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Italian tenor Pasquale Esposito is an acclaimed crossover recording artist, celebrated for his pop-opera style. He began touring internationally in 2005 following the release of his first recording Naples… That’s Amore, and he made his San Francisco Opera debut in 2015.

If Festival Napa Valley’s Symphonic Finale was a poker hand, it would have been a royal flush. Presented Sunday, July 19, at the FNV Stage at Charles Krug in St. Helena, the late evening program featured the works of a quintet of American compositional royalty performed by Festival Orchestra Napa under the guidance of conductor JoAnn Falletta.

Festival Napa Valley marked its 20th anniversary with a record-breaking Arts for All Gala on July 12, raising $6.5 million to support its year-round education, scholarship and community initiatives. Held at Nickel & Nickel in Oakville, part of Far Niente Wine Estates, the gala brought together philanthropists, artists, vintners and civic leaders. 

Festival Napa Valley seemed a little closer to Kansas when Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena hosted an outdoor screening of The Wizard of Oz with live accompaniment by Festival Orchestra Napa on July 16. A sold-out audience of 1,100 gathered to watch the beloved Technicolor tale of Dorothy and friends with a full orchestral score conducted by Ming Luke

Presented in partnership with KQED Live
Be among the first to experience a sneak preview of a special Wine Country edition of Check, Please! Bay Area, KQED’s beloved long-running restaurant series, hosted by James Beard Award-winning wine writer and television personality Leslie Sbrocco.

Festival Napa Valley (FNV), a music-centric charity organization that funds arts initiatives in the valley, marked its 20th anniversary this year, capping off over two weeks of performances with $6.5 million raised at its capstone event, the Arts for All Gala.

The 20th century is littered with the corpses of high-minded comic operas. Satire is what closes on Saturday night, said George S. Kaufman, whose witticism has passed into theater folklore. Fearlessly, composer Jake Heggie and his long-time librettist Gene Scheer took up the challenge with The Judgment of Paris — it was the exclamation point of Festival Napa Valley’s 20th anniversary season.