The Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music, America’s longest running festival of new orchestral music, celebrates its 56th season July 29 – August 12, 2018. The 56th season kicks off with Maestro Cristian Măcelaru leading the Festival Orchestra in works by composers Huang Ruo, Zosha di Castri, Pande Shahov and Dan Dediu.

Receiving its US premiere is award-winning Canadian composer Zosha di Castri’s Dear Life. Featuring the sensational soprano Mary Mackenzie, Dear Life is based on a semi-autobiographical short story by Nobel Prize-winner Alice Munro, and is a reflection on memory, childhood, and the formative stages of life. It features recorded narration by legendary actor Martha Henry, who gives a chilling reading of a distilled adaptation of the story by writer Merilyn Simonds.