Sun Valley Music Festival Unveils 41st Summer Season

The Sun Valley Music Festival has revealed its landmark 41st season, from July 28 to August 21, at the Sun Valley Pavilion, in the beautiful, natural surroundings of Sun Valley-the country's original destination ski resort. Curated by Music Director Alasdair Neale, the 2025 summer season will feature the all-star Festival Orchestra-the finest musicians from orchestras throughout North America-performing with world-renowned guest artists including pianist Gabriela Martinez, the Grammy-winning trio Time for Three, cellist Gautier Capuçon, and pianist Olga Kern.

"I'm so excited at the prospect of the season ahead of us. Our stellar guest lineup includes return appearances by Time for Three and Gautier Capuçon as well as debuts by pianists Gabriela Martinez and Olga Kern," commented Music Director Alasdair Neale. "The orchestra shines in all-Ravel and all-Strauss programs designed to show the sumptuous range of color of a full symphony orchestra. In addition, we have the first-ever Sun Valley performances of Beethoven's Fourth Symphony and Schumann's Fourth Symphony (the latter led by Stephanie Childress, who returns for her third season as Associate Conductor). And Jacomo Bairos conducts a Latin Pops concert that will likely have you dancing in the aisles."

In its 41st season, the Music Festival welcomes back the Grammy-winning and genre-defying Time for Three. The trio will perform a new triple concerto written for them by composer Mason Bates and co-commissioned by the Music Festival. Bates describes the work, titled Silicon Hymnal, as "an electro-acoustic book of songs."

Stephanie Childress returns for a third season as Associate Conductor, leading several performances including Haydn's Symphony No. 80, Schumann's Symphony No. 4, Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2, and Gabriela Smith's Tumblebird Contrails. Major orchestral repertoire also includes Beethoven's Symphony No. 4, Brahms's Symphony No. 4, and a season finale featuring Richard Strauss's Death and Transfiguration as well as his suite from Der Rosenkavalier. All concerts are offered free of charge, with ample seating inside the Sun Valley Pavilion and on the lawn, featuring a state-of-the-art big screen and sound system.

This year the Festival welcomes acclaimed pianist Gabriela Martinez to open the season with Mozart's popular Piano Concerto No. 20, followed by the composer's "Haffner" Symphony. Martinez will also join Festival Orchestra musicians to perform Brahms's Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor. Cellist Gautier Capuçon returns to Sun Valley for a pair of concerts, one featuring Elgar's haunting Cello Concerto and the other offering Schubert's Cello Quintet in a chamber setting with Festival musicians. Olga Kern, the only woman to have won the Gold Medal in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in more than thirty years, makes her Sun Valley debut performing Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2. Following, she'll join with Festival musicians in a chamber setting to perform Beethoven's "Ghost" Trio.

Additional programs feature Anna Clyne's Within Her Arms, a beautiful ode to the composer's mother; Arturo Marquez's rhythmic Danzon No. 2; and Reena Esmail's Testament. The Music Festival celebrates Ravel's 150th birthday with a program offering two of his Miroirs (La vallée des cloches and Alborada del gracioso), Valses nobles et sentimentales, and his Suite No. 2 from Daphnis et Chloé. For the annual Pops Night, conductor Jacomo Bairos, Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Miami's Nu Deco Ensemble, brings a program of Latin-inspired dance music to the Sun Valley Pavilion.

Education Programs: Sun Valley Music Festival Music Institute

In addition to presenting first-rate classical music performances, the Sun Valley Music Festival is dedicated to bringing the joy of music into young people's lives. Now in its 27th year, the Festival's Music Institute provides year-round music education programs for students of all abilities, from second graders to college undergraduates. This summer, students in grades 2-12 can attend programs for most orchestral instruments, voice and piano from August 4 to 8. College undergraduates and exceptional high school students studying piano, strings and voice can participate in the Advanced Chamber Program from July 28 to August 9. Students hone their skills and work on select pieces with Festival musicians, conductors, and guest artists-including Gabriela Martinez and Time for Three-and also attend orchestra rehearsals and concerts. Their experience culminates with an opportunity to perform on the Sun Valley Pavilion stage. Thanks to the generosity of Music Festival donors, students pay only nominal registration and materials fees. More information about education programs, including registration (which is now open), can be found at svmusicfestival.org/summer-programs.

How to Attend

Summer concerts offer an exciting social experience, where people from all walks of life can enjoy music together-for free. While some seats in the Pavilion may be reserved in advance by donors at certain levels, great admission-free seats are always available to the public both in the Pavilion and on the lawn. For concert dates, details, and updates, please visit svmusicfestival.org or subscribe to the Festival's e-news at svmusicfestival.org/subscribe. Details about the fundraising Gala will be announced in February. This concert is the only ticketed event of the year; sales help keep the rest of the concerts admission-free.

Sun Valley Music Festival: 41st Summer Season, 2025
All concerts: 6:30 PM, Sun Valley Pavilion (300 Dollar Rd., Sun Valley, ID 83353)

Opening Night with Gabriela Martinez

Monday, July 28
Alasdair Neale, Conductor
Gabriela Martinez, Piano
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor, K. 466
Mozart: Symphony No. 35 in D Major, K. 385, "Haffner"

Haydn and Stamitz

Festival Chamber Orchestra
Tuesday, July 29
Alasdair Neale, Conductor
Adam Smyla, Viola
Stephanie Childress, Conductor
Stamitz: Viola Concerto in D Major, Op. 1
Haydn: Symphony No. 80 in D Minor

Gabriela Martinez and Festival Musicians play Brahms

Chamber Concert
Thursday, July 31
Gabriela Martinez, Piano
Hanna Ji, Violin
Chris Tantillo, Viola
Bjorn Ranheim, Cello
Brahms: Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25

Beethoven 4 and Anna Clyne

Festival Chamber Orchestra
Friday, August 1
Alasdair Neale, Conductor
Clyne: Within Her Arms
Beethoven: Symphony No. 4 in B-Flat Major, Op. 60

Time for Three Plays Mason Bates

Festival Orchestra
Monday, August 4
Alasdair Neale, Conductor
Time for Three
Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture
Bates: Silicon Hymnal (co-commissioned by the Sun Valley Music Festival)

Festival Orchestra-Gala Benefit Concert

Wednesday, August 6
To be announced

Schuman, Beethoven, and Marquez
Festival Orchestra
Thursday, August 7
Alasdair Neale, Conductor
Polina Sedukh, Violin
Stephanie Childress, Conductor
Marquez: Danzon No. 2
Beethoven: Romance No. 2 in F Major, Op. 50
Schumann: Symphony No. 4 in D Minor, Op. 120
An Evening of Ravel followed by Lawn Party
Festival Orchestra

Sunday, August 10
Alasdair Neale, Conductor
Stephanie Childress, Conductor
Ravel: Excerpts from Miroirs
Ravel: Valses nobles et sentimentales
Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No. 2

Gautier Capuçon plays Elgar

Festival Orchestra
Tuesday, August 12
Alasdair Neale, Conductor
Gautier Capuçon, Cello
Smith: Tumblebird Contrails
Elgar: Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85

Brahms Symphony No. 4

Festival Orchestra
Wednesday, August 13
Alasdair Neale, Conductor
Brahms: Symphony No. 4 in E Minor

Gautier Capuçon and Festival Musicians play Schubert

Chamber Concert
Thursday, August 14
Juliana Athayde, Violin
Kristin Ahlstrom, Violin
Marylène Gingras-Roy, Viola
Gautier Capuçon, Cello
Amos Yang, Cello
Schubert: String Quintet in C Major, Op. posth. 163

Festival Orchestra Pops Night: Latin-Inspired Dance Music with Jacomo Bairos

Saturday, August 16
Alasdair Neale, Conductor
Jacomo Bairos, Conductor
Join the Festival for a program inspired by Latin dance music.

Olga Kern plays Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2

Festival Orchestra
Sunday, August 17
Alasdair Neale, Conductor
Olga Kern, Piano
Esmail: Testament
Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18

Olga Kern and Festival Musicians play Beethoven

Chamber Concert
Monday, August 18
Olga Kern, Piano
Dylan Naroff, Violin
Si-Yan Darren Li, Cello
Beethoven: Trio in D Major for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 70, No. 1, "Ghost"

Season Finale: An Evening with Richard Strauss

Festival Orchestra
Thursday, August 21
Alasdair Neale, Conductor
R. Strauss: Death and Transfiguration, Op. 24
R. Strauss: Suite from Der Rosenkavalier

About the Sun Valley Music Festival

The Sun Valley Music Festival's mission is to enrich, inspire, and instill in our community a lifelong love of classical music through extraordinary free concerts and education programs. Festival programs provide opportunities for people from all walks of life to listen, learn, and play. Now in its 41st year, it is the largest privately supported, free-admission orchestra in the United States.

The Festival Orchestra comprises over 100 world-class musicians from North America's most distinguished orchestras, including the San Francisco Symphony, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, and Toronto Symphony. Summer Season concerts are held in July and August at the spectacular R.E. Holding Sun Valley Pavilion in the mountain resort town of Sun Valley, Idaho. Winter Season concerts are held in February or March at the Argyros Performing Arts Center in nearby Ketchum, Idaho, which is adjacent to Bald Mountain, Sun Valley Resort's primary ski area. Internationally renowned guest artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Daniil Trifonov, Midori, Emanuel Ax, Audra McDonald, Joshua Bell, Joyce Yang, Yefim Bronfman, Kristin Chenoweth, and Jean-Yves Thibaudet have performed with the Festival.

Through its Music Institute, the Festival strives to inspire the next generation of music lovers and introduce every Wood River Valley student to the joys of classical music. Its year-round and summer programs provide tuition-free instruction for string, piano, and voice students of all skill levels-from elementary through high school-that goes beyond the fundamentals and embraces the entire musician.

To post a comment, you must register and login.