2025 Program Guide | Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music

CABRILLO MUSIC.ORG 11 In 1975, Santa Cruz became the first smaller city to convene an LGBTQIA Pride event in the nation. Santa Cruz is remarkable in its forward-thinking inclusiveness and activism, and it is apt for the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music to celebrate this half century milestone through commissions, community partnerships, featured composers, exhibits in the lobby, and a colorful spirit that we take with us this and every season. Queer icons of contemporary music have been synonymous with the Festival from its very inception: Co-founder Lou Harrison’s joyful activism and his unmatched creatively and polymath artistry; Marin Alsop’s foundational impact and revolutionary focus on female and diverse composers; and a plethora of other voices who have not only shaped the Festival but new music as we know it today. Many will remember Leonard Bernstein’s Mass in 1999; or some may even remember Aaron Copland attending as composer in residence in 1978 with his gracious and gentile spirit. Then there are composers like John Corigliano and Jennifer Higdon who have not only shaped our past, but continue to shape this season and the future itself! The list goes on, including countless orchestra musicians and guest artists who continue to invaluably contribute to the power of our music and the impact of our community. The music performed may or may not have been about the queer experience; regardless, artistic expression can only reach its highest potential when artists are given freedom to be their full authentic selves. Creating safe spaces and celebrating the full chroma of the human experience has been something that Santa Cruz audiences have proudly empowered decade after decade, enabling the fertile ground that the Festival cultivates. Santa Cruz is uniquely the right soil for our music, and our roots run deep because of the beauty of Santa Cruz, the open hearts and open minds, and the desire for intellectual rigor matched with the laidback assuredness of our coastal community. Visit our Lou Harrison Shrine in the Civic Auditorium lobby, reverently capturing snapshots of his personal and creative life, with letters, photos, scores, artwork, and ephemera. Pay homage and warmly remember his immeasurable impact on music, on the Festival, and on our hearts. QUEER TRAILBLAZERS In the lobby you’ll also find the Queer Liberation Quilt created by local youth for the recent Threads of Love exhibit, a collaboration between the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History and the Diversity Center. Learn more about the vital advocacy and services the Diversity Center provides here: For more information on the dynamic local history of the LGBTQIA community, we invite you to visit Queer Santa Cruz at the Museum of Art and History or the virtual exhibit online. Lou Harrison & John Cage at the Festival, 1977 Marin Alsop & Lou Harrison Special thanks to sponsor Reggie McLain for generously making our lobby exhibits possible and our celebration of Pride beautiful.