Classical Music Drifts Among the Roses Monday at the Huntington

Visitors who wander into the Huntington’s Rose Garden on a Monday afternoon this month will catch something unexpected: live classical music drifting through 2,500 rose plants, performed by faculty and students from the Pasadena Conservatory of Music. Spring has arrived early at the historic three-acre garden — the more than 1,300 cultivated rose varieties planted there are at peak bloom — and the conservatory partnership turns an already postcard-quality stroll into a small-scale chamber concert.

The Music in the Rose Garden series runs every Monday afternoon through June 8, with rotating soloists and duos performing on instruments including piano, violin, accordion, cello, and guitar. Performances are free with general admission to the Huntington.

The series began in May 2024, after Tom Carruth, the institution’s E.L. & Ruth B. Shannon Curator of the Rose Collection, visited the Portland Rose Garden and heard live music drifting through the blooms. He approached the Pasadena Conservatory of Music in November 2023 about replicating the experience at the Huntington’s garden, which dates to 1908, when it was created for the private enjoyment of Henry and Arabella Huntington.

“The addition of music in the garden had been mulling in my head for quite a while,” Carruth said in an interview. “Coming into the Rose Garden is a transformative experience for many of our visitors. The addition of music takes them to the next level of enjoyment.”

Performances may be canceled for rain or excessive heat. The Rose Garden is part of the institution’s 130-acre botanical grounds, which include 16 themed gardens.

Music in the Rose Garden will run on Monday, May 11 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. For more information, call (626) 405-2100 or visit huntington.org/event/music-rose-garden. Free with general admission.