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Melanie Hamrick, Joanna DeFelice, and Christine Shevchenko bring their exhilarating production, A Night at the Ballet, to Napa for the annual Dance Gala. The program features highlights from some of the world's most beloved classical ballets, including Don Quixote, Swan Lake, Les Sylphides, and Carmen. The evening also includes a special appearance by guest artist Nicholas Palmquist,  performing in the West Coast premiere of Can't You Hear Me Knocking, set to the music of The Rolling Stones.

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Chae Eun Yang trained in Korea and graduated from Korea National University of the Arts. An award-winning competitor, she joined Houston Ballet in 2013, later dancing briefly with the National Ballet of Canada. She performs a wide classical and contemporary repertoire and continues her career with Houston Ballet.

Connor Walsh, a Virginia-born principal dancer with Houston Ballet, rose rapidly through the ranks after joining in 2004. Renowned for leading roles in major classical and contemporary works, he has also choreographed premieres, co-founded the REACH project supporting arts education, and remains active as a teacher, coach, and creator.

Nicholas Palmquist is a New York–based choreographer, teacher, and performer whose work spans film, television, fashion, and stage. He has created for international ballet companies and taught worldwide, developing a genre-blending movement method. Committed to access and education, he continues to expand his influence through teaching, choreography, and digital platforms.

Francesco Gabriele Frola danced with English National Ballet and The National Ballet of Canada before joining San Francisco Ballet as a principal dancer in 2025. 

Sasha De Sola, born in Florida, trained at the Kirov Academy and Paris Opera Ballet School. She joined San Francisco Ballet, becoming Principal in 2017. Renowned for leading classical roles and new works, she’s an award-winning dancer, guest artist, and emerging leader with academic and business credentials.

Shuaib Elhassan, from Manhattan’s Lower East Side, trained at The Ailey School on full scholarship and at leading intensives. He danced with Complexions Contemporary Ballet and other companies before joining LINES Ballet in 2014, bringing a dynamic contemporary style shaped by diverse performance experience.

Adji Cissoko, a Munich-born dancer, trained at Ballet Academy Munich and ABT’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School. She joined the National Ballet of Canada in 2010 and LINES Ballet in 2014, creating major roles worldwide. A teacher, choreographer, and coach, she became Associate Artistic Director of LINES Ballet in 2026.

Melanie Hamrick is a professionally trained ballerina whose career spanned over 16 years with American Ballet Theatre. Since her retirement from ABT in 2019, she has become further known internationally as a choreographer, producer, educator, and author, as well as co-founder of the company Live Arts Global.

Soprano Renée Fleming returns to Festival Napa Valley in Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene, a multimedia concert inspired by her 2023 Grammy Award-winning album.

Featuring Jeffrey McFarland-Johnson, cello
All children must be accompanied by an adult. Admission-free.
Discover the exciting range of the cello! Arrive ready to listen and move to music that is new and familiar.

Festival Napa Valley is pleased to announce the commissioning of The Judgment of Paris, an opera composed by Jake Heggie with a libretto by Gene Scheer. Inspired by the 1976 blind tasting that upended the global wine industry and redefined California’s place in the world, this one-act opera is a compelling, humorous, and richly entertaining work that will resonate with audiences far beyond the wine world.

The Bacchus Society is a community of patrons who share a love of artistic discovery, creative risk, and of Napa Valley’s role as a place where great new work begins. Your support directly fuels the creation of this extraordinary opera and ensures it reaches its full artistic potential. Members will be recognized in Festival materials, with the option to remain anonymous. Gifts at all levels are warmly welcomed.