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 ...
Rehearsal of 7/20 Stravinsky: Chamber Music for the Concert Hall 10:00–11:00 L'histoire 11:00–11:30 Dumbarton Oaks —break— 11:50–12:10 Dumbarton Oaks 12:10–1:00 Renard 1:00–1:30 Octet for Wind Instruments
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, ...
Rehearsing Festival Orchestra 3 (7/23) Rehearsal order: Pollack, Igor on My Mind Stravinsky, Violin Concerto in D Beethoven 5
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.
Rehearsing Festival Orchestra 3 (7/23) Rehearsal order: Pollack, Igor on My Mind Stravinsky, Violin Concerto in D Beethoven 5
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 ...
Rehearsing Festival Orchestra 3 (7/23) Rehearsal order: Pollack, Igor on My Mind Stravinsky, Violin Concerto in D Beethoven 5
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 ...
Rehearsing Festival Orchestra 4 (7/26) Rehearsal order: Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring Górecki, Ad Matrem Lauridsen, Lux Aeterna
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 ...
Rehearsing Festival Orchestra 4 (7/26) Rehearsal order: Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring
Rehearsing Festival Orchestra 4 (7/26) Rehearsal order: Lauridsen, Lux Aeterna Górecki, Ad Matrem
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 ...
Rehearsing Festival Orchestra 4 (7/26) Rehearsal order: Górecki, Ad Matrem Lauridsen, Lux Aeterna Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring
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 ...
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 ...
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.
Rehearsing Festival Orchestra 1 (7/12): Bernstein Candide overture, Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3, Beethoven Symphony No. 7.
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 ...
Rehearsing Festival Orchestra 1 (7/12): Bernstein Candide overture, Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3, Beethoven Symphony No. 7.
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 ...
Rehearsing Festival Orchestra 1 (7/12): Bernstein Candide overture, Prokofiev Piano Concerto No. 3, Beethoven Symphony No. 7.
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 ...
Rehearsing Festival Orchestra 2 (7/17): Puccini la bohème.
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 ...
Rehearsing Festival Orchestra 2 (7/17): Puccini la bohème.
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 ...
Rehearsing Festival Orchestra 2 (7/17): Puccini la bohème.
NOT PUBLIC - PERFORMERS ONLY. We cannot accomodate audience members at this rehearsal site. (The same program will be rehearsed publicly at the tent Concert Hall the following morning. You're ...
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 ...