Summer 2026
Magical Moments
Twenty Years of Festival Napa Valley
Read this article in flipbook view
For twenty years, Festival Napa Valley has been a place where music, artistry, and community come alive. The Festival is defined by beauty – the kind found in the soaring notes of a symphony, in starlit vineyards, and in the connections that form between artists and audiences. Over two decades, the Festival has created thousands of memories: moments of wonder, laughter, inspiration, and grace that capture the very soul of Napa.
At a luncheon at Grgich Hills, Dave Asheim fondly recalls sitting beside vintner Austin Hills. “This winery transformed Napa’s reputation,” he says, “and hearing Austin’s story firsthand made the experience feel uniquely Festival Napa Valley.” Intimacy and discovery are hallmarks of the Festival, where encounters feel personal, even among legends.
Dinner at Quintessa in 2019 brought a celestial surprise. “Don Pettit, the Festival’s Astronaut in Residence, commemorating the Apollo 11 anniversary, pointed everyone’s gaze skyward,” remembers Sandy Asheim. “The International Space Station glided across the night sky with his colleagues on board. The timing was perfect, and the setting breathtaking.”
Other memories are dazzling spectacles. Christopher Barefoot recalls, “Eighteen minutes of continuous pyrotechnics at Opus One, choreographed to the 1812 Overture, marked the Festival’s 10th anniversary. The awe on everyone’s faces is etched in my memory forever.”
Some moments are quietly moving. In 2012, beneath a willow tree at Far Niente, Athena Blackburn witnessed the world premiere of a new choreography of Adagio from Spartacus, commissioned by her husband Timothy as a gift. “The music, the setting, the emotion - people were moved to tears,” she says.
The Festival has also delivered unexpected triumphs. In its second year, a celebrated pianist fell ill, and twelve-year-old prodigy Conrad Tao was flown in at the last minute. “He performed one of the most technically demanding works in the repertoire,” recalls Timothy Blackburn. “He was extraordinary.”
Connections formed through the Festival often transcend continents. Antonio Castellucci remembers Andrea Bocelli arriving on stage on a white horse at Tuscany’s Teatro del Silenzio. “At dinner, I told him, ‘You’ve entertained the world so beautifully — tonight, I’d like to sing to you.’ And I sang Bésame Mucho.”
Tatiana Copeland shares a love story worthy of an aria. “I sat next to conductor Stéphane Denève at nearly every dinner one year and watched him pour out his love for a woman named Åsa,” she recalls. “I whispered, ‘If you propose, we will host your wedding at Bouchaine.’ The following year, they were married at our winery.”
Some nights simply remain unforgettable. Alice Corning remembers being transfixed by Christopher Taylor performing Messiaen’s Vingt Regards. “We decided then to make the Festival part of our summers forever,” she says. “Later that season, at the Denève wedding, I was seated between Taylor and Gordon Getty. Pure magic.”
Magic defines so many memories. Michael Covarrubias and Kathleen McIntosh recall a Festival dinner with Wynton Marsalis at the Carlyle Club, where “Wynton and his band joined us at the table - a night for the books.”
Olivia Decker remembers “the 2022 Power of Music concert and dinner with Andrea Bocelli, attended by Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Mayor London Breed, and Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, alongside so many generous Festival patrons.”
Laughter, too, has its place in the Festival’s legacy. Lisa Delan recalls the Bella Italia! tribute to Sophia Loren: “When Sophia launched into an impassioned speech in Italian, her son Carlo slipped onto the platform and whispered in her ear. They both burst out laughing, as did we all.” Gordon Getty admits, “I was the culprit who brought it on – I leaned over and told Sophia, ‘Tocca a te,’ just as she stood to speak.”
Some memories linger for a lifetime. Janet Effland and Bill Urbach will never forget “dinner in the redwood grove at Beringer Winery – our first time hearing Christina Maxwell. Her voice was breathtaking.” Jeff Gargiulo recalls the Festival’s beginnings: “The first year, we hosted a dinner during a brutal heat wave. Everyone was sweating, so we rolled out blocks of ice and fans. It was, quite literally, a very hot start.”
Performances continue to inspire. George Goeggel recalls Midori performing Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto at Castello di Amorosa in 2015: “Music and friends make for fond and lasting memories – so needed in these times.” Michael and Pepper Jackson remember hearing Nadine Sierra before she became a global opera star: “Watching her rise to the top has been a joy.”
Larry Maguire treasures the Festival’s intergenerational spirit: “Watching our grandchildren see Fantasia live in concert with the Festival Orchestra - a perfect illustration of Arts for All. Twenty years ago, I never imagined I’d one day be bringing them.”
For philanthropist Maria Manetti Shrem, the Festival’s impact on young artists stands out. “It’s been a privilege watching our awardees, like Nadine Sierra, rise to stardom. Presenting icons is an honor, but helping new talent take flight is the true joy.”
Behind the scenes, camaraderie thrives. “A spirited debate broke out between Dmitry Sitkovetsky, Joshua Bell, Gordon Getty, and Nicola
Luisotti at a dinner we hosted,” recalls Betsy Moulds. “They disappeared to settle it at the piano. The sounds of music and laughter drifted out. Suddenly they returned to their seats - the matter apparently resolved.”
Patrick Nayrolles recalls the 2019 opening night at Meadowood: “Towering redwoods, centuries-old oaks, and Joyce El-Khoury, Francesco Demuro, and Lucas Meachem. From the first note to the last, I was lost to the music.”
Michael Saei reflects on the Festival’s enduring spirit: “To fundraise for music and education, to ‘friend-raise’ so many wonderful people, to share great wine - the Festival is full of love. And love is the answer.”
Countless other moments have enriched the Festival’s story: Robert Redford narrating Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons with violinist Chad Hoopes and the Orchestra of the Americas (George Salzner); the announcement of the Frost School of Music partnership (Dr. Jag Soni); a radiant luncheon at Trefethen in 2024 (Pat Stull); and tiny ballerinas stealing hearts at the dance galas (Susan and Pack Warfield).
For longtime volunteer Pam Zeidell, it’s been a remarkable journey: “Twenty years ago, I was asked to organize volunteers for a newly formed musical event in Napa Valley. What followed was a front-row seat to twenty years of magic.”
Twenty years. Countless magical moments.
What’s yours?