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Founded in 2009 by Maestro Lorin Maazel and Dietlinde Turban Maazel, the Castleton Festival introduced classical music, theatre, and opera to the rolling hills of Rappahannock County.

Castleton has been a life-changing experience for over 3,000 participants. Set in one of the most beautiful areas of Virginia, Castleton’s performances take place at the Theatre House: a former chicken coop for 15,000 hens converted to a “mini-Globe” European-style theatre with one of the finest acoustics in the world.

There are four primary themes to Castleton’s present activities:

  • Castleton in Residency (CiR): one- to four-week Residencies for Artists of the highest caliber furthering their collaborative work and artistic growth. Artists are invited based on outstanding talent. In line with Maestro Maazel’s ethos, they are proactively encouraged to take risks and to challenge their artistic boundaries. The opportunity to fully immerse in the Maestro’s Legacy, his home, his music library, and his composing studio, together with performing in the Theatre House and experiencing the bucolic surroundings, imbues the artists with inspiration. Residencies to date have exceeded all expectations culminating in numerous recordings, some available via streaming on Castleton’s website.
  • Castleton in Mentorship (CiM): Artists in Residence are encouraged to make time available to teach Master Classes to high potential students from the local community. The Artists are also invited to bring their own students to participate in the unique experience.
  • Castleton in Conversation (CiC): In collaboration with Daniel Lelchuk’s Talking Beats podcast, Castleton offers a new series which engages an extraordinary diversity of guests such as writers, musicians, scientists, entertainers, and thinkers in captivating and spirited dialogue. The common link between all is a passion for music.
  • Castleton in Performance (CiP), a year-round series, offers a multicultural experience. This thematically diverse series of recitals, chamber music, jazz, world music, theatre, chamber opera, and dance, brings internationally acclaimed artists into our own backyard. Eminent performers have included Mstislav Rostropovich, José Carreras, Itzhak Perlman, Emanuel Ax, Sir James Galway, Wynton Marsalis, Pepe Romero, Alec Baldwin, and Claire Bloom.