Comic Opera and a VIP Dinner on Fabulous Night at the Festival

Festival Napa Valley doubled down on the celebrations on July 20, presenting a raucous comic opera at one venue, while hosting an elegant patron’s at another site nearby. First up, Mozart’s delightful opera Abduction from the Seraglio, directed by Jean-Romain Vesperini and featuring two world-class talents in soprano Brenda Rae and tenor Michele Angelini. Rae received the Metropolitan Opera’s 2021 Beverly Sills Artist Award, and Angelini was nominated Best Young Male Singer of the Year at the 2016 International Opera Awards–showing that the Festival can always attract top-tier talent.

The same night, Festival organizers welcomed their biggest supporters to a lavish patron’s dinner hosted at the Mondavi family’s private gardens. At this unique dining experience, guests enjoyed a delectable seasonal menu accompanied by the finest Charles Krug estate wines. History surrounded guests that night at the winery, the oldest in the Napa Valley. Established in 1861, the iconic estate has been under the stewardship of the Peter Mondavi Sr. family for four generations. It was a fitting setting in which to celebrate the Festival, its patrons and their important work as stewards of arts and culture for the Napa Valley region and beyond.