John Luther Adams | Sila: The Breath of the World

“In Inuit tradition the spirit that animates all things is Sila, the breath of the world. Sila is the wind and the weather, the forces of nature. But it’s something more. Sila is intelligence. It’s consciousness. It’s our awareness of the world around us, and the world’s awareness of us.” – John Luther Adams

Listening to music indoors, we usually try to ignore the outside world, concentrating our listening on a limited range of sounds. When we listen to music outdoors, instead of limiting our attention, we are challenged to expand our attention. We are invited to receive messages not only from the composer and the performers, but also from the larger world around us.

The monumental work Sila will be performed in Libbey Park, just like the West Coast premiere of Adams’ Inuksuit in 2012. The musicians will be widely dispersed throughout the space and listeners will be encouraged to move around throughout the performance. With no stage, the traditional walls between musicians and listeners disappear, and a new shared experience will be discovered by all.

Bring this mystical and transformative new work by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Luther Adams to Ojai by sponsoring one of the 80 musicians.

Donors of $750 and above to the SILA FUND will receive a commemorative t-shirt and be recognized on the music stand of one of the 80 Sila musicians.

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Sila is a co-commission of the Ojai Music Festival, Ojai at Berkeley, and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.