Voices of Chamber Music from the Valley of the Moon

June 30, 2016

Nation’s First Festival Devoted to Classical and Romantic Music on Period Instruments

Nikki Einfeld. Photo by Geoff White
Nikki Einfeld. Photo by Geoff White

SONOMA, CA, April 14, 2016 — Celebrated vocalists Nikki Einfeld and Kyle Stegall headline this summer’s Valley of the Moon Music Festival in concerts of Schubert and Schumann, Mozart, Rossini and more. Now in its second year, the Valley of the Moon Music Festival is the nation’s first festival devoted entirely to Classical and Romantic music on period instruments, and this year’s theme, “The Voice in Chamber Music,” explores the influence of song on 19th-century chamber music including Beethoven’s Septet, Schubert’s Death and the Maiden Quartet, and lieder for tenor and soprano. The Valley of the Moon Music Festival takes place at the Hanna Boys Center in Sonoma, July 16–31. Tickets may be purchased at valleyofthemoonmusicfestival.org.

“This year’s program showcases a love of opera and lieder in pieces both instrumental and vocal,” says fortepianist Eric Zivian who co-founded and co-directs the annual event with cellist Tanya Tomkins. “And we are delighted to present two incredibly gifted young singers to perform this music.”
 
Kyle Stegall. Photo by eLe Photography
Kyle Stegall. Photo by eLe Photography

Einfeld and Stegall will perform six concerts in all. On Sunday, July 17 at 4:00 p.m., Stegall sings songs by Mozart in a program titled Inspired by the Magic Flute, which also features Elizabeth Blumenstock on violin alongside Tomkins and Zivian in chamber works by Clementi, Beethoven and Mozart. He sings Schubert lieder in a program titled Death and the Maiden, July 23 at 4:00 p.m., which also includes the composer’s famous string quartet. The following day at 4:00 p.m. he performs Schumann’s Liederkreis in a program which also features Beethoven’s Horn Sonata and a Haydn Piano Trio. 

 
Einfeld’s concerts include Arias and Quintets, featuring songs by Spohr, Meyerbeer and Mozart, July 29 at 7:30 p.m.; Star Power in the 19th Century, featuring songs of Schubert and Rossini, July 30 at 4:00 p.m.; and The Young Mendelssohn, featuring Schubert’s “The Shepherd on the Rock,” paired with Mendelssohn’s famous Octet, July 31 at 4:00 p.m.
 
A lyric coloratura soprano, Einfeld has been widely recognized for her “high flying virtuosity” (The New York Times) as well as her “blazing intensity and ferocious artistry” (San Francisco Chronicle). Highlights of her recent engagements include the world premiere of the operas Death with Interruptions by Kurt Rohde and Delores Claiborne by Tobias Picker, and appearances with the San Francisco Opera in the roles of Gianetta in The Elixir of Love, Papagena in The Magic Flute, and Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro. Einfeld has also performed leading roles with the Vancouver Opera, New Orleans Opera, West Bay Opera, Syracuse Opera, the Green Mountain Opera Festival, Opera Lyra Ottawa, Edmonton Opera, the Canadian Opera Company and Manitoba Opera.  
 
Her affinity for recital and concert repertoire, including many 20th- and 21st-century world premieres, has led to guest appearances with the San Francisco Symphony, Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, The Marin Symphony, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra New Music Festival, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, Montreal Chamber Orchestra and the Empyrean Ensemble.
 
Monica Huggett, Eric Zivian, Tanya Tomkins. Photo by Sisto Flores
Monica Huggett, Eric Zivian, Tanya Tomkins. Photo by Sisto Flores

Stegall, a tenor, has garnered praise around the world for his “lovely tone and ardent expression” (The New York Times), as well as his “blemish-free production” (Sydney Morning Herald). Engaged frequently as a concert soloist, he has performed the Passions and cantatas of J.S. Bach; the oratorios of Handel; the great Masses of Mozart, Haydn and Beethoven; Stravinsky’s Pulcinella; and Britten’s Serenade for tenor, horn and strings. He also performed in the world premiere of Robert Kyr’s For Those Who Hunger. As the evangelist in Bach’s St. John Passion, Stegall made his Lincoln Center debut under the direction of Maestro Masaaki Suzuki. Stegall is also a sought-out performer of art songs. Upcoming recitals include a French and English program with pianist Rhodri Clarke in Melbourne, Australia, and a program of sacred texts set by Britten for the Yale Center for British Art.   

 
Valley of the Moon Music Festival opens Saturday, July 16 with the Founders’ Circle Concert at the historic Spreckels Mansion in Sonoma. This intimate house concert is for Festival and Apprentice Program donors only. For more information or to become a donor, visit valleyofthemoonmusicfestival.org/sponsor. 
 
Instrumentalists performing throughout the Festival include Liana Berube, Elizabeth Blumenstock, Tekla Cunningham, Sadie Glass, Eric Hoeprich, Monica Huggett, Kati Kyme, Carla Moore, Holly Piccoli, Marc Schachman, Michel Taddei, Tanya Tomkins, Kate van Orden and Eric Zivian. Participants in this year’s Apprenticeship Program will join in the final four concerts.
 
Audience members are invited to arrive early to enjoy a pre-concert picnic on the patio of the Hanna Boys Center, and to mingle with the artists over a complimentary glass of wine following each concert. Each concert will feature a different Sonoma winery through the Festival’s Winery Partners Program. Among this year’s partner wineries are Kivelstadt Cellars, Idell Family Vineyards, Bar None’s Canyon and Iron Horse Vineyards. 
 
Special events include a lecture and a master class open to the public. For the complete schedule and to purchase tickets, visit valleyofthemoonmusicfestival.org. 
 

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