Multiyear partnership with Festival Napa Valley announced

The Frost School of Music and Festival Napa Valley have announced a multiyear partnership to collaborate on university-level educational, chamber music and orchestral music programming.
Multiyear partnership with Festival Napa Valley announced
Photo Courtesy of the 2019 Festival Napa Valley.

As part of the partnership, to be called “Frost School at Festival Napa Valley,” Frost faculty and students will be fully integrated and play key roles in many of the Festival’s programs, including the Blackburn Music Academy, the Manetti Shrem Opera Program, and Festival Orchestra Napa.

The announcement was made jointly by Frost School’s Dean Shelly Berg and Charles Letourneau, Festival Napa Valley’s Vice President and Director of Artistic Planning.

“Festival Napa Valley is one of the most treasured music festivals in the U.S. and we are thrilled to join forces on this new initiative,” states Dean Shelly Berg. “The Frost School trains the whole musician - as an artist, entrepreneur, stage persona, and more, and we are enthused to bring this philosophy of musicianship to the innovative Festival Napa Valley.”

Charles Letourneau added: “We are delighted to welcome the Frost School of Music into the Festival Napa Valley family. Frost’s renowned faculty members and brilliant students are a tremendous addition to our diverse programs.”

Frost School’s Jennifer Grim, newly appointed Artistic Administrator for Frost School at Festival Napa Valley stated: “Summer festivals are an essential part of any serious music student's training, not only for the music study and performance opportunities but also as a way to establish lasting friendships and connections. I look forward to seeing our students thrive at Festival Napa Valley.”

In addition to Professor Grim, participating Frost School faculty this summer include Associate Professor Margaret Donaghue Flavin (clarinet), Professor Jodi Levitz (viola), Associate Professor Craig Morris (trumpet), Lecturer Bettina Mussumeli (violin), Associate Professor Svet Stoyanov (percussion), and Associate Professor Richard Todd (horn).

Approximately twenty Frost School of Music students will participate in Festival Napa Valley’s renowned Blackburn Music Academy this summer. Students are recommended by faculty and selected via an audition process. The Blackburn Music Academy’s faculty also includes members of the St. Lawrence Quartet, International Contemporary Ensemble, Zéphyros Winds, The Percussion Collective, Zephyr International Chamber Music Festival, and the Blue Ridge Chamber Music Festival, and leading musicians from the Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, San Francisco, and Metropolitan Opera orchestras.

Students and faculty will participate in the Festival’s rich program offerings, which this summer include a production of Puccini's opera Gianni Schicchi conducted by Kent Nagano, Vivaldi's Four Seasons with violin soloist Chad Hoopes, and an evening of “Opera Under the Stars” conducted by James Conlon and featuring tenor Michael Fabiano and the winners of the Festival’s Manetti Shrem Prize. Students will also participate in masterclasses, take classes in Alexander Technique, and learn about entrepreneurship, DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion), and arts advocacy.

Frost School of Music Expands Summer Festival Outreach Programs
The Frost School of Music continues to expand opportunities for music students to enrich their musical journey. The partnership with Festival Napa Valley places the school at the forefront with two of the most important and prestigious summer music festivals. In 2020 Frost joined forces with Jazz Aspen Snowmass to present the JAS Academy in collaboration with the Frost School of Music. The four-week full scholarship program is dedicated to identifying and assisting the most talented artists embracing jazz fundamentally while exploring myriad related and unrelated forms of music at the highest level of quality. The Frost faculty works closely with JAS Academy Artistic Director, 7-Time GRAMMY award winner Christian McBride.