49th Sunriver Music Festival announces 2026 dates and American Composers Program

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- The 49th annual Sunriver Music Festival is scheduled to take place Aug. 10-20, 2026, in Bend and Sunriver. Artistic Director and Conductor Brett Mitchell curated the upcoming summer season to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States.

The 2026 programming features works by American composers alongside classical favorites. The repertoire includes music by Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, William Grant Still, Joan Tower, Kevin Puts, Edgar Meyer and John Williams, as well as compositions by Beethoven, Bach, Mozart, Haydn, Schumann and Mendelssohn.

The summer festival is scheduled to open Aug. 10 at the historic Great Hall at Sunriver Resort. The Ten-day event will conclude Aug. 20 at the Tower Theatre in downtown Bend. The program includes four classical concerts, a pops concert and a family concert.

Several featured artists will perform during the season, including pianist Michelle Cann and violinists William Hagen and Tessa Lark. Other scheduled performers include bass-baritone Timothy Jones and the Central Oregon Mastersingers.

Before the summer festival, Artistic Director and Conductor Mitchell will perform a solo piano recital on April 11 in Sunriver. Mitchell, a Steinway Artist, maintains a YouTube channel where he shares original solo piano videos of film history cues and classical works. The recital will feature his original arrangements of iconic movie music.

Tickets for the April 11 recital are priced at $50 for adults and $25 for those 25 and under. A special VIP experience is available for $90, which includes the concert and an intimate post-performance reception with Mitchell. The reception will offer wine and light fare and only 40 VIP tickets are available for the event.

A broadcast of the 2025 Opening Night Classical Concert, titled "A French Soirée," will air on KWAX on April 2.