In 2017, Cabrillo Festival’s principal bass Ted Botsford brought a very special solo bass piece to our Donors Concert. François Rabbath’s Rhapsody, originally penned in the 1960s, was revised in the 2000s while Ted was in Paris studying with and assisting Rabbath as he refined his catalogue. When a resulting …read more »
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Support the Businesses that Support the Festival!
As we shelter in place during this COVID-19 pandemic, our lives—and our economy—have been turned upside down. The wonderful businesses listed on this page have supported Cabrillo Festival through advertising, in-kind or financial contributions, some over many decades. Now we hope we can help support them in a time of great …read more »
Happy Messages for Cabrillo Festival
Roomful of Teeth in Concert
“Experimentation may be this group’s calling card, but its essence is pure joy.” —Boston Globe In 2019, Roomful of Teeth made their Cabrillo Festival debut for a full weekend of appearances, first as featured guest artists—along with mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton with the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra led by Cristian Macelaru—in the …read more »
Kathleen Balfe: Swing Free
Cabrillo Festival cellist Kathleen Balfe, a California native now living in Spain, shares with us this poignant work in memory of her brother David, who passed away on March 26. She says: “I composed, recorded, and produced ‘Swing Free’ at home in memory of my brother who passed away …read more »
Robert Simonds Violin Recital
In 2015, for the Cabrillo Festival’s inaugural Donors Concert, Festival violinist Robert Simonds conceived and performed a solo violin recital for a core group of the Festival’s most ardent supporters, held at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium. This performance will be released in two segments. PART I Program: Duration: 28 mins. …read more »
Cabrillo Festival Musician-Composers
Commissioned by Cabrillo Festival, two longtime Festival Orchestra members—also accomplished composers—wrote pieces to premiere at our 2019 Community Night concert. Emily Wong performed her Light Whisperings for solo piano, and Alexander Miller performed his Nature Trail for solo oboe. Total duration: 10 mins. Photos by RR …read more »
COVID-19 Festival Impact Updates
Cabrillo Festival has cancelled its originally-planned 2020 season, as a proactive measure in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. We are planning new ideas for the summer, and will post important communications here until then. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us directly. Thank you for …read more »
Cabrillo Festival Cancels 2020 Season
Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music Announces Unprecedented Cancellation of 2020 Season SANTA CRUZ, CA—March 28, 2020—The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, America’s longest running festival of new orchestral music, regrets to announce the cancellation of its 2020 Season, scheduled for July 26-August 9, 2020. For the past 58 years, the …read more »
2020 Conductors Workshop Update
Due to the cancellation of the 2020 Cabrillo Festival season [read announcement here], we will offer three options to those who have applied to the 2020 Conductors Workshop. Option 1: In a private 30-minute online session, Maestro Cristi Macelaru will review your video and application materials and give you feedback. …read more »
Archival Audio: Festival Influencers
Below you will find a collection of historic interviews, panel talks, and in-depth musical analysis that demonstrate the sweep of the Festival’s influence under artistic leaders Carlos Chavez, Dennis Russell Davies, Marin Alsop, and Cristian Macelaru; and composers Lou Harrison, Aaron Copland, John Adams and others. Composer Lou Harrison provides …read more »
Meet the Composers videos
Composers 20/20
As part of our 2020 virtual season, we released a series of ten interviews with composers both familiar and new to the Festival. Included in this playlist are interviews with composers Dan Caputo, John Harbison, Pierre Jalbert, Paola Prestini, Kevin Puts, Andrea Reinkemeyer, Iván Enrique Rodríguez, Sean Shepherd, Gregory Smith, and Sarah Kirkland Snider. …read more »
Season Announcement 2020
PR Contact: Mona Baroudi | 415.615.2735 | mona@monabaroudipr.com (access press photos here) Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music Announces its 58th Season Season highlights include three world premiere commissions; the orchestral premiere of Jake Heggie’s Intonations: Songs from the Violins of Hope with a reprise by mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke; two works …read more »
Violins of Hope SF Bay Area begins
Cabrillo Festival is honored to introduce you to the Violins of Hope San Francisco Bay Area, and to be a collaborator in this profound series of events. For more than two decades, Israeli violin-makers Amnon and Avshalom Weinstein have recovered and meticulously restored an extensive collection of string instruments played …read more »
Violins of Hope Events
Music at Kohl Mansion Presents VIOLINS OF HOPE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA Public Performances, Exhibitions, Forums, Films and Events January 16 – March 15, 2020 PRE-VIOLINS OF HOPE RESIDENCY EVENTS Wednesday, December 4, 2019—February 24, 2020 EXHIBITION: The Weinsteins’ Workshop: The Luthiers Who Restored the Violins of the Holocaust; photography …read more »
2019 Press Quotes
2019 PRESS QUOTES “‘When There Are Nine,’ a 45-minute orchestral song cycle with chorus, presents a surge of principled outrage — by turns lyrical and ferocious, resolute and tender — against the inequities of the American legal and political system. It’s part biography, part anthem and entirely compelling. … Mezzo-soprano …read more »
2019 Slideshow
Enjoy this slideshow of our 2019 season! Photos are by RR Jones unless otherwise …read more »
