EVENTPREVIEWS
Festival
Sebastiani Theatre
NAPA VALLEY POSTPONED, BUT NOT SILENCED
WHEN FESTIVAL NAPA VALLEY HAD TO POSTPONE ITS 15TH
Conservatory of Music, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, San Francisco Opera
anniversary season to 2021, its artists refused to be silenced. Led by two students
Orchestra, Toronto Symphony, the Festival’s own Blackburn Music Academy,
from the Festival’s Blackburn Music Academy—conductor Zach Salsburg-Frank
and many more.
and violinist Sienna Peck—126 past and present Festival musicians joined forces
Each musician recorded their part on a smartphone while following the vir-
to create an extraordinary virtual performance of the famous “Va, pensiero” cho-
tual conductor. The group was synchronized into one glorious, collective perfor-
rus from Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Nabucco.
mance and dedicated to the essential workers whose heroic efforts safeguard the
“‘Va, pensiero’ was a perfect choice of music, a moving hymn that has served as a rallying song of hope and resilience for people around the world,” said Charles Letourneau, the Festival’s Vice President and Director of Artistic Planning. Festival President and CEO Richard Walker added, “Although we will not have a summer season this year, our pioneering spirit is alive and well, and we are creating innovative ways to continue to bring music to our audiences.”
health and safety of our communities. View the performance on Festival Napa Valley’s YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/jHV9wLvNYxA. “The restorative power of music is serving as a catalyst in the rebirth of the Festival’s hopes, dreams, and aspirations,” said Walker. “The team is already at work planning the 2021 season.” Adds Timothy Blackburn, Chairman of the Board of Festival Napa Valley:
The Festival Napa Valley Remote Ensemble includes instrumentalists and
“Our 2021 season will be one of joy, inspiration, and enthusiasm for years to
singers from 26 states, eight countries, and five continents, representing over
come. We are all in this together and are looking forward to celebrating next
24 orchestras, ensembles, opera companies, and music conservatories such as
summer, with our spirits higher and our community stronger than ever.”
the Young People’s Chorus of New York City, Juilliard School, San Francisco
Festival Napa Valley’s 15th anniversary season will take place July 16-25, 2021.
Patron dinner at Castello di Amorosa
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