Jazz Icon Wynton Marsalis Headlines Festival Napa Valley’s 20th Anniversary Arts for All Gala, July 12, 2026

NAPA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Festival Napa Valley is celebrating 20 years of music, joy, and generosity, and who better to help mark the milestone than jazz legend Wynton Marsalis? The acclaimed trumpeter, composer, and American cultural ambassador will headline the Arts for All Gala on Sunday, July 12, 2026, at the stunning Oakville estate of Nickel & Nickel, part of Far Niente Wine Estates.

Crowning the opening weekend of the Festival’s 20^th Anniversary Summer Season, the Gala is one of the nation's premier fundraisers for education and the arts. Since its founding, the event has raised over $33 million to support youth, seniors, and families through music and wellness programs, free and affordable concerts, and scholarships, bringing the transformative power of music to communities across the region.

“Wynton Marsalis is an extraordinary artist whose work embodies excellence, integrity, and music’s ability to unite,” said Mary Beth Shimmon, Gala Chair, alongside her husband, Festival board member David Shimmon. “Celebrating our 20^th Anniversary with Wynton honors the Festival’s legacy, affirms its enduring commitment to artistry with purpose, and promises a Gala our guests will long remember.”

For more than four decades, Marsalis has played a defining role in shaping the global musical landscape. He has released over 130 recordings, composed hundreds of works, and serves as Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Director of Jazz Studies at The Juilliard School, and President of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation.

Gala guests will enjoy an artfully composed multi-course dinner by acclaimed chef Dustin Valette, chef-owner of Valette and The Matheson in Healdsburg. Each course will be paired with exceptional wines from Far Niente Wine Estates, highlighting the elegance and range of the Estates’ celebrated portfolio. The evening continues with the return of celebrity auctioneer Lydia Fenet, who will lead the signature live auction of once-in-a-lifetime travel adventures, bespoke performing arts experiences, highly collectible wines, and more.

Reservations are now open to Festival Passport and Opening Weekend Patron Pass holders, and table sponsors. A limited number of individual passes will be released in spring 2026. For information, visit www.festivalnapavalley.org/calendar/2026-arts-for-all-gala/ or call 707-927-3874.

Festival Napa Valley’s 20^th Anniversary Summer Season takes place July 4-19, 2026, at venues throughout Napa Valley. Visit www.festivalnapavalley.org.

About Wynton Marsalis

Wynton Marsalis is a world-renowned trumpeter, bandleader, composer, and advocate of American culture. Born to a musical family in New Orleans in 1961, he began performing jazz and classical trumpet music from an early age. In 1980, upon moving to New York to attend The Juilliard School, Marsalis launched his career as a member of the legendary group, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers.

In the decades since, he has rekindled widespread interest in jazz through performances, educational initiatives, books, curricula, and public advocacy. Marsalis has released 130 recordings and composed hundreds of original pieces for symphony orchestra, jazz big band and small group, and chamber music ensembles. He has performed in 858 cities and 65 countries across the globe.

Marsalis is the recipient of 41 honorary degrees and numerous awards, and in 2001 was appointed a UN Messenger of Peace. He has received some of the world’s highest honors for the arts, including the National Medal of Arts (USA, 2005), Chevalier de la Légion d’honneur (France, 2009), National Humanities Medal (USA, 2016), and the Praemium Imperiale for Music (Japan, 2023).

He serves as Managing and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Director of Jazz Studies at The Juilliard School, and President of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation. He continues to inspire new generations of musicians and audiences through his performances, recordings, compositions, and educational initiatives.

About Chef Dustin Valette

Sonoma County native Chef Dustin Valette trained at Thomas Keller's Bouchon and as executive sous chef at Michelin-starred Aqua. After six years as Executive Chef at Dry Creek Kitchen, he opened Valette (2015) and The Matheson (2021), both Michelin-recognized with Wine Spectator Awards, plus Valette Wines whose 2021 and 2022 Cabernets earned perfect 100-point scores.

About Far Niente Wine Estates and Nickel & Nickel Winery

Far Niente Wine Estates and its single vineyard, single varietal pioneer, Nickel & Nickel, represent a legacy of excellence and stewardship that spans over 135 years, uniting wines and vineyards under a unified vision of artistry, integrity, and community. Nickel & Nickel, founded in 1997, is dedicated to crafting single-vineyard, single-varietal Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay wines that embody Far Niente Wine Estate’s winemaking philosophy of quality, precision, and passion while encouraging discovery. One of the first to focus exclusively on single-vineyard, single-varietal wines, Nickel & Nickel set a new standard for showcasing the individuality of Napa Valley’s most exceptional vineyard sites. For more information, please visit www.FarNiente.com.

About Festival Napa Valley

Festival Napa Valley champions the power of music to enrich the human experience and create a thriving, healthy, and engaged community. www.festivalnapavalley.org