Susan Waterfall presents: Why We Love Igor

Susan Waterfall’s biographical film on Igor Stravinsky provides an ideal prologue to the Festival’s programming this year. Experience the fascinating life of the greatest composer of the 20th century, including excerpts from 25 of his works, along with compelling images......More

Susan Waterfall’s biographical film on Igor Stravinsky provides an ideal prologue to the Festival’s programming this year. Experience the fascinating life of the greatest composer of the 20th century, including excerpts from 25 of his works, along with compelling images and photographs. A Q&A will follow the screening. Written and directed by Susan Waterfall.Art and photograph collection by Mina Cohen.Filmed and edited by Julian Pollack. GET TICKETS2025 Featured Composer: Igor Stravinsky For 2025, Susan Waterfall’s composer series will feature the innovative and influential Igor Stravinsky. Immerse yourself in his world and his music, and understand how his music evolved over his lifetime with narrated chamber recitals featuring exciting guest artists, and various other settings of Stravinsky’s work across the Festival. Waterfall’s productions always present exciting, absorbing playing of great music, but are also rare, distinctive examples of what can be called music education, though they’re more conversational, truly a sharing of perspective, interest, anecdote. There’s a sense of immediacy to her delivery, weaving in and out of the playing, an intimately conceived present awareness of this heritage. It’s something unique that needs to be experienced.” -Ken Bullock, Berkeley Daily Planet Explore the Series The Festival will celebrate Igor Stravinsky with a film and 17 works spread across eight different concerts. On Sunday, July 6th, Susan Waterfall’s film, “Why We Love Igor,” will provide an overview of the life and work of the 20th century’s greatest composer. The Russian-born composer revolutionized music with his ballets and experiments with rhythm and dissonance. Two concerts (one of which will be performed twice) will be devoted entirely to works by Stravinsky. Chamber Masterpieces will be played in the tent Stravinsky at Home, in Preston Hall, will feature intimate and varied music by the composer, dedicated to his wives, children, and close friends. Stravinsky’s varied compositions will be heard in other orchestra concerts and in Preston Hall performances.

Preston Hall, 44867 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, 95460, United States

New Orleans Gala

Enjoy a brilliant meal with friends as Fedele and Linda Bauccio (creators of Sostenuto, the Festival’s legendary annual culinary event) bring us an evening of color and culinary exploration dedicated to New Orleans cuisine and the art of good food and fine dining. In a ......More

Enjoy a brilliant meal with friends as Fedele and Linda Bauccio (creators of Sostenuto, the Festival’s legendary annual culinary event) bring us an evening of color and culinary exploration dedicated to New Orleans cuisine and the art of good food and fine dining. In a spacious and secluded area on the Mendocino Grove property, party goers can mingle while enjoying exceptional wine and other libations, accompanied by an irresistible dose of get-up-and-dance zydeco performed by CZ and the Bon Vivants. Note: due to limited parking, we’ll provide continuous two-way shuttle sevice between our Tent Concert Hall location and the site of this event. Please park at the Tent Concert Hall as you would for a concert, and be shuttled from/to there. Reserve Now – New Orleans Gala New Orleans Gala 2025 MenuNew Orleans gala 2025Antipasto:Petit muffulettaProsciutto, nduja, finocchiona salame, giardiniera salad, fontina Beef tartareCelery-tarragon shavings, dijonnaise, cyured yolk, caper relishGrilled garden vegetables coriander sesame hummus Labneh and chives Chef-procured cheeses and cured meatsSalad station:Grilled green gems shaved parmesan olive vinaigrette local tomatoes artichokeswatermelon grilled halloumi cheese mint blasamic olive oilpea ravioli chanterelle mushroom lemon butter fava beans Seafood station:Grilled prawnsAged cayenne butter, citrus, chivesLes fruit de mer saladcalamari, smoked mussels, crawfish, creole seasoningOysters on the shellmognonette ponzu Mains:Gumbo Ya-YaAndouille stuffed quail scallions dark roux prawnsGrilled broccoli rabe garlic olive oil citrus shine pimento aioliPrime rib chateaubriandfresh crack pepper blend horsradish crème agrodolce onionsNOLA-style porchettaFennel garlic lemon zest jambalaya-style sausage

Mendocino Grove, 9601 California 1, Mendocino, 95460

Rehearsal, Orch. 7/13

You are invited to attend Festival Orchestra rehearsals in the Tent Concert Hall. Performances are all the better for having heard the process of creating them. The rehearsals are also a wonderful way to introduce children to the glories of orchestral music. Come in at ......More

You are invited to attend Festival Orchestra rehearsals in the Tent Concert Hall. Performances are all the better for having heard the process of creating them. The rehearsals are also a wonderful way to introduce children to the glories of orchestral music. Come in at any time and stay as long as you like. Rehearsals are free, but we welcome the small and not-so-small donations most visitors make.Rehearsal Calendar

Tent Concert Hall, 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, 95460, United States

Rehearsal, Orch. 7/13

You are invited to attend Festival Orchestra rehearsals in the Tent Concert Hall. Performances are all the better for having heard the process of creating them. The rehearsals are also a wonderful way to introduce children to the glories of orchestral music. Come in at ......More

You are invited to attend Festival Orchestra rehearsals in the Tent Concert Hall. Performances are all the better for having heard the process of creating them. The rehearsals are also a wonderful way to introduce children to the glories of orchestral music. Come in at any time and stay as long as you like. Rehearsals are free, but we welcome the small and not-so-small donations most visitors make.Rehearsal Calendar

Tent Concert Hall, 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, 95460, United States

Villalobos Brothers

This Grammy-Award-winning family band is recognized as one of the foremost contemporary Mexican ensembles in the world. With their unique fusion of Mexican folk, jazz, and classical music, they have graced prestigious stages around the globe, including Lincoln Center an......More

This Grammy-Award-winning family band is recognized as one of the foremost contemporary Mexican ensembles in the world. With their unique fusion of Mexican folk, jazz, and classical music, they have graced prestigious stages around the globe, including Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall, and captivated audiences with their virtuosic musicianship. Hermanos Villalobos have frequently collaborated with legendary musicians, which has further enriched their musical palette.CHOOSE SEATS AND BUY

Tent Concert Hall, 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, 95460, United States

Rehearsal, Orch. 7/13

You are invited to attend Festival Orchestra rehearsals in the Tent Concert Hall. Performances are all the better for having heard the process of creating them. The rehearsals are also a wonderful way to introduce children to the glories of orchestral music. Come in at ......More

You are invited to attend Festival Orchestra rehearsals in the Tent Concert Hall. Performances are all the better for having heard the process of creating them. The rehearsals are also a wonderful way to introduce children to the glories of orchestral music. Come in at any time and stay as long as you like. Rehearsals are free, but we welcome the small and not-so-small donations most visitors make.Rehearsal Calendar

Tent Concert Hall, 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, 95460, United States

Festival Orchestra 1, with soloist James D'León

In the opening classical concert, Allan Pollack will lead the musicians in Igor Stravinsky’s 1922 Pulcinella Suite, one of the ballets commissioned by Diaghilev. We’ll catch our breaths when the orchestra and pianist James D’León transport us to Nights in the Gardens of......More

In the opening classical concert, Allan Pollack will lead the musicians in Igor Stravinsky’s 1922 Pulcinella Suite, one of the ballets commissioned by Diaghilev. We’ll catch our breaths when the orchestra and pianist James D’León transport us to Nights in the Gardens of Spain, Manuel de Falla’s set of nocturnes for piano and orchestra. The evening will end on very high notes with Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony. Ever since its 1888 premiere, it has been a hit with audiences for its soaring melodies and dramatic composition.2025 Featured Composer: Igor Stravinsky For 2025, Susan Waterfall’s composer series will feature the innovative and influential Igor Stravinsky. Immerse yourself in his world and his music, and understand how his music evolved over his lifetime with narrated chamber recitals featuring exciting guest artists, and various other settings of Stravinsky’s work across the Festival. Waterfall’s productions always present exciting, absorbing playing of great music, but are also rare, distinctive examples of what can be called music education, though they’re more conversational, truly a sharing of perspective, interest, anecdote. There’s a sense of immediacy to her delivery, weaving in and out of the playing, an intimately conceived present awareness of this heritage. It’s something unique that needs to be experienced.” -Ken Bullock, Berkeley Daily Planet Explore the Series CHOOSE SEATS AND BUY

Tent Concert Hall, 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, 95460, United States

Piano Series: Keisuke Nakagoshi

Pianist Keisuke Nakagoshi will celebrate Ravel’s 150th birthday with “Moons and Insects,” a selection of short pieces by classical and contemporary composers that celebrate the moon and some of the many bugs in the world. His selections will include Grieg’s butterfly, R......More

Pianist Keisuke Nakagoshi will celebrate Ravel’s 150th birthday with “Moons and Insects,” a selection of short pieces by classical and contemporary composers that celebrate the moon and some of the many bugs in the world. His selections will include Grieg’s butterfly, Ravel’s moth, Scriabin’s mosquito, and Prokofiev’s grasshopper, interspersed with some moon music, and capped off with movements from Ravel’s String Quartet and Gaspard de la Nuit arranged for piano.CHOOSE SEATS AND BUY

Preston Hall, 44867 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, 95460, United States

Kelsey Waldon

This country singer and songwriter was raised in Monkey’s Eyebrow, Kentucky. Waldon’s family roots in the Bluegrass State date back over ten generations. She has performed with with artists of note within the country and Americana genres, including Willie Nelson, John P......More

This country singer and songwriter was raised in Monkey’s Eyebrow, Kentucky. Waldon’s family roots in the Bluegrass State date back over ten generations. She has performed with with artists of note within the country and Americana genres, including Willie Nelson, John Prine and Tanya Tucker, and she made her Grand Ole Opry debut in 2016, performing there again in 2019. Waldon has released six full albums, the most recent being No Regular Dog.CHOOSE SEATS AND BUY

Tent Concert Hall, 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, 95460, United States

Rehearsal, Stravinsky Chamber (7/20)

NOT PUBLIC – PERFORMERS ONLY. Rehearsal for 7/20 Stravinsky Chamber program. 2:30–3:45 Dumbarton Oaks 4:05–5:30 Renard

Tent Concert Hall, 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, 95460, United States

Side Note

Side Note is an eight-person contemporary a cappella group based in San Francisco that sings top hits of all genres and eras, from classic 60s hits to mashups of the latest R&B, jazz, and musical theater chart toppers. Each singer has a different musical background, but......More

Side Note is an eight-person contemporary a cappella group based in San Francisco that sings top hits of all genres and eras, from classic 60s hits to mashups of the latest R&B, jazz, and musical theater chart toppers. Each singer has a different musical background, but they draw on their diversity to create a new sound. Sleek, chic, and unique, Side Note always gets toes tapping and hands clapping.CHOOSE SEATS AND BUY

Preston Hall, 44867 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, 95460, United States

Rehearsal, Orch. 7/18

You are invited to attend Festival Orchestra rehearsals in the Tent Concert Hall. Performances are all the better for having heard the process of creating them. The rehearsals are also a wonderful way to introduce children to the glories of orchestral music. Come in at ......More

You are invited to attend Festival Orchestra rehearsals in the Tent Concert Hall. Performances are all the better for having heard the process of creating them. The rehearsals are also a wonderful way to introduce children to the glories of orchestral music. Come in at any time and stay as long as you like. Rehearsals are free, but we welcome the small and not-so-small donations most visitors make.Rehearsal Calendar

Tent Concert Hall, 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, 95460, United States

Piano Series: Sergey Belyavsky

A carnival mood will be created by pianist Sergey Belyavsky as he plays Schumann’s lively Carnival Scenes from Vienna Op. 26 and his Carnaval Op. 9. The spirit will only grow with Liszt’s “Carnival in Pest” (aka Hungarian Rhapsody No. 9), Rosenthal’s Carnaval de Vienne,......More

A carnival mood will be created by pianist Sergey Belyavsky as he plays Schumann’s lively Carnival Scenes from Vienna Op. 26 and his Carnaval Op. 9. The spirit will only grow with Liszt’s “Carnival in Pest” (aka Hungarian Rhapsody No. 9), Rosenthal’s Carnaval de Vienne, and selections from Saint-Saens’ humorous The Carnival of the Animals. Here come the elephants!CHOOSE SEATS AND BUY

Preston Hall, 44867 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, 95460, United States

Jackie Venson

Heralded as one of “Austin’s rising stars” by Rolling Stone and called “an Austin legend in the making” by Forbes, Jackie Venson has established herself as one of the most commanding R&B performers to come out of Texas. An Austin native, Venson has shared the stage with......More

Heralded as one of “Austin’s rising stars” by Rolling Stone and called “an Austin legend in the making” by Forbes, Jackie Venson has established herself as one of the most commanding R&B performers to come out of Texas. An Austin native, Venson has shared the stage with icons like Gary Clark, Jr. and Melissa Etheridge and performed at the 2023 CMT Awards. With her passionate commitment to exploring diverse sounds and styles, Venson’s artistry is only going to continue to grow.CHOOSE SEATS AND BUY

Tent Concert Hall, 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, 95460, United States

Rehearsal, Orch. 7/18

You are invited to attend Festival Orchestra rehearsals in the Tent Concert Hall. Performances are all the better for having heard the process of creating them. The rehearsals are also a wonderful way to introduce children to the glories of orchestral music. Come in at ......More

You are invited to attend Festival Orchestra rehearsals in the Tent Concert Hall. Performances are all the better for having heard the process of creating them. The rehearsals are also a wonderful way to introduce children to the glories of orchestral music. Come in at any time and stay as long as you like. Rehearsals are free, but we welcome the small and not-so-small donations most visitors make.Rehearsal Calendar

Tent Concert Hall, 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, 95460, United States

Rehearsal, Stravinsky Chamber (7/20)

NOT PUBLIC – PERFORMERS ONLY. We cannot accomodate audience members at this rehearsal site. Rehearsal for 7/20 Stravinsky Chamber program. 2:30–3:30 Octet 3:50–5:30 L’histoire

Mendocino K-8 School, 44261 Little Lake Road, Mendocino, 95460, United States

Foxglove

Twenty-three years ago, three members of what would soon be Foxglove gathered on stage at the Caspar Community Center to record a live album in front of a capacity crowd. This trio of multitalented musicians—Morgan Daniel, Gwyneth Moreland, and John Bush—had been buildi......More

Twenty-three years ago, three members of what would soon be Foxglove gathered on stage at the Caspar Community Center to record a live album in front of a capacity crowd. This trio of multitalented musicians—Morgan Daniel, Gwyneth Moreland, and John Bush—had been building a following at small, local venues, showcasing Gwyneth’s lovely voice, Morgan’s songwriting, John’s instrumental prowess, and some sweet sibling harmonies. Booi Volk, the future fourth member, was in the audience that night, a mandolin player whose playing would become a signature part of Foxglove’s sound. Since then the players have been involved with projects and other groups that have taken them to various parts of the globe, but they always come home to their home in Mendocino County.CHOOSE SEATS AND BUY

Preston Hall, 44867 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, 95460, United States

Julian Pollack Trio, with Veronica Swift

Prepare for an evening of soul-tinged jazz and fusion, with a look to the future, sprinkled with electronica and hip-hop. Described by Timeout New York as a musician who “deftly balances virtuosity with tenderness,” Julian Pollack is well-known in these parts as an amaz......More

Prepare for an evening of soul-tinged jazz and fusion, with a look to the future, sprinkled with electronica and hip-hop. Described by Timeout New York as a musician who “deftly balances virtuosity with tenderness,” Julian Pollack is well-known in these parts as an amazing pianist and keyboard wizard. He will be joined by Berklee-trained Max Gerl on bass, Grammy-winning Gene Coye on drums, and special guest Veronica Swift, a jazz and bebop singer known for her warm, swinging style, who has performed with Benny Green, Chris Botti, and Michael Feinstein. Personnel in this performance will be different from that portrayed in these videos. CHOOSE SEATS AND BUY

Tent Concert Hall, 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, 95460, United States

Rehearsal, Orch. 7/18

You are invited to attend Festival Orchestra rehearsals in the Tent Concert Hall. Performances are all the better for having heard the process of creating them. The rehearsals are also a wonderful way to introduce children to the glories of orchestral music. Come in at ......More

You are invited to attend Festival Orchestra rehearsals in the Tent Concert Hall. Performances are all the better for having heard the process of creating them. The rehearsals are also a wonderful way to introduce children to the glories of orchestral music. Come in at any time and stay as long as you like. Rehearsals are free, but we welcome the small and not-so-small donations most visitors make.Rehearsal Calendar

Tent Concert Hall, 45035 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, 95460, United States

Rehearsal, Big Band (7/19)

NOT PUBLIC – PERFORMERS ONLY. We cannot accomodate audience members at this rehearsal site. Rehearsal for 7/19 Festival Big Band concert

Caspar Community Center, 15051 Caspar Road, Caspar, CA, 95420, United States

Kim Nalley, with Tammy Lynne Hall

Kim Nalley has been a fixture in the San Francisco Bay Area—and here in Mendocino as well—as a 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, with ......More

Kim Nalley has been a fixture in the San Francisco Bay Area—and here in Mendocino as well—as a 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, with projection that can whisper a ballad or fill a room without a mic. Nalley keeps the style alive without copying any of her predecessors, singing vintage songs in her own way and riveting audiences with blistering scat solos that swing with intensity. She will be backed up by Tammy Lynne Hall, one of the most sought-after accompanists in the world.GOD, CAN THIS WOMAN SING! It’s as if a vocalist from the great post-war blues and jazz combos had been transported to the end of the century.”- Blues Access Magazine CHOOSE SEATS AND BUY

Preston Hall, 44867 Main Street, Mendocino, CA, 95460, United States