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Kick off the Festival’s Winter Season concerts this week with a talk featuring Alasdair Neale and principal musicians from the upcoming performances.

Instilling a lifelong love of classical music…

Recognized by BBC Music as one of the best classical music festivals in the country, the Sun Valley Music Festival presents inspiring, admission-free concerts in a spectacular setting—in tandem with tuition-free music education programs that propel young musicians. Audiences and students alike can expect a memorable experience, with opportunities for people from all walks of life to listen, learn, and play.

Where music and nature enhance each other—gloriously

For over thirty-five years, the Sun Valley Music Festival has presented must-see, must-hear, musical performances in a spectacular setting. Led by dynamic Music Director Alasdair Neale, and comprised of the best musicians from North America’s leading orchestras, the Festival attracts internationally-renowned soloists and over 50,000 concert-goers annually to it’s Winter and Summer Season concerts.

Inspiring the next generation of music lovers

The Festival’s year-round Music Institute advances the skills and personal development of young people. Through the Institute’s summer programs, students at all levels interact with professional musicians and guest artists and meet peers who share their passion for classical music. Year-round programs engage string, piano, and voice students through high school years, in partnership with the local school district.

A cultural and social treasure supported by the community

Through the generosity of hundreds of donors, patrons, and volunteers, Sun Valley Music Festival thrives as the largest privately supported, free-admission orchestra in the United States. Financial contributions large and small, countless volunteer hours, and the hospitality of the many families who host musicians in their homes, all come together to make the Festival a vibrant, shared, community enterprise.

The Sun Valley Music Festival is a tax-deductible charitable organization. Federal Tax ID: 82-0397940

Share in supporting your Festival

From its inception, dedicated, enthusiastic donors have made it possible for the Sun Valley Music Festival to stay true to its goal of instilling a lifelong love of classical music through the highest quality musical experiences and education—free of charge. Your support helps attract the best musicians from around the country, as well as guest artists from around the world, and funds expanding, innovative programming—accessible to all. Donors also enjoy an array of valued benefits.

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“Welcome to the 2022 Season!

Following last summer’s unforgettable return to the stage, we’ve planned another superb season of music-making, including Richard Strauss’s epic tone poem An Alpine Symphony, which chronicles a day’s excursion in the mountains (sound familiar?). And since the work requires sixteen French horns, we’ve added a special “Hornucopia” concert with music devoted to the instrument. The Festival Orchestra is further showcased in Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony and Elgar’s Symphony No. 1 (a personal favorite). Our stable of guest artists is no less impressive, including the incomparable pianist Daniil Trifonov, the brilliant violinist Leila Josefowicz, and pianist and young phenom, George Li. Last, but most certainly not least, our dear friends Time For Three return with a new piece, co-commissioned by the Festival, from the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts. It all adds up to what I anticipate will be an exciting and varied musical menu, one which I can’t wait to share with you all. Let’s play! "

—Alasdair Neale, Music Director

Alasdair Neale