The Frost School of Music at the University of Miami marks the second year of its partnership with Festival Napa Valley this summer with Frost faculty and students playing a lead role in the Festival’s academy, symphonic and chamber music programs.
Artistic Administrator Jennifer Grim, associate professor of flute, leads a team of esteemed faculty members including: Bettina Mussumeli, lecturer (violin); Jodi Levitz, professor of viola; Brian Powell, associate professor of Double bass; Gabriel Beavers, associate professor of bassoon; Craig Morris, associate professor of trumpet; Tim Conner, associate professor of practice (trombone); Aaron Tindall, associate professor of tuba and euphonium, Svet Stoyanov, associate professor of percussion, and Joseph Petrasek, lecturer (percussion).
They will be joined by faculty and guest artists from such prestigious ensembles as: the Takacs Quartet, Philadelphia Orchestra, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Zurich Opera, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and the San Francisco Symphony. Faculty will work and perform with students on standard and contemporary chamber and orchestral repertoire.
“The Frost School at Festival Napa Valley offers a truly unique experience for students in a beautiful setting,” Grim says. “What sets this festival apart is the dual focus on chamber and orchestral repertoire, where students not only learn from, but perform with world renowned faculty, Where else can you perform quartets with a member of the Takacs Quartet and play in a section with the Concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra, all in the span of 2 ½ weeks!”
“Our second year of partnership with Festival Napa Valley is another prime example of the extraordinary learning experiences and peak performance opportunities the Frost School of Music provides to aspiring professionals,” says Shelly Berg, pianist and dean of the Frost School who will also be performing with Frost All-Stars at the festival’s Taste of Napa Valley event on June 16.
The chamber festival pre-portion of the festival opened with a faculty performance on July 9, featuring the works of Harumi Rhodes, Jessie Montgomery, Camille Saint-Seans, and Johannes Brahms.
In addition to performing in a variety of idyllic settings in the Napa Valley region of Northern California, students will have the opportunity to learn the essential elements of performance, stage presence, communication, and the art of listening.
The festival will kick into high gear in the second week with spectacular performances by Festival Orchestra Napa, featuring academy students and faculty, and world renowned soloists. On July 22, Gemma New will lead a production of Elixir d’amour by Gaetano Donizetti. July 23 features a program titled “Voice and the Violin” featuring Joshua Bell and Larissa Martinez. The festival closes with Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade on July 24.
