The Chicago River was still sporting its traditional green in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day when Festival Napa Valley made its debut in the Windy City on Thursday, March 21, 2024, with A Taste of Festival Napa Valley in Chicago. The elegant evening took place at The Row Fulton Market, Related’s newest luxury residential development and was part of the Festival’s Olivia Decker Power of Music series as well as the debut of a new partnership, The Art of Life with Related.
Featuring musical performances and a choice selection of Napa Valley wines, the event brought the renowned hospitality of California wine country to a full house gathered in The Row Fulton Market’s Library. The event included a reception featuring wines from Festival partner wineries Darioush, Far Niente, Frank Family Vineyards, JCB, and Raymond Vineyards, and light fare from the appropriately named nearby restaurant, Oakville Grill & Cellar.
The concert featured Broadway singer Christina Maxwell, pianist Rieko Tsuchida, and violinist Sienna Peck. Celebrated Chicago violinist Masha Lakisova opened the concert with an invigorating performance of an excerpt from Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess. Christina Maxwell and Rieko Tsuchida—just returned from a tour with Classical Music Collection Japan—then took the stage with Sienna Peck to perform a selection of songs from iconic films, including “Diamonds are Forever” from the James Bond film of the same name, a stunning rendition of “Shallow” from A Star is Born, and an emotional Joni Mitchell’s famous hit Both Sides Now featured in films like Love, Actually and set to a score of piano and strings.
Guests attending from near and far included Napa Valley vintners Leslie and Rich Frank of Frank Family Vineyards, Far Niente Winery’s Chief Marketing Officer Kate McManus, Festival Napa Valley board member Olivia Decker, Teresa Kepic and Frank Naeymi-Rad, Tobi Shinobi, Festival Napa Valley President Rick Walker and VP of Philanthropy Tessa Edwards, and Related executives Dan Biernacki, Mike Ellch, and Tricia Van Horn.
On March 22, I took the red-eye flight back to San Francisco and spent the day visiting the world-renowned Art Institute of Chicago. I was impressed with the vast Impressionist collection of paintings by Van Gogh, Renoir, Monet, Picasso, Matisse, Caillebotte, Seurat, Chagall, Toulouse-Lautrec, Cezanne, Manet, Degas, Sisley, and Gauguin. I felt I was in Musee d’Orsay in Paris! I also took the magnificent architectural tour of Chicago on the river cruise and saw hundreds of amazing buildings along the Chicago River. I am sharing pictures from more than 200 architectural pictures I took during the cruise. For upcoming concert schedules, please visit the Olivia Decker Power of Music Series (festivalnapavalley.org).