All events to be held outdoors 10 Best Days of Summer will feature performances by Jennifer Hudson, Michael Fabiano, Roberto Bolle, Lisette Oropesa, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Nia Imani Franklin, and more
Napa, CA (April 8, 2021) – Festival Napa Valley is thrilled to announce it will welcome audiences back for a full program of events, July 16-25, 2021, all to be held in outdoor settings. “While the decision to present all performances outdoors was made primarily for the health and safety of our artists, audience members, and community, it is in harmony with what people have come to love about Festival Napa Valley: one-of-a-kind performances and events surrounded by the incomparable beauty and enchantment of Napa Valley,” said the Festival’s President & CEO Richard Walker.
“The programming this summer is inspired by reflection on our shared experience of the past year, and our hope for the future,” added Timothy Blackburn, Chairman of the Festival’s Board of Directors.
Marking the Festival’s 15th anniversary and celebrating the return to live events, all tickets for evening concerts this year will be $15. All daytime concerts will be admission-free (reservations required). “This is our gift to the Napa community, made possible by the generosity of our Board and donors,” said Charles Letourneau, Vice President & Director of Artistic Planning.
In addition to presenting the wide range of performing arts for which Festival Napa Valley has become renowned – from symphonic concerts, opera, and dance to chamber music and jazz – the 2021 Season will see the launch of three major new initiatives:
- The Manetti Shrem Opera Program: a comprehensive celebration of the vocal arts including fully staged and semi-staged opera performances, a tuition-free summer conservatory providing advanced study and performance opportunities to college-aged students and recent graduates, and scholarship prizes for extraordinary young opera singers with emerging careers.
- Frost School @ Festival Napa Valley, a multiyear partnership with University of Miami’s Frost School of Music, with Frost faculty and students playing a lead role in the Festival’s Academy, Symphonic, and Chamber Music programs.
- The Joel Revzen Conducting Fellowship, a career development grant and performance opportunity for a rising conductor, awarded in memory of the beloved faculty member of the Festival’s Blackburn Music Academy who succumbed to complications from COVID-19 last year.
Festival Napa Valley continues to support the community by providing free performance tickets to students, families, and seniors. Audience members can attend a myriad of free programs including: the popular Bouchaine Young Artist Series, championing the stars of tomorrow; the Festival Live! series, bringing chamber music to locations across Napa Valley; the Novack Concerts for Kids, serving Napa County public schools and Boys & Girls Clubs; and through online streaming to audience members in hospitals and assisted living facilities.
The Festival’s Blackburn Music Academy, an immersive summer conservatory for emerging professional musicians from around the world, will enter its fourth season.
Festival Napa Valley 2021 Highlights:
- A glamorous Opening Night at Charles Krug with internationally acclaimed soprano Lisette Oropesa, winner of the 2019 Richard Tucker and Beverly Sills Awards, in recital • Superstar Jennifer Hudson headlines the Arts for All Gala benefiting Napa County public school arts education and the Festival’s community programming • Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet performs at Darioush Winery
- The Four Seasons of Napa Valley, encompassing three world premieres as part of celebrated cellist Matt Haimovitz’s Primavera Project, and violinist Chad Hoopes performing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
- Festival Napa Valley’s inaugural Manetti Shrem Opera, Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, starring baritone Lucas Meachem, directed by Jean-Romain Vesperini and conducted by Kent Nagano in his Festival debut
- The annual Dede Wilsey Dance Gala featuring Italian superstar and former ABT principal dancer Roberto Bolle and Friends
- A very special Tribute to Tony Bennett, featuring his most beloved songs performed by a star lineup of artists
- Two free symphonic concerts with Festival Orchestra Napa featuring principal musicians from the Frost School and the Blackburn Academy
- Composer-in-residence Nia Imani Franklin, with several world premieres and a featured performance in a Novack Concert for Kids
- Closing night Opera Under the Stars with American tenor Michael Fabiano and winners of the Manetti Shrem Prize, conducted by James Conlon
Festival Napa Valley 2021 Venues and Event Hosts include Alpha Omega, Antica Napa Valley, B Cellars, Bardessono, Castello di Amorosa, Charles Krug, Cliff Lede Vineyards, Culinary Institute of America at Copia, Darioush, Far Niente, Frank Family Vineyards, HALL St. Helena, Napa Valley College, Opus One, Raymond Vineyards, Silverado Resort and Spa, Solage Napa Valley, St. Supéry Estate Vineyards and Winery, The Donum Estate, Palmaz Vineyards, Theorem Vineyards, Trefethen Family Vineyards, and the Green Car Barn.
Concert tickets are now available, along with Patron Passes providing access to a collection of curated events. To view the full schedule and purchase tickets and passes, visit FestivalNapaValley.org.
About Festival Napa Valley: Blending the beauty and bounty of Napa Valley with the very finest performing arts, Festival Napa Valley offers programs that enrich the economic and cultural vitality of the region and make the arts accessible to all. The Festival presents world-class performances staged in iconic venues and inspiring educational programs offered at Napa County public schools year-round. It is presented by Napa Valley Festival Association, a nonprofit organization governed by a board of prominent vintners and local leaders. More than 200 artists, wineries, resorts, theaters, restaurants, chefs and vintners participate each year. Festival Napa Valley’s 15th Season will take place July 16-25, 2021.
