Schedule Of Events

July 28, 2025

6:30 PM : Opening Night with Gabriela Martinez

Festival Chamber Orchestra

Alasdair Neale, Conductor

Gabriela Martinez, Piano

5:45 PM : Pre-Concert Chat at Lawn Paver Bar

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor, K. 466
Symphony No. 35 in D Major, K. 385, “Haffner”

The Festival’s 41st season opens with an evening of Mozart. Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Martinez, described by The New York Times as “compelling…versatile, daring, and insightful,” performs Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20. It’s probably his most famous concerto, as it’s a delight end to end, and it accompanies the final scene and end credits of the 1984 film Amadeus. The program continues with Mozart’s equally popular “Haffner” Symphony. Full of exuberant life, it moves from a fiery and forceful opening, through an easygoing and peaceful middle, to a final movement that Mozart wrote should go “as fast as possible.” Alasdair Neale and the Festival Orchestra accept the challenge!

July 29, 2025

6:30 PM : Haydn and Stamitz

Festival Chamber Orchestra

Alasdair Neale, Conductor

Adam Smyla, Viola

Stephanie Childress, Conductor

5:45 PM : Pre-Concert Chat at Lawn Paver Bar

Carl Stamitz
Viola Concerto in D Major, Op. 1

Joseph Haydyn
Symphony No. 80 in D Minor

Stephanie Childress leads the orchestra in Haydn’s Symphony No. 80. It’s not as famous as many of his other symphonies, but not for any good reason—it’s a lovely work that is stormy at times, light-hearted and even funny at others. Not “LOL” funny, but classical music funny—defying expectations with little twists of melody and form. Carl Stamitz probably wrote his viola concerto for himself, as he was a virtuoso violist. Festival Principal Viola Adam Smyla will tackle this bright, lively, and altogether enjoyable showcase for his instrument to open the concert.

July 31, 2025

6:30 PM : Gabriela Martinez and Festival Musicians Play Brahms

Chamber Concert

Gabriela Martinez, Piano

Hanna Ji, Violin

Chris Tantillo, Viola

Bjorn Ranheim, Cello

5:45 PM : Pre-Concert Chat at Lawn Paver Bar

Johannes Brahms
Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 25

Pianist Gabriela Martinez joins with several Festival Orchestra musicians to perform Brahms’s Piano Quartet in G Minor. Clara Schumann played the piano part at this piece’s premiere in 1861, which was fortunate since it’s often described as “stupendously virtuosic.” The piece met with instant acclaim, lauded for both its innovative structure—which launches straight into a number of variations on the first theme—and its incredible finale, which was written “in the gypsy style,” according to Brahms’s own description. Ms. Martinez will open this concert with Caroline Shaw’s Chopin-inspired Gustave le Gray.

August 01, 2025

6:30 PM : Beethoven 4 and Anna Clyne

Festival Chamber Orchestra

Alasdair Neale, Conductor

5:45 PM : Pre-Concert Chat at Lawn Paver Bar

Anna Clyne
Within Her Arms

Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony No. 4 in B-Flat Major, Op. 60

In between two of the most famous classical works ever written (his third and fifth symphonies), Beethoven produced this gem of a composition. Light, airy, and approachable, it certainly warrants more love; Schumann called it “a slender Greek maiden between two huge Nordic giants.” Can a piece of music be mournful and elegiac, somber and grieving, while also exquisitely beautiful, even radiant, and full of life? Give a listen to Anna Clyne’s ode to her mother, Within Her Arms, and see what you think.

August 04, 2025

6:30 PM  : Time for Three Plays Mason Bates

Festival Orchestra

Alasdair Neale, Conductor

Time for Three

5:45 PM : Pre-Concert Chat at Lawn Paver Bar

Hector Berlioz
Roman Carnival Overture

Mason Bates
Silicon Hymnal (Co-commissioned by the Sun Valley Music Festival)

Sun Valley favorites Time for Three return to perform a new concerto written for them by Mason Bates. Titled Silicon Hymnal, Bates describes it as “an electro-acoustic book of songs.” The program opens with Berlioz’s Roman Carnival Overture, an exuberant piece full of dance themes inspired by the composer’s time in Italy and the best themes from his first opera.

August 06, 2025

6:30 PM : Gala Concert: Simply Extraordinary…Yuja Wang

The Sun Valley Music Festival announces that renowned pianist Yuja Wang will be the featured guest artist of its 2025 Gala Concert. Yuja Wang’s appearance at the Festival’s only fundraising concert will provide an unforgettable evening of music. One of today’s most acclaimed pianists, she will perform Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with Music Director Alasdair Neale and the world-class Sun Valley Music Festival Orchestra.

August 07, 2025

6:30 PM : Schumann, Beethoven, and Marquez

Festival Orchestra

Alasdair Neale, Conductor

Polina Sedukh, Violin

Stephanie Childress, Conductor

5:45 PM : Pre-Concert Chat at Lawn Paver Bar

Arturo Márquez
Danzon No. 2

Ludwig van Beethoven
Romance No. 2 in F Major, Op. 50

Robert Schumann
Symphony No. 4 in D Minor, Op. 120

Stephanie Childress leads Schumann’s powerful and dramatic Symphony No. 4, a great example of Romantic (and romantic) music. It’s full of emotion, ranging from darkly brooding and mysterious to tender and melancholic. Schumann’s form is intricate and innovative, with the four movements fused together and various themes reappearing throughout. Also in a romantic vein, Principal Second Violin Polina Sedukh performs Beethoven’s Romance No. 2 with the Festival Orchestra, her violin singing the lovely melody. The concert opens with Arturo Márquez’s Danzon No. 2, a rhythmic and hypnotic dance tune made famous by its appearance in Mozart in the Jungle.

August 10, 2025

6:30 PM : An Evening of Ravel followed by Lawn Party

Festival Orchestra

Alasdair Neale, Conductor

Stephanie Childress, Conductor

5:45 PM : Pre-Concert Chat at Lawn Paver Bar

Maurice Ravel
Excerpts from Miroirs

Valses Nobles et sentimentales
Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No. 2

Here’s an all-Ravel program in honor of the great composer’s 150th birthday. The concert opens with two of Ravel’s Miroirs, pieces he dedicated to avant-garde artists who were also his friends. Next up: a set of seven waltzes and an epilogue under the title Valses nobles et sentimentales. Ravel acknowledged Schubert as his inspiration, but there’s no mistaking Ravel’s distinctive sound and elegant orchestration.  The evening concludes with Stephanie Childress conducting Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2. Stravinsky called it “not only Ravel’s best work, but also one of the most beautiful products of all French music.” Sit back, relax, and let the arrival of dawn wash over you.

August 12, 2025

6:30 PM : Gautier Capuçon Plays Elgar

Festival Orchestra

Alasdair Neale, Conductor

Gautier Capuçon, Cello

5:45 PM : Pre-Concert Chat at Lawn Paver Bar

Gabriella Smith
Tumblebird Contrails

Edward Elgar
Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85

What do the movie Tár and the Netflix show Wednesday have in common? Key characters playing Elgar’s cello concerto! Hailed as Elgar’s final masterpiece, it’s a gorgeous but not particularly happy work (would Wednesday Addams play anything remotely happy?) influenced by the devastating impact of World War I on the composer’s psyche. Gautier Capuçon returns to Sun Valley to deliver this hauntingly beautiful music. Stephanie Childress opens the concert with Tumblebird Contrails, a piece the composer Gabriella Smith says was “inspired by a single moment sitting in the sand at the edge of the ocean, listening to the hallucinatory sounds of the Pacific, watching a pair of ravens playing in the wind.”

August 13, 2025

6:30 PM : Brahms Symphony No. 4

Festival Orchestra

Alasdair Neale, Conductor

5:45 PM : Pre-Concert Chat at Lawn Paver Bar

Johannes Brahms
Symphony No. 4 in E Minor

Fans of Beethoven may bristle at the suggestion, but there’s a sizable contingent that views Brahms’s Fourth Symphony as the very embodiment of the symphonic ideal. Precisely constructed, it displays Brahms’s absolutely mastery of the form. Filled with beautiful tunes and waves of romantic emotion, it also remains steadfastly earnest, even austere. Brahms recognized this quality, writing from his mountain retreat near Vienna that his symphony “tastes of the climate here. The cherries don’t ripen in these parts; you wouldn’t eat them!” Pay particular attention to the finale, a masterful homage to one of Bach’s chaconnes a stately dance with 32 variations over a repeating bass line. It’s brilliant.

August 14, 2025

6:30 PM : Gautier Capucon and Festival Musicians Play Schubert

Chamber Concert

Juliana Athayde, Violin

Kristin Ahlstrom, Violin

Marylène Gingras-Roy, Viola

Gautier Capuçon, Cello

Amos Yang, Cello

5:45 PM : Pre-Concert Chat at Lawn Paver Bar

Franz Schubert
String Quintet in C Major, Op. posth. 163

Written in the last year of his life, Schubert’s String Quintet is often considered his greatest (and was his last) chamber work. He chose to add a cello, rather than a viola, to the traditional string quartet, and the result is a wonderful exploration of the instrument’s capabilities. At times the second cello reinforces the bass line, at other times it soars into its highest range, and at one point the two cellos play a lovely duet. The great cellist Gautier Capuçon joins with several Festival Orchestra musicians to bring this magnificent piece to life.

August 16, 2025

6:30 PM : Festival Orchestra Pops Night: Latin-Inspired Dance Music with Jacomo Bairos

Festival Orchestra

Alasdair Neale, Conductor

Jacomo Bairos, Conductor

Featuring Joachim Horsely, Piano

with Luca Alemanno (Bass), Yonathan "Morocho" Gavidia (Percussion), and Murphy Aucamp (Drums)

Conductor Jacomo Bairos returns to Sun Valley (he previously conducted The Villalobos Brothers in 2021) with a program inspired by Latin dance music. Co-Founder and Artistic Director of Miami’s Nu Deco Ensemble, Bairos is known for merging classical music with a wide range of styles, composers, and artists.  For Pops Night, Bairos has assembled a group including Joachim Horsley (piano), Luca Alemanno (Bass), Yonathan “Morocho” Gavidia (percussion), and Murphy Aucamp (drums).  Their program will feature jazzy takes on recognizable tunes as well as impossible-to-resist Latin dance songs that will have you tapping your feet or perhaps dancing in the aisles (and on the lawn!).

August 17, 2025

6:30 PM : Olga Kern Plays Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2

Festival Orchestra

Alasdair Neale, Conductor

Olga Kern, Piano

5:45 PM : Pre-Concert Chat at Lawn Paver Bar

Reena Esmail
Testament

Sergei Rachmaninoff
Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Op. 18

Home to some of the most popular and recognizable tunes in classical music, Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto was an instant success and remains one of the most-performed orchestra pieces today. It will be in good hands (apologies) with Olga Kern, who won first prize at the Rachmaninoff International Piano competition at age 17 and remains the only woman to win the Gold Medal at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in the last 50 years. The concert opens with Reena Esmail’s Testament, which features traditional Hindustani melodies and easily demonstrates why Esmail’s music is receiving so much play these days.

August 18, 2025

6:30 PM : Olga Kern and Festival Musicians Play Beethoven

Chamber Concert

Olga Kern, Piano

Dylan Naroff, Violin

Si-Yan Darren Li, Cello

5:45 PM : Pre-Concert Chat at Lawn Paver Bar

Sergei Rachmaninoff
Presto in E Minor from Six Moments Musicaux, Op. 16, No. 4

Charles Lysberg
Spinning Wheel

Moritz Moszkowski
Étincelles [Sparks] from Eight Characteristic Pieces, Op. 36, No. 6

Claude Debussy
Feux d’artifice (Fireworks] from Préludes

Alexander Scriabin
Andante in F-sharp Major from Eight Etudes, Op. 42, No. 4
Affannato [Breathless] in C-sharp Minor from Eight Etudes, Op. 42, No. 5

Sergei Prokofiev
Presto energico from Four Etudes, Op. 2, No. 4

Ludwig van Beethoven
Trio in D Major for Piano, Violin, and Cello, Op. 70, No. 1, “Ghost”

Olga Kern opens this program with a series of light, short, and speedy pieces for solo piano.  Following, she joins with Festival musicians for Beethoven’s Piano Trio in D Major, which got the nickname “Ghost” because of its ominous and spooky middle  movement.  It’s eerie, mournful, and almost painfully slow.  In contrast, the two movements that surround it are short, cheerful and light-hearted, making for an interesting spooky sandwich.  George Bernard Shaw wrote of Beethoven that “he could write music whose beauty will last you all your life; he could take the driest sticks of themes and work them up so interestingly that you will find something new in them at the hundredth hearing.”  Listen and enjoy the simple “sticks” of themes in the very beginning of both outer movements.

August 21, 2025

6:30 PM : Season Finale: An Evening of Richard Strauss

Festival Orchestra

Alasdair Neale, Conductor

5:45 PM : Pre-Concert Chat at Lawn Paver Bar

Richard Strauss
Death and Transfiguration, Op. 24
Suite from Der Rosenkavalier”

The Summer Season concludes with two pieces from Richard Strauss: his tone poem Death and Transfiguration and the suite from his opera Der Rosenkavalier. Tone poems are compositions that relate to stories in the “real world,” such as a hike in the alps in Eine Alpensinfonie. This one explores mystery of death and what lies beyond. Strauss wrote: “It occurred to me to present in the form of a tone poem the dying hours of a man who had striven towards the highest idealistic aims, maybe indeed those of an artist.” Der Rosenkavalier gives us the finest music from Strauss’s happy, funny, and sentimental opera. Listen for the famous waltz towards the end – a beautiful but also funny bit because waltzes didn’t really exist during the time of the opera’s setting in Mozart’s Vienna. Critics of the day gave Strauss a hard time for that, but we get to enjoy it.

Date : July 28-August 21, 2025

Location :

Sun Valley Pavilion, 

300 Dollar Road

Sun Valley, ID 83353

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