Carrie Underwood, Time for Three headline 2023 Festival Napa Valley
By Dave Stoneberg
NAPA VALLEY, Calif. — Headliners for the 17th annual Festival Napa Valley include Carrie Underwood, Matteo Bocelli, Pablo Sáinz Villegas, Lucas Meachem and Time for Three. The lineup of music, food and wine events will be held Saturday, July 8, through Sunday, July 23, at venues throughout the Napa Valley.
Additional highlights include Reunited in Dance with soloists displaced by the war in Ukraine, Gordon Getty’s “Annie Laurie,” Lera Auerbach’s “Vessels of Light,” Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale,” and more than 60 concerts and events at iconic venues.
“Our 2023 summer season features one-of-a-kind performances and events surrounded by the incomparable beauty and enchantment of Napa Valley,” said Richard Walker, festival president and CEO.
“This year’s festival features an incredible diversity of artists and programs from around the world,” said Robin Baggett, chairman of the nonprofit’s board of directors. “We are thrilled to offer affordable programming and food and wine events that showcase the very best of Napa Valley.”
Furthering Festival Napa Valley’s commitment to making the arts accessible to all, admission to daytime concerts is free, including the daily Festival Live! series, the Bouchaine Young Artist series and the family-friendly Novack Concerts for Kids.
The festival continues to play a leading role in arts education with two tuition-free pre-professional summer training programs: the Frost School at Festival Napa Valley’s Blackburn Music Academy for orchestral and chamber music and the Manetti Shrem Opera Program for vocalists.
Here are some of the highlights of Festival Napa Valley 2023.
Women in the Arts Dinner will be at 6 p.m., Saturday, July 8, with celebrated flutist and professor Jennifer Grim at The Meritage Resort and Spa.
2023 Grammy-winning trio Time for Three makes its Festival Napa Valley debut at 6:30 p.m., Sunday, July 9, at CIA at Copia in Napa.
Screening of Gordon Getty’s acclaimed feature-length opera film “Goodbye, Mr. Chips” will be at 7 p.m., Wednesday, July 12, at Cameo Cinema.
Opening night with Festival Orchestra Napa, 6:30 p.m., Friday, July 14, at Charles Krug Winery features guitarist Pablo Sáinz Villegas performing Joaquin Rodrigo’s iconic “Concierto de Aranjuez,” pianist Alexander Malofeev celebrating Rachmaninoff’s 150th anniversary with “Piano Concerto No. 2” and Yang Bao, this year’s Maria Manetti Shrem Daniel Brewbaker Composer prize-winner, unveiling a world premiere.
Taste of Napa, Festival Napa Valley’s signature celebration of food, wine and music, will feature more than 70 wineries, craft breweries, restaurants and food artisans with live music 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, July 15, at The Meritage Resort and Spa.
Matteo Bocelli in concert with Festival Orchestra Napa, 6:30 p.m., Saturday, July 15, at Charles Krug, conducted by Eugene Kohn, an Olivia Decker Power of Music concert.
Eight-time Grammy award-winner Carrie Underwood headlines the Arts for All Gala, 5 p.m., Sunday, July 16, which benefits arts education and the festival’s community programs, at Nickel & Nickel with an elegant dinner prepared by Michelin-star chef Charlie Palmer paired with exquisite offerings from the Far Niente and Nickel & Nickel family of wines.
The world premiere of Gordon Getty’s “Annie Laurie” and the presentation of his monumental cantata “Joan and the Bells” will be Tuesday, July 18, at 6:30 p.m. at Charles Krug, as will the Northern California premiere of Lera Auerbach’s Symphony No. 6, “Vessels of Light,” featuring cellist Kristina Reiko Cooper and dedicated to Chiune Sugihara, the Japanese diplomat who saved thousands of Jewish refugees during World War II.
2023 Manetti Shrem Opera, 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, July 19, CIA at Copia: Donizetti’s “Don Pasquale” will be directed by Jean-Romain Vesperini with Constantine Orbelian conducting, featuring baritones Lucas Meachem and Alexey Lavrov, soprano Serena Sáenz, tenor Xabier Anduaga and participants of the festival’s Manetti Shrem Summer Vocal Conservatory.
Jazz @ Charles Krug, 6:30 p.m., Thursday, July 20, will feature the Frost School of Music All-Stars performing Mancini and Gershwin on the Festival Napa Valley Stage at Charles Krug.
Festival Napa Valley Dance Gala, “Reunited in Dance,” 6:30 p.m., Friday, July 21, at Charles Krug, directed by Xander Parish, features Ukrainian and Russian ballet soloists displaced by the war.
Performances take place on the Festival Napa Valley Stage at Charles Krug in St. Helena, the Jackson Family Wines Amphitheater at CIA at Copia in Napa, Nickel & Nickel in Oakville, and at wineries, resorts and estates throughout Napa Valley. Concert tickets are priced from free to $35.
A limited number of Patron Passes are also available and provide access to special events, including Vintner’s Luncheons, Patron Dinners and the Arts for All Gala. Taste of Napa general admission tickets are $150 and $295 for reserved salon access. To view the full schedule and purchase tickets or passes, visit here.
Dave Stoneberg is a journalist, who worked for the St. Helena Star from 2006 to 2020.