Music in the Vineyards opens 19th season
Nearly 40 accomplished musicians from around the United States will perform in Music in the Vineyards’ 19th annual chamber music festival, held starting Tuesday, Aug. 7 and running through Aug. 25. Some artists like members of the Pacifica Quartet are seasoned festival performers while others, like 18-year-old cellist Austin Huntington, are new to the festival.
Violist Michael Adams and his violinist wife Daria Adams co-direct the festival. Michael Adams is a member of the Minnesota Orchestra and Daria Adams is a member of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. At each Music in the Vineyards concert,
Michael Adams presents witty and insightful background on composers and the pieces performed.
Music in the Vineyards, which offers free wine at intermission, is held in barrel rooms, caves, art galleries, museums and private event rooms of a dozen wineries up and down the valley.The festival’s 19th season offers new concert venues Freemark Abbey, Black Stallion Winery and the Napa Valley Museum. At the museum, attendees will experience a collaborative, fully staged performance of Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale, complete with seven musicians, three actors, a dancer, conductor and
narrator. It was conceived in conjunction with a juried art show at the museum, A Date with the Devil; and concert attendees can also view the corresponding exhibit on display at the museum following performances on Aug. 15 or 16 at 7:30 p.m. A family-friendly version of the concert is also being presented at the Napa Valley Museum on Saturday, Aug. 17 at 10:30 a.m.
Tickets for evening concerts cost $55. The festival also offers free open rehearsals on Thursdays, a family concert for $5 and $10, and a closing night celebration at Meadowood Napa Valley for $135. For more information, visit www.musicinthevineyards.org, call 258-5559 or email mitv@sonic.net.