2014 Laguna Beach Music Festival

The 2014 Laguna Beach Music Festival pushes outward from classical chamber music to explore the indie-classical and post-genre worlds where classical art song meets the singer-songwriter tradition and contemporary music draws from the pop music vernacular. 

11th annual Laguna Beach Music Festival February 5-10, 2013

Co-presented by Laguna Beach Live! and the Philharmonic Society of Orange County

 this five day festival will feature music from Argentina, Brazil, Peru and beyond, as they explore the sounds of South America.  Featured guest artists are pianist-composer Pablo Ziegler, formerly of the great Astor Piazzolla’s tango ensemble, and bandoneónist Hector del Curto, also heir to the tango masters who elevated dance hall music to concert hall repertoire.  Joining are guest artists from various South American musical traditions, for a lively and colorful musical adventure. 
As always, the Festival features emerging artists on the cusp of greatness: this year, the Colburn Conservatory presents top-flight students and their mentors – along with the return of the award-winning Calidore Quartet – in an evening of chamber music from South America’s rich classical tradition.

There are a variety of concerts and events to choose from all around Laguna Beach.

For Tickets 

Also follow the festivities on Facebook and Twitter.

Music in Laguna

Laguna Beach Live is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing the top talent in  classical, jazz, chamber music  to Laguna Beach. Throughout the year a variety of concerts are hosted in town that attract visitors from all over the state and country.

The signature event is the week long festival that just wrapped up last month, The Laguna Beach Music Festival. This year was the 10^th anniversary of the festival and it was spectacular. Edgar Meyer, Sam Hawood, The Calder Quartet, The Calidore Quartet and Joshua Bell were just some of the featured artists. The festival continues to bring music lovers of all ages together in  Laguna Beach. The entire week the town is buzzing with talk of all the artists and what spectacular new music can be heard. Beyond the professionals that are featured, local musicians also play at Hotel Laguna, roundtable discussions artists are open to the public, and even a fundraiser for future music festivals featuring one of a kind painted  “artful violins”.

Enjoy music throughout the rest of the year with events like Gospel Brunch on March 11th, Blues at the Beach on June 9th and Bluegrass and BBQ  on September 16^th.

Enjoy Jazz Wednesdays which happen in the Winter and Summer months at Hotel Laguna. It is an intimate atmosphere where you can enjoy some to the top jazz musicians from the surrounding Los Angeles area. First Sundays is a FREE series showcasing chamber music at the Laguna College of Art + Design.

Be sure to visit and attend one of the concerts hosted by Laguna Beach Live for you will surely be captivated by the beauty of the music. We are lucky to have such a dedicated organization in Laguna Beach that brings the culture of music to our town!

By Anne-Marie S.

Laguna Beach Music Festival

Another artistic expression of this great art colony is the Laguna Beach Musical Festival. The 9^th annual Festival is going on now thru the 13^th of February.  The festival is a collaboration between Laguna Beach Live! and the Philharmonic Society of Orange County . Together they work to bring prominent and promising musicians to Laguna Beach. This year the festival features guest artistic director, Brooklyn Rider; a genre-defying string quartet.

I had the chance to hear Brooklyn Rider play with Kojiro Umezaki, a flute player, last night at the Laguna Playhouse . The show was appropriately titled “New World.” Brooklyn Rider is well known for breaking the barriers of the classical genre by incorporating a taste of world music and sounds. Umezaki grew up in Tokyo studying the western flute and then moved to studying the shakuhachi, a Japanese end-blown bamboo flute. The instrument was first introduced in 7^th century Japan and was used to create music for Zen Buddhist meditation. I could sense the calming spirit of the instrument as he played. Sometimes haunting but always soothing and pure. Mixed with the expressive melodies of Brooklyn Rider it was a feast for the ears, mind, and soul.

There are several shows left for the Laguna Beach Music Festival. Be sure to treat yourself to one of these fantastic performances.

For tickets and information click HERE. 

By Anne-Marie S.