Everything To Know About Festival Napa Valley: Sounds Of America

Festival Napa Valley returns this summer with Sounds of America.

Larisa Martinez and Joshua Bell

For 15 summer seasons, Festival Napa Valley (festivalnapavalley.org) has delighted audiences with the best Napa Valley has to offer: world-class wine, exceptional food, breathtaking vineyard views and, of course, the arts. The festival returns to an in-person outdoor event that’s dedicated to the sounds of America.

Tabea Debus

The event (July 15 to 24) will showcase a wide range of programs, including symphonic concerts, opera, dance, visual arts, chamber music, jazz, wine tasting and family-friendly concerts. More than 200 artists, wineries, resorts, theaters, restaurants, chefs and vintners participate each year.

Performers at this year’s festival include Tricia Yearwood.

“The performances at Festival Napa Valley this summer illuminate the importance of the arts in today’s world,” says Richard Walker, festival president and CEO. “Our mission is more vital than ever.”

This year, to further the festival’s commitment to making the arts more accessible to all, admission is free for daytime concerts, including the daily Festival Live! series at CIA at COPIA, the Bouchaine Young Artist Series and the family-friendly Novack Concerts for Kids.

Performances and events will be held outdoors on the Festival Napa Valley Stage at Charles Krug in St. Helena, the Jackson Family Wines Amphitheater at the Culinary Institute of America at Copia in Napa, and at wineries, estates and other venues throughout Napa Valley. Highlights include:

ORCHESTRAL NIGHTS

Conductor Carlo Ponti leads Festival Orchestra Napa with Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov’s “Prayer for Ukraine” to kick off opening night at Charles Krug, along with Dvorak’s “New World Symphony” and Daniel Brewbaker’s Cello Concerto with soloist Sophia Bacelar.

The Napa Valley Vintner’s Luncheon is part of this year’s celebration.

ARTS FOR ALL GALA

Singer, author, actress and television host Trisha Yearwood headlines the Arts for All Gala at Oakville’s Nickel & Nickel Winery on Sunday, July 17, capping off the opening weekend of the festival. The Arts for All Gala supports free and affordable access to world-class performances, Napa County public school arts education programs, and scholarships for students and emerging musicians. Guests will be treated to a dinner with wine offerings from Far Niente and Nickel & Nickel, as well as Champagne from Legras & Haas.

Also performing is the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, led by founder and Artistic Director Francisco J. Núñez. YPC also will join composer Nia Imani Franklin to perform the world premiere of “Polaris: A Juneteenth Anthem” in a concert that also features soprano Mikayla Sager, tenor Mario Chang, baritone Lester Lynch and Gordon Getty’s Young America.

Violinist Tessa Lark will perform at this year’s festival.

TASTE OF NAPA

This signature event returns with a celebration of food, wine and music at The Meritage Resort and Spa with more than 70 participating wineries, craft breweries and food purveyors.

DANCE

A Night at the Ballet: From Tchaikovsky to the Rolling Stones dance gala, with principal dancer Christine Shevchenko from Ukraine.