The summer lineup for the 2026 season is star-studded with Wynton Marsalis, Renée Fleming, and Jean-Yves Thibaudet all taking the stage
In Partnership with FESTIVAL NAPA VALLEY
Words by CATHERINE BIGELOW
From July 4 to 19, Festival Napa Valley trumpets its 20th anniversary with an ongoing feast for the senses during the 16-day performing arts and culinary celebration. Featuring more than 200 international musicians — in concert with top toques and storied vintners — these “best days of summer” are held amid exclusive venues, five-star resorts, and exquisite vineyard estates dotting this verdant valley.
Star turns include performances by soprano Renée Fleming and the genre-busting ensemble Time for Three.
Star turns include performances by soprano Renée Fleming, the genre-busting ensemble Time for Three, violin virtuoso Ray Chen, Légion d’honneur recipient and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, and Grammy-winning trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, who headlines the Arts for All Gala (July 12) at a fundraising dinner (by celebrated vintner-chef Dustin Valette) to benefit FNV’s arts education and music scholarships.
Among the festival’s marquee events: the Taste of Napa food-and-wine festival (July 11); free concerts for the Bouchaine Young Artists Series (July 12 and 18); a screening of The Wizard of Oz, accompanied by Festival Orchestra Napa (July 16); music by composer Gordon Getty and The Rolling Stones sets the stage for A Night at The Ballet (July 17). On closing night, the festival presents a world premiere of The Judgement of Paris (July 18), a new one-act opera commissioned by the festival. Created by Grammy-winning composer Jake Heggie, the work commemorates the 50th anniversary of this landmark 1976 blind-tasting triumph of Napa wines over top-tier French vintages. festivalnapavalley.org.
May 13, 2026.
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