As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music is preparing a season that asks audiences to consider not only the nation’s history, but its future.
The internationally recognized festival will return to Santa Cruz from July 26 through Aug. 9 with “We the Dreamers,” a two-week exploration of identity, democracy, memory and belonging through the work of some of the world’s leading contemporary composers.
Festival leaders say the season’s title was inspired by both the nation’s semiquincentennial celebration and contemporary debates about who is included in the American story.
“We the Dreamers is both an invitation and a responsibility,” Music Director Cristian Măcelaru said in announcing the season. “At this historic moment, we are asking how music can help us imagine a more expansive ‘we’ — one that listens deeply, embraces complexity and dares to hope.”
The season opens July 31 with “On Freedom,” a program examining the distance between America’s democratic ideals and lived realities.
Among the most anticipated works is the West Coast premiere of Philip Glass’s “Symphony No. 15 Lincoln,” a six-movement work incorporating the words of Abraham Lincoln, including passages from the Emancipation Proclamation and writings on law, democracy and political division. The performance, featuring Grammy Award-winning baritone Zachary James, comes at a moment when questions about civic unity and democratic institutions remain at the forefront of public life.
The concert also includes two world premieres. Composer Vivian Fung will unveil a new work inspired by “The Star-Spangled Banner” and informed by her experiences as a Canadian-American citizen with Chinese family roots. Portuguese composer Pedro Emanuel Pereira’s new Clarinet Concerto, featuring soloist Carlos Ferreira, blends traditional musical influences with contemporary techniques.
The following evening’s concert, “Defiant Dreams,” centers on resistance, cultural continuity and perseverance.
The program opens with Leilehua Lanzilotti’s “of light and stone,” inspired by Hawaii’s “Heavenly Four” monarchs and their role in preserving Native Hawaiian culture. Pianist Alexandra Dariescu will then perform James Lee III’s “Shades of Unbroken Dreams,” a work reflecting on Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech and its enduring call for justice and equality.
A centerpiece of the concert will be the world premiere of a new work by Sarah Hennies, commissioned through the festival’s Creative Lab initiative. Drawing on studies of psychology and cognition, the composition uses the orchestra to explore questions of identity, memory and human consciousness.
The festival’s third major orchestral program, “Control,” takes place Aug. 8 and examines the forces that shape contemporary life.
A highlight will be the world premiere of “Kontrol” by Clarice Assad, a multimedia work combining narration, projections, solo violin and orchestra to investigate the relationship between technology and human autonomy. Violinist Philippe Quint will serve as featured soloist.
The program also includes “Defending Greenwood (Movement III: June 1, 1921)” by Jackson A. Waters, winner of the 2026 Cabrillo Emerging Black Composers Prize. The composition memorializes the Tulsa Race Massacre and seeks to counter historical erasure through music.
Another West Coast premiere, Hannah Ishizaki’s “Spin,” merges elements of Viennese waltz traditions with electronic dance music influences. The concert concludes with the U.S. premiere of Romanian composer Dan Dediu’s “Concerto for Orchestra,” dedicated to Măcelaru and celebrating the artistic partnership between conductor and composer.
The season concludes Aug. 9 with “Hope as Our Banner,” a program focused on resilience, possibility and belonging.
Featured works include Indonesian composer Eunike Tanzil’s “Ascending Creatures,” inspired by the synchronized movement of birds in flight, and Lisa Bielawa’s violin concerto “Pulse,” performed by acclaimed violinist Tessa Lark. Drawing on Appalachian fiddle traditions and contemporary orchestral writing, the work explores themes of shared movement and momentum.
The evening also includes the U.S. premiere of Elena Kats-Chernin’s “Rainbow Promise,” a celebration of marriage equality that reflects on both triumph and struggle, and Sean Shepherd’s “Wanderlust,” a musical meditation on travel, identity and the search for home.
Following the Grand Finale, former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove will present a special performance of original poetry honoring the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr., accompanied by Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings.” The presentation marks the West Coast premiere of the work and serves as a reflective conclusion to the season.
Beyond its headline concerts, the festival continues its longstanding commitment to education and artistic development.
This year’s Conductors/Composers Workshop will bring together four emerging composers — Oswald Huynh, Kai Kubota-Enright, Paul Novak and Zoe Verduin — who will work with resident composers and members of the Festival Orchestra before presenting new works during the workshop’s culminating “In the Works” concert.
The workshop has expanded this year through a partnership with Luna Composition Lab, the national organization founded by composers Missy Mazzoli and Ellen Reid to support young female and nonbinary composers.
The festival will also present its popular free Family Concert on Aug. 2. Led by Conductor-in-Residence Octavio Más-Arocas, the event features Paul Dooley’s interactive “The Conductor’s Spellbook,” Gala Flagello’s fanfare “Bravado,” and opportunities for audiences to learn about orchestral instruments. Students from El Sistema Santa Cruz/Pajaro Valley will also perform alongside festival musicians.
Executive Director D. Riley Nicholson said the festival’s mission extends beyond presenting new music.
“Dreaming isn’t passive,” Nicholson said. “Across orchestral concerts, free public events and community-centered programming, ‘We the Dreamers’ brings together visionary composers, rising voices, performers and audiences in a shared commitment to envisioning futures grounded in equity, curiosity and creative freedom.”
For Santa Cruz County audiences, the season offers a rare opportunity to hear works that are often being performed for the first time anywhere in the world while engaging with artists exploring some of the defining questions of contemporary life.
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The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music runs through Aug. 9 at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, 307 Church St., Santa Cruz. Many events are free and open to the public. Tickets and information are available by calling 831-426-6966.