The Festival-Institute's public educational programs promote music, forums, exhibitions, research and preservation. The unique resources of the Festival-Institute Museum and Library Collections have been open to the public by appointment since 1985. Amidst rolling, verdant hills, the Festival-Institute combines architecture, gardens and landscaping, to for the perfect backdrop for the Institute's distinguished performances, study and educational forums. The Festival-Institute was founded in 1971 and continues to grow and development at the forefront of excellence in all of its endeavors.

The Festival-Institute's two-hundred-acre campus contains several historic houses and buildings and maintains a research center which has renowned collections of music, art, architecture, decorative arts, rare books and manuscripts. The 1,000 seat Festival Concert Hall with its hand-crafted wooden interior is the focal point of the campus. It houses the William C. Wiederhold Music Library, the Art and Architecture Library and Art Collection, and galleries for the David W. Guion Americana Collection and the Anders and Josephine Oxehufwud Swedish Collection. Historic structures moved to and restored on the campus include the 1883 Edythe Bates Old Chapel, the 1884 William Lockhart Clayton House and the 1902 C. A. Menke House. The renowned facilities host the major summer Festival-Institute concerts as well as the annual "August to April" series of concerts and forums. In addition the facilities are a popular destination for a wide range of conferences and retreats.