NAPA VALLEY

California’s Napa Valley is renowned for its gourmet cuisine and legendary wines. Boasting hundreds of wineries and breathtaking natural beauty, the region attracts millions of visitors each year. But if you travel to Napa in July, you can experience the best of its offerings in a distinct way: paired with a spectacular lineup of world-class performances.

Since its inception in 2006, Festival Napa Valley – dubbed “the 10 best days of summer” has blended the beauty and bounty of Napa Valley with the very finest performing arts. Wine enthusiasts visiting the Golden State are offered a gilded moment in time when one can indulge all senses, heightened by the power of music.

California has a rich wine history dating back to the 1700s, when the art of winemaking arrived with the Spanish padres. In Napa, the De La Salle Christian Brothers survived the Prohibition Era by producing altar wines. Today, the historic Mont La Salle Chapel is a stage for some of the Festival’s most dynamic performances. Guests will find themselves strolling postconcert to neighboring Hess Persson Estates for one of the Festival’s signature events: a spectacular winery dinner, this one hosted by proprietors Sabrina and Timothy Persson, who previously owned Glen Carlou Wine Estate in South Africa.

The Festival has become renowned for these unique dining experiences, with patrons and artists coming together for a culinary performance in its own right. Napa’s generous vintners open their magnificent wineries and estates to host these one-of-a-kind events, many of which feature an encore of the evening’s mainstage concert.

This last summer, Jennifer and B arry Waitte, proprietors of Tamber Bey Vineyards, hosted a Festival Vintner’s Luncheon at their 22-acre Sundance Ranch in Calistoga, one of the largest horse ranches in the Napa Valley. Guests indulged in wine cellar treasures while mingling with other guests and the couple’s Arabian horses and enjoying stunning views of Mount St. Helena. Everything about the property and experience reflect the owners’ ’love of horses and wine and is typical of the magic one finds at Festival Napa Valley.

Fireworks provide a delightful nightcap to a Festival Napa Valley patron dinner at Opus One Winery - Bob McClenahan

The artists who have made their way to Napa Valley to perform at the Festival include such legendary musicians as violinists Joshua Bell and Sarah Chang, pianists JeanYves Thibaudet and Conrad Tao, and singers Renée Fleming, Danielle de Niese and Audra McDonald. Celebrities who have appeared on Festival Napa Valley’s stages include Bill Murray, Minnie Driver, Michael Keaton, Rita Moreno and Robert Redford.

The Festival’s marquee event, the Arts for All Gala, is a star-studded evening and one of the nation’s biggest fundraisers for arts education. Past headliners have included singer and actress Jennifer Hudson, Broadway star Kristin Chenoweth, and singer-songwriter Seal. Last summer’s gala featured a performance by Grammy Awardwinning country music star Trisha Yearwood and raised a record-setting $3.9 million. The event’s lively auction features oncein-a-lifetime luxury lots and has included exclusive access to intimate performances by legends Diana Ross, Gloria Estefan, and Andrea Bocelli; an invitation to Elton John’s Birthday Bash; a spectacular villa on the island of Mustique; private yacht cruises; entree to star studded galas, film festivals, award shows, and sporting events; exclusive wine collections, and much more.

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A stunning performance by Quixotic - Bob McClenahan

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Opening Night performance by Festival Orchestra Napa at Far Niente - Paul Richardson

To date, the annual affair has raised more than $20 million towards its goal of providing free and affordable access to performances, arts education and original programming for youth, and scholarships.

The Gala has been held at such landmark venues as Meadowood Resort and HALL Napa Valley, and now takes place each summer on the grounds of Nickel & Nickel, just behind the winery’s historic 19th-century homestead complete with picturesque stables. Longstanding partnerships with Napa Valley’s iconic wineries have been key to the Festival’s success. Far Niente, owner of Nickel & Nickel, is one of the original wineries involved with Festival Napa Valley, hosting events since inception.

In 2014 the Festival presented a tribute to Sophia Loren on the stunning Far Niente property. At the event, Loren’s son, Carlo Ponti, conducted the Los Angeles Virtuosi Orchestra, an ensemble devoted to the advocacy and support of music education. Whoopi Goldberg emceed, and the notable guests paying tribute to La Loren included Robert Redford and Francis Ford Coppola. Robert De Niro and former presidents Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush also sent in tributes.

The Festival’s founding benefactors remain equally committed today, including Bouchaine Vineyards proprietors Tatiana and Gerret Copeland, Shahpar and Darioush Khaledi of Darioush Winery, arts philanthropists Athena and Timothy Blackburn, composer and philanthropist Gordon Getty, and global arts patrons Maria Manetti Shrem and Jan Shrem. These and other generous individuals, wineries, and businesses have fostered Festival Napa Valley’s growth and success and inspired many of its programs.

With an international audience of celebrities, artists, and philanthropists, the Festival has become a showcase for the art of life. Guests can even find trunk shows and runways by fashion brands like Valentino and Salvador Ferragamo, Brunello Cucinelli, and Carolina Herrera. Italy’s bespoke jewelry house, Pomellato, is a regular presence, becoming the Official Jeweler for the Festival’s 16th season, while Audi returned as car sponsor featuring their e-tron collection of electric vehicles.

Festival Napa Valley’s essential ingredients – music, art, food, wine, and fashionable guests – all blend together seamlessly in the 10 Best Days of Summer.

The next edition of Festival Napa Valley takes place July 14-23, 2023. To learn more, visit www.fesivalnapavalley.org.

Festival Napa Valley is committed to arts education as essential to a vibrant community. School programs, training academies, scholarships, and a young artist series are among the Festival’s initiatives. A signature program is the Novack Concerts for Kids, providing free programming for youth and families throughout the year.

Vintner Jean-Charles Boisset hosts a festival luncheon at Raymond Vineyards featuring “The Art of Fashion,” curated by Neiman Marcus. The winery becomes a runway for an assortment of ready-to-wear garments and accessories from luxury designer brands, including Carolina Herrera, Dolce & Gabbana, Tom Ford, Burberry, Alexander McQueen, and Christian Louboutin. 1. Preparing for an evening Festival Napa Valley concert at the historic Mont La Salle Chapel on Mt. Veeder, photo by Bob McClenahan. 2. Trisha Yearwood performs at the 2022 Festival Napa Valley Arts for All Gala at Nickel & Nickel Winery, raising $3.9 million in support of arts education, photo by Drew Altizer. 3. Festival Orchestra Napa performs at Castello di Amorsoa, photo by Paul Richardson. 4. Jan Shrem, Maria Manetti Shrem, Richard Walker, & Sophia Loren arrive Festival Napa Valley’s Bella Italia Tribute to Sophia Loren at Far Niente, photo by Drew Altizer. 5. Hess Persson Estates proprietress Sabrina Persson in the winery’s on-site art gallery, featuring a superb collection of contemporary art. Goldsworthy. LionsHead. 6. Festival Napa Valley Board Chair Robin Baggett, vintner - proprieter of Alpha Omega Winery, Tolosa Winery, and Perinet Winery welcomes guests to the 2021 season, photo by Drew Altizer. 7. Performers from the art collective Quixotic soar high above Napa Valley at the 2022 Founders Dinner at the estate of Steven and Claire Stull, photo by Bob McClenahan. 8. Blending the natural beauty of Napa Valley with the exquisite artistry of fine jewelry, Festival Napa Valley’s 2022 summer season included the participation of Pomellato at Cardinale, Auberge du Soleil, and Hall Rutherford, photo by David Ortega. 9. Fashion takes the stage with Nieman Marcus at the 2022 Festival Napa Valley Vintner’s Luncheon at Raymond Vineyards, photo by Drew Altizer. 10. 2022 Patron Dinner at Castello di Amorosa, photo by Drew Altizer. 11. Love, wine, and opera flow in abundance during the Festival’s 2022 production of Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore at Charles Krug, photo by Drew Altizer. 12. Composer Gordon Getty with founding chairman of the Festival Napa Valley board vintner Darioush Khaledi. 13. Patrons at the 2022 Vintner_s Luncheon at Tamber Bey Vineyards raise a glass in celebration of the Festival, combining the best in wine, music, and horses, photo by David Ortega. 14. A magical summer evening at Frank Family Vineyards during the 2022 Festival Napa Valley summer season photo by Bob McClenahan. 15. 2019 Miss America and Festival Napa Valley composerin-residence Nia Imani Franklin grabs a selfie with members of the Young People_s Chorus of New York City after the world premier of her Juneteenth anthem, Polaris, photo by David Ortega. 16. Whoopi Goldberg, Sophia Loren, and Robert Redford at Festival Napa Valley_s Bella Italia Tribute to Sophia Loren, photo by Drew Altizer. 17. An alfresco Festival Napa Valley performance at Meadowood Napa Valley captures the beauty of the season, photo by Paul Richardson. 18. Tatiana and Gerret Copeland of Bouchaine Vineyards with Bouchaine Young Artists violinist Jordan Bak and pianist Tomomi Sato, photo by Bob McClenahan. 19. Robert Redford, Claire Stull, and Maggie Oetgen at Far Niente, photo by Drew Altizer. 20. 2021 Composer in Residence - Novack Concert for Kids artist Nia Imani Franklin with young fans, photo by John Kyl. 21. Sophia Loren backstage at Festival Napa Valley with members of the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra photo by Paul Richardson. 22. Violinist Joshua Bell and soprano Larisa Martínez perform with Festival Orchestra Napa at Charles Krug Winery, photo by Drew Altizer.