St. Augustine Music Festival - 2025

The largest free classical music festival in the United States, St. Augustine Music Festival (SAMF), presents six live performances at the Cathedral Basilica in June of 2025. Scheduled for two weeks on Fridays through Sundays from June 20 to June 29, 2025, the festival features musicians from the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra and often includes internationally renowned guest artists. This is the festival's 19th season. 

St. Augustine Music Festival

Sponsored by the St. Johns Cultural Council, St. Johns County Tourist Development Council, and the Community Foundation for Northeast Florida, the festival was founded in 2007 by Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra members Jorge A. Peña (viola) and Jin Kim-Peña (cello), who encouraged other orchestra musicians and soloists to participate in the festival.

For more details regarding the St. Augustine Music Festival, please visit here.

Admission: Free.  

When: Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, from Friday, June 20 through Sunday, June 29, at 7:30 p.m.

Where: Concerts are held at the Cathedral Basilica, 38 Cathedral Place in historic downtown St. Augustine, Florida 32084.

The 2025 Concerts

Annual Juneteenth Concert

In addition to the six concerts in their normal season, SAMF presents a concert to honor Juneteenth. Go here to learn about the Thursday, June 19th concert. 

Friday, June 20, at 7:30 p.m. — Season's Best

• Chamber music, featuring violinist Nigel Armstrong. (See program below.)

Saturday, June 21, at 7:30 p.m. — Piano Spectacular\

• Featuring Chelsea Wang on piano. (See program below.)

Sunday, June 22, at 7:30 p.m. — Bach to Mozart

• Featuring Maria Valdes, soprano and Jorge Peña, conductor. (See program below.)

Friday, June 27, at 7:30 p.m. — Celestial Sounds with More Than 100 Voices

• Featuring more than 100 children and youth singers. (See program below.)

Saturday, June 28, at 7:30 p.m. — Perfect Balance and Beauty

• Two pieces for string quartet, and one septet with piano, trumpet, and strings.
• Featuring local composer Alex Cooper. (See program below.)

Sunday, June 29, at 7:30 p.m. — Mozart and More

• Chamber Orchestra (See program below.)

Programs for Each Concert

June 20, 2025, Chamber Music: Season's Best

• Astor Piazzolla: Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, featuring Nigel Armstrong, violin
  • I. Vernao Porteño (Buenos Aires Summer)
  • II. Invierno Porteño (Buenos Aires Winter)
  • III. Primavera Porteña (Buenos Aires Spring)
  • IV. Otoño Porteño (Buenos Aires Autumn)
• Felix Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 8 in D minor/major, MWV N8 (1822)
  • I. Adagio e grave—Allegro
  • II. Adagio
  • III. Menetto—Trio. Presto
  • IV. Allegro molto

June 21, 2025, Piano Spectacular

Featuring pianist Chelsea Wang.

• Claude Debussy: Estampes
  • I. Pagodes
  • II. La soirées fans Grenade
  • III. Jardins sous la pluie
• Frédérick Chopin: Ballade no. 4, F minor
• Intermission
• Maurice Ravel: Valse Nobles et Sentimentales
  • I. Modéré—très franc
  • II. Assez lent—avec une expression intense
  • III. Modéré
  • IV. Assez animé
  • V. Presque lent—dans un sentiment intime
  • VI. Vif
  • VII. Moins Vif
  • VIII. Épilogue:  lent
• Nicolai Kapustine: Variations, op.41

June 22, 2025, Chamber Orchestra: Bach to Mozart

Featuring the soprano Maria Valdes and conductor Jorge Peña.

The orchestra premieres Sinfoietta for String Orchestra, by violinist Piotr Szewczy of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra.

• Anton Webern:  Langsamer Satz
• Johann Sebastian Bach:  Brandenburg Concerto No 1
  • I. Allegro
  • II. Adagio
  • III. Alegro
  • IV. Menuet – Trio I – Menuet da capo – Polacca – Menuet da capo – Trio II – Menuet
• Piotr Szewczy:  Sinfonietta for String Orchestra
  • I. Subdued
  • II. Flowing
  • III. Urgent
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:  Exsultate Jubliate, K.165/158a (1773) featuring Maria Valdes, Soprano
  • I. Allegro. Excultate, jubilate
  • II. Recitativo. Fulget amica dies Andante
  • III. Tu virginum corona
  • IV. Allegro. Alleluja

June 27, 2025, St. Augustine Invitational Choral Festival: Celestial Sounds

Featuring three children's choirs participating in the St. Augustine International Choral Festival. Frampton Sachiko is the pianist, Darren Faile is the artistic director and a conductor, and Josh Pedde is also a conductor for this concert.

• Jacksonville Children's Chorus Touring Choir and Voices of Jacksonville
• The Indianapolis Children's Choir
• The St. Augustine Invitational Choral Youth Choir

Performed by the Jacksonville Children's Chorus Touring Choir and Voices of Jacksonville:

• John Rutter: Magnificat
  • I.         Magnificat anima mea
  • II.        Et exsultavit
  • III.       Quia respexit
  • IV.       Et misericordia
  • V.        Fecit potentiam
  • VI.       Deposuit potentes
  • VII.      Esurientes
  • VIII.     Suscepit Israel
  • IX.       Gloria
• Intermission

Performed by the Jacksonville Children's Choir

• Darla Eshelman: Come Bring Me a Song
• Arr. Audrey Snyder: Rainbow Connection
• Kyle Pederson: Be the Bridge
• Arr. Daniel M. Cason II: Unity

Performed by the St. Augustine Invitational Youth Choir

• Darla Eshelman: The Lord is My Shepherd
• GA Henning: Laudamus Te
• Leeann Starkey: Now is the Time
• Harry Richardson: The Star
• Richard A. Whiting: Where the Orange Blossoms Grow
• Jill Friedersdorf: Uphill
• Rollo Dilworth: I Sing Because I'm Happy

June 28, 2025, Chamber Music: Perfect Balance and Beauty

Featuring local composer, Alex Cooper. Cooper's style blends traditional tonal harmonies and classic structural forms with a narrative-driven sound, characterized by clear themes and expressive, emotionally resonant language.

• Antonín Dvorák: String Quintet in G, Op. 77
  • I. Allegro con fuoco
  • II. Scherzo. Allegro vivace
  • III. Poco andante
  • IV. Finale. Allegro assai
• Giacomo Puccini: "Crisantemi" for string quartet
  • I. Adante Mesto
• Alex Cooper: Rhythmic Colors
• Caroline Shaw: Valencia for String Quartet
• Camille Saint-Saëns: Septet for Piano, Trumpet & Strings Op.65'
  • I. Préambule:  Allegro moderato—Più allegro
  • II. Menuet: Tempo di menuetto moderato
  • III. Intermède:  Andante
  • IV. Gavotte et Final:   Alegro non troppo—Animato

June 29, 2025, Chamber Orchestra: Mozart and More

The program and season concludes with St. Augustine Suite for Chamber Orchestra, composed by Priotr Szewczyk. The piece is presented on the tenth anniversary of its premiere and to honor the 460th anniversary of the founding of St. Augustine.

• Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto for Mandolin, in C major, RV 425
  • I. Allegro
  • II. Largo
  • III. Allegro
• Wolfgan Amadeus Mozart: Symphony 35
  • Introduction
  • I. Allegro con spirito
  • II. Andante
  • III. Menuetto
  • IV. Presto
• Piotor Szewczyk: St. Augustine Suite for Chamber Orchestra
  • I. Timucua
  • II. Atlantic Dreams
  • III. Castillo de San Marcos
• The Lighthouse