BottleRock, Festival Napa Valley and other musical festivals have contributed to Napa Valley’s emergence as a major destination for music lovers as well as devotees of wine and food, but Music in the Vineyards really got things started (along with Margrit Mondavi’s defunct concerts at the winery).
This year, the chamber music festival celebrates its 30th anniversary Aug. 2-25.
The 30th festival will celebrate Music in the Vineyards’ past while looking ahead to its next era.
They will launch the festival at Frog’s Leap Winery with “Spring Ahead!” on Friday, Aug. 2, featuring Beethoven’s Spring Sonata, Vivaldi’s Spring from the Four Seasons, and Aaron Copland’s masterpiece Appalachian Spring.
Three string quartets will each perform for one week —the Miró, Pacifica and Isidore Quartets—and each one is featured in a Wednesday evening recital.
MITV has commissioned nine new works in 30 years, and they are bringing back four of their favorites by Kevin Puts, Miguel del Águila, T.J. Cole and Maria Schneider.
They will also revisit two winery venues from early years, Louis Martini Winery and Spottswoode Winery, both in St. Helena. All 16 venues will exhibit memorabilia from the last 30 years, including a photo archive and a trivia contest.
The interactive Concert for the Community returns—at a reduced ticket price—and will feature music by Vivaldi, Mozart and Bottesini, as well as a play-along of the Pachelbel Canon (including you - bring a kazoo).
The popular Not-So-Silent Cinema series returns to the Jarvis Conservatory, featuring four classic “silents” with newly composed music played by festival musicians.
Music Illuminated will present two events, “Dmitri Shostakovich: A Life in String Quartets” will be hosted by Michael Adams and feature the Miró Quartet and “An Evening of Music, Film and Comedy” will feature short films and new music by the Canellakis-Brown Duo.
They will close with “Esplêndido! - From Bach to Brazil,” a celebration starring Brazilian musician Clarice Assad in music by J.S. Bach, Antônio Carlos Jobim and Astor Piazzolla.
Tickets will be released for the general public at www.musicinthevineyards.org on Monday, May 6.
For more information, e-mail info@musicinthevineyards.org or call 707-258-5559.
