Mainly Mozart Festival June 23: Lully, Mozart & Strauss at Conrad

The Mainly Mozart All-Star Orchestra Festival continues Tuesday, June 23, 2026 at 7:00 PM at The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center in La Jolla — the fourth concert in the 38th annual festival featuring concertmasters and principal players from North America's top orchestras. Tuesday night's program is built around French and Austrian classicism, with pianist Anton Nel (a Grammy-nominated soloist) performing Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9 — one of the composer's most distinctive early masterpieces.

Under Music Director Michael Francis (a former London Symphony double bassist now also leading The Florida Orchestra and the Deutsche Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz), the All-Star Orchestra delivers a program that traces 250 years of European court music — from Lully writing for Louis XIV to Strauss reimagining the same source material in 1912.

What to Expect

Soloist: Anton Nel, piano

Program:

• Lully — Le Bourgeois gentilhomme, LWV 43
• Mozart — Piano Concerto No. 9 in E-flat Major, K. 271 ("Jenamy")
• Strauss — Le Bourgeois gentilhomme, Op. 60 (Suite)

Pre-concert performance and conversation by pianist Anton Nel and members of the All-Star Orchestra at 6:00 PM in the JAI (included with subscription tickets).

Why This Program Is a Conversation Across Centuries

The June 23 program is one of the festival's most thoughtfully assembled. Two settings of the same source material — Molière's Le Bourgeois gentilhomme — bookend Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9 to create what amounts to a 250-year conversation in European art music.

Jean-Baptiste Lully's original (1670) was incidental music for Molière's comedy, written for the court of Louis XIV. Richard Strauss's 1912 suite reimagines the same play through the lens of late Romantic orchestration — playful, sumptuous, layered.

In between sits Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 9 ("Jenamy"), a 1777 work that broke convention by giving the soloist a lyric entrance in the opening bars — something no concerto had done before. It's one of Mozart's most personal early concertos and remains a favorite of concert pianists.

Anton Nel is the right soloist for this program. He's been a fixture of the Mainly Mozart festival for years, often appearing as both soloist and the host of the pre-concert conversation series — meaning if you arrive at 6:00 PM, you'll hear him talk through the music before performing it.

When and Where

Tuesday, June 23, 2026 at 7:00 PM (pre-concert performance at 6:00 PM)

Location: The Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center — 7600 Fay Avenue, La Jolla, CA 92037

The concert takes place in Baker-Baum Concert Hall, the Conrad's premier performance space.

Who It's For

• Classical music fans who appreciate thoughtfully curated programs (this one is exceptionally well-structured)
• Mozart enthusiasts — the "Jenamy" concerto is a fan favorite among Mozart's piano concertos
• Anyone interested in 17th–20th century French music — the Lully/Strauss pairing is unusual and worth hearing live
• Concertgoers who can't make Opening Night — Tuesday is one of the most distinctive programs of the festival

Pricing and Tickets

Single tickets: $68–$155

Festival packages available: 6-concert, 4-concert, and 2-concert packages with discounted pricing.

Buy tickets at mainlymozart.org/allstar →

Or call (619) 239-0100.

Good to Know

• Pre-concert event at 6:00 PM in the JAI — included with subscription tickets, Anton Nel hosts
• The Conrad is in the heart of La Jolla Village — make a full evening of it with dinner before the show
• Parking in La Jolla Village fills early; the Wall Street public garage is the best paid option
• The festival runs through June 27 — if Tuesday's program speaks to you, the upcoming concerts feature James Ehnes (Grammy-winning violinist) on June 25 and a Closing Night gala at the UC San Diego Epstein Family Amphitheater on June 27

For more events happening in San Diego this week, check out our full weekly events guide or browse our La Jolla neighborhood page.