News

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.

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.

Festival Napa Valley celebrated its 20th year with the world premiere of Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer’s “Judgment of Paris” opera at Charles Krug winery in St. Helena, CA on July 18, 2026. Most operas are written to be repertory items, performed in one theater this year and somewhere else the next. But “The Judgment of Paris,” the ebullient and delightful new comic one-act by San Francisco composer Jake Heggie and librettist Gene Scheer, is so resolutely site-specific that its world premiere on Saturday, July 18, at the Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena practically counts as an art installation. 

On July 10, under the setting sun at Charles Krug Winery, guests were treated to an inspired program led by conductor Stephanie Childress, from Beethoven to a thrilling symphonic celebration of American classics by Bob Dylan and Billy Joel. The Young People’s Chorus of New York City also performed composer Gordon Getty’s Young America, with artistic direction by Francisco J. Nuñez, and the audience was enraptured by the world premiere of Michael Thurber’s concerto As I Breathe performed by Time for Three.

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

The Judgment of Paris, the subject of librettist Gene Scheer and composer Jake Heggie’s latest opera, is not the mythological contest that led to the Trojan War. It’s the informal name of the 1976 blind tasting when judges rated Napa wines higher than French ones for the first time.  It’s a perfect story for Festival Napa Valley, so the pair readily agreed when Festival Vice President and Director of Artistic Planning Charles Letourneau asked them to write the opera.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Festival Napa Valley proved again that the vineyards are a fertile ground for both vintages and fresh artistic talent. After a day that began with a music and wellness seminar led by soprano Reneé Fleming, and a display of classic cars, it was time for the orchestra to take over at Uytengsu Family Opening Night on Friday, July 10. 

With its 2026 season underway, California’s Festival Napa Valley is presenting VC Artists Hina & Fiona this weekend in two significant world premieres. The first on July 11 will be John Corigliano’s The Red Violin: Suite for Two Violins and Orchestra. 

Sienna Peck, Executive Producer of Festival Napa Valley, appeared on Mornings on 2, to talk about the summer season, and the big name performers coming to the wine country.