On this week’s episode of Napa Valley Inside Out, I sit down with Sonia Tolbert, Chief Operating Officer of Festival Napa Valley, one of the country’s premier summer destination Festivals, and one of the largest cultural institutions in Napa Valley. Sonia tells us about the extraordinary Board of Directors and sponsors that have greatly contributed to the Festival becoming the largest private funder of arts education in Napa Valley. We share our memories of some of the many highlights from the Festival’s previous years, including:
- Carlo Ponte’s orchestral tribute to his mother Sophia Loren in the grounds of Far Niente winery. Followed by Whoopie Goldberg, Robert Redford and Frances Ford Coppola sharing their stories of how she influenced their lives and careers.
- Henry Mancini’s daughter, Monica, and Dave Koz performing at the tribute to Margrit Mondavi, once again at Far Niente winery, where Sophia Loren returned to be by her side as we celebrated her extraordinary life.
- Kristin Chenoweth singing with local high school students on stage at the Arts for Gala event at Hall Winery.
We talked about the Bouchaine Young Artist Series, the tuition-free Blackburn Music Academy, Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem’s Vocal Arts Series, Sunday at the Symphony, and much more. Seal is one of the headliners so be sure check out the calendar for the many outstanding performances, luncheons, and dinners in spectacular settings. Tickets are now on sale to this year’s Festival Napa Valley. Sending a special thank you to the many generous sponsors – Mercedez Benz, Bouchaine Winery, the San Francisco Chronicle and First Republic to name a few.
