Tent Concert Hall 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

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 ...

$15 – $55

Festival Orchestra and Chorus

Tent Concert Hall 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

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 ...

$15 – $55

The Festival Chorale: Christmas Through the Ages

Mendocino Presbyterian Church Sanctuary 44831 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

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. ...

$25

The Festival Chorale: Together, This Spring

Mendocino Presbyterian Church Sanctuary 44831 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

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; ...

$25

Susan Waterfall presents: Fauré in His World

Preston Hall 44867 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

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.

$20
Event Series Masterclass (6 times, 6/4–7/9)

Masterclass (6 times, 6/4–7/9)

Preston Hall 44867 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

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.

$60

Lobster Feed at Mendocino Grove

Mendocino Grove 9601 California 1, Mendocino

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 ...

$175

Rehearsal, Orch. 7/14

Tent Concert Hall 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

Miko Marks

Tent Concert Hall 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

Miko Marks is one of the Bay Area’s most visible country music singers, but recently her role as a Black, woman country music pioneer has gained attention. Marks, who lives in Oakland, was named one of CMT’s Next Women of Country in 2022 and recently made her third appearance on the Grand Ole Opry. The ...

$15 – $65

Festival Orchestra 1

Tent Concert Hall 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

The opening concert begins with a wild gallop of gauchos over the plains of Argentina in Ginastera’s Estancia. Cellist Evan Kahn is featured in two works, the dramatic Elgar Cello Concerto, which depicts hope for the future after the tragedy and loss of war, and the lovely Elégie by Fauré. Moussorgsky’s grand “Pictures at an ...

$15 – $65

Solstice

Preston Hall 44867 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

Solstice is an a cappella vocal ensemble specializing in music written for women's voices. Their music spans different genres, with an emphasis on world, pop, and jazz. The group has performed in many Bay Area and Northern California venues: Freight and Salvage, La Pena, Music on the Hill, the Berkeley Arts Center, Villa Montalvo, and ...

$15 – $40

Mr Sun

Tent Concert Hall 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

Mr Sun is made up of some of the most original musicians to apply themselves to the American string band genre. Legendary fiddler Darol Anger is at home in a number of musical genres, some of which he helped to invent, and is a member of the original "nuclear" generation of pickers who extended bluegrass, ...

$15 – $65

Piano Series: Rachel Breen

Preston Hall 44867 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

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 this concert Breen will perform Beethoven’s Bagatelles, Opus 126; a “Suite of Miniatures” she ...

$15 – $40

Julian “J3PO” Pollack Trio, with featured artist Sy Smith

Tent Concert Hall 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

Embark on an evening of soul-tinged jazz and fusion, with a look to the future, marbled by intricate glistenings of electronica and hip-hop. This trio, who tours throughout the year with Chris Botti as his rhythm section, features Albion native Julian Pollack on piano and synthesizers, Juilliard-trained Dan Chmielinski on bass and synthesizer, and the ...

$15 – $65

Rehearsal, Opera 7/19

Tent Concert Hall 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

Gwyneth Moreland

Preston Hall 44867 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

Born and raised in Mendocino, Gwyneth Moreland has toured with her Folksy Americana tunes from coast to coast and has released five solo albums. Her songs have ranked as high as the top five on the Americana and Roots Radio Airplay charts and she was hosted on NPRs Music City Roots: Live at the Loveless ...

$15 – $40

Rehearsal, Opera 7/19

Tent Concert Hall 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

Fauré: The Early Salon Years

Preston Hall 44867 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

Susan Waterfall will accompany mezzo-soprano Silvie Jensen in a selection of songs. She will be joined by Julian Waterfall Pollack for “The Dolly Suite.” Susan will play two of Fauré's most famous works for piano: the Barcarolle No 12 in E-flat Major and the Nocturne No. 6 in D-flat Major. The Sonata for Violin and ...

$15 – $40

JigJam

Tent Concert Hall 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

When virtuoso Irish playing jumps the pond and runs 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,” JigJam has been hailed as “Ireland’s answer to ...

$15 – $65

Kim Nalley, with Tammy Lynne Hall

Preston Hall 44867 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

Dr. Kim Nalley has been a fixture in the San Francisco Bay Area—and here in Mendocino as well—as a quality soulful jazz and blues singer, very much in the tradition of the best vocalists of the 1940s and ‘50s. Always exciting to hear, she can go from operatic to gritty blues on a dime, with ...

$15 – $40

Festival Orchestra 2: Così fan tutte

Tent Concert Hall 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

Mozart’s comic masterpiece shows us what can happen when two sisters and their suitors are tested by a manipulative friend, Don Alfonso. The men accept his wager that their brides-to-be will remain faithful to them, and orchestrate a plot to test that hypothesis: they will be “called away to war,” but will in reality disguise ...

$15 – $65

Piano Series: Jeffrey LaDeur, with Kindra Scharich

Preston Hall 44867 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

The second Fauré program will feature pianist Jeffrey LaDeur and mezzo-soprano Kindra Scharich in L’hiver a cesse, an exploration of Fauré’s music for voice and piano. Jeffrey LaDeur is known for his blend of insight, spontaneity, and approachable, communicative playing. Mezzo-soprano Kindra Scharich has been praised by the San Francisco Chronicle for her “fearless technical ...

$15 – $40

Festival Big Band, featuring Maiya Sykes

Tent Concert Hall 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

Maiya Sykes completely and utterly wowed the audience at the 2023 Big Band concert. 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 and studied with Betty Carter ...

$15 – $65

Calder Quartet

Cotton Auditorium 500 N Harold Street, Fort Bragg, CA, United States

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" ...

$15 – $65

Rose’s Pawn Shop

Tent Concert Hall 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, United States

With its fusion of bluegrass instrumentation and folk-rock amplification, Rose’s Pawn Shop has spent the better part of two decades perfecting a sound that’s as diverse as the band’s native Los Angeles. Their past releases offer modern day roots music shot through with electric guitar, fiddle, raw percussive stomp, and stacked vocal harmonies. It’s a ...

$15 – $65

Big Band Rhythm Section: An Afternoon of Jazz

Matheson Performing Arts Center Cahto Street and Ford Street, Mendocino, CA

These extraordinary Los Angeles based musicians are the power drivers of the always thrillingly swinging Festival Big Band, and now you can hear them break out on their own. Julian “J3PO” Pollack is known for his innovative playing in jazz, fusion, hip-hop, and electronic styles of music. He has toured extensively with Marcus Miller, Chris ...

$15 – $35

Ledford House: the Iconic Festival Dinner Party

Ledford House Restaurant 3000 CA-1, Albion, CA, United States

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.

$100