Arts & Entertainment

Musica Angelica 2025-26 Season

Musica Angelica, Southern California’s acclaimed Baroque orchestra, announced its 2025–26 season: a stirring farewell to Artistic Director Martin Haselböck, whose 22-year leadership transformed the ensemble into a national and international force in historically-informed performance.

The four-concert season features rich, expressive repertoire spanning the golden eras of Italian, German and sacred music, including Haselböck’s final interpretation of Bach’s monumental St. Matthew Passion. Performances will take place at First Congregational Church of Long Beach (and First Congregational Church of Los Angeles.

2025–26 CONCERT SEASON

Programming is subject to change.

A sweeping journey through four centuries of Italy’s musical brilliance, from Renaissance polyphony to the grandeur of high Baroque.

Saturday, Oct. 18, 7:30 p.m., First Congregational Church of Long Beach

Sunday, Oct. 19, 3 p.m., First Congregational Church of Los Angeles (Sanctuary)

Festive, elegant and deeply joyful, this holiday program highlights the rich seasonal traditions of Germany’s Baroque masters.

Saturday, Dec. 20, 7:30 p.m., First Congregational Church of Long Beach

Sunday, Dec. 21, 3 p.m., First Congregational Church of Los Angeles (Shatto Chapel)

An intimate and expressive concert centered on one of the Baroque era’s most poetic instruments, featuring solo and ensemble works that showcase its warm, human voice.

Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, 7:30 p.m., First Congregational Church of Long Beach

Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, 3 p.m., First Congregational Church of Los Angeles (Shatto Chapel)

Johann Sebastian Bach’s towering masterpiece, conducted for the final time by Martin Haselböck as Artistic Director of Musica Angelica. A farewell concert of extraordinary emotional power.

Saturday, March 28, 2026, – St. Matthew Passion, 6 p.m., First Congregational Church of Long Beach

Sunday, March 29, 2026, 3 p.m., First Congregational Church of Long Beach – Sanctuary

This season will mark a historic finale for Martin Haselböck. Since taking the helm in 2003, Martin Haselböck has shaped Musica Angelica’s artistic identity, bringing European authenticity, stylistic rigor and interpretive passion to every performance. Under his leadership, the ensemble has toured internationally and collaborated with major institutions including LA Opera, Long Beach Opera, Pacific Chorale and the LA Master Chorale.

This season serves as a tribute to his legacy – a chance for audiences to experience the depth and elegance that have defined more than two decades of musical excellence.

Season subscriptions range from $169–$337. Visit www.musicaangelica.org or call the box office at (562) 276-0865 to reserve tickets.

Musica Angelica is Southern California’s leading Baroque orchestra, known for performances on period instruments that are both historically accurate and artistically daring. Founded in 1993 and now in its 33rd season, the ensemble continues to inspire audiences through expressive programming, innovative collaborations and world-class musicianship.

New Blues Festival

The New Blues Festival IX makes its triumphant return to Shoreline Aquatic Park, 200 Aquarium Way, Saturday, Aug. 23 and Sunday, Aug. 24.

Info: (707) 57-BLUES or visit newbluesfestival.com.

The 2025 lineup features A-List performers including international superstar guitarist, Ana Popovic; blues-rock guitar ace Dennis Jones Band; SoCal favorites, Laurie Morvan Band and The Delgado Brothers; and more acts to be announced shortly. Food, art and crafts vendors will be in attendance, as per the norm at all the past New Blues Festivals.

The New Blues Festival (NBF) is the largest blues event in Los Angeles County California, the most populous county in California. This will be our ninth festival overall, with two having taken place in other cities, including Huntington Beach.

NBF creates, produces and promotes these music festivals featuring traditional and contemporary blues music on two stages. A main stage featuring international and national touring acts and a second stage featuring regional and local acts. Food, beverage and craft vendors as well as business and public information booths will be available.

“There is a long tradition of music and blues music performance in the greater Long Beach area. In fact, we are creating a museum to celebrate this great history and contribution to popular music worldwide,” says Bill Grisolia, NBF promoter/creator and himself a longtime musician. “It’s important to understand a little about the history of the Blues festival in this town. The initial one began in 1980 and ran more or less for 27 years, becoming the second-longest-running blues festival in California history.

“One of the founders of that festival broke off and, for ten years, did a separate annual blues festival. So, for ten years, there were two annual blues festivals in Long Beach. The original one became a fixture at California State University, Long Beach, which owns the radio station KJAZZ, which has one of the largest blues broadcast audiences in Southern California for the past 50 years.

“After this great tradition,” continues Grisolia, “there came for a variety of reasons a pause. There were no longer blues festivals in Long Beach, which was a great cultural loss. I began the New Blues Festival as an offshoot of my then-band, the New Blues Revolution – believing in the pent-up, inter-generational demand for such a show in LB.

“For the first New Blues Festival, recalls Grisolia, I thought maybe I’d get 500 to 1,000 people. We ended up with approximately 1,800 paid tickets, thus proving the thesis. The New Blues Festival has gone on to entertain thousands upon thousands of people, presenting appearances by young and old artists before they win Grammy’s and other notable awards.

“For example, it is extremely rewarding to find a talent like Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram and bring him here as a teenager and then he goes on to win a Grammy award. The same is true at the other end of the spectrum, having booked nonagenarian Bobby Rush here in the later stages of his career, while he’s gone on to win three Grammy awards. These are a few examples of the many fabulous talented performances that we’ve been blessed with to bring to the greater Long Beach area.

“International star Ana Popovic will return to New Blues Festival to headline this year,” says Grisolia. “It should be pointed out that her last festival appearance here in 2017 generated a real cultural phenomenon. A Facebook live video of Ana‘s last performance has been seen by almost 1,500,000 people. Ana‘s career has continued to advance; we are beyond excited to bring her back to Long Beach.

“New Blues Festival this year has also booked a variety of other notable talent, including the Dennis Jones Band, who garnered the Rising Star Award here a few years back. Jones has since gone on to be nominated at the Blues Music Awards, continuing to get growing national recognition and tour internationally.