SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL 2026
Summer Music Festival 2026
June 2, 9, 16 and 23
Concert Begins at 7:30 p.m.
Reception Follows
Season Tickets are available for purchase online (below) or at the door.
Individual Concerts are $20 and are available for purchase at the door the night of each concert.
June 2 – Elegant Artistry: Music for Flute & Harp
Composers have been writing music for flute and harp for centuries! Flutist Wendy Isaac Bergin and harpist Elizabeth Brownlee have prepared a program of Masque Dances from the English Renaissance at the time of Elizabeth I, a sonata by Boismortier, a French Baroque composer during the reign of Louis XV, and a Classical sonata by Friedrich Wilhelm Rust. To celebrate the 250th anniversary of our Republic, they will perform Adolphus Hailstork’s “The Pied Piper of Harlem,” and several well-known American and Appalachian folk tunes. When the concert is over, you will still be humming the irresistible melodies of this varied and striking program.
June 9 - Journey: Beside Still Waters
BonaVox, an a cappella vocal group, returns with beloved favorites and a first look at exciting new music for the coming season. The eight singers will present Journey: Beside Still Waters, a celebration of five centuries of choral music — joyful, searching, hopeful, alive. Their varied program will include choral selections ranging from the Renaissance to the Classical period, and American favorites from the Sacred Harp. Homegrown in South Louisiana, BonaVox is on a mission to bring world-class choral music home — making it accessible, building something lasting, and rooting it right here in the heart of this community. As they enter their next season, BonaVox is exploring water and words, geographic and linguistic separation and how both elements can also bind a community. www.bonavoxswla.org
June 16 – Tuba Skinny
Tuba Skinny has released twelve albums and toured all over the world. They’ve attracted a wide variety of fans, young and old, neophytes and niche-enthusiasts, with the strength of their musicianship and the scope of their jazz and American roots music catalog. The band is composed of Shaye Cohn (cornet), Barnabus Jones (trombone), Todd Burdick (tuba), Craig Flory (clarinet), Gregory Sherman (guitar and vocals), Max Bien-Kahn (banjo), Robin Rapuzzi (washboard), and Erika Lewis (vocals and bass drum). World-class interpreters of traditional jazz, they’ve branched out into jug band music, spirituals, country blues, string band music, ragtime, and New Orleans R&B. Their approach is a true reflection of Americana, encompassing the full genealogy of popular American music from an early 20th century perspective. And they still continue to play in the streets! Shaye says, “We get to play for everyone: old, young, rich, poor, people from all walks of life. It keeps things interesting because it’s organic and unpredictable.”
June 23 – A Taste of HOPERA
HOPERA, Houston's new innovative opera company brings a refreshing twist to the classical music scene with its mission to fuse craft beverages and craft music in perfect harmony. Founded in 2023 on the principles of empowering local artists and making opera more accessible, HOPERA curates quality, casual performances in vibrant spaces where Houstonians love to gather -- and now in Lake Charles! HOPERA is not just a music experience; it's a celebration of community and creativity, challenging outdated notions of classical music. Join founders Megan Berti, mezzo soprano, and soprano Brennan Blankenship to enjoy original English-language arrangements of classic operas, the way they perform them in local craft breweries. You will hear the familiar tunes you love turned on their head with exciting and modernized English texts, and maybe walk away with some new melodies to hum between sips of a tasty brew. With selections from Bizet's Carmen, Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, Mozart's Impresario and Così fan tutte, plus some bonus teasers for what our upcoming season has in store...come get a taste of what a night at the brewery can sound like!
