The 38th Mendocino Music Festival, held from July 13 to 27, 2024, captivated audiences with its eclectic array of 25 concerts set against the Mendocino coastline. The festival showcased a rich tapestry of genres from classical and chamber music to jazz, folk and opera.
Festival Highlights
- Ladysmith Black Mambazo enchanted audiences with their celebrated South African choral harmonies, intricate rhythms and soulful melodies.
- Miko Marks opened the festival with a country performance, blending blues, gospel and Americana.
- The Festival Orchestra delivered a concert featuring Elgar’s dramatic Cello Concerto with cellist Evan Kahn and Moussorgsky’s vivid “Pictures at an Exhibition.”
- JigJam dazzled with their innovative fusion of Irish and bluegrass music, hailed as “Ireland’s answer to New Grass Revival.”
- Kim Nalley and Tammy Hall presented a jazz and blues performance, showcasing Nalley’s dynamic vocal range and Hall’s exceptional piano skills.
- Mozart’s Comic Opera “Cosi fan tutte” was a festival highlight, featuring a talented cast and conducted by Ryan Murray.
Special Features
- The festival celebrated the music of Gabriel Fauré with narrated concerts by Susan Waterfall, exploring his intimate and evocative compositions.
- Emerging artists showcased their talents in a highly anticipated chamber music concert, reflecting the festival’s commitment to nurturing new talent.
- The festival concluded with a grand performance by the Festival Orchestra and Chorus, featuring Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 and Brahms’ “Ein Deutsches Requiem,” offering a poignant and uplifting end to the festival.
The festival presented “music on the edge of the world” in its signature tent concert hall on the bluffs in downtown Mendocino, as well as smaller venues in town and Ft. Bragg. It matched its best year on record for ticket sales, restoring attendance to pre-pandemic levels. Concessions served over 1,200 glasses of wine and bottles of beer, and nearly 2,700 cookies and biscotti. The event saw significant community involvement with nearly 90 host families providing 126 home stays and a total of 99 nights in hotel rooms contributed by Festival hospitality sponsors.
In total, Festival musicians rehearsed and performed more than 3,000 person-hours. Eight people per day managed the technical aspects of the performances, supported by administrative staff, box office personnel, and an army of volunteers. This year, 220 volunteers dedicated nearly 2,500 person-hours across 30 distinct jobs and 230 shifts.
I am looking forward to another exhilarating season on the wild, magnificent headlands of our quaint coastal town of Mendocino.
— Allan Pollack, festival co-founder, artistic director and conductor
