Sunkiss'd Mozart Announces 3rd Season of SUMMERFEST, June 9-14

People sitting in the round inside Barrel Room with musicians playing in the center.

Corral Wine Vineyard Estate - Barrel Room, Corral de Tierra

A celebration of chamber music in unique and surprising settings throughout the Monterey Peninsula.

Artistic Director violinist Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu carefully pairs venues with compositions to amplify and deepen the experience for both audiences and musicians.”

— Barbara Rose Shuler, Monterey Herald

MONTEREY, CA, UNITED STATES, May 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Sunkiss’d Mozart announces the 3rd season of Summerfest, a five-event series of chamber music concerts and talks taking place the week of June 9-14 in a variety of venues across the Monterey Peninsula. Artistic Director and violinist Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu assembles a rotating roster of established and emerging musicians to perform themed concerts in non-traditional settings, showcasing the music, the space and our local history. This year’s theme is DESTINED.

Summerfest 2026 includes three concerts plus two Into the Heart of Art events (previously the Canvas Series). Into the Heart of Art features in-depth artist talks punctuated with music. New sites this season include the Mayo Hayes O’Donnell Library in Monterey which features a talk with two Summerfest cellists, Tanya Tomkins and Felix Fan, and the Joaquin Turner Gallery in Carmel which features local historian and artist Joaquin Turner. Concert locations include Summerfest favorites, Asilomar Conference Grounds Seascape in Pacific Grove and the Corral Wine Estate Vineyard Barrel Room in Corral de Tierra. Most events include post-concert wine receptions with the artists.

Music for Summerfest events is served up “Omakase” style, a Japanese term referring to “chef’s choice” at a gourmet restaurant. Each concert is specially curated to offer the listener a multi-course feast of the senses. The music envelops; the surroundings enhance; the commentary intrigues. The programs, designed by Wu, are anchored with established works from the chamber music cannon. This season’s highlights include Osvaldo Golijov’s "The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind" (June 13), Schubert's String Quintet in C (June 10) and Brahms' String Sextet in G (June 14). These are juxtaposed with rarely heard gems, new works and one-of-a-kind arrangements. Each concert is a singular experience meant for the audience present - it is at once unexpected and unforgettable. Wu tells the story of each piece and her insightful, thought-provoking, often comical introductions enlighten and entertain leaving you wanting more, as any good Omakase chef would.

Summerfest is a program of Sunkiss’d Mozart, now in its 6th season. Sunkiss’d Mozart was founded by Wu in 2020 to bring her signature Omakase style concert experience to the central coast. In addition to Summerfest, Sunkiss’d Mozart presents a series of Home Concerts in the fall and spring in Wu’s Salinas home, plus free community concerts in hospitals, community centers and local schools. In spring 2026, Wu expanded the programming introducing the Peninsula Series - connoisseur concerts in grand and exclusive local settings. Summerfest was launched in 2024 with a three-year theme arc beginning with Seeds (2024), moving on to Metamorphosis (2025) and culminating in this year’s theme, Destined (2026).

Wu never fails to impress with a cast of seasoned performing artists from around the globe. This year is no exception with returning cellists Tanya Tomkins whose “playing is at a level of deep-seated feeling and communion that most players can only dream of,” (San Francisco Classical Voice), and Felix Fan, a champion of contemporary music whose “butterscotch tone,” (The Washington Post) has graced international stages. Also returning is violist Laura Liu after making her Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center debut earlier this year.

Summerfest debut artists are Owen Dalby, “a fearless and inquisitive violinist” (San Francisco Classical Voice); multi-prize winning clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein (First Prize winner of the Carl Nielsen International Clarinet Competition and recipient of a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant Award); and acclaimed cellist Mihai Marica, set to join the venerable Takács Quartet this fall.

In addition to these distinguished players, Sunkiss’d Mozart’s “Rising Star” program brings promising newcomers from top conservatories into the mix. This year’s Rising Stars include violinist Jacques Forestier, an Efrem Zimbalist Fellow at the Curtis Institute of Music; violist Samuel Rosenthal, a Marlboro Music Festival artist and First Prize winner at the 2025 Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition; and cellist Andres Sanchez, a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music where he studied with cellists Peter Wiley and Carter Brey.

Tien-Hsin Cindy Wu
Sunkiss'd Mozart
hello@skmozart.com
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Video Highlights of Summerfest 2025

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