Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music Announces its 57th Season

SANTA CRUZ, CA — MARCH 12, 2019 — The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, America’s longest running festival of new orchestral music, celebrates its 57th season, July 28 – August 11, 2019, with a remarkable women-centric season, featuring a series of relevant and forward-looking commissioned works.

This is the Festival’s third season with Music Director and Conductor Cristian Măcelaru at the helm, and the esteemed conductor continues to push the leading edge at Cabrillo. This year the Festival presents four commissioned works—three world premieres, two US premieres, and eight West Coast premieres. The highlights are many.

On opening night the Festival presents the world premiere of When There Are Nine, an innovative symphonic work by Kristen Kuster reflecting upon and celebrating the life and work of United States Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, featuring vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth and mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton. Opening weekend also includes DANCE for cello and orchestra by composer Anna Clyne featuring cellist Inbal Segev, as well as second concert appearances by mezzo Jamie Barton and Roomful of Teeth. The second weekend features the West Coast premiere of Academy Award-winner Tan Dun’s multimedia harp concerto, Nu Shu: The Secret Songs of Women, about a disappearing language created by and for women in 13th century Hunan, China. The Festival’s closing night is dedicated to Jazz legend Wynton Marsalis, and features two of his acclaimed compositions for orchestra: his Violin Concerto with renowned violinist Nicola Benedetti, and his epic Blues Symphony.

“Music should and must play a leading role in opening direct and compelling dialogue to achieve a more enlightened social narrative,” says Măcelaru. The Festival’s 2019 season reflects this vision.

Twelve of the fourteen featured composers will be in residence this season, and nine of the featured composers are women. The composers in residence are Preben Antonsen, Clarice Assad, Anna Clyne, Dan Dediu, Melody Eötvös, Vivian Fung, Jake Heggie, Kristin Kuster, Hannah Lash, Wynton Marsalis, Nina Young, and Du Yun.

Special guest artists include Clarice Assad (piano/vocals), Jamie Barton (mezzo-soprano), Roomful of Teeth (vocal ensemble), Inbal Segev (cello), Sarah Fuller (harp), and Nicola Benedetti (violin).