Sun Valley Pavilion

Stravinksy’s Firebird Suite, written to accompany Diaghilev’s ballet, blends the composer’s orchestral wizardry with Russian folk tunes. By turns shimmering and spooky, the music surges with rich color and atmosphere, unfolding with slow-burn momentum toward one of classical music’s most satisfying finales. Regarding Anna Clyne’s new work for orchestra—which the Music Festival co-commissioned—the composer offers this note: “Woman of the Mountain evokes the journey of an extraordinary woman in the throes of the natural world on a quest for love as she reaches a mountain’s summit.”

Stephanie Childress returns to the podium to lead a concert featuring Elgar’s Enigma Variations. His best-known work, it starts off with a pensive four-note melody which Elgar then weaves into 14 variations. In each variation, he imagines how one of 13 of his friends might turn the theme into a different melody inspired in some way by their personality. The first variation is based on his wife, Alice, and the 14^th and final variation is Elgar’s own. It’s an orchestral masterpiece.

The Sun Valley Music Festival is excited to announce that Tony Award-winning Broadway star Sutton Foster will be the featured guest artist at its 2026 Gala Concert. Scheduled for Thursday, August 6, her appearance at the Festival’s only fundraising concert will provide an evening of unforgettable music. (Note: the Gala Concert will be August 6, not August 4 as previously announced.)