The Summer Festival
Each August Staunton Music Festival over 70 acclaimed professionals from around the world to perform in 30 events. Multiple concerts daily make for an exhilarating immersion in chamber, vocal, and symphonic music. The days are given over to one-hour, free admission programs, while the evenings come alive with longer, ticketed concerts preceded by special dinners and lectures. (NOTE: due to COVID-19 restrictions, the August 2021 will involve fewer performers and events. Events subject to change.)
Tickets can be purchased for individual events or as part of the Summer Pass. For details about seating sections and passes, visit Ticket Info.
August 13 at 12:00 pm
Trinity Episcopal Church
Serenades at Noon
SPONSORED BY HUGH & CONNIE WESTFALL
The 2021 Festival opens with a free noon concert featuring English madrigals, an oboe sonata by Mozart, and chamber works by bandoneon composer and virtuoso J. P. Jofre.
Free admission to all.
Tickets are required in 2021.
Donations are welcome.
Ready to go?
August 13 at 7:30 pm
Trinity Episcopal Church
Musica Transatlantica
SPONSORED BY DAVIDSON PERRY-MILLER
The first evening program celebrates music by composers who, at one time in their careers, crossed the Atlantic, from Strauss waltzes to Piazzolla's tangos.
Event can be purchased individually or as part of the Summer Pass
Ready to go?
August 14 at 12:00 pm
First Presbyterian Church
Musica Transalpina
The hills are alive with ... well, you know the rest. J. S. Bach, Rore and Pergolesi carry us between central Germany and Italy's northern foothills.
Free admission to all.
Tickets are required in 2021.
Donations are welcome.
Ready to go?
August 14 at 7:30 pm
Trinity Episcopal Church
Time Lost and Found
SPONSORED BY DIDAWICK & COMPANY and JAMES & TAMARA RIDENOUR
Time features mightily in music, but it's far more than just a question of keeping the beat. Explore deeper philosophical issues with works from Beethoven to Burtner.
Event can be purchased individually or as part of the Summer Pass
Ready to go?
August 15 at 11:00 am
Blackfriars Playhouse
Summer Sounds
SPONSORED BY TOM ARBAUGH & LARRY HARRELL
Relax Sunday morning in the stunning Blackfriars Playhouse for a mixed chamber program featuring Philidor, Dvořák, and the music of J. P. Jofre.
Event can be purchased individually or as part of the Summer Pass
Ready to go?
August 15 at 3:00 pm
Trinity Episcopal Church
Masters and Students
SPONSORED BY ELIZABETH HARTMAN
Musical composition is steeped in the apprentice tradition, and this program celebrates master-student relationships from the past. Works by Buxtehude, Boulanger, Piazzolla, and others.
Event can be purchased individually or as part of the Summer Pass
Ready to go?
August 18 at 7:30 pm
Trinity Episcopal Church
Love and Repercussions
SPONSORED BY PATRICIA ANN ABRAHAM
The Festival's percussionists take center stage in this program as both performers and composers. Works by Cangelosi and Guinivan alongside Handel, Brahms, Gesualdo, and others.
Event can be purchased individually or as part of the Summer Pass
Ready to go?
August 19 at 12:00 pm
First Presbyterian Church
Song Fest
SPONSORED BY JUDITH WIEGAND and RICHARD & MARY BARNES
This one-hour concert features six works of vocal music from the Renaissance to 20th century. Music by Mahler and Marenzio, Tallis, Fauré and others.
Free admission to all.
Tickets are required in 2021.
Donations are welcome.
Ready to go?
August 19 at 7:30 pm
Trinity Episcopal Church
(Non)Sense and Sensibility
SPONSORED BY LIZA DELZELL and ANNE & JOHN SILLS
Classical music is hardly serious all the time. Indeed, the combination of heartfelt and humorous emotions is vital to music's expressive power. Works by Haydn, Ravel and others.
Event can be purchased individually or as part of the Summer Pass
Ready to go?
August 20 at 12:00 pm
First Presbyterian Church
Sonata Quasi Una Fantasia
SPONSORED BY BROOKS CUSHMAN and ANN & DENMAN ZIRKLE
The sonata is one of the most important forms of the Classical and Romantic eras, but composers often seek to transcend its conventions by injecting moments of imagination.
Free admission to all.
Tickets are required in 2021.
Donations are welcome.
Ready to go?
August 20 at 7:30 pm
Trinity Episcopal Church
Baroque Inside-Out
SPONSORED BY CHRISTINE & MICHAEL BURCH,
RICK CHITTUM, and BILL & LISA MOORE
A perennial audience favorite returns with orchestral works by Bach, as well as vocal and instrumental music by Handel, Caccini, Lambert and others.
Event can be purchased individually or as part of the Summer Pass
Ready to go?
August 21 at 12:00 pm
First Presbyterian Church
Seeing Double
The Seeing Double program argues that "two can be even better than one." Works for doubled ensembles and soloists by D'Indy, Palestrina, Castello, and others.
Free admission to all.
Tickets are required in 2021.
Donations are welcome.
Ready to go?
August 21 at 7:30 pm
Trinity Episcopal Church
Gateway to Heaven
SPONSORED BY TERRY E. GRANT
Mahler's nine symphonies are among the largest orchestral works. Yet, they become sublime studies in texture and nuance when arranged for more intimate chamber ensembles.
Event can be purchased individually or as part of the Summer Pass
Ready to go?
August 22 at 11:00 am
Blackfriars Playhouse
Beethoven at the Blackfriars
SPONSORED BY THE FRANCES WHITESEL SMITH CHARITABLE TRUST
Composers like Beethoven rarely need any help to round out a concert program. This event at Blackfriars Playhouse features the acclaimed Septet for period winds and strings.
Event can be purchased individually or as part of the Summer Pass
Ready to go?
August 22 at 3:00 pm
Trinity Episcopal Church
Acis and Galatea
SPONSORED BY MR. & MRS. CHRISTOPHER M. LITTLE
The 2021 Festival closes with Handel's scintillating Acis and Galatea, featuring vocal soloists, chorus, and orchestra on period instruments. Presented as a concert performance.
Event can be purchased individually or as part of the Summer Pass
Ready to go?