Music Academy of the West announces 2025 Summer Music Festival & School

The Music Academy of the West, now in its 78th season, offers an unparalleled blend of world-class performances and musical discovery with the 2025 Summer Music Festival & School themed “Soundtrack to Summer.” The Festival showcases international artists performing alongside 150 of the Academy’s gifted young musicians and 60 esteemed teaching artists in 120 one-of-a-kind performances, including orchestral and chamber performances, a full-scale opera, plus masterclasses, competitions, and groundbreaking new works  —  a must for classical music lovers.

The 2025 Summer Music Festival & School runs from June 15 through August 9 at the Music Academy’s idyllic campus in Montecito — and throughout the stunning setting of the American Riviera in Santa Barbara, California. The 120 live events will feature special appearances by Randall Goosby, Sasha Cooke, Jeremy Denk, Christine Goerke, Andy Akiho, Stewart Copeland, and the Takács Quartet.

The Summer Music Festival kicks off with dynamic, family-friendly programming, including the 50th-anniversary of JAWS at Santa Barbara’s Granada Theatre with the Academy Festival Orchestra and conductor Ben Palmer; a thrilling PercussionFest featuring works by rock legend Stewart Copeland, Mosher Guest Artist Andy Akiho, and teaching artists Joseph Pereira and Michael Werner; and, a bilingual production of Peter and the Wolf (Pedro y el Lobo) with conductor César Cañón and narration by Really Inventive Stuff. The Academy proudly presents the world premiere of adapted excerpts from Huang Ruo’s new opera The Monkey King, and makes history with its first-ever, free community brass concert at the newly restored Santa Barbara Plaza del Mar Bandshell. 

At the heart of the Academy, our renowned teaching artists take center stage in landmark performances, including the Takács Quartet’s 50th-anniversary celebration, two Teaching Artist Showcases at the Lobero Theatre, and x2 Series concerts curated by Glenn Dicterow, Cynthia Phelps, and Dennis Michael. Acclaimed pianist, author, and teaching artist Jeremy Denk will present Beethoven+, a thought-provoking, three-part lecture-performance series highlighting the famed composer’s Piano Sonatas. Director Mo Zhou will direct the Lehrer Vocal Institute’s starry reimagining of Mozart’s Don Giovanni set in Hollywood’s Golden Age, conducted by Christian Reif. Dazzling concerts by Mosher Guest Artists Randall Goosby, Christine Goerke, and Andy Akiho, and groundbreaking world premieres by inti figgis-vizueta, Huang Ruo, and Kamala Sankaram will add depth to the summer experience. 

This season’s Academy Festival Orchestra concerts are led by Music Director of the San Bernardino Symphony and famed film score conductor Anthony Parnther, Oregon Symphony Music Director David Danzmayr, Principal Conductor of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Daniela Candillari, Music Director of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra & Artistic Director of the New World Symphony Stéphane Denève, and Distinguished Resident Director of Orchestras and Professor of Conducting at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University Miguel Harth-Bedoya. The orchestral programs will celebrate the 150th anniversary of Maurice Ravel, as well as monumental works by Mahler, Mussorgsky, Strauss, and Poulenc.

The Academy’s Music Note Gala, a celebration in support of classical music education, takes place Friday, July 11, at 5 pm, on the Montecito Club’s Upper Lawn. The Gala features special performances by Grammy Award-winning mandolinist Chris Thile in collaboration with the Academy Gala Orchestra and members of Sing!, conducted by Daniela Candillari. Sponsorships and tables on sale March 19; individual tickets on sale May 1 at musicacademy.org/gala.