Summer 2025

182 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • S U M M E R 2 0 2 5 The theme for the 2025 festival is “Dialogues,” and the many ways that concept is evoked, especially in a musical setting. “There’s the dia- logue between the musicians and their audience,” says Grete Pedersen, the festival’s artistic director and principal conductor. “What dialogue do we have with the earth? And if you think about a choir or orchestra, a great deal of connection and dialogue is going on in order to make a symphony or a piece of music come alive.” Now in her third season, Pedersen is excited to return to Carmel. “I really look for- ward to coming back. People in Carmel care deeply about the music, but it’s a joy also on a human level in terms of how resi- dents relate with the musicians.” Some performers and concertgoers have been coming for many years and deep friendships have been forged. This year is violinist and member of the festival’s artistic lead- ership Edwin Huizinga’s 20th appearance at the festival. “It’s a mas- sive part of my career,” he says. “I feel that the Carmel Bach Festival is a part of my family.” “I find it very different from the other festivals I’ve attended around the world,” Pedersen adds. “It’s inspirational in the way that musicians come and stay for a month for rehearsals and concerts.Typically, they are at a festival city for just a concert or at best for a few days.”This allows the musicians to bond not only with each other, but with the residents in their host city. Now based in Oslo, Pedersen has accepted a position at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, mak- ing it much easier for her to travel to Carmel. A common misconception about the Carmel Bach Festival is that the musical selections presented are all Bach, all the time. In addition to J.S. Bach, featured composers include Felix Mendelssohn, Igor Stravinsky and Joseph Haydn in the opening concert. The “Dialogues” theme comes to life with this pro- gram “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” melding Stravinsky’s Pulcinella Suite with projected images of Pablo Picasso’s sketches for set designs The 88th Carmel Bach Festival presents over 40 performances with ensembles of various sizes. In addition to Bach, composers include Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven. The beloved Carmel institution dates back to the village’s bohemian art colony days. Of special note is “Scandinavian Traditions” with Huizinga and guitarist William Coulter, a duo known as “Fire & Grace.”