The creators of Happy Sundays Music Fest have organized Psychedelic Symphony, a one-night-only musical culinary event with a string quartet, immersive light show and Michelin Star dining.
The organizers of Happy Sundays, the Zaferia neighborhood’s free annual music and arts festival, are introducing Psychedelic Symphony, an immersive visual, auditory and culinary event, to Heritage Farm on Feb. 10.
Chosen to fall on the cusp of Valentine’s Day, Psychedelic Symphony is a date night experience that has been in the works since August 2023, with the goal of creating a premium concert in Long Beach unlike anything else.
“We’ve never done anything like this before and we’ve never heard of anything like this before and that’s what is so cool about it,” said Scott Montoya, who is one-half of the Happy Sundays team along with his wife, Julia Kugel Montoya.
Attendees will enjoy a three-course tasting menu and an open beer & wine bar courtesy of Heritage, colorful kaleidoscopic visuals from Mad Alchemy Liquid Light Show, and a musical performance from a string quartet composed of members from the Long Beach Symphony.
Jonah Sirota, Ellen Jung, Allen Hon and Reina Inui from the symphony will be joined on select tracks by Montoya, Kugel-Montoya, Alice Sandahl, and Cole Berliner, who will add an acoustic element to the show. The concert will also feature arrangements from Eyvind Kang, conductor, composer and professor at the California Institute of the Arts.
The night’s romance-laden soundtrack will include the music of suave French pop icon Serge Gainsbourg, the scores of legendary Italian composer Ennio Morricone, and plenty of timeless love ballads.
“We are trying to bring a more European kind of attitude towards this whole thing where [music] is treated with the care and respect it deserves,” Montoya said.
Heritage Farm, the catering/event space with the first and only Michelin Star restaurant in Long Beach, was intentionally selected as the venue due to its intimate 65-person seating capacity.
Montoya says it ensures that “every aspect” of Psychedelic Symphony was Michelin Star quality. Plus, with music receiving more of a disposable treatment in the age of streaming, Montoya wants to provide a memorable musical experience for attendees.
“We are trying to bring a more European kind of attitude towards this whole thing where [music] is treated with the care and respect it deserves.”
Scott Montoya, co-organizer of Psychedelic Symphony.
Similar to Happy Sundays, Montoya sees Psychedelic Symphony as a way for attendees to become more acquainted with local talent and explore new artistic opportunities in the city. He hopes that the event embodies an inviting community feeling and that anyone with an artistic appetite feels compelled to attend.
“[Community] tends to bring people that have different interests and tastes together, and I think that it’s extremely important to be exposed to other art forms and other elevations of food,” Montoya said.
Psychedelic Symphony will take place Saturday, Feb. 10 at Heritage Farm, located at 1336 Gladys Avenue, from 3:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tickets to Psychedelic Symphony are $295 per person and can be purchased on the Heritage website.
