Music Academy Of The West Announces 75th Anniversary Summer Festival

The Music Academy has revealed its ambitious plans for the 75th Anniversary Summer Festival. This milestone year has been propelled by three sold-out concerts by the London Symphony Orchestra in March and three Competition Winners recitals in April. More than 100 Summer Festival events will take place in six venues on the Academy campus, Miraflores, and historic theatres in downtown Santa Barbara. The life-changing experience for 136 fellows on full scholarship will be bonded with extraordinary music making for the community.

"We plan to give the fellows the tools to help them become great musicians and great leaders. This is a collaborative, nurturing environment where their innovation and creativity will be stoked in unexpected, dynamic, and relevant ways to help them realize their far-reaching impact. Our toolbox is full of possibilities with new curriculum, entrepreneurial advisors and training, and an appetite for progress," said President and CEO Scott Reed.

The anniversary year is illuminated by the return of a premier Metropolitan Opera star, mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard. The enthralling evening begins with strolling cocktails, followed by an al fresco dinner and performance by Isabel and Academy alumna artist pianist Nino Sanikidze. Isabel will receive the Academy's highest honor, the Distinguished Alumni Award, for her remarkable international career. Proceeds benefit the Academy's Sing! Children's Chorus, Community Access tickets, and full scholarships for fellows.

Each year extraordinary Mosher guest artists are in residence during the Summer Festival to perform and to share their artistry through private lessons and public masterclasses. Augustin Hadelich will perform Maurice Ravel's Second Violin Sonata. Violinist and composer Jessie Montgomery will coach fellows for a concert programmed entirely of her works. Susanna Phillips will shine in a recital in collaboration with the Academy's Lehrer Vocal Institute Director of Music John Churchwell. Sō Percussion will dazzle in concert with fellows through contemporary works that include a world premiere by Robyn Cee Kay Jacobs.

Pianist Jeremy Denk, an Academy artist since 2015, will perform alongside fellows and in solo works in recital. His program consists of works by Johannes Brahms, Charles Ives, Scott Joplin, Missy Mazzoli, and Franz Schubert.

The Lehrer Vocal Institute welcomes award-winning composer-in-residence Tom Cipullo. Alumna mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke will perform a world premiere of his in collaboration with John Churchwell, and the fellows will perform an evening of Tom's works in an enhanced performance with staging and lighting. A brand-new program, Hahn Hall 1922-2022: An Original Cabaret, will be directed by phenom James Darrah and alumnus Craig Terry will serve as music director.

High points of the annual Summer Festival are Academy Festival Orchestra concerts. This year, the ensemble performs Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 and Sergei Prokofiev's Suite from Romeo and Juliet under the direction of Larry Rachleff in its welcome concert at the Santa Barbara Bowl as a gift to the community. The concert and all 4,500 tickets to the performance are subsidized with a gift in remembrance of Léni Fé Bland, allowing them to be offered for $10 and all 7-17s may attend free with ticketed adults.

"Léni Fé Bland is a philanthropic icon and she was a champion of classical music and education," shared Board Chair Eileen Sheridan. "Her legacy continues through this gift from her estate."

Additional Academy Festival Orchestra concerts will feature Hannu Lintu at the podium for Gustav Mahler's Symphony No. 1, "Titan," conductor Stephane Denève leading Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe Suite No. 2, Teddy Abrams conducting his own work, Sixth Floor¸ along with Sergei Prokofiev's Symphony No. 1, "Classical." Hot off the heels of her dazzling La Scala debut, alumna Speranza Scappucci infuses the Lehrer Vocal Institute fellows into the final performance of the summer with opera and zarzuela scenes prior to a thrilling conclusion of Ottorino Respighi's The Pines of Rome.

Returning to a full opera production for the first time since 2019, principal opera conductor Daniela Candillari and director Peter Kazaras team up to lead Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin. The all new sets and costumes will give a nod to the Academy's founding in 1947 and one of its founders, Lotte Lehmann.

A new chamber music curriculum pairing fellows with Academy artists for intensive coachings will result in a group of five intimate and casual evening performances in Lehmann Hall called Chamber Nights. These will be programmed with full-length masterworks and music of the 21st century.

Composer-in-residence Molly Joyce has been commissioned for string quartet and solo voice/toy organ that will be premiered on a concert of her music performed by Academy fellows. Her work focuses on disability as a creative source.

Fellows will compete for the opportunity to be presented in recitals with world premieres commissioned for them in the three major performance competitions, the Duo (Christopher Cerrone), Solo Piano (Stewart Goodyear), and Marilyn Horne Song Competitions (Tom Cipullo). They may also enter the Fast Pitch Competition to pitch new projects to a jury of innovators. All competition winners will receive cash awards.

More than 70 masterclasses will take place weekdays in all three venues on the Academy campus, in Hahn Hall, Lehmann Hall, and Weinman Hall. In these ever-popular events, audiences cheer on and witness the artistic growth of fellows via the leadership of outstanding Academy artists.

Young People's Chorus of New York City (YPC) founder and MacArthur Award winner Francisco J. Nuñez will bring together his YPC National Lab and Studio with the Music Academy Sing! Children's Chorus in a demonstrative workshop for young musicians and conductors, culminating in a joint performance in Hahn Hall. YPC utilizes their model to bring together children of various backgrounds to sing at the highest artistic level. In turn, they gain understanding, appreciation, and mutual respect for cultures and identities that enrich the communities they live in. Through this model, children learn to recognize the value of everyone's voice.

Hahn Hall will be transformed in a daring new presentation by award-winning music director Craig Terry and phenom director James Darrah. The originally devised cabaret of thrilling music and theater that transports audiences to 1922 in an original story inspired by the politically charged Weimar German Republic and Berlin cabaret culture. The production uses the hall's new 2022 upgrades of enhanced video and lighting technology, generously funded by the Hind Foundation.

In partnership with the London Symphony Orchestra, five musicians will coach and audition orchestral fellows to win an opportunity to go to London this fall to perform with the LSO under the direction of principal guest conductor Gianandrea Noseda.

The unique Compeer Program also celebrates a milestone anniversary, forging life-long connections for 25 years. Fellows and Compeers become long-lasting friends through concerts and social events. There is no better way to enjoy a performance than by knowing the people on stage.

Thanks to generous sponsorship, every event during the Academy's Summer Festival welcomes young people ages 7-17 free with ticketed adults and has a portion of the tickets available at $10, first-come, first-served. The 7-17s Free are available along with subscriptions or individual tickets.

The following is a listing of all Music Academy events June 13-August 6. Subscriptions will be on sale on Wednesday, May 18 at 10 am. Individual tickets will be on sale Thursday, June 2 at 10 am. $10 Community Access tickets will be made available for all events on Friday, June 10 at 10 am.

Monday, June 13

6 pm The Met: Live in HD, Encore Screening of Brett Dean's Hamlet, starring Music Academy alum Brenda Rae, Hahn Hall

Wednesday, June 15

7:30 pm Takács Quartet in Concert, Hahn Hall

Thursday, June 16

3:30 pm Chamber Music Masterclass, Takács Quartet, Lehmann Hall

7:30 pm Lehrer Vocal Institute Series: Opening Night introducing Academy fellows, Hahn Hall

Friday, June 17

7:30 pm Showcase Series: Solo Piano, Hahn Hall

Saturday, June 18

5 pm 75th Anniversary Signature Benefit, Isabel Leonard mezzo-soprano, Nino Sanikidze piano, Music Academy campus Miraflores

Monday, June 20

1:30 pm Clarinet Masterclass, Richie Hawley, Hahn Hall

3:30 pm Flute Masterclass, Jim Walker, Lehmann Hall

7:30 pm Showcase Series: String Quartet Seminar, Hahn Hall

Tuesday, June 21

1:30 pm Violin Masterclass, Jorja Fleezanis, Hahn Hall

3:30 pm Double Bass Masterclass, Nico Abondolo, Weinman Hall

Wednesday, June 22

1:30 pm Lehrer Vocal Institute Masterclass Series: Sasha Cooke, Hahn Hall

3:30 pm Trombone & Tuba Masterclass, Mark H. Lawrence, Weinman Hall

Thursday, June 23

1:30 pm Percussion Masterclass, Joseph Pereira, Hahn Hall

1:30 pm Trumpet Masterclass, Barbara Butler, Charlie Geyer, Weinman Hall

3:30 pm Bassoon Masterclass, Dennis Michel, Lehmann Hall

7:30 pm x2 Series: Felix Mendelssohn Octet, Takács Quartet, Lobero Theatre

Friday, June 24

1:30 pm Viola Masterclass, Cynthia Phelps, Lehmann Hall

4 pm Solo Piano Competition, Hahn Hall

Saturday, June 25

7:30 pm Community Concert: Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, Academy Festival Orchestra, Larry Rachleff conductor, Santa Barbara Bowl

Monday, June 27

1:30 pm Collaborative Masterclass, Jonathan Feldman, Hahn Hall

3:30 pm Flute Masterclass, Timothy Day, Lehmann Hall

7:30 pm Showcase Series: Faculty Artists Concert, Hahn Hall

Tuesday, June 28

1:30 pm Violin Masterclass, Frank Almond, Hahn Hall

3:30 pm Double Bass Masterclass, Nico Abondolo, Weinman Hall

7:30 pm x2 Series: Johannes Brahms Piano Trio No. 1, Lobero Theatre

Wednesday, June 29

1:30 pm Lehrer Vocal Institute Masterclass Series: Bill Schumann, Hahn Hall

3:30 pm Horn Masterclass, Julie Landsman, Weinman Hall

7:30 pm Chamber Night, Academy fellows, Lehmann Hall

Thursday, June 30

1:30 pm Clarinet Masterclass, Richie Hawley, Hahn Hall

1:30 pm Trumpet Masterclass, Barbara Butler, Charlie Geyer, Weinman Hall

3:30 pm Cello Masterclass, Alan Stepansky, Lehmann Hall

7:30 pm Special Event: Jeremy Denk piano, Academy fellows, Hahn Hall

Friday, July 1

1:30 pm Solo Piano Masterclass Series: Jeremy Denk, Hahn Hall

3:30 pm Oboe Masterclass, Eugene Izotov, Lehmann Hall

7:30 pm Showcase Series: The Music of Tom Cipullo, Academy fellows, Hahn Hall

Saturday, July 2

7:30 pm Academy Festival Orchestra Series: Mahler's "Titan," Hannu Lintu conductor, Granada Theatre

Monday, July 4

3:30 pm Showcase Series: Chamber Music, Collaborative Piano fellows, Hahn Hall

Tuesday, July 5

1:30 pm Violin Masterclass, Rainer Honeck, Hahn Hall

3:30 pm Harp Masterclass, JoAnn Turovsky, Lehmann Hall

7:30 pm x2 Series: Antonio Vivaldi's Concerto in G Minor, Lobero Theatre

Wednesday, July 6

1:30 pm Lehrer Vocal Institute Masterclass Series: John Churchwell, Hahn Hall

3:30 pm Horn Masterclass, Julie Landsman, Weinman Hall

7:30 pm Chamber Night, Academy fellows, Lehmann Hall

Thursday, July 7

1:30 pm Percussion Masterclass, Mosher guest artists Sō Percussion, Hahn Hall

3:30 pm Bassoon Masterclass, Dennis Michel, Lehmann Hall

7:30 pm Showcase Series: Faculty Artists Concert, Hahn Hall

Friday, July 8

1:30 pm Solo Piano Masterclass Series: Jeremy Denk, Hahn Hall

3:30 pm Viola Masterclass, Richard O'Neill, Lehmann Hall

7:30 pm Picnic Concert Series: Academy fellows, Hahn Hall

Saturday, July 9

7:30 pm Mosher Guest Artists Concert Series: Sō Percussion & Academy fellows,

Hahn Hall

Monday, July 11

1:30 pm Collaborative Piano Masterclass, Jonathan Feldman, Hahn Hall

3:30 pm Trombone & Tuba Masterclass, Mark H. Lawrence, Weinman Hall

7:30 pm Academy Festival Orchestra, Prokofiev's "Classical" Symphony, Teddy Abrams conductor, Hahn Hall

Tuesday, July 12

1:30 pm Cello Masterclass, David Geber, Lehmann Hall

3:30 pm Double Bass Masterclass, Nico Abondolo, Weinman Hall

7:30 pm x2 Series: Antonín Dvořák Quintet "The American," Lobero Theatre

Wednesday, July 13

1:30 pm Violin Masterclass, Mosher guest artist Augustin Hadelich, Hahn Hall

3:30 pm Horn Masterclass, Julie Landsman, Weinman Hall

Thursday, July 14

1:30 pm Percussion Masterclass, Michael Werner, Hahn Hall

3:30 pm Bassoon Masterclass, Benjamin Kamins, Lehmann Hall

7:30 pm Picnic Concert Series: Academy fellows, Hahn Hall

Friday, July 15

3:30 pm Oboe Masterclass, Eugene Izotov, Lehmann Hall

7:30 pm Lehrer Vocal Institute Series: Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, Granada Theatre

Saturday, July 16

7:30 pm Chamber Night, Academy fellows, Lehmann Hall

Sunday, July 17

2:30 pm Lehrer Vocal Institute Series: Pyotr Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin, Granada Theatre

Monday, July 18

1:30 pm Collaborative Piano Masterclass, Jonathan Feldman, Hahn Hall

3:30 pm Flute Masterclass, Timothy Day, Lehmann Hall

Tuesday, July 19

1:30 pm Violin Masterclass, Sibbi Bernhardsson, Hahn Hall

3:30 pm Viola Masterclass, Karen Dreyfus, Lehmann Hall

7:30 pm x2 Series: Bohuslav Martinů La revue de cuisine, Lobero Theatre

Wednesday, July 20

1:30 pm Lehrer Vocal Institute Masterclass: Margo Garrett, Hahn Hall

3:30 pm Solo Piano Masterclass Series: Nico Muhly, Hahn Hall

3:30 pm Trombone & Tuba Masterclass, Nitzan Haroz, Weinman Hall

Thursday, July 21

1:30 pm Clarinet Masterclass, Richie Hawley, Hahn Hall

1:30 pm Trumpet Masterclass, Paul Merkelo, Weinman Hall

3:30 pm Cello Masterclass, Alan Stepansky, Lehmann Hall

7:30 pm Chamber Night, Academy fellows, Lehmann Hall

Friday, July 22

1:30 pm Solo Piano Masterclass Series: Conor Hanick, Hahn Hall

3:30 pm Fast Pitch Competition, Academy fellows, Lehmann Hall

7:30 pm Picnic Concert Series, Academy fellows, Hahn Hall

Saturday, July 23

7:30 pm Special Event: Sing! & YPC National Concert

Monday, July 25

1:30 pm Collaborative Piano Masterclass, Jonathan Feldman, Hahn Hall

3:30 pm Flute Masterclass, Timothy Day, Lehmann Hall

7:30 pm Mosher Guest Artists Concert Series: Susanna Phillips mezzo-soprano with John Churchwell piano, Hahn Hall

Tuesday, July 26

1:30 pm Violin Masterclass, Martin Beaver, Lehmann Hall

3:30 pm Double Bass Masterclass, Nico Abondolo, Weinman Hall

7:30 pm x2 Series: Anton Arensky String Quartet No. 2, Lobero Theatre

Wednesday, July 27

1:30 pm Viola Masterclass, Karen Dreyfus, Lehmann Hall

3:30 pm Horn Masterclass, Julie Landsman, Weinman Hall

7:30 pm Chamber Night, Academy fellows, Lehmann Hall

Thursday, July 28

1:30 pm Trombone & Tuba Masterclass, Weston Sprott, Weinman Hall

3:30 pm Cello Masterclass, David Geber, Lehmann Hall

7:30 pm Lehrer Vocal Institute Series: Hahn Hall 1922-2022: An Original Cabaret,

James Darrah director, Craig Terry music director

Friday, July 29

1:30 pm Lehrer Vocal Institute Masterclass Series: Susanna Phillips, Hahn Hall

3:30 pm Oboe Masterclass, Eugene Izotov, Lehmann Hall

7:30 pm Picnic Concert Series: Academy fellows, Hahn Hall

Saturday, July 30

7:30 pm Academy Festival Orchestra Series: Daphnis and Chloe,

Stephane Denève conductor

Monday, August 1

1:30 pm Clarinet Masterclass, Richie Hawley, Hahn Hall

3:30 pm Chamber Music Masterclass, Mosher guest artist Jessie Montgomery, Lehmann Hall

7:30 pm Duo Competition, Academy fellows, Hahn Hall

Tuesday, August 2

1:30 pm Violin Masterclass, Glenn Dicterow, Hahn Hall

3:30 pm Harp Masterclass, JoAnn Turovsky, Lehmann Hall

7:30 pm x2 Series: Franz Schubert Quintet in C Major, Lobero Theatre

Wednesday, August 3

Noon Lehrer Vocal Institute Series: Marilyn Horne Song Competition, Hahn Hall

1:30 pm Violin Masterclass, Phil Setzer, Lehmann Hall

Thursday, August 4

1:30 pm Percussion Masterclass, Michael Werner, Hahn Hall

1:30 pm Trumpet Masterclass, Paul Merkelo, Weinman Hall

3:30 pm Bassoon Masterclass, Benjamin Kamins, Lehmann Hall

7:30 pm Mosher Guest Artists Concert Series: Jessie Montgomery violin and composer,

Academy fellows, Hahn Hall

Friday, August 5

1:30 pm Solo Piano Masterclass Series: Conor Hanick, Hahn Hall

1:30 pm Lehrer Vocal Institute Masterclass, Martin Katz, 75th Anniversary Legacy Masterclass, Lehmann Hall

3:30 pm Oboe Masterclass, Eugene Izotov, Lehmann Hall

7:30 pm Picnic Concert Series, Academy fellows, Hahn Hall

Saturday, August 6

7:30 pm Academy Festival Orchestra Concert Series:

Ottorino Respighi's The Pines of Rome, Speranza Scappucci conductor,

Granada Theatre

About Music Academy of the West

Music Academy of the West is a performance-based training center and incubator that empowers musicians to impact society positively. The Academy welcomes everyone from across all generations, cultures and backgrounds to experience the transformative power of music. Based in Santa Barbara, California, the Academy presents the preeminent full-scholarship Summer School and Festival for classically trained fellows ages 18 to 34. The fellows study and perform with more than 50 exceptional faculty and teaching artists, while forging close connections with the local community. The Academy's commitment to long-term collaborations and exchanges with leading orchestras and opera companies results in unparalleled mentorship and career-advancing prospects. The Innovation Institute spearheads entrepreneurial training and ventures through seminars, residencies and the Alumni Enterprise Awards, substantial grants given annually for a wide range of creative projects. Launched in 2018, Sing! - a free, after-school choral program for local elementary students - inspires personal growth and expression. For more information, visit musicacademy.org.

The lead sponsors of the London Symphony Orchestra partnership are Linda & Michael Keston and Mary Lynn & Warren Staley. Additional support has been provided in remembrance of Léni Fé Bland.

The Mosher guest artist concerts are generously supported by the Samuel B. and Margaret C. Mosher Foundation

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