California’s music history is rich with innovation, from the Grateful Dead in San Francisco to the honky-tonkers of Bakersfield to the rockers along the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. The same is true of the Golden State’s classical and contemporary music scene, rooted in city symphonies, university-based composers, and cutting-edge ensembles.
The new California Festival (Nov. 3–19) offers the opportunity to immerse yourself in this world-class musical community over the course of 17 days—a wide-ranging event comprised of more than 180 unique works, 100 musical organizations, and dozens of cities and towns around the state.
How It Started
The California Festival was launched by three of the state's most prominent music directors: Gustavo Dudamel of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Esa-Pekka Salonen of the San Francisco Symphony, and Rafael Payare of the San Diego Symphony.
Their shared goal: to showcase Golden State talent and new work across a spectrum of styles, including classical music, contemporary choral music, and modern jazz fusion. The performances themselves would likewise occur in distinctive venues, from downtown concert halls to college campuses to the vineyards of Napa Valley. The 180-plus chosen works have one underlying theme: They have all been composed within the past five years and were either created in, or inspired by, the Golden State.
“California holds a unique place in music and culture," the conductors said in a joint statement, “not just in the United States but in the wider world as well. It brings out the unexpected and illuminates the unseen, moving even the most reserved among us.” Among the festival’s participants, they add, “every one of these institutions will be presenting music that they believe in, representing their unique communities with total artistic freedom."
Indeed, the inaugural festival shines a spotlight on musical organizations from an array of California regions. The orchestras in the lineup, for instance, include the Santa Barbara Symphony, Visalia’s Sequoia Symphony Orchestra, and the Symphony of the Redwoods in Fort Bragg. There are dozens of unique smaller ensembles too, such as the acclaimed vocalists of San Francisco’s Chanticleer, The USC Percussion Group, and Los Angeles’ Wild Up, a Grammy-nominated ensemble that performs classical works blended with pop culture and performance art.
The schedule also includes a few festivals within the festival. On Nov. 8, a special performance affiliated with Festival Napa Valley (usually in July) will take the stage at the Opus One Winery, and Nov. 11 brings a special performance from the renowned Ojai Music Festival (usually in June) in the Ventura County town of Ojai.
Choose Your Musical Path
Start your festival experience by perusing the dozens of performances on the festival website, listed by date. The Light Opera Theatre of Sacramento, for instance, will present A Most Ingenious Paradox: An Evening of Gilbert & Sullivan Operetta and Other Classical Musical Theatre Gems. The Los Angeles–based arts organization Resonance Collective will present an acapella oratorio based on "The Conference of the Birds" by Sufi mystic poet Attar.
Some of the inspirations are more modern—and more personal too. In Los Angeles, the musicians’ collective Synchromy will present a workshop performance of the opera Sally Ride, created with collaboration from the California astronaut’s surviving partner. In the Bay Area, the chamber music institute Music@Menlo will showcase the Sitkovetsky Trio performing Etched in Smoke and Light, written by USC composer Julia Adolphe as a tribute to her father, painter Jonathan Adolphe.
Since the festival takes place in more than 80 venues, it also offers the chance to experience the state’s unique performance spaces. The San Diego Master Chorale will sing on Nov. 5 at The Rady Shell, the stunning open-air venue along San Diego’s waterfront, while San Francisco’s New Century Chamber Orchestra will perform at both the and churches in Berkeley and Tiburon. In Orange County, jazz artist Carey Frank will perform at Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens, an arts center set at the 1927 Spanish Colonial Revival home of Ole Hanson, who was the founder of modern San Clemente.
Plan Your Trip
Tickets for performances are all booked separately—and some events offer free admission. To enrich your knowledge beforehand, check out the festival’s Excursions page, which explores the back stories of California artists such as Boonville-based composer Gabriela Lena Frank.
To explore more of California’s performing arts scene, check out these awe-inspiring concert venues, historic music venues, and top spots for dinner and a show. Or, take an arts and culture-themed road trip (such as this rock ’n’ roll road trip) or plan a trip around music festivals throughout the year.