Skip to main content

At a Glance

WELCOME!

La Jolla Music Society’s annual SummerFest returns to The Conrad. You are invited to hear the finest chamber musicians in the world converge in La Jolla for four weeks of glorious concerts. This year’s audience will go on a musical journey through the theme “Milestones.” Explore this year’s selection of performances below.

OPENING NIGHT: Great Expectations
FRIDAY JULY 25 | 7:30 PM

MOZART
Divertimento in D Major, K.136

RAVEL
Ma Mère l’Oye for Piano Four-Hands

RACHMANINOFF
Valse and Romance for Piano Six-Hands

ENESCU
String Octet in C Major, Op. 7

Yulianna Avdeeva, Inon Barnatan, Jennifer Frautschi, Clive Greensmith, Njioma Chineyere Grevious, Jeremy Kurtz-Harris, Yura Lee, Matthew Lipman, Nathan Meltzer, Steven Osborne, Jonathan Swensen, Jonathan Vinocour, SummerFest Chamber Orchestra

SYNERGY: The Glass Menagerie
SATURDAY JULY 26 | 7:30 PM

PHILIP GLASS
The Complete Piano Études

Featured pianists include: Timo Andres, Matthew Aucoin, Yulianna Avdeeva, and more.

This performance of Philip Glass: The Complete Études is presented by special arrangement with Pomegranate Arts.

EMERGENCE
SUNDAY JULY 27 | 3 PM

MAHLER
Piano Quartet in A Minor

CHOPIN
Nocturne in E-Flat Major, Op. 9, No. 2
Two Mazurkas from Op. 7

CLARKE
Viola Sonata

SHOSTAKOVICH
Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op. 57

Yulianna Avdeeva, Jennifer Frautschi, Clive Greensmith, Njioma Chineyere Grevious, Yura Lee, Matthew Lipman, Nathan Meltzer, Steven Osborne, Juho Pohjonen, Jonathan Swensen, Jonathan Vinocour

MIDWEEK MASTERWORKS: Youthful Passions
WEDNESDAY JULY 30 | 7 PM

BEETHOVEN
Piano Trio in C Minor, Op. 1, No. 3

JÖRG WIDMANN
180 Beats Per Minute

MENDELSSOHN
String Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20

Liza Ferschtman, Alan Gilbert, Clive Greensmith, Njioma Chineyere Grevious, Stefan Jackiw, Matthew Lipman, Nathan Meltzer, Juho Pohjonen, Blake Pouliot, Jonathan Swensen, Jonathan Vinocour, Kajsa William-Olsson

NORTHERN LIGHTS
FRIDAY AUGUST 1 | 7:30 PM

NIELSEN
String Quintet

OLLI MUSTONEN
Nonet No. 2

SIBELIUS
String Quartet in D Minor, Op. 56

Kyle Armbrust, Liza Ferschtman, Alan Gilbert, Clive Greensmith, Stefan Jackiw, Anthony Manzo, Blake Pouliot, Jonathan Swensen, Jonathan Vinocour, Kajsa William-Olsson

PRODIGIES
SATURDAY AUGUST 2 | 7:30 PM

HANDEL
Trio Sonata for Oboe, Violin and Continuo in C Minor

MOZART
Piano Quartet in G Minor, K.478

KORNGOLD
String Sextet in D Major, Op. 10

Kyle Armbrust, Inon Barnatan, Nicholas Daniel, Liza Ferschtman, Alan Gilbert, Clive Greensmith, Stefan Jackiw, Blake Pouliot, Jonathan Swensen, Ruben Valenzuela, Jonathan Vinocour

FOR THE END OF TIME
TUESDAY AUGUST 5 | 7 PM

MESSIAEN
Quatuor pour la fin du Temps

STRAUSS
Four Last Songs

Renée Fleming, Nicolas Altstaedt, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Inon Barnatan, Alan Gilbert, Ricardo Morales, SummerFest Chamber Orchestra

STRUNG TOGETHER
FRIDAY AUGUST 8 | 7:30 PM

JESSIE MONTGOMERY
Concerto Grosso

YSAŸE
Sonata for Two Violins

DVOŘÁK
Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81

Nicholas Altstaedt, Kyle Armbrust, Noah Bendix-Balgley, Inon Barnatan, Nicholas Daniel, Vilde Frang, Stefan Jackiw, Teng Li, Anthony Manzo, Stephan Waarts, Alisa Weilerstein

HOMAGE
SUNDAY AUGUST 10 | 3 PM

PURCELL
Chacony in G Minor (arr. Britten)

BRITTEN
String Quartet No. 2 in C Major, Op. 36

TCHAIKOVSKY
Souvenir d’un Lieu Cher

ARENSKY
String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Op. 35

Nicholas Altstaedt, Inon Barnatan, Sterling Elliot, Vilde Frang, Teng Li, Blake Pouliot, Stephen Waarts, Alisa Weilerstein

MIDWEEK MASTERWORKS: Looking Back, Looking Forward
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 13 | 7 PM

BRAHMS
Cello Sonata No. 1 in E Minor, Op. 38

KOECHLIN
Quatre Petites Pièces

GLAZUNOV
String Quintet in A Major, Op. 39

Nicolas Altstaedt, Inon Barnatan, Stefan Dohr, Sterling Elliott, Vilde Frang, Erin Keefe, Tessa Lark, Teng Li, Alisa Weilerstein

SYNERGY: Tasting Notes
THURSDAY AUGUST 14 | 7 PM
Culinary superstar J. Kenji Lopez-Alt combines his passions in a unique event exploring the connections between gastronomy and music.

Music includes
DVOŘÁK
Piano Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 87

Inon Barnatan, Sterling Elliott, Tessa Lark, Masumi Per Rostad

LOVE SONGS
FRIDAY AUGUST 15 | 7:30 PM

SCHUBERT
Auf Der Strom for Tenor, Horn and Piano, D. 943

SCHUMANN
Piano Trio No. 3 in G Minor, Op. 110

ARVO PÄRT
Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten

BRITTEN
Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings, Op. 31

Nicholas Altstaedt, Inon Barnatan, Stefan Dohr, Alexi Kenney, Osmo Vänskä, Zachary Wilder, SummerFest Chamber Orchestra

SYNERGY: Book of Ayres
SATURDAY AUGUST 16 | 7:30 PM

The three-time GRAMMY® Award-winning singer Cécile McLorin Salvant explores the world of Baroque music and transforms it into something contemporary,
exciting, and truly captivating.

MIDWEEK MASTERWORKS: Transcendence
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 20 | 7 PM

PENDERECKI
Clarinet Quartet

SCHUBERT
String Quintet in C Major, D. 956

Misha Amory, Benjamin Beilman, Zlatomir Fung, Alexi Kenney, Anthony McGill, Milena Pajaro-Van de Stadt, Andrew Wan, Kyril Zlotnikov

PROFOUND REFLECTIONS
FRIDAY AUGUST 22 | 7:30 PM

RAVEL
Introduction and Allegro

SHOSTAKOVICH
Viola Sonata, Op. 147

BEETHOVEN
String Quartet No. 12, Op. 127

Misha Amory, Inon Barnatan, Benjamin Beilman, Owen Dalby, Zlatomir Fung, Hsin-Yun Huang, Rose Lombardo, Anthony McGill, Milena Pajaro-Van de Stadt, Julie Smith Phillips, Andrew Wan, Kyril Zlotnikov

SUMMERFEST FINALE: Starburst
SATURDAY AUGUST 23 | 7:30 PM

JESSIE MONTGOMERY
Starburst for String Orchestra

MENDELSSOHN
Concerto for Violin, Piano and String Orchestra

BRAHMS
Serenade in D Major (Reconstructed for Nonet, 1858)

Mark Almond, Misha Amory, Inon Barnatan, Benjamin Beilman, Owen Dalby, Zlatomir Fung, Samuel Hager, Hsin-Yun Huang, Peter Kolkay, Rose Lombardo, Anthony McGill, Jay Shankar, Andrew Wan, Kyril Zlotnikov

Concerts in The JAI

NEW YORK TAKEOVER @ THE JAI
SUNDAY JULY 27 | 7 PM
Immerse yourself in the vibrant pulse of New York’s contemporary scene as three of its most celebrated composers—Matthew Aucoin, Timo Andres, and Patrick Castillo—bring their boundary-pushing works to The JAI, showcasing the bold creative art born in the city that never sleeps.

TAKEOVER @ THE JAI
Curated by Jessie Montgomery

THURSDAY AUG 7 | 7 PM
Jessie Montgomery, the 2023 Musical America Composer of the Year and our 2025 Composer-in-Residence, is a GRAMMY®-winning composer, violinist, and educator. In her Takeover concert, she curates an evening that offers a glimpse into the reasons behind her rise to prominence as one of the most performed and soughtafter composers of our time.

SYNERGY: DANCE @ THE JAI
SUNDAY AUGUST 17 | 3 PM & 6 PM

This joy-filled collision of music and movement brings the multi-award-winning dancer Caleb Teicher back to The Conrad—this time with Nic Gareiss, one of Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch,” and festival favorite Tessa Lark on violin. Expect a lively combination of folk, jazz, and swing music alongside percussive dance that celebrates Appalachia and its traditional roots from Ireland and England.