Events

Enjoy a morning of organ music in the historic Carmel Mission Basilica. Performed by Andrew Arthur, the Festival’s Principal Organist and a member of the Artistic Leadership Team, this recital highlights the beauty of Bach’s works as well as works by Heinrich Scheidemann & Georg Böhm.

This program features music by John Dowland, one of the most influential composers of the English Renaissance, marking 400 years since his death. Focusing on his celebrated lute songs, the concert explores themes of love, loss, time, and nature that made Dowland famous throughout Europe.

Step into Paris at the turn of the 18th century, when candlelit salons and royal courts were filled with elegant, expressive music. Works by François Couperin and Jean-Féry Rebel capture the refined beauty, rich harmonies, and vivid character of the French Baroque, offering a glimpse into the sound world of the city alive with new […]

Vivaldi’s Four Seasons is a set of four violin concertos paired with short poems that describe the scenes each movement depicts: birds singing, dogs barking, storms breaking, and people celebrating. Vivaldi brings these images to life with musical details such as trills for birds, a repeating viola line for a dog, droning lines for Summer’s […]

This concert features 19th-century works for fortepiano and mandolino by Beethoven, Hummel, Giuliani, and Carulli. The program highlights the interplay between the two instruments and the elegance of early Romantic chamber music.

The 1920s marked a decade of bold reinvention as composers responded to a rapidly changing world with wit, clarity, and new musical languages. Works by Poulenc, Martinů, and Stravinsky capture the energy of the era—from Parisian surrealism and jazz-inflected dance to the crisp lines of neoclassicism—revealing three distinct voices shaped by the same moment in […]

Baroque music forms the foundation of the Carmel Bach Festival, and this program honors that tradition. J.S. Bach’s Cantata No. 39, Brich dem Hungrigen dein Brot, and Cantata No. 105, Herr, gehe nicht ins Gericht, showcase his mastery of choruses, arias, and recitatives, blending intricate musical craft with profound spiritual and moral themes. Antonio Lotti’s […]

Join us on Wednesdays as we partner with Shea’s Gymnastics Toddlers will learn about the basics of gymnastics through games and movement in this fun and engaging Caregiver & Me program. Recommended for children ages 2-5. Fee: Included with daily admission.

Held at Church in the Forest, a striking venue nestled among the cypress and pine trees of Pebble Beach, this concert features two landmark string quartets: Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 10, the “Harp,” and Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 1, a work that balances classical structure with Romantic intensity.

Get crafty with us on Thursday mornings! Art making plays a central role in cognitive, motor, language, and social-emotional development. Enjoy creative exploration and make something fun to take home, too. Recommended for children ages 2 and older. Fee: Included with daily admission. free admission for members.

This program brings musical worlds together in one exhilarating evening. Festival favorites Fire & Grace—Edwin Huizinga and William Coulter—are joined by mandolin luminaries Mike Marshall, long celebrated for his Brazilian collaborations, and Caterina Lichtenberg. Experience Bach’s brilliance as it meets bluegrass drive and the rhythmic warmth of Brazil.

Please join our very own local celebrity, Miss Sarah Sunshine from It's Circle Time, every Friday from 10:15 to 11:00 at MY Museum. This educational and fun program will include singing, dancing, stories, and much more. It’s Circle Time is a playful learning space where songs, stories, and meaningful connections come together. Designed for young […]

This concert features French composer Joseph Bodin de Boismortier’s cantatas inspired by the seasons, written around the same time as Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. Scored for voice, obbligato instrument, and continuo, they explore music’s ability to depict the changing seasons and the natural world.

Bach Cantatas features two expressive works by J.S. Bach—Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam, BWV 7, and Cantata BWV 187. Rich in theological depth and musical invention, these cantatas showcase Bach’s gift for illuminating text through vibrant choral writing and nuanced instrumental color.

As part of this year’s celebration of the women who shaped Carmel’s architectural legacy, the Carmel Heritage Society and the American Institute of Architects Monterey Bay Chapter invite the community to a special lecture presentation by Alissandra Dramov. Dramov will focus on the various and eclectic female architects, designers, and builders who constructed houses and […]

Jagged Little Pill is a powerful and emotionally charged musical inspired by the iconic album by Alanis Morissette. With a compelling story by Academy Award–winning writer Diablo Cody and music that defined a generation, this groundbreaking show explores the complexities of modern life with raw honesty and unforgettable songs. Set in a seemingly picture-perfect suburban […]

Beethoven subtitled his Pastoral Symphony “Recollections of Country Life”. Each of its five movements depicts a countryside scene. The first movement conveys the calm joy of arriving in the countryside, with gentle, flowing melodies. The second evokes a babbling brook, while woodwinds mimic birdsong. In the third, people dance and celebrate with lively rhythms. The […]

This summer’s epic adventure is for the birds and all about birds! At the urging of George, the Blue Jay, Leonard and Rasmus fly to an oak woodland, meet a dryad named Kaerin, explore the world of birds, and are enlisted to find and rescue Hawk. Leonard implores the creatures around them to set aside […]

Mike Marshall and Caterina Lichtenberg are two of the most compelling voices in the world of mandolin. The two have redefined what the instrument can do and create music that is intricate yet playful, moving effortlessly between classical repertoire, folk traditions, and their own inventive arrangements. There may be no better place to experience it […]

This summer, one of the Central Coast’s most beloved traditions opens its doors once more. The 32nd Annual Carmel House Tour will take place on Saturday, July 18, 2026, from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m., inviting guests into some of the most enchanting and architecturally distinctive homes in Carmel-by-the-Sea. This year’s self-guided tour, themed “Designing Women,” […]

Jagged Little Pill is a powerful and emotionally charged musical inspired by the iconic album by Alanis Morissette. With a compelling story by Academy Award–winning writer Diablo Cody and music that defined a generation, this groundbreaking show explores the complexities of modern life with raw honesty and unforgettable songs. Set in a seemingly picture-perfect suburban […]

MY Museum is turning 29! We are so honored to have served our community for nearly 30 years, and hope to keep doing so for another 30. What do we do when we turn 29? We PARTY like a rock star! We are super excited to have It's Circle Time back at the museum to […]

MY Museum is turning 29! What does that mean? It’s time to party!! We are super excited to have children’s entertainment group It's Circle Time back at the museum to help us celebrate with a live concert. We'll also have face-painting, crafts, and much more! ** Please note: we fully expect this event to sell […]

As part of this year’s celebration of the women who shaped Carmel’s architectural legacy, the Carmel Heritage Society and the American Institute of Architects Monterey Bay Chapter invite the community to a special screening of Julia Morgan, Architect of Dreams, a documentary on the life and work of pioneering architect Julia Morgan. Morgan’s work resonates […]

This program traces how composers use music to explore our deepest responses to the world — grief and wonder, chaos and order, sorrow and joy. The journey begins in darkness and disorder: Purcell’s Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary confronts mortality, while Rebel’s Les Élémens erupts from a single “Chaos” chord, giving form to […]

This candlelit string quartet concert explores musical depictions of nature, from sunrise and weather to birdsong and the infinite, with works by Dittersdorf, Fanny Mendelssohn, Angélica Negrón, and Haydn.

This candlelit string quartet concert explores musical depictions of nature, from sunrise and weather to birdsong and the infinite, with works by Dittersdorf, Fanny Mendelssohn, Angélica Negrón, and Haydn.