The Sunset Center in Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA, is set to host an impressive array of musical and cultural events from January through March 2025. Spanning genres and showcasing both established and emerging artists, the lineup presents chamber music by the Isidore Quartet and Juilliard Quartet, a piano recital by Jonathan Fournel, the lively Jazz at Lincoln Center's New Orleans Songbook, and orchestral masterpieces featuring Brahms and Beethoven. This rich schedule promises to captivate audiences with its vibrant blend of tradition and innovation.

Sunset Center's Vibrant Lineup: A Musical and Cultural Journey

Sunset Cultural Center is set to become the epicenter of creativity and talent with a series of exhilarating events spanning diverse genres. From the Peking Acrobats captivating students through the Classroom Connections program to the breathtaking orchestral renditions of Brahms' Symphony No. 1, this season promises a rich tapestry of performances. Notable highlights include the legendary Juilliard Quartet, the genre-defying Lyle Lovett, and the rhythmic innovation of Velocity Irish Dance. With artists like Kalani Pe'a and Chris Botti gracing the stage, each event offers a unique glimpse into the world of art and music, leaving audiences inspired and enthralled.

A Cultural Odyssey: Sunset Center's Diverse Lineup of Artistic Events

The Sunset Center in Carmel-by-the-Sea is all set to host a series of captivating performances from February to April 2025. This season promises a fusion of global music, enriching cultural narratives, and dazzling performances from acclaimed artists. From Grammy-winning talents to world-class ensembles, each event aims to celebrate diverse artistic expressions. Whether you're a fan of chamber music, jazz, comedy, or world dance, these events offer something for everyone in an atmosphere that brings art to life.

Sunset Center: A Musical and Cultural Odyssey in Early 2025

The Sunset Center in Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA, is set to host an extraordinary array of artists and performances in 2025. From the legendary sounds of Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Chris Botti to the thought-provoking comedy of Margaret Cho, the year promises to be filled with diverse artistic expressions. Attendees will experience world music with Vieux Farka Touré, the comedic genius of The Second City, and the introspective storytelling of Susan Orlean. This spectacular line-up, featuring global influences and timeless artistry, is a testament to the Sunset Center's reputation as a hub for cultural brilliance.

Unveiling the Sunset Center's 2025 Stellar Line-Up

April at the Sunset Center in Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA, promises a rich tapestry of global sounds and captivating stories. Featuring the Silkroad Ensemble, pianist Anna Fedorova, The Second City comedy tour, Malian singer Vieux Farka Touré, and legendary musician Graham Nash, this month's lineup is a cultural feast. Also, join Susan Orlean for a deep dive into the art of storytelling, and enjoy classical masterpieces with the Haydn Cello Concerto. The lineup concludes with the vibrant Catalyst Quartet and the iconic guitar stylings of Manuel Barrueco, making April an unforgettable month of artistic expression.

Celebrate Global Sounds and Stories: Sunset Center's April Showcase

Discover a captivating series of events at Sunset Center, where diverse musical genres and artistic expressions come alive. From the stunning ensemble performances of the Catalyst Quartet with clarinetist Todd Palmer to the unique bagrock fusion of The Red Hot Chilli Pipers, this season promises an exciting blend of classical, contemporary, and comedic acts. Join us as we explore the virtuosity of Manuel Barrueco's guitar mastery, the orchestral grandeur of Rachmaninoff's piano concerto, and a whimsical twist on fairy tales with 'Disenchanted!'.

A Musical Journey at Sunset Center: From Chamber Music to Bagrock

Since their formation in Atlanta, GA, in 2007, Yacht Rock Revue has wowed audiences with their renditions of classic hits from the '70s and '80s. From the melodies of Steely Dan and Michael McDonald to the harmonies of Hall & Oates, you'll hear all the breezy, laid-back tunes you'd expect on a yacht party in the azures.

Yacht Rock Revue

Sunset Center

New premieres and old favorites define Dance Series 2. Artistic Director Amy Seiwert creates a World Premiere, her 13th ballet for the Company. Trey McIntyre returns to Smuin with the Bay Area premiere of his Wild Sweet Love, an ode to the ups and downs of love set to a range of music from Mendelsohn to Queen. McIntyre's "fertility of invention and modernity of spirit" (The New York Times) is no stranger to Smuin, and we're delighted to add another of his ballets to our repertory. Completing the program is a pair of favorites: Michael Smuin's Rodin-inspired The Eternal Idol, originally choreographed for American Ballet Theatre superstars Cynthia Gregory and Ivan Nagy and Smuin Alum Rex Wheeler's spritely, springy Sinfonietta.

Smuin's Dance Series 2

This concert resonates with the forces of the nature and embraces a deep sense of place. Conductor Jayce Ogren opens with his own composition: Intertidal – an evocation of the wildlife and majesty of the coastline of his native Pacific Northwest. Ottorino Respighi depicts the culture and landscape of Italy's capital city with a pair of powerful tone poems for an enormous orchestra. Fountains of Rome awakens at dawn at the Valle Giulia fountain and conjures the mythical statues of four of the city's famous wellsprings. Pines of Rome travels through the city's outskirts with children playing in the forest, monks chanting in its catacombs, and ranks of soldiers marching along the Appian Way. Sergei Rachmaninoff became Tchaikovsky's heir with his voluptuous Piano Concerto No. 2, a Late Romantic masterpiece anchored by its unforgettable "big tune."

Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto

Not Snow White and her posse of disenchanted princesses, that's for sure! In the hilarious hit musical that's anything but Grimm, the storybook heroines you think you know are none-too-happy with the way their stories have been told. So, they've tossed their tiaras and come to our stage to set the record straight.

Disenchanted! A New Musical Comedy

No, it's not the Red Hot Chili Peppers... it's better! It's The Red Hot Chili Pipers, bringing Bagrock—the groundbreaking fusion of traditional Scottish music with the rock/pop anthems you know and love—to Sunset Center.

The Red Hot Chilli Pipers

The legendary Manuel Barrueco is internationally recognized as one of the most important guitarists of our time. His unique artistry has been continually described as that of a superb instrumentalist and a superior and elegant musician, possessing a seductive sound and uncommon lyrical gifts. During three decades of concertizing, he has performed across the United Sates and in the most important musical centers around the world.

Manuel Barrueco

The Catalyst Quartet, known for "perfect ensemble unity" and "unequaled class of execution" (Lincoln Journal Star),  has toured widely throughout the United States and abroad, including sold-out performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., at Chicago's Harris Theater, Miami's New World Center, and Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall in New York. The quartet has been guest soloists with the Cincinnati Symphony, New Haven Symphony, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Orquesta Filarmónica de Bogotá, and has served as principal players and featured ensemble with the Sphinx Organization's featured ensemble, the Sphinx Virtuosi, on six national tours. They have been invited to perform at important music festivals such as Mainly Mozart in San Diego, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Sitka Music Festival, Juneau Jazz and Classics, Strings Music Festival, and the Grand Canyon Music Festival, where they appear annually. The Catalyst Quartet was ensemble-in-residence at the Vail Dance Festival in 2016 and in the 2021-22 season were in residence with San Francisco Performances where they presented the complete series of works from their Uncovered Project. In 2014, they opened the Festival del Sole in Napa, California with Joshua Bell and participated in England's Aldeburgh Music Foundation String Quartet Residency with two performances in Jubilee Hall. In 2022 the Catalyst Quartet was named ensemble in residence for the Chamber Music Northwest Festival in Portland and for the Met Museum's LiveArts series in NYC.

Catalyst Quartet with Todd Palmer, clarinet

This concert challenges us to hear familiar classical delights with new ears. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's memorable Eine Kleine Nachtmusik ("a little nocturne") is a piece of light entertainment by a staggering musical genius at the height of his power. Franz Joseph Haydn, Mozart's teacher, pushed the technical limits of in his time a relatively new solo instrument in his Cello Concerto in D major. Underrated German composer Franz Schreker's Chamber Symphony is an emotional kaleidoscope of hyper-Romanticism and Modernist harmonies, an evocative representation of a musical culture in transition. The program returns to Mozart with the celebrated overture to his opera The Marriage of Figaro, a comedic romp based on Pierre Beaumarchai's appropriately-titled play "The Crazy Day."

Haydn Cello Concerto

A thought-provoking exploration of the power of storytelling with bestselling author, journalist, and essayist Susan Orlean. Join us Tuesday, April 22, 2025, as she shares observations on what a life in words has taught her about the nature of American character and culture.

The AMERICAN STORYTELLER Edition: a life in words with Susan Orlean

Graham will be joined on stage by Todd Caldwell (keyboards and vocals), Adam Minkoff (bass, drums, guitars, and vocals), and Zach Djanikian (guitars, mandolin, drums, and vocals), performing favorites from across his sixty-year career!

Graham Nash - More Evenings of Songs & Stories

Vieux Farka Touré was born in Niafunké, Mali, in 1981, the son of legendary Malian guitar player Ali Farka Touré. Vieux's self-titled debut album, released by World Village in 2007, pays homage to his father and follows Ali's musical tradition, giving new versions of the West African music that is echoed in American blues. On subsequent records, Vieux branches out and presents his own sound: while remaining true to the roots of his father's music, he uses elements of rock, Latin music, and other African influences.

Vieux Farka Touré

Featuring some of our favorite songs, sketches, and characters from the last 65 years, written by alumni including Catherine O'Hara, Tina Fey, Keegan-Michael Key, Amber Ruffin, Stephen Colbert, Tim Meadows, Bill Murray, Tim Robinson, Joan Rivers, Eugene Levy, Adam McKay and many more, and brought to life by an all-star ensemble, the 65th Anniversary Tour is one for the record books!

The Second City: 65th Anniversary Tour

From an early age, the Ukrainian pianist Anna Fedorova showed an innate musical maturity and amazing technical abilities. Her live recording of Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto has over 37 million views on YouTube and is highly acclaimed by critics and world-renowned musicians. She regularly performs at the world's most prestigious concert halls such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, New York's Carnegie Hall & Lincoln Center, Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, Tonhalle Zürich, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, Bunka Kaikan in Tokyo, and London's Barbican Centre & Royal Albert Hall.

Anna Fedorova

Yo-Yo Ma's brainchild ensemble is bringing the music of the world to Sunset Center!

Silkroad Ensemble: Uplifted Voices

Comedian. Actor. Musician. Advocate. Entrepreneur. Five-time Grammy and Emmy nominee. When hasn't Margaret Cho's strong voice been part of our consciousness? It feels like she has always been here, like a friend you can always count on, lighting the path for other women, other members of underrepresented groups, other performers, to follow.

Margaret Cho: Live & Livid

GRAMMY Award-winning trumpeter Chris Botti has been one of the most popular instrumentalists in the world for nearly three decades. He's collaborated with some of the biggest superstars on the planet, including Sting, Paul Simon, Barbra Streisand, Lady Gaga, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Bette Midler, Joni Mitchell, Steven Tyler, Andrea Bocelli, Herbie Hancock, Yo-Yo Ma, and more. He's topped the jazz charts and earned multiple Gold and Platinum records. He's performed with symphony orchestras and on prestigious stages from Carnegie Hall to the Hollywood Bowl to the Sydney Opera House to our very own Sunset Center in Carmel-by-the-Sea.

Chris Botti

Led by Guinness World Record holder for The Fastest Feet in the World, James Devine, and five-time World Champion Irish dancer, David Geaney, and featuring an old-school scratch DJ, this is Irish tap dance like you've never seen it before. Described by The New York Times as "a multimedia show for all ages, earnestly tracing the evolution of Irish dance while toying with tradition," Velocity Irish Dance is one step you won't want to miss.

Velocity Irish Dance

This is a program of suppressed voices struggling to break free. With Soul Force, contemporary composer Jesse Montgomery pits a solo horn and serene strings against raucous percussion in a sonic drama inspired by the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: "We must respond to physical force with soul force." Two Scandinavians endeavor to establish sovereign identities. Sweden's Edvard Grieg captured the character of fairy-tale adventurer Peer Gynt in his imaginative music to Henrick Ibsen's pioneering play. Finland's Jean Sibelius composed his patriotic tone poem Finlandia in anticipation of his country's fight for independence. In 1806 Ludwig van Beethoven was facing several health crises and crippling physical pain. Yet in that year he produced an astonishing array of works now widely-considered masterpieces – including his titanic Violin Concerto in D Major.

Beethoven Violin Concerto

Acclaimed by international audiences and press for their highly refined, dynamic performances, the Gryphon Trio has firmly established itself as one of the world's preeminent piano trios. For nearly 30 years, the Trio has earned acclaim and impressed international audiences with its highly refined, dynamic, and memorable performances. The Trio's repertoire ranges from traditional to contemporary, and from European classicism to modern-day multimedia. It is committed to redefining chamber music for the 21st century.

Gryphon Trio

Three-time GRAMMY Award Winner Kalani Pe'a is bringing the spirit of Aloha to Sunset Center!

Kalani Pe'a

A singer, composer and actor, Lyle Lovett has broadened the definition of American music in a career that spans 14 albums. Coupled with his gift for storytelling, the Texas-based musician fuses elements of country, swing, jazz, folk, gospel and blues in a convention-defying manner that breaks down barriers.

An Evening with Lyle Lovett and his Acoustic Group

With unparalleled artistry and enduring vigor, the Juilliard String Quartet (JSQ) continues to inspire audiences around the world. Founded in 1946 and hailed by The Boston Globe as "the most important American quartet in history," the ensemble draws on a deep and vital engagement to the classics, while embracing the mission of championing new works, a vibrant combination of the familiar and the daring. Each performance of the Juilliard String Quartet is a unique experience, bringing together the four members' profound understanding, total commitment, and unceasing curiosity in sharing the wonders of the string quartet literature.

Juilliard Quartet

Baroque refrains echo from a glorious brass ensemble in Giovanni Gabrieli's Canzon Septimi Toni No. 2, written while the composer served as organist of Venice's vaunted Basilica San Marco. American maverick Charles Ives asks "the perennial question of existence" in his deeply contemplative The Unanswered Question of 1908, a work that looked far into the musical future. A battery of bells, drums, and wood forges a striking contrast in Avner Dorman's lively new percussion concerto Eternal Rhythm. Johannes Brahms' passionate Symphony No. 1 firmly established the Romantic master as a worthy successor to Beethoven. Brahms' Hungarian Dance No. 5, one of classical music's greatest hits, provides a rousing conclusion.

Brahms Symphony No. 1

Sunset Cultural Center is honored to have this prestigious company participate in our signature Arts Education program, Classroom Connections. By bringing our Sunset Presents artists into local classrooms, this comprehensive program is designed to educate and inspire our local students.

The Peking Acrobats

Get in the Mardi Gras mood with Jazz at Lincoln Center Live on Stage: New Orleans Songbook at Sunset Center!

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Jazz at Lincoln Center Live On Stage: New Orleans Songbook

The Shops at Columbus Circle

French pianist Jonathan Fournel launched his international career in the spring of 2021 when he won the Grand Prize at the prestigious International Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. His playing is distinguished by stunning technique, an ability to summon an extraordinary spectrum of colors, and his balanced mix of exquisite refinement and wild instinct. Jonathan's natural lyricism and the bright clarity of his interpretations illuminate the musical details with a profoundly mature understanding.

Johnathan Fournel

The members of the quartet are violinists Adrian Steele and Phoenix Avalon, violist Devin Moore, and cellist Joshua McClendon. The four began as an ensemble at the Juilliard School, and following a break during the global pandemic reconvened at the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival in the summer of 2021 under the tutelage of Joel Krosnick.  In addition to Mr. Krosnick, the ISQ has coached with Joseph Lin, Astrid Schween, Laurie Smukler, Joseph Kalichstein, Roger Tapping, Misha Amory, Timothy Eddy, Donald Weilerstein, Atar Arad, Robert McDonald, Christoph Richter, Miriam Fried, and Paul Biss.

Isidore Quartet

Sunset Cultural Center is thrilled to announce that our XYZ Comedy series will return to Studio 105 this fall, featuring talent spanning generations X, Y, and Z! This series transforms Studio 105 into the premiere comedy venue on the Monterey Peninsula. Expect to see rising stars celebrated on platforms like Netflix, Comedy Central, HBO, and Showtime in an intimate setting right in the heart of our community. Up next: Lisa Curry on Friday, December 27, at 8pm.

Lisa Curry - XYZ Comedy Series

In 1994, Christine Lavin gathered together the best and brightest singer-songwriters, Folk musicians, and Americana musicians to showcase the music of the winter season on their now-classic record, On A Winter's Night. Individually, these musicians have released dozens of recordings and toured steadily through the decades, with fond memories of their time together. In their reunion tour, see four unparalleled performers, back by popular demand: Patty Larkin, Cliff Eberhardt, John Gorka, and Lucy Kaplansky.

On A Winter's Night

Join us for our annual Community Holiday Party featuring a livestream of Jazz at Lincoln Center's seasonal show, Big Band Holidays!

Community Holiday Party

The Monterey Peninsula Ballet Theatre (MPBT) is thrilled to announce its return to Sunset Center with the 2024 production of The Nutcracker with Monterey's own Tia Brown Rosenblum as Artistic Director. With the hope of exposing students to a professional experience, she collaborated with many gifted choreographers amongst which were peninsula locals and former students. We are delighted to have professional dancers, Samuel Jones and Joey Anderson, join MPBT as our Cavalier, Snow King, and Arabian lead- partnering our talented local dancers: Paige McDonald (Grande Pas and Coda), Lillie Jones (Arabian Lead), and Tes Laflan (Snow Queen). The culmination of such talent and creative energy working with the young people of the area makes MPBT's Nutcracker without equal on the Peninsula! This enchanting story springs to life in keeping with the tradition of Tchaikovsky's original ballet, first performed in San Francisco many years ago.

MPBT Presents: The Nutcracker

Proceeds from this performance will benefit the Big Sur Park School. Exploration and inquiry, awareness of self-and others, and a connection with the natural world are key components of the program. Thank you for your support.

Sunset Center

Jun 12, 2025

Yacht Rock Revue

7 - 8 Jun, 2025

Smuin's Dance Series 2

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