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 Gala chairs Mary Beth and David Shimmon have certainly raised the bar for Festival Napa Valley’s tentpole fundraiser benefiting arts education. This year, the Shimmons and co-hosts including Leslie and Rich Frank helped bring New Orleans to Nickel & Nickel winery in honor of the night’s A-list musical guest, Jon Batiste, who started his career in the Big Easy.

Peck has achieved an unusually wide following for a ballet dancer. Recently, she starred as Eva Cullman in Amy Sherman-Palladino’s Amazon Prime series Étoile, and her latest children’s book, XO Ballerina Big Sis, which was written to encourage young dancers, will be published in October by Penguin Random House. In late June, she married fellow NYCB principal Roman Mejia, with whom she will share the stage at Festival Napa Valley’s ‘Evening of Dance’ on July 19.

The annual summer festival of music, wine and food returns with events at the Culinary Institute of America, Jarvis Conservatory and the Meritage Resort in Napa, Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena, Nickel & Nickel in Oakville, and other locations. Scheduled highlights include the Royal Opera of Versailles performing Donizetti’s “La Fille du régiment,” a documentary film screening of “Flicka,” followed by a Q&A with mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, appearances by Jon Batiste, pianist Forrest Eimold performing works by Gordon Getty and more.

“Instead of just hearing, you’re also getting to see the visual component with that piece,” Peck said. Charles Krug Winery will be the site of Festival Napa Valley’s main stage, which Peck said is an “incredible venue” that allowed her team “so much room to get creative” with filling up the space. Four local vendors will rotate at Charles Krug, which also features a children’s zone in order to better accommodate families. 

Celebrated auctioneer and author Lydia Fenet will lead bidding for the evening, which includes a performance by seven-time GRAMMY® and Oscar®-winner Jon Batiste and a dinner by James Beard Award-winning chef Rogelio Garcia of Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley paired with exceptional House of Far Niente wines. 

All the world’s a stage” may be an oft-quoted Shakespearean metaphor, but it couldn’t be more fitting for the arrival of FESTIVAL NAPA VALLEY, NorCal wine country’s popular showcase of internationally recognized and emerging talent across classical, jazz, opera, contemporary, and dance, along with unrivaled food, wine, and hospitality experiences throughout its 16-day schedule. The 2025 Summer Season features more than 200 artists, including mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, celebrated French conductor Stéphane Denève, ballet dancer Tiler Peck, the renowned Pacific Symphony, and the North American debut of the Versailles Royal Opera. 

Crowning the opening weekend of Festival Napa Valley’s Summer Season, the Arts for All Gala is one of the nation's premier fundraisers for education and the arts. Proceeds fund programs that empower youth through music education and wellness, as well as free and affordable concerts, and scholarships. Ahead of the Gala on July 13, Freeman’s I Hindman CEO, Alyssa Quinlan, sat down with President and CEO of Festival Napa Valley, Rick Walker, to discuss how music, wine, and philanthropy come together in this unique experience in the heart of the Napa Valley each summer.

Olsen will be one of six speakers at the inaugural Music and Wellness Symposium on July 6 at CIA at Copia during Festival Napa Valley 2025 summer season. Symposium participants will speak on topics ranging from how music impacts the brain and can help dementia patients to strategies for integrating music into daily health and wellness. 

Festival Napa Valley, in partnership with the Culinary Institute of America at Copia, will present “The Beauty of Napa Valley: Photography of Bob McClenahan” from June 18 through Sept. 1. The exhibition features 16 framed photographs selected from a portfolio McClenahan assembled shortly before his passing in March. Admission is free. All works are available for acquisition, with 100% of proceeds supporting a college scholarship fund for McClenahan’s two teenage sons.