One would be forgiven if their first association with Napa Valley is wine—it’s everywhere—but so is music, continuing a perfect pairing that lasts through summer with a whirlwind of concert events.
Between the cultural heavy-hitters at Festival Napa Valley and the chamber music connoisseurs of Music in the Vineyards, the season hits all the right notes—sometimes literally, like the nine high Cs in Donizetti’s La Fille du régiment. Whether one’s in it for the arias, the Prokofiev or the pinot, there’s a seat—and probably a glass—ready.
Festival Napa Valley
The region’s flagship summer arts festival, Festival Napa Valley, is once again uncorking its signature blend of music, wine and culinary delights at the Culinary Institute of America at Copia and other prime venues throughout the valley. The summer season runs through Sept. 1 and includes everything from opera under the stars to symphonic finales with world-class musicians. While festival passes fetch as much as $12,000, individual tickets range from free to $35—a surprisingly accessible ticket price for the kind of programming that usually comes with black tie and binoculars.
This weekend, the action kicks off with a showcase of rising stars: the students and faculty of the Frost School at Festival Napa Valley’s Blackburn Music Academy. The immersive, tuition-free program offers emerging professional instrumentalists the rare opportunity to study with some of the world’s top artists in an environment that’s more vineyard than practice room.
The chamber concert takes place at 11am, Friday, July 18 at the Jackson Family Wines Amphitheater at CIA at Copia (500 1st St., Napa). Overlooking the Napa River, the venue offers a dramatic open-air stage perfect for midday musical musings. Admission is free, though reservations are recommended.
From there, it’s a quick corkscrew over to PlumpJack Estate Winery (620 Oakville Cross Rd., Napa), where the midday Vintner’s Luncheon pairs fine dining with fine drama. The estate, founded in the mid-’90s and named for Shakespeare’s wine-loving rogue, Falstaff, hosts a performance of arias and duets from Plump Jack, the opera by Napa’s own Gordon Getty. Soprano Alexandra Armantrading, baritone Lester Lynch and pianist Kevin Korth lead the bill, accompanied by a display of Christian Lacroix costumes from that evening’s opera performance. Think couture meets cabernet.
Later that evening, the festival shifts gears to the grand stage at Charles Krug in St. Helena (2800 Main St.) for the North American debut of the Versailles Royal Opera. The production? Donizetti’s La Fille du régiment, the perennially crowd-pleasing comic opera about Marie, a plucky orphan raised by soldiers, who falls in love with the wrong aristocrat. It’s got everything: slapstick, star-crossed lovers and one of the most acrobatic tenor arias in the repertoire.
The show-stopping aria with its nine high Cs will be matched in flair by the production’s visual aesthetic. Christian Lacroix’s costumes lend a haute-couture air to the already ebullient staging by director Jean-Romain Vesperini. It’s fashion-forward, operatically old-school and perfectly Napa.
This evening begins with a festive reception for patron passholders in the Festival’s Patron Lounge. General admission guests can enjoy Charles Krug wines, available for purchase, and take in the festival’s Culinary Garden during intermission. A dessert reception closes the night for patrons, because no aria should go unanswered without a petit four.
Finally, the festival wraps this weekend with its Symphonic Finale on Sunday, July 20, once again at the Charles Krug stage. Stéphane Denève conducts Festival Orchestra Napa in a program that nods to both Shakespeare and summer’s end.
The concert includes a suite from Mendelssohn’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, complete with the famed Wedding March, and is paired with Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet Suite, a musical rendering of love and fate (and swords). Visual art created by students and seniors from the festival’s year-round How I See Music workshops will illuminate the performance, tying community and creativity into one elegant bow.
Festival Napa Valley runs through Sept. 1 at various venues throughout Napa Valley. Tickets range from free to $35; festival passes $3,750-$12,000. For full schedule, tickets and more information, visit festivalnapavalley.org or call 707.346.5052.
Music in the Vineyards
While Festival Napa Valley might grab headlines with its gala-sized grandeur, the 31st season of Music in the Vineyards (MITV) offers an equally compelling counterpoint. Running Aug. 1-24, the chamber music festival brings world-class musicians to intimate, often iconic, winery venues across Napa Valley.
Opening night, now relocated to the CIA at Copia to accommodate more attendees, sets the tone with Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet performed by pianist Evren Ozel—fresh off his bronze win at the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition—and a cadre of acclaimed string players. The performance overlooks the Napa River and Oxbow Preserve. And for those who like to pregame their sonatas, the onsite Grove at Copia is accepting dinner reservations.
This year’s MITV theme is Transformation, with performances that cast new light on familiar compositions. Featured artists include the Borromeo, Pacifica and Ariel string quartets, as well as the Pavone String Quartet—this year’s fellowship winners from Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music.
And it’s not just high-brow programming for ticketed audiences: MITV also delivers music directly into the community through events in senior centers, Boys & Girls Clubs and other public spaces. Their “Play-Along” concert invites community musicians to bring their own instruments to Napa First Presbyterian Church and join in the ever-popular Canon in D—a musical rite of passage that turns the audience into the ensemble.
Family-friendly programming includes a recital by the Pavone Quartet at Congregation Beth Shalom, offered at special pricing. Other venues throughout the season include the likes of Domaine Carneros, Hess Persson Estates, Spottswoode Estate and Silverado Vineyards—making each concert not just a performance but a place-based experience.
Whether one finds themself sipping a well-structured cab while watching Mendelssohn at sunset or hearing Schubert’s piano ripple through a barrel room, the valley offers a symphony of experiences worth toasting.
Music in the Vineyards runs Aug. 1-24 at winery venues across Napa Valley. Tickets and full schedule available at musicinthevineyards.org.
