LEARNING & ENGAGEMENT
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Under SummerFest 2026 Events, click Learn More to access this year’s recordings
COVER: FEATURED ART: Richard Allen Morris, Untitled, 1999. Acrylic on canvas, 12 x 9 in. (30.5 x 22.9 cm). Collection Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, Museum purchase, Elizabeth W. Russell Foundation, 2004.77. © Richard Allen Morris, Pablo Mason.
For SummerFest’s 40th Anniversary, we gather around the theme Making History, with celebratory programs that invite us to listen across time. Over four weeks, 21 performances, and 50 free Learning & Engagement Activities, you’ll rediscover some of your favorite masterworks, explore forgotten worlds, and be a part of history through exciting premières and SummerFest debuts—all shaped by the bold vision of SummerFest Music Director Inon Barnatan.
This summer brings several new Learning & Engagement offerings. We begin with a SummerFest Preview on Wednesday, July 29, when Artistic Director Leah Rosenthal and Inon Barnatan share an inside look at this milestone festival. Learn how themes, repertoire, and artists come together in Inon’s programming vision, then stay to enjoy dessert and sparkling wine in the Wu Tsai QRT.yrd.
Another new addition is the Listening Lounge, hosted by longtime LJMS favorite Michael Gerdes. Each session dives deeply into a single work, exploring its musical form, expressive detail, and how interpretation has evolved over time. By comparing performances and performance practice, you’ll learn to listen more actively—much like refining a palate for fine wine.
Our Encounters are filled with opportunities to hear—and create—more great music. Musicians of all ages and abilities are invited to share the stage and rehearse alongside SummerFest Artists in our first SummerFest Community Orchestra Reading Session. Later in the festival, pianist and educator Angie Zhang takes us through the rich history of the keyboard, performing on historic instruments and illuminating the connection between great composers, their instruments, and the music we love. We also welcome back Ara Guzelimian, Artistic and Executive Director of the Ojai Music Festival, who explores how memory, influence, and imagination shape music across centuries.
This August, eight musicians join the festival as Farfy Foundation Fellowship Artists, leaving their own marks on SummerFest history. Follow their journeys through Coaching Workshops, Fellowship Artist Spotlight Encounters, and Musical Preludes. In celebration of the festival’s 40th Anniversary, all Musical Preludes will be free and open to the public!
I look forward to seeing you this summer as we continue to make history together.
Allison Boles Director of Learning & Engagement
Support for LJMS Learning & Engagement Activities is provided by:
Judith Bachner and Eric Lasley | James Beyster | Mary Ann Beyster
Gordon Brodfuehrer | Elaine and Doug Muchmore | Jeanette Stevens | Anonymous
OPEN REHEARSALS
Observe the intricate rehearsal process that goes into every SummerFest performance and engage in conversation with the artists during post-rehearsal Q&As. Registration required.
Saturday, August 8 · 2 PM–3 PM · The Baker-Baum Concert Hall
Henry Kramer, Blake Pouliot, Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, Efe Baltacigil, and Anthony Manzo rehearse Vaughan Williams’ Piano Quintet in C Minor
Wednesday, August 12 · 2 PM–3 PM · The Baker-Baum Concert Hall
Zoltán Fejérvári, Arnaud Sussmann, Tessa Lark, and Paul Wiancko rehearse Korngold’s Suite for Left Hand and Strings, Op. 23
Thursday, August 20 · 2 PM–3 PM · The Baker-Baum Concert Hall
Benjamin Beilman, Cho-Liang Lin, Paul Neubauer, Teng Li, Jonathan Swensen, and Nina Lee rehearse Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence
Saturday, August 22 · 10:30 AM–11:30 AM · The Baker-Baum Concert Hall
Inon Barnatan, James Ehnes, Stephen Waarts, Timothy Ridout, and Jonathan Swensen rehearse Elgar’s Piano Quintet in A Minor, Op. 84
JOIN US ONLINE
Open Rehearsals will be livestreamed and available to view on-demand. See page 2 for more information.
Inon Barnatan and Zoltán Fejérvári
COACHING WORKSHOPS
Follow our Farfy Foundation Fellowship Artist Ensembles, Prometheus Quartet and Kairos Piano Quartet, on their musical journeys as they prepare for their SummerFest performances with a series of master classes conducted by seasoned performers from the SummerFest roster. For more information on this year’s Fellowship Artists, see page 13.
Inon Barnatan, SummerFest Fellowship Artists
All Coaching Workshop times are 10 AM–10:50 AM and 11 AM–11:50 AM in The JAI
WEEK 1
TUESDAY AUGUST 4
WEDNESDAY
AUGUST 5
THURSDAY AUGUST 6
WEEK 2
TUESDAY
AUGUST 11
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 12
THURSDAY
AUGUST 13
WEEK 3
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 19
THURSDAY
AUGUST 20
WEEK 4
WEDNESDAY
AUGUST 26
Inon Barnatan coaches Kairos Piano Quartet on Fauré’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 15.
Blake Pouliot coaches Prometheus Quartet on Lei Liang’s Gobi Gloria with selections from Rózsa’s String Quartet No. 1, Op. 22
Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt coaches Prometheus Quartet on Debussy’s String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10.
Efe Baltacigil coaches Kairos Piano Quartet on Fauré’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 15.
Henry Kramer coaches Kairos Piano Quartet on Fauré’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 15.
Matthew Lipman coaches Prometheus Quartet on Brahms’ String Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 51 No. 1.
Arnaud Sussmann coaches Prometheus Quartet on Brahms’ String Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 51 No. 1.
Ayane Kozasa coaches Kairos Piano Quartet on Walton’s Piano Quartet in D Minor.
Zoltán Fejérvári coaches Kairos Piano Quartet on Walton’s Piano Quartet in D Minor. Coleman Itzkoff coaches Prometheus Quartet on Dvořák’s String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96, “American.”
A member of Kairos Piano Quartet coaches a local student.
Paul Wiancko coaches Kairos Piano Quartet on Krása’s Tanz for String Trio.
Cho-Liang Lin coaches Prometheus Quartet on Dvořák’s String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96, “American.”
Paul Neubauer coaches Kairos Piano Quartet on Turina’s Piano Quartet in A Minor, Op. 67.
Simone Porter coaches Prometheus Quartet on Haydn’s String Quartet in E-flat Major, Hob.III:38 “The Joke” and Webern’s Six Bagatelles for String Quartet, Op. 9.
A member of Prometheus Quartet coaches a local student.
Stephen Waarts coaches Kairos Piano Quartet on Mozart’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, K.478.
Ani Aznavoorian coaches Prometheus Quartet on selections from Schubert’s String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor, D.810, “Death and the Maiden” and Korngold’s String Quartet No. 2, Op. 26.
THURSDAY
AUGUST 27
James Ehnes coaches Kairos Piano Quartet on Mozart’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, K.478.
Prometheus Quartet and Kairos Piano Quartet reflect on their SummerFest experiences.
Dates, times, programs, and artists are subject to change.
ENCOUNTERS
Encounters are free afternoon events, featuring intriguing lectures, discussions, performances, and diverse perspectives. Framed around the festival’s theme, Making History, these events illuminate how music is created, influenced, interpreted, performed—and how it shapes culture across time. Registration required.
Tuesday, August 4 · 2 PM · The Baker-Baum Concert Hall
SummerFest Community Orchestra Reading Session
Join acclaimed violinist Andrew Wan, Concertmaster of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, for the SummerFest Community Orchestra Reading Session—an open session inviting string players of all ages and abilities to take the stage and rehearse side-by-side with SummerFest artists. Participants will read through selections from Grieg’s charming and expressive Holberg Suite, sharing the joy of ensemble playing and connecting through the simple act of making music in a relaxed, rehearsal-style environment. Space is limited and registration is required. Music will be sent in advance.
Tuesday, August 11 · 2 PM · The Baker-Baum Concert Hall
Unmuting Masterworks at the Evolving Keyboard Lecture/Recital by Angie Zhang
Returning to SummerFest, award-winning concert pianist and educator Dr. Angie Zhang offers an illuminating Encounter lecture-recital that reimagines masterworks through the lens of the keyboard’s evolution. Zhang is widely recognized as one of the leading American period instrument specialists of the 21st century. Drawing on her experience as a performer, clinician, and recording artist, audiences will have the unique opportunity to hear masterworks performed on three distinct instruments: the world’s most ornate Viennese fortepiano reproduction, an original Broadwood piano from Beethoven’s era, and the modern concert grand.
Quartet Integra
Tuesday, August 18 · 2 PM · The Baker-Baum Concert Hall
Fellowship Artist Spotlight I with Violinist Edson Scheid
Acclaimed by The Boston Globe as a “virtuoso violinist,” Brazilian-born Edson Scheid is an expert who performs on both modern and period instruments. He is a member of the Orchestra of St. Luke’s in New York and concertmaster for Opera Lafayette in Washington D.C., as well as an avid chamber musician and soloist. He joins Kairos Piano Quartet to perform Schumann’s Piano Quintet in E-flat Major, Op. 44 with Prometheus Quartet performing Brahms’ String Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 51 No. 1.
Tuesday, August 25 · 2 PM · The Baker-Baum Concert
Fellowship Artist Spotlight II with Cellist Nina Lee
Powerhouse cellist of the Brentano String Quartet and a committed chamber musician and educator, Nina Lee has collaborated with renowned artists like Mitsuko Uchida, Jonathan Biss, and Felix Galimir, and performs regularly at Marlboro and Tanglewood Music Festivals. She joins Prometheus Quartet to perform D’Ambrosio’s Suite, Op. 8 for the second Fellowship Artist Spotlight with pieces by Krása and Turina performed by members of the Kairos Piano Quartet.
Thursday, August 27 · 2 PM · The JAI
Remembrance of Things Past Lecture by Ara Guzelimian
Composers have always listened closely to the music that came before them— honoring tradition while transforming it into something new. Join Ara Guzelimian, Artistic and Executive Director of the Ojai Music Festival, for an illuminating exploration of this creative dialogue through Dowland’s In Darkness Let Me Dwell and Thomas Adès’ Darknesse Visible performed by Robin Tritschler, Alejandro Jenné, and Inon Barnatan. This engaging talk invites listeners to hear how memory, influence, and imagination shape music across centuries.
JOIN US ONLINE
Musical Encounters will be livestreamed, and all Encounters except Tuesday, August 4 will be available to view on-demand. See page 2 for more information.
LISTENING LOUNGES
Michael Gerdes hosts a guided listening series for curious concertgoers who want to expand how they hear music. Each session examines a single work, exploring how a piece is built, what to listen for as it unfolds, and how different performers bring contrasting perspectives to the same notes. By comparing interpretations and considering changes in performance practice throughout history, we’ll begin to listen to music the way one might taste fine wine: attentively, thoughtfully, and with a growing vocabulary. Registration required.
Monday, August 3 · 1 PM · The Atkinson Room
Written for the Basle Chamber Orchestra in 1939, Béla Bartók took the baroque concerto grosso as his model for the Divertimento for String Orchestra. It is one of his most approachable scores, despite being full of striking contrasts. Sunny, folk-inspired dance rhythms come together with dark, evocative moments in the inner movements to highlight Bartók’s full compositional prowess. Bartók’s Divertimento for String Orchestra will be performed on Saturday, August 8.
Monday, August 10 · 1 PM · The Atkinson Room
Commissioned in 1942, Aaron Copland wrote Appalachian Spring specifically for Martha Graham and was inspired by her American spirit, describing her as: “...unquestionably very American: there’s something prim and restrained, simple yet strong, about her which one tends to think of as American.” His Pulitzer Prize-winning score tells a simple yet timeless story with lush, glowing melodies.
Copland’s Appalachian Spring will be performed on Wednesday, August 12.
Monday, August 17 · 1 PM · The Atkinson Room
Thomas Adès’ Concerto Conciso premièred when the composer was only 26. It distills the concerto form into something concise yet electrifying and was described in The Daily Telegraph as “a pithy work, and one of formidable rhythmic complexity… The drama of Concerto Conciso is intense, its whirlwind impact galvanising.”
Thomas Adès’ Concerto Conciso will be performed on Wednesday, August 19.
Monday, August 24 · 1 PM · The Atkinson Room
Composed by Ralph Vaughan Williams for the Gloucester Festival in 1910 and premièred in the city’s cathedral, Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis divides the performers into three groups: a string quartet, a large string orchestra, and a small string orchestra of nine players that Vaughan Williams asks be set some distance away from the other players. This separation gives the work a special sound that enhances its seemingly endless beauty and transportive effect.
Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis will be performed on Friday, August 28.
Michael Gerdes
SUMMERFEST PREVIEW
Wednesday,
July 29
· 6 PM · The JAI
Artistic Director Leah Rosenthal and Music Director Inon Barnatan chat about what to expect in this milestone 40th Anniversary Festival. Learn how the festival themes, repertoire, and artists come together in Inon’s unparalleled vision. Complimentary dessert reception follows. Registration required.
PRELUDES
Ticket holders are invited to The JAI an hour prior to performances to hear musical and historical insights through engaging interviews and fascinating lectures by our esteemed roster of scholars. See the calendar on page 14 for the detailed schedule.
Musicologist and Professor, UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music
Tiffany Kuo
Musicologist and Professor, Colburn School and Mount San Antonio College
JOIN US ONLINE
All Preludes will be available to view after the concert on TheConrad.org. See page 2 for more information.
Kristi Brown-Montesano
Ara Guzelimian Artistic and Executive Director, Ojai Music Festival
Leah Rosenthal Artistic Director, La Jolla Music Society
Patrick Castillo Composer and writer
Artistic Director Leah Rosenthal and Music Director Inon Barnatan
MUSICAL PRELUDES
In celebration of SummerFest’s 40th Anniversary, all Musical Preludes will be free and open to the public—not just to concert ticket holders. All Musical Preludes take place in The Baker-Baum Concert Hall at 6 PM. Registration required for non-ticket holders.
MUSICAL PRELUDES IN THE BAKER-BAUM CONCERT HALL • FREE TO THE PUBLIC • 6 PM
WEDNESDAY
AUGUST 5
FRIDAY
AUGUST 7
SATURDAY
AUGUST 8
FRIDAY
MIDWEEK MASTERWORKS: RESHAPING THE PAST
Young Concert Artist (YCA) Artist-in-Residence Radu Rățoi performs works by Rameau, Liszt, Kusyakov and Saint-Saëns
EASTERN VISIONS
Prometheus Quartet performs Lei Liang’s Gobi Gloria with selections from Rózsa’s String Quartet No. 1, Op. 22 and Debussy’s String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10
ROOTS
Kairos Piano Quartet performs Fauré’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 15
AUGUST 14 OUT OF THE SHADOWS
FRIDAY
Kairos Piano Quartet performs Walton’s Piano Quartet in D Minor
AUGUST 21 SUMMERFEST AT 40!
FRIDAY
AUGUST 28
SATURDAY
AUGUST 29
Prometheus Quartet performs Dvořák’s String Quartet No. 12 in F Major, Op. 96, “American”
CONVERSATION ACROSS CENTURIES
Kairos Piano Quartet performs Mozart’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, K.478
FINALE: RULE OF THREE
Prometheus Quartet performs Haydn’s String Quartet in E-flat Major, Hob.III:38 “The Joke” and Webern’s Six Bagatelles for String Quartet, Op. 9 with selections from Schubert’s String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor, D.810, “Death and the Maiden” and Korngold’s String Quartet No. 2, Op. 26
JOIN US ONLINE
All Preludes will be available to view after the concert on TheConrad.org. See page 2 for more information.
Quartet Integra
FARFY FOUNDATION FELLOWSHIP ARTISTS
We are proud to welcome eight talented emerging musicians as our SummerFest 2026 Farfy Foundation Fellowship Artists. The Prometheus Quartet and Kairos Piano Quartet will participate in Coaching Workshops, perform in Encounters and Musical Preludes, and share the stage with other SummerFest artists during their four-week residencies in La Jolla.
Prometheus Quartet
Roger Shao, Anthony Chan, violins; Brian Jennings, viola; Wilson Vanderslice, cello
Kairos Piano Quartet
Anthony Ratinov, piano; Elli Choi, violin; Ayano Nakamura, viola; Eliana Razzino Yang, cello
HISTORY
For more than 35 years, students from the country’s leading music programs have participated in one of SummerFest’s longest traditions—the Fellowship Artist program. Thanks to generous support from the Farfy Foundation, this program continues to thrive. Farfy Foundation Fellowship Artists are selected by a panel of seasoned professional musicians and represent some of the most exciting talent emerging in classical music. Many of the program’s alumni have gone on to major orchestras and prestigious international competitions and awards and often return to the SummerFest roster in subsequent years, to the delight of audiences.
SUMMER FEST 2026
JULY 31–AUGUST 29 | Calendar
of Events
2 SUNDAY
PRELUDE | 2 PM
The JAI
Lecture by Kristi Brown-Montesano
9 SUNDAY PRELUDE | 2 PM
The JAI Lecture by Patrick Castillo
3 MONDAY
LISTENING LOUNGE | 1 PM
The Atkinson Room Hosted by Michael Gerdes
LISTENING LOUNGE | 1 PM
The Atkinson Room Hosted by Michael Gerdes
4 TUESDAY
COACHING WORKSHOPS
10 AM–12 PM · The JAI
ENCOUNTER | 2 PM
SummerFest Community Orchestra Reading Session
7/29 WEDNESDAY
SUMMERFEST PREVIEW
6 PM · The JAI
Interview with Inon Barnatan hosted by Leah Rosenthal
16
17 MONDAY
LISTENING LOUNGE | 1 PM
The Atkinson Room Hosted by Michael Gerdes
COACHING WORKSHOPS
10 AM–12 PM · The JAI
ENCOUNTER | 2 PM
Unmuting Masterworks at the Evolving Keyboard with Angie Zhang
5 WEDNESDAY
COACHING WORKSHOPS
10 AM–12 PM · The JAI
MUSICAL PRELUDE | 6 PM
Performance by Radu Rățoi
RESHAPING THE PAST
7 PM
Midweek Masterworks
12 WEDNESDAY
COACHING WORKSHOPS
10 AM–12 PM · The JAI
OPEN REHEARSAL | 2 PM
KORNGOLD’s Suite for Left Hand and Strings, Op. 23
PRELUDE | 6 PM • The JAI
Lecture by Patrick Castillo
AMERICAN LEGACY | 7 PM Midweek Masterworks
18 TUESDAY
ENCOUNTER | 2 PM
Farfy Foundation Fellowship Artist Spotlight I
19 WEDNESDAY
COACHING WORKSHOPS
10 AM–12 PM · The JAI
PRELUDE | 6 PM
TAKEOVER @ THE JAI with Paul Wiancko
7 PM The JAI
23 SUNDAY
PRELUDE | 2 PM
The JAI
Lecture by Tiffany Kuo
OLD COUNTRY, NEW AGE
3 PM
24 MONDAY
LISTENING LOUNGE | 1 PM
The Atkinson Room Hosted by Michael Gerdes
25 TUESDAY
ENCOUNTER | 2 PM
Farfy Foundation Fellowship Artist Spotlight II
The JAI
Lecture by Tiffany Kuo
REMADE/REBORN
7 PM
Midweek Masterworks
26 WEDNESDAY
COACHING WORKSHOPS
10 AM–12 PM · The JAI
PRELUDE | 6 PM
The JAI
Lecture by Ara Guzelimian
SCHUBERTIADE
7 PM
Midweek Masterworks
30 THURSDAY 31 FRIDAY
6 THURSDAY
COACHING WORKSHOPS
10 AM–12 PM · The JAI
PRE-CONCERT PARTY
5:30 PM
Free for Opening Night ticket holders
OPENING NIGHT: The Incomplete History of the World in Ten Pieces 7 PM
7 FRIDAY
MUSICAL PRELUDE | 6 PM Performance by Prometheus Quartet
EASTERN VISIONS 7 PM
13 THURSDAY
COACHING WORKSHOPS
10 AM–12 PM · The JAI
JAZZ @ THE JAI
SULLIVAN FORTNER TRIO
5:30 PM & 8 PM
The JAI
20 THURSDAY
COACHING WORKSHOPS
10 AM–12 PM · The JAI
OPEN REHEARSAL | 2 PM
TCHAIKOVSKY’s Souvenir de Florence
14 FRIDAY
MUSICAL PRELUDE | 6 PM Performance by Kairos Piano Quartet OUT OF THE SHADOWS 7 PM
8/1 SATURDAY
PRELUDE | 6 PM
The JAI Lecture by Kristi Brown-Montesano
VIENNA 1900 7 PM
27 THURSDAY
COACHING WORKSHOPS
10 AM–12 PM · The JAI
ENCOUNTER | 2 PM
The JAI
Remembrance of Things
Past with Ara Guzelimian
BRAD MEHLDAU:
Ride into the Sun | 7 PM Balboa Theatre
21 FRIDAY
MUSICAL PRELUDE | 6 PM Performance by Prometheus Quartet
SUMMERFEST AT 40! 7 PM
28 FRIDAY
MUSICAL PRELUDE | 6 PM Performance by Kairos Piano Quartet
CONVERSATION ACROSS CENTURIES 7 PM
8 SATURDAY
OPEN REHEARSAL | 2 PM
VAUGHAN WILLIAMS’ Piano Quintet in C Minor
MUSICAL PRELUDE | 6 PM Performance by Kairos Piano Quartet ROOTS
7 PM
15 SATURDAY
PRELUDE | 6 PM
The JAI Interview with Inon Barnatan hosted by Leah Rosenthal THE COMPLETE BRANDENBURGS: Part I 7 PM
22 SATURDAY
OPEN REHEARSAL | 10:30 AM
ELGAR’s Piano Quintet in A Minor, Op. 84
SUMMERFEST 40TH ANNIVERSARY GALA 5:30 PM
29 SATURDAY
MUSICAL PRELUDE | 6 PM Performance by Prometheus Quartet
FINALE: Rule of Three 7 PM
7600 FAY AVENUE LA JOLLA, CA 92037 For parking information please visit TheConrad.org
All events are in The Baker-Baum Concert Hall unless otherwise noted.
All dates, times, programs, artists, and venues are subject to change.
