The Mainstage concerts programming consists of a wide range of national and international musicians working in contemporary classical, indie, world music, jazz, electronic and (most interestingly) unnamed genres, and finds the places where these musical cultures interact. These programs highlight the work of both established masters and give a platform and launching pad to emerging composers and performers.

The Festival’s free concerts feature creative local musicians from across genres presented in the most accessible way in a variety of public spaces with a spirit of community-minded openness. The range of musicians spans creative up-and-coming rock bands, DIY instrument builders, folk musicians from a variety of traditions around the world, forward-looking jazz musicians, and more. These concerts are curated in such a way to allow large audiences to hear as a variety of music, and to encourage them to make connections between the music and rethink their assumptions about music.