The international Festival del Sole, started in 2003 in Tuscany, Italy, and now held in the Napa Valley, will take place this year from August 1–4 at The Green Music Center at Sonoma State University. The festival has become a beacon for some of the world’s most legendary performers, such as Sophia Loren and, this year, Robert Redford, as well as classical music stars and a chance to enjoy gourmet food and fine wines.
The 2024 Festival del Sole will include wine and culinary events presented by Domus Artium Reserve, including a Gala dinner and auction on Sunday, August 4, hosted by Buena Vista Winery and French vintner Jean Charles Boisset. It will benefit The Way of the Rain, the nonprofit founded by multimedia environmental artist Sibylle Szaggars Redford, who is the wife of Robert Redford. The couple are well-known for their support of the LGBTQ community, environmental and social justice causes, and more.
The Way of the Rain is one such effort and is dedicated to the mission of developing, producing, and performing educational and artistic performances to promote public awareness and support for the protection of Earth. The gala dinner will feature Buena Vista’s wines as well as a Bordeaux wine crafted by enologist Michel Rolland especially for The Way of the Rain. Renowned wine publication Vinous has curated a series of lunches and tastings at top wineries, including Freeman Vineyard & Winery and Three Sticks Wines.
The three-day festival will begin on Thursday, August 1, and will feature three premiere international musicians: Olga Kern, Nina Kotova, and Viktoria Mullova. They will perform a program of solo and chamber music. One of today’s most sought-after and versatile musicians, solo violinist and violist, conductor, and chamber musician Pinchas Zukerman, will perform on August 2 with cellist Amanda Forsyth, and pianist Michael Brown.
Acclaimed tenor Joseph Calleja will take the stage on Saturday, August 3. With a nostalgic voice that routinely inspires comparisons to “legendary singers from earlier eras,” Maltese-born Calleja has made appearances on the world’s leading opera, concert, and television stages that have marked him as one of today’s most sought-after artists.
Concluding Festival del Sole on Sunday, August 4, will be a screening of the film The Way of the Rain: Hope for Earth as part of a Symphony for Our Planet, which will showcase the October 2023 live presentation of Sibylle Szaggars Redford’s multidisciplinary staged music, art, and film performance at the Dallas Texas Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Hall, with a spoken word narration by Robert Redford and music composed by Tim Janis.
The Way of the Rain: Hope for Earth is an artistic portrayal of the formation of the universe, the evolution of the galaxies, and the eventual birth of planet Earth with all its elements. Scheduled to attend the screening and the gala dinner are Founder, President, and Artistic Director of The Way of the Rain Sibylle Szaggars Redford and Robert Redford.
Barrett Wissman, who is the Chairman of IMG Artists, which is a global leader in performing arts talent management, said, “We are delighted to return to the wine country this summer to share the artistic level, tradition, and excitement the Festival del Sole became known for.”
Antonio Galloni, the Founder and CEO of Vinous, added, “I am delighted that my team has collaborated with Barrett and the Festival del Sole to develop enriching experiences for those who share our deep passion for wine and music. Each winery lunch will feature wonderful wines, exceptional hospitality, and a surprise musical performance.”
Partners include Domus Artium Reserve, which will donate wines and culinary experiences to the Festival Del Sole as well as curate wine and culinary programming. Hospitality partner Montage Healdsburg is located on 258 acres in the heart of California’s world-renowned Sonoma wine country. Built within the constraints of the natural landscape, the transformative hideaway offers 130 bungalow-style guest rooms and suites and 40 privately owned Montage Residences settled among oak trees and vine-covered hills with a contemporary aesthetic. Montage Healdsburg has generously donated rooms for major artists, participants, and partners at the Festival Del Sole.
To purchase tickets to Festival del Sole call 707-664-4246 or visit
https://gmc.sonoma.edu/
Tickets for performances range from $45–$75.
For more information on attending the Gala at Buena Vista and the wine tastings and lunches, visit the Festival Del Sole website, www.festivaldelsolearts.com
Arts & Entertainment
Published on July 25, 2024
Recent Comments