SummerFest Learning & Engagement
ANNOUNCING ON JUNE 15!
SummerFest 2026 will feature a wide variety of FREE Learning & Engagement Activities — discover something new.
Learning & Engagement Activities
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.
Encounters
Intriguing lectures, discussions, and performances that reveal insights into the ways music is created, influenced, interpreted, and performed.
Listening Lounges
Michael Gerdes hosts a guided listening series for curious concertgoers who want to expand how they hear music.
Musical Preludes
In celebration of SummerFest’s 40th Anniversary, Musical Preludes will be FREE and open to everyone, not just concert ticket holders.
Coaching Workshops
Watch our Fellowship Artist Ensembles prepare for their SummerFest performances in a series of master classes.
Prelude Lectures
Ticket holders are invited to join us in 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.
Fellowship Artists
Fellowship Artists 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.
ARCHIVE
Enjoy viewing Learning & Engagement events from previous festivals.
WATCH PAST LECTURES & INTERVIEWS