Until Aug. 25 | Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival | Sand Harbor
July 6 | Latitude 39 | Truckee
July 12 | Palm Tree Music Festival | Harvey’s
A panoramic range of artistic amusement awaits your exploration in the Tahoe Sierra this summer. If you happened to read the long list of free summer concerts in our Tahoe Music, Events & Festivals Guide in the last edition, you already know how artistically rich this region truly is.
From a Shakespearean battle of the sexes to country music — both classic and modern — totropical EDM festivals, we’ve got it all right here.
And, by the way, the view’s alright, too.
Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival
Actor Grayson Heyl is in Boise, Idaho, for the second run of Shakespeare’s uproarious comedy, “The Merry Wives of Windsor.” What began in Cleveland, Ohio, now arrives on the golden shores of Lake Tahoe for a whirlwind of rehearsals before opening night on July 12. As the lighthearted host of the Gartner Inn, Heyl welcomes theatergoers to the 52nd season of Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival at Sand with performances through Aug. 24.
“The beautiful thing is we get to live in these characters longer than we usually would,” she says. “By the time we get to Lake Tahoe, it’ll be very fun.”
Tradition has it that Shakespeare penned this play rather quickly in 1597 at the behest of Queen Elizabeth I. After seeing “Henry VI: Part I,” she asked the bard to write something where the larger-than-life Sir John Falstaff falls in love.
Read the Tahoe Music, Events & Festivals Guide at YourTahoeGuide.com/live
As the storyline goes, the corpulent, conceited and corrupt character decides to fix his financial woes by wooing the wives of two wealthy merchants. They soon discover he sent identical lettersand take revenge by playing pranks when he comes calling. Wordplay and slapstick comedy abound as women take the upper hand — who knew “ovation” and “ovulation” had separatemeanings?
“It’s a very fun battle of the sexes,” says Heyl. “The characters are wacky, wild and fun. You will laugh.”
The other regular show playing at this summer’s festival is “Always…Patsy Cline,” a touching musical that tells the true story of a short-lived country singer’s friendship with one special fan. Sung through Cline’s many unforgettable hits, this humorous, heartfelt tribute opened on June 28 and runs through Aug. 25. Curtains fall at 7:30 p.m. | laketahoeshakespeare.com.
Latitude 39
Originally from Baton Rouge, La., country singer CJ Solar was 6 years old when he found an old acoustic guitar in his father’s closet and fell in love. He played in local coffee shops and garagebands before going to Belmont University in Nashville to study songwriting.
He’s since coauthored two No. 1 country radio hits: “Up Down” by Morgan Wallen and “Some Girls” by Jameson Rodgers.
“Nashville has a thing where most people get together around 11 a.m., throw ideas at the walland see what anyone likes. I usually like starting with a lyrical idea, seeing how that should feel and running with it,“ says Solar.
On weekends, Solar tours.
“Southern rock, CCR, redneck country–life party songs — that’s the space I live in,” he says. “I’m having a blast and love doing it.”
On July 6 at 4 p.m., he’ll be at McIver Rodeo Arena in Truckee for Latitude 39 — a one-of-a-kind country–music festival organized by Truckee Host Lions Club — with a troupe of Nashville troubadours starring Mark Mackay, Jerrod Niemann, Jeffrey Steele, Tina Parol and Morgan Myles. The show opens with Santa Cruz singer–songwriter Alex Lucero and rising Northern California artists Jack Pavlina and Sequoyah Fox.
Growing up in Williamsport, Penn., Myles learned to play songs by Bonnie Raitt, Eva Cassidy, Sheryl Crow and Susan Tedeschi.
“I’m a soul singer: Americana meets blues and soul,” she says. “I just care about great music and not whatever else is going on.”
Myles left Berklee School of Music for Nashville where she worked for Taylor Swift and Reba McIntire before recording her debut LP, “Therapy.” In 2022, she competed on NBC’s “The Voice” for Camila Cabello’s team and won third place. The following January (17 years into her country music career) she debuted at the Grand Ole Opry to a standing ovation.
“I avoided competitions for years, but it ended up being a good decision. I was able to get so much engagement and the show was super good to me,” she says. “Now, it’s basically time for me to close the door and play catch up.”
This Nashville powerhouse with a five-octave range isn’t just another cookie–cutter country starlet. She’s a woman of experience and grace who channels all the pain, triumph, love, sweat and tears it took to break free of the box the world kept trying to put her in.
“I have to focus on what’s me and what’s my truth,” she says. “In Americana, there’s a real attention to the lyrics — it’s about storytelling.” | latitude39truckee.org
Palm Tree Music Festival
An island-inspired EDM festival is coming to the mountains near you.
Palm Tree Music Festival aims to create an intimate EDM experience by bringing the “dream of the tropics to lush locations around the world.” What began as a lifestyle phenomenon in the Hamptons now arrives in Lake Tahoe with a fresh lineup of global music icons curated by Norwegian DJ Kygo featuring GRYFFIN, Disco Lines, DRAMA Club Set and Vandelux DJ set on July 12 at 6:30 p.m. at Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena at Harveys in Stateline, Nev.
No matter your musical style, a carefree vibe of an endless summer carries on the Tahoe Sierra,one beat at a time. | palmtreemusicfestival.com
Showcase Series at Sand Harbor
- July 15 | Reno Philharmonic Orchestra | Country Hits: Songs from Nashville
- July 22 | Reno Jazz Orchestra | “Fuego” Salsa & Latin Jazz” ft. Edgardo Cambon & Friends
- July 29 | Sierra Nevada Ballet | “Sleeping Beauty: A Fairy’s Tale”
- July 30 | Boney James | The Prim/Preger Jazz Night at Sand Harbor
- Aug. 5 | Reno Philharmonic Orchestra | The Music of Tina Turner
- Aug. 12 & 13 | SOLD OUT
- Aug. 19 | The Who Show
- Aug. 26 | Reno Jazz Orchestra ft. Camille Thurman
