Great Music, Intimate Spaces
Laguna Beach Music Festival hosts some of the world’s foremost artists along with the next generation of star performers in a week of concerts and events in intimate spaces, bringing artists and audience together for meaningful interaction and discovery.

Bringing Music (and Audiences) to Laguna
Laguna Beach Music Festival is a week-long event in scenic Laguna Beach, California.
Co-presented by Laguna Beach Live! and the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, the Festival draws from across Southern California and beyond, although it is firmly rooted in the arts-aware community of Laguna Beach.

Festival Concerts at Laguna Playhouse
Key to the Festival are concerts in the intimate 420-seat Laguna Playhouse, in the village of Laguna Beach within easy walking distance of restaurants, galleries, shops and hotels. 

Special Events & Lifelong Learning

Key to any successful festival is the opportunity to share new experiences with friends and fellow music lovers, in social settings shaped to enhance their enjoyment and understanding of the music. The Festival’s commitment to lifelong learning makes possile meet-the-artist events, salons, open rehearsals, and lively discussions, while local schoolchildren encounter live music in the schools during Festival week.   These programs capture the spirit of the Festival, blurring the lines between artist and audience, professional and amateur.

Festival Alumni, 2003-2012
2003/ Claude Frank, piano, with The Calder Quartet and Trio Movado.  2004/ Bruno Canino, piano, with the Biava Quartet and Orion Wind Quintet.  2005/ Christopher O'Riley, piano.  2006/ Edgar Meyer, bass, with special guest Mike Marshall, mandolin.  2007/ The Ahn Trio with special guests David Benoit Trio and composers David Benoit, Paul Chihara, Fernando Otero and Nguyen Le.  2008/ Turtle Island Quartet and Enso Quartet with composer Karim Al-Zand and Stefon Harris.  2009/ Lynn Harrell, cello, with Victor Asuncion, piano, and Colburn String Quartet.  2010/ Composer Paul Chihara and filmmaker Greg MacGillivray with The Claremont Trio, Maria Bachmann, violin, Jon Klibonoff, piano, Claire Chase, flute, and guest composers Donald Crockett, Pamela Madsen and Sharon Farber.  2011/ Brooklyn Rider, Kayhan Kalhor, kamencheh, Kojiro Umezaki, shakuhachi, Kelsey Blumenthal, violin, Elicia Silverstein, violin, Christopher Zack, viola, Mindy Pak, cello, Robin Kesselman, double bass.  2012/ Joshua Bell, violin, Edgar Meyer, double bass, Sam Haywood, piano, Calder Quartet, Calidore Quartet.

Festival Board Directors
Judith Jelinek and Lauren Packard, co-chairs
Chimo Arnold
Diane Arnold
John Benecke
Jane Grier
Steve Gromet
Anita Halton
Joan Halvajian
Ron Harris
Vince (Tim) Le Pore
Pamela Madsen
Alex Maradudin
Pat Morgan
Nancy Posch
Carol Reynolds
Sharon Tetrault
Sheila Woodward

Dean Corey
president & artistic director
Philharmonic Society of Orange County

Lucinda Prewitt
president and executive director
Laguna Beach Live!

Sandy Robertson
festival director