We are thrilled to announce our dynamic 2025 season! the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music presents the full spectrum of orchestral possibility, illuminating vibrant hues of music today. This transformative season features over 20 composers, nine in residence, seven guest artists, and the Festival Orchestra, bringing three world premieres and four Festival commissions to life

Schedule of Events:

6:30pm - Picnic Talk, Lumina

8pm - Lumina

Lumina – Opening Night
John Corigliano: Phantasmagoria

Nina Shekhar: Lumina

Missy Mazzoli: Procession (Jennifer Koh, Violin) (West Coast Premiere)

John Corigliano: Three Hallucinations

The 63rd season kicks off with guest conductor Daniela Candillari leading the Festival Orchestra in works by John Corigliano, Nina Shekhar, and Missy Mazzoli. 

Beginning our season, John Corigliano–a foundational Festival veteran whose work has been featured 16 times and an essential voice in our Pride celebration–returns with two mesmerizing pieces. His Phantasmagoria presents an orchestral suite from his opera, offering a kaleidoscope of shifting, vivid, colorful sequences. We’ll also feature his Three Hallucinations, a reality-bending work based on music written for Ken Russell’s film “Altered States.”

Nina Shekhar‘s Lumina explores the spectrum of light and dark and the murkiness in between. Using swift contrasts between bright, sharp timbres and cloudy textures with dense harmonies, the piece captures sudden bursts of radiance amongst the eeriness of shadows.

Missy Mazzoli‘s Violin Concerto (Procession) features soloist Jennifer Koh as a soothsayer and healer, leading the orchestra through five interconnected healing spells with bold musical courage and chromatic brilliance. From “Procession in a Spiral” referencing medieval processions to the final “Procession Ascending” where the soloist leads the orchestra skyward, this work traverses movements inspired by saints, hymns, and ancient charms for healing, illuminating the rich spectrum of human resilience.

The evening begins with an outdoor Pre-Concert Talk & Community Picnic. No ticket required for the outdoor event.