Friday, April 24
| 10:00AM
Napa Valley College Performing Arts Center
2277 Napa Vallejo Highway | Napa
Open to school groups only. Please contact Festival Napa Valley’s Education Department to attend. Admission-free.
Today’s concert explores the astonishing power of youth and the timeless brilliance it can produce. Under the baton of guest conductor Samantha Burgess, Napa Valley College’s Symphony Tierra performs Mozart's Symphony No. 14, revealing the young prodigy at his most playful, and Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 1, written when the composer was just 15 years old. To complete the program, Napa-based composer Mattea Williams presents her original work "Nature's Breath.”
This concert is made possible by the generous support of Kenneth and Deborah Novack.
Performers
Symphony Tierra is a project-based orchestra rooted in the creative spirit of Napa Valley. Bringing together professional and community musicians, Symphony Tierra celebrates artistry, inclusivity, and connection through live orchestral performance.
Since moving to the San Francisco Bay Area in 2022, Burgess has quickly become an in-demand conductor. She is the Assistant Conductor for Peninsula Symphony and serves as the Music Director of the Community Women’s Orchestra and Napa Valley College’s Symphony Tierra, continuing also to work with the Berkeley Symphony as their regular Assistant Conductor. She will be the Cover Conductor for Dima Slobodeniouk at the San Francisco Symphony in May 2026.
Venue
Napa Valley College Performing Arts Center is dedicated to theater and music instruction and performance. It offers professional quality theater in a college setting, featuring a five-show season as well as acting, music and production courses led by industry professionals. It is the official home of Frost School at Festival Napa Valley's Blackburn Music Academy.