The St. Augustine Music Festival (SAMF) returns for its 13th summer season of free classical music concerts in the historic Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine. Six performances are staged over two weekends, (Thursday, Friday, and Saturday), June 20 through 22 and June 27 through 29, with all concerts starting at 7:30 p.m.
Founded in 2007 by Jacksonville musicians Jorge A. Peña and Jin Kim-Peña, the festival welcomes audiences as varied as its concert programs. Classical music “newbies” mingle with seasoned aficionados, true to the festival’s mission to educate, elevate and entertain all through great music, regardless of ability to pay for a ticket. Individual and corporate donors support the festival financially to keep the concerts free to the public.
SAMF creates world-class concerts with professional musicians of the highest caliber. Many of the musicians are members of the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra. SAMF, the largest, free festival of its kind in the United States, has become a beloved summer “must-do” in Northeast Florida’s cultural life. Its concerts have been featured on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today.”
This year’s event will feature Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5 with St. Augustine favorite Nigel Armstrong, the beautiful Adagio for Strings by Samuel Barber, Dmitri Shostakovich’s powerful Chamber Symphony in C Minor, Op. 110a and Arnold Schoenberg’s Transfigured Night.
For more information, visit StAugustineMusicFestival.org. Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine is located at 38 Cathedral Place in downtown St. Augustine. Follow on social media at Instagram @staugmusicfest and Facebook @staugmusicfest
If you are interested in becoming a sponsor or donating to the 2019 season of the St. Augustine Music Festival, please visit StAugustineMusicFestival.org or contact us at SAMFnews4u@gmail.com.
