Grammy Award-winning conductor-composer Teddy Abrams is set to embark on his twelfth season as Music Director of the Louisville Orchestra (LO), where he has been the galvanizing force behind the ensemble’s extraordinary artistic renewal and innovative social impact. He was chosen as Musical America’s 2022 Conductor of the Year, and his work has been profiled by CBS Sunday Morning, PBS NewsHour, NPR, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times, which hails him as a “maestro of the people” who “has embedded himself in his community, breaking the mold of modern conductors.”
Beyond Louisville, Abrams has conducted the Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Cincinnati, Houston, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Vancouver, and Phoenix Symphonies; the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra; the Buffalo and Los Angeles Philharmonics; Carnegie Hall’s NYO2; and the Minnesota, Florida, and Sarasota Orchestras, all in North America, as well as the Helsinki and Luxembourg Philharmonics and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra in Europe. He returns to the Minnesota Orchestra and makes debuts with the Atlanta Symphony, Nashville Symphony, Ottawa’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, and London’s BBC Symphony Orchestra in the 2025-26 season.
As Musical America observes, “Abrams has put Louisville firmly on the musical map.” Among his manifold achievements in Kentucky are the Louisville Orchestra Creators Corps, a trailblazing initiative that provides a fully funded residency for three composers who receive local housing, a salary, health benefits, and dedicated workspaces, and the In Harmony Tour, a multi-season, grand-scale community-building project funded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Taking the orchestra to all corners of the state for concerts and special community events, this statewide tour has featured performances with Grammy winners Michael Cleveland & Flamekeeper, violinist Tessa Lark, and mandolin virtuoso Chris Thile. Highlights of the coming season include the world premiere of Lisa Bielawa’s Violin Concerto, a new LO commission; an all-Hungarian program showcasing Yuja Wangin Ligeti’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra; a gala concert featuring Itzhak Perlman; new music from the Creators Corps’ fourth season; the continuation of the In Harmony Tour; and performances of Mahler’s epic Ninth Symphony.
Abrams is a prolific and award-winning composer, whose music embraces influences from across the stylistic spectrum. He has written numerous works for the Louisville Orchestra, including Mammoth, premiered with Yo-Yo Ma and Davóne Tines at Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave National Park; Unified Field, a ballet presented with the Louisville Ballet; a fanfare for the then-Prince Charles, to commemorate the future king’s visit to Louisville; and a piano concerto for Yuja Wang, which they recorded for The American Project, the Deutsche Grammophon album that won the pianist and himself a Grammy Award. Other recordings of Abrams’s music include his own interpretation of Preludes, his piano collection inspired by Bartók’s Mikrokosmos, which was released by New Amsterdam Records in 2025. Abrams is currently working on an orchestral representation of Kentucky’s history and culture as part of his Emerson Collective Fellowship, which recognizes his contributions to building local community through music. Intended for performance by the LO, the new work draws on the community sessions he holds across the state, for music-making, storytelling, and sharing local history with fellow Kentuckians. He is also at work on ALI, a new Broadway musical about boxing legend and activist Muhammad Ali. Abrams first began exploring Ali’s life and legacy in 2016, and the LO premiered his rap opera, The Greatest: Muhammad Ali, the following year. The all-star cast featured Rhiannon Giddens, Jubilant Sykes, and activist-musician Jecorey “1200” Arthur, now one of Louisville’s Metro councilmen, with whom Abrams went on to found the Louisville Orchestra Rap School.
The rap opera is just one of the adventurous collaborations Abrams has initiated with prominent Louisville locals. He and the LO recently joined Jack Harlow for back-to-back performances of the Billboard Music Award-winning rapper’s greatest hits. With Jim James, the vocalist and guitarist for My Morning Jacket, Abrams composed the song cycle The Order of Nature, which they premiered with the LO, reprised with the National Symphony Orchestra at Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center, and recorded for Decca Gold. Similarly, with singer-songwriter Storm Large, Abrams and the LO recorded All In, a celebration of American music by Cole Porter, Aaron Copland, and Abrams and Large themselves, also for release on Decca Gold.
In a new, season-long role as the Aspen Institute Arts Program’s 2025-26 Harman/Eisner Artist-in-Residence, Abrams will offer his artistic vision to policy programs, events, leadership activities, and more in Aspen, New York, Washington D.C., and elsewhere. In summer 2023, he concluded his decade-long tenure as Music Director and Conductor of Oregon’s Britt Festival Orchestra. As well as helming its annual three-week festival of concerts, he led the orchestra on tour in the Pacific Northwest with new works including Pulitzer Prize-winner Caroline Shaw’s experiential Brush, written for their summer 2021 performances on the Jacksonville Woodlands Trail system; and Michael Gordon’s Natural History. Their world premiere performance of Gordon’s work, presented in partnership with the National Park Service at the edge of Crater Lake National Park, was the subject of the PBS documentary Symphony for Nature. Abrams previously served as Assistant Conductor of the Detroit Symphony (2012–14), as Resident Conductor of Hungary’s MAV Symphony Orchestra (2011–12), and as Conducting Fellow and Assistant Conductor of Miami’s New World Symphony (2008–11).
TEDDY ABRAMS NAMED ARTISTIC AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE OJAI MUSIC FESTIVALEFFECTIVE SEPTEMBER 1, 2026
ARA GUZELIMIAN CONTINUES AS ARTISTIC AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THROUGH THE 2026 FESTIVAL WITH MUSIC DIRECTOR ESA-PEKKA SALONEN
(Ojai, CA – September 10, 2025) – Ojai Music Festival Board Chairman Jerry Eberhardt announced today the appointment of conductor/composer/pianist Teddy Abrams as Ojai’s next Artistic and Executive Director effective September 1, 2026, with his first Festival being the 81st Festival in June 2027. He will join the ranks of such distinguished predecessors as Ara Guzelimian, who concludes his tenure with the 2026 Festival, Thomas W. Morris, Ernest Fleischmann, and Lawrence Morton. Mr. Abrams’ collaboration with the Ojai Music Festival will be concurrent with his post as Music Director of the Louisville Orchestra.
“Teddy Abrams is one of today’s most striking ambassadors for the impact the arts can have on building community. His artistic sensibilities, collegial spirit, and boundless energy position him as the ideal leader for the Ojai Music Festival as it enters its eighth decade,” said Mr. Eberhardt. “My Board colleagues and I have complete confidence that Teddy will build on the Festival’s momentum and will continue to meet the expectations of our celebrated, supremely adventurous audiences and to provide the platform for our growing family of the world’s most inventive artists to experiment and grow. With the resounding success of Teddy’s work to increase access and build community through music, we know he will help advance the Festival’s commitment to reach across generations and to engage with the very heart of the Ojai community and throughout the region. As we anticipate the 80th anniversary of this glorious Festival, we feel boundless gratitude for Ara Guzelimian’s generous, steady leadership, and we welcome Teddy as we look toward the future.”
Teddy Abrams said, “The Ojai Music Festival is one of the brightest lights in the music world today. The Festival has always seemed like a magical and mythical beacon for me – this was where my mentor, Michael Tilson Thomas conducted in his early career (in addition to his own mentor, Ingolf Dahl); it is where Copland and Stravinsky shared their work, and it is the place that has brought to life the dreams of many of the greatest musicians of the past 80 years. The Ojai Music Festival represents creativity, adventure, and daring, all of which are the hardwired values of the Festival and its exceptionally loyal audiences; these are my deepest values too.”
“It is an overwhelming honor to join the Ojai family as Artistic and Executive Director. I believe the Festival has consistently offered the world a glimpse into the future of music, and the Festival’s programming provides music lovers an opportunity to experience what is possible when creative inspiration is met with an affirmation. So much of this is due to the brilliance of Ojai’s many extraordinary leaders, including this most recent period of growth and success with Ara at the helm. I can’t wait to continue Ojai’s legacy of dreaming big, challenging the music world to think differently, and presenting art that brings the world to Ojai and Ojai to the world,” continued Mr. Abrams.
Ara Guzelimian commented, “This was a deeply considered decision by Ojai’s wonderful Board, led by a most experienced and knowledgeable succession committee. I greatly admire what Teddy has achieved at the Louisville Orchestra and look forward to seeing and to hearing all that he will bring to this new role. I will do all I can to assure a seamless transition and wish Teddy and this singular Festival every success in the years to come.”
Now in his twelfth season as Music Director of the Louisville Orchestra, Teddy Abrams has been the galvanizing force behind the ensemble’s extraordinary artistic renewal and innovative social impact. Among his manifold achievements with the Orchestra are the Creators Corps, a trailblazing initiative that provides a fully funded residency for three composers who receive local housing, a salary, health benefits, and dedicated workspaces, the In Harmony tour, a multi-season, grand-scale community-building project funded by the Commonwealth of Kentucky that takes the Louisville Orchestra to urban and rural areas across the state, and recordings including a Grammy-Award winning album for Deutsche Grammophon featuring his own piano concerto written for Yuja Wang, one of nine works he has written for the orchestra. He was chosen as Musical America’s 2022 Conductor of the Year, and his work has been profiled by CBS Sunday Morning, PBSNewsHour, NPR, The New Yorker, The Wall Street Journal, and TheNew York Times,which hails him as a “maestro of the people” who “has embedded himself in his community, breaking the mold of modern conductors.”
Mr. Abrams is a passionate advocate for the music of today, having commissioned and/or premiered works by over 40 composers including, Caroline Shaw, Gabriel Kahane, Mason Bates, Christopher Cerrone, Andrew Norman, Angélica Negrón, Timo Andres, Julia Wolfe, Valerie Coleman, Michael Gordon, Lera Auerbach, Chris Thile, Tyshawn Sorey, and Joel Thompson. A cornerstone of his work in Kentucky is the Louisville Orchestra’s Creators Corps, which has welcomed 11 composers into the program thus far, resulting in more than 30 new works by composers Alex Berko, Lisa Bielawa, TJ Cole, Baldwin Giang, Anthony R. Green, Brittany Green, Oswald Huỳnh, Chelsea Komschlies, Kiru Okoye, Tanner Porter, and Tyler Taylor. Recognized for his commitment to making music accessible and to deepening community connections, he currently serves as the Aspen Institute Arts Program’s Harman/Eisner Artist in Residence, a platform which invites Mr. Abrams to lend his perspective in addressing major social and civic issues.
In May 2025, Mr. Guzelimian announced his intention to step away from Ojai, which allowed for an extensive national search for his successor. Prior to this most recent six-year collaboration with the Festival (2020 – 2026), with Music Directors John Adams, AMOC (American Modern Opera Company), Rhiannon Giddens, Mitsuko Uchida, Claire Chase, and Esa-Pekka Salonen, he was Ojai’s Artistic Director from 1992 to 1997, working closely with Music Directors Pierre Boulez, John Adams, Kent Nagano, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Emanuel Ax. All told, Mr. Guzelimian will have shaped Ojai’s artistic direction for 12 years when he concludes his tenure from the Festival following the 80th Festival in June 2026.
The Ojai Music Festival and Ara Guzelimian will share details for the upcoming 2026 Festival (June 11-14, 2026) with Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen in the fall of 2025. Teddy Abrams The winner of a Grammy Award and Musical America’s 2022 Conductor of the Year, Teddy Abrams has been the galvanizing force behind the Louisville Orchestra’s extraordinary artistic renewal and innovative social impact since his appointment as Music Director in September 2014. His Kentucky achievements include acclaimed programs such as the Louisville Orchestra Creators Corps and the In Harmony Tour, and adventurous collaborations with artists including Jim James, Jack Harlow, Storm Large, and Jecorey “1200” Arthur, with whom Mr. Abrams founded the Louisville Orchestra Rap School. He collaborates regularly in Louisville and elsewhere with the leading artists of our time including Yo-Yo Ma, Yuja Wang, and Chris Thile.
Mr. Abrams’ guest conducting activities take him across the country, with regular appearances with the Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Cincinnati, National, Houston, Indianapolis, Milwaukee Symphonies, the Buffalo and Los Angeles Philharmonics; the Minnesota Orchestra; and at the Ravinia and Aspen Music Festivals. He was Music Director and Conductor of the Britt Festival Orchestra from 2013 to 2023. In Europe, he has conducted the Helsinki and Luxembourg Philharmonics and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. He makes debuts with the Atlanta Symphony, Nashville Symphony, Ottawa’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, and London’s BBC Symphony Orchestra in the 2025-26 season.
Teddy Abrams is an award-winning composer, whose recent compositions for the Louisville Orchestra include a piano concerto for Yuja Wang, which they recorded for Deutsche Grammophon’s The American Project, winning the pianist and himself a Grammy Award; Mammoth, premiered with Yo-Yo Ma and Davóne Tines at Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave National Park; and his rap opera, The Greatest: Muhammad Ali. His recording of his piano collection Preludes was released on New Amsterdam Records in 2025. He is now at work on a Broadway musical, ALI, and an orchestral history of the state of Kentucky. For additional bio information, visit OjaiFestival.org/Teddy-Abrams-Bio.
Ojai Music Festival The Ojai Music Festival represents an ideal of adventurous, open-minded, and openhearted programming in the most beautiful and welcoming settings, with audiences and artists to match its aspirations. Now in its 80th year, the Festival remains a creative laboratory for thought-provoking musical experiences, bringing together innovative artists and curious audiences in an intimate, idyllic outdoor setting. Each Festival’s narrative is guided by a different Music Director, whose distinctive perspectives shape programming — ensuring energized festivals year after year.
Throughout each year, the Ojai Music Festival contributes to Southern California’s cultural landscape with in-person and online programming as well as robust educational offerings that serve thousands of public-school students and seniors. The organization’s apex is the world-renowned Festival, which takes place over four days in Ojai, a breathtaking valley 75 miles from Los Angeles, which is a perennial platform for the fresh and unexpected. During the immersive experience, a mingling of the most curious take part in concerts, symposia, free community events, and social gatherings. The intimate Festival weekend, considered a highlight of the international summer music season, welcomes up to 5,000 patrons and reaches exponentially more audiences worldwide through streaming and broadcasts of concerts and discussions throughout the year.
Since its founding in 1947, the Ojai Music Festival has presented expansive programming in unusual ways with an eclectic mix of new and rarely performed music, as well as refreshing juxtapositions of musical styles. Through its signature structure of the Artistic Director appointing a different Music Director each year, Ojai has presented a “who’s who” of music including Mitsuko Uchida, Rhiannon Giddens, AMOC (American Modern Opera Company), Vijay Iyer, Patricia Kopatchinskaja, and Barbara Hannigan in recent years; throughout its history, featured artists have included Aaron Copland, Igor Stravinsky, Michael Tilson Thomas, Kent Nagano, Pierre Boulez, John Adams, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Robert Spano, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, David Robertson, Eighth Blackbird, George Benjamin, Dawn Upshaw, Leif Ove Andsnes, Mark Morris, Jeremy Denk, Steven Schick, Matthias Pintscher, and Peter Sellars.
80th Festival: June 11 – 14, 2026 Composer/Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen returns to the Ojai Music Festival to serve as Music Director for the 80th Festival, June 11 to 14, 2026. Joining him as featured artists will be clarinetist Anthony McGill, Attacca Quartet, the Colburn Orchestra, and LA Phil New Music Group. Esa-Pekka Salonen is one of the most inventive, adventurous thinkers of 21st-century musical life. The unique format of the Ojai Music Festival will give him an unusually free creative hand as both composer and conductor.
“As an intern for the Ojai Music Festival, you become a messenger for the organization’s purpose: to dare the audience to be innovative listeners of new music. The office staff and other interns become your mentors and family for the duration of your internship experience. Working with like-minded people creates the perfect atmosphere for discussion and pushes you to be your best creative self.”
Emily Persinko, San Diego State University, Ojai Alum 2016-2018
“I had an incredible experience as an intern and got a first-hand look at what life as a stage manager and concert producer is like, and knew exactly what I wanted to do as a career! Shortly after the internship, using the skills I gained and my experience working with high-level artists, I secured several professional stage managing and artist liaison gigs in Santa Barbara. After graduating, I secured a position at Pacific Symphony in Irvine, CA, working as a production manager in their Youth Ensembles program. I am also grateful to have returned to Ojai every year since as a permanent member of the production team! The skills I picked up from my time at Ojai have been a huge influence on my professional career and I am forever grateful for that opportunity!”
Jonathan Bergeron, University of California Santa Barbara, Production Fellow 2021
“If you want to grow your interpersonal skills, understand the music industry, and learn more about contemporary music, this is a really great experience.”
“Traveling from the other side of the country, I had no idea what to expect when I arrived in Ojai. My expectations were far exceeded as I was welcomed by the kindest and most embracing community, one that puts music and the arts at the very center of their lives. In just two short weeks, I made friendships that I know will last a lifetime, all while growing my skills in ways that will stay with me as I begin my career. Beyond the festival, Ojai taught me so much about connection, community, and myself, and I look forward to the day I can come back.“
Christian Galoppe, Kennesaw State University, Intern Alum, 2025
“It is exciting to see modern music and a large audience interested in new things. I enjoyed hearing such versatile musicians. Nice balance of density of events. I learned so much!”
“The Ojai Music Festival was an amazing experience. I met great people, listened to fabulous music, and learned about the ins and outs of putting on a music festival. Having a team of interns to hang out with throughout the days was a bonus highlight of my experience. All of the people working with OMF were kindhearted and nice. This experience was extremely rewarding. I learned a lot while I interned at the Ojai Music Festival and can’t wait for next year!!”
Lizzy Tepaske, University of California Santa Barbara, Ojai Alum 2021
In the Fall of 2023, we rolled out a new feature for our subscribers: Patron Portal. Like many other organizations, Patron Portal gives you the ability to log into your own account with Ojai Music Festival and see a detailed history of your ticket orders, donations, membership statuses, and more, such as:
Keep us up-to-date with changes to your information more easily
Receive special access to presale and occational discounts for ticketed events
Festival Family Donors receive special opportunities and ticket access according to giving level
View your seating assignment simply by logging into your portal
If you have been a subscriber since 2018 and have consented to receive email communications from the Ojai Festival, you should have received an invite to your email address on file. The email would contain instructions for setting up your account. If you don’t see the invite in your inbox, please search your spam folder. You can always contact our box office for questions.
If you forgot your password, click the “forgot password” option on the Portal login screen. Choosing this option will send you a password reset email. If you’re still having trouble, please contact the box office to reset your password.
Tickets and donations must be linked to a single person’s first and last name, not your household name. If you are part of a household with another person, that ticket or donation information might be linked to that person’s contact. If you have any questions about your ticket history or donations, please contact the box office.
Our favorite pre-Festival tradition returns with our Virtual Ojai Talks. At Virtual Talks, we get an inside look at the creative process with Festival composers, artists, innovators, and musical thinkers. Virtual Talks are free and open to the musically curious!
PAST TALKS
Violinist Leila Josefowicz
WED March 18 @ 5:30PM PT on Zoom
Leila Josefowicz, who makes her OMF debut this June, is celebrated for her passionate advocacy for contemporary music for the violin. Over the years, she has worked closely with many of today’s most compelling composers, including Esa-Pekka Salonen, John Adams, Oliver Knussens, helping to bring new works to audiences worldwide.
Join Artistic and Executive Director Ara Guzelimian and Leila for a conversation about what draws her to new music and the collaborative process behind it.
In celebration of the Ojai Festival’s Eight Decades of Discovery, Creativity, and Community, we welcome back John Adams as our special guest for our Virtual Ojai Talks. With Ara, John will share some of his favorite Festival memories as both composer and conductor, as we look forward to hearing his music at the 2026 Festival led by their good friend Esa-Pekka Salonen.
Ojai Music Festival presents Tesserae Baroque‘s program Meera Kahe. The concert features a new work by Reena Esmail, setting the Hindi texts of 16th-century saint-poet Mirabai. The ensemble—baroque violin, flute, cello, harpsichord—joins Hindustani vocalist Saili Oak and tabla player Rohit Panchakshari.
The program also features French Baroque selections by Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre and François Couperin, plus a solo Hindustani vocal set by Saili Oak with tabla accompaniment.
We invite ticket holders to arrive at 3:30PMfor garden tours of the Krotona Institute Garden, over 100 acres of natural beauty, and light refreshments.
Described as ‘mighty yet nimble’ (San Diego Story), Tesserae Baroque is quickly emerging as one of the most exciting and versatile period instrument ensembles in the US, receiving invitations to perform across the US. Past highlights include Tesserae’s performance of Handel and Rameau under the direction of Christophe Rousset, performances of Palestrina with Folger Consort and Stile Antico at the National Cathedral, a performance of the Monteverdi Vespers under the direction of Stephen Stubbs, and a 27-person performance of works by Giovanni Gabrieli, featuring Bruce Dickey. Most recently, Tesserae joined forces with Colburn Baroque to perform music by Hasse, Zelenka and Pisendel under the direction of Rachael Podger.
Tesserae has performed for San Francisco Early Music Society, Arizona Early Music Festival, and the Corona del Mar Baroque Festival. Tesserae is the resident ensemble for Cal Poly Bach Week.
Reena Esmail’s music weaves together the traditions of Hindustani and Western classical music, drawing musicians from many perspectives into shared creative spaces.
Esmail divides her attention evenly between orchestral, chamber and choral work. She has written commissions for ensembles including the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Seattle Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra and San Francisco Symphony and her music has featured on multiple Grammy-nominated albums, including The Singing Guitar by Conspirare, BRUITS by Imani Winds, and Healing Modes by Brooklyn Rider. Many of her choral works are published by Oxford University Press, and her piece TaReKiTa has sold over 100,000 copies worldwide.
Esa-Pekka Salonen is renowned as both a composer and conductor. He was recently named Creative Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, effective 2026–27, and Creativity and Innovation Chair of the Philharmonie de Paris and Principal Conductor of the Orchestre de Paris, effective 2027–28. He is the Conductor Laureate of the Philharmonia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, and formerly served as Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony. He is a faculty member at Los Angeles’s Colburn School, where he founded and directs the Negaunee Conducting Program. Salonen co-founded, and until 2018 served as the Artistic Director of, the annual Baltic Sea Festival.
The Grammy Award-winning Attacca Quartet is recognized as one of today’s most versatile and forward-thinking ensembles. From classical masterworks to contemporary collaborations, they redefine what a string quartet can be.
Now in its 22nd season, the Colburn Orchestra is the flagship ensemble of the Colburn Conservatory of Music. Under the direction of Music Director Yehuda Gilad, the Colburn Orchestra performs across Southern California. Dedicated to serving the greater Los Angeles community, the Colburn Orchestra performs for schools in neighboring communities every year, giving five concerts in a one-week period to school children of all ages.
L.A. Dance Project is a non-profit dance company under the Artistic Direction of Benjamin Millepied. Founded in 2012, they opened the doors to their studio and performance space in Los Angeles’ downtown arts district in 2017. Their mission is to explore the boundaries of movement, creativity, and expression.
The idea for a new music ensemble dedicated to introducing Los Angeles audiences to rising composers was a dream of Ernest Fleischmann’s. Since the first concert in 1981, the LA Phil New Music Group has performed works by some of the sharpest minds in composition.
Jay Campbell is a cellist actively exploring a wide range of creative music. He has been recognized for approaching both old and new music with the same curiosity and commitment, and his performances have been called “electrifying” by The New York Times and “gentle, poignant, and deeply moving” by the Washington Post.
Praised as “an artist who leads with musical intelligence and technical assurance,” (La scena musicale), Canadian soprano Bridget Esler is currently a young artist at the Opéra de Montréal’s Atelier lyrique. Bridget has performed across Canada, Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States with ensembles including the London Symphony Orchestra, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and the Tanglewood Music Center Orchestra.
Praised for his “silken tenor” (Opera News), Eric Finbarr Carey enters the 2025/2026 fall season with a slate of debuts and return engagements. He makes his French debut in a new production of Händel’s Der Messias with Opéra de Limoges, sings Testo in Monteverdi’s Il Combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda with Catapult Opera, and appears as soloist in Britten’s Les Illuminations with the Handel Society of Dartmouth.
Puerto Rican baritone Abdiel Gonzalez has been praised for his “rich, lush baritone” and for having a “superb voice, which commanded the stage.” He has been a concert soloist under the batons of Gustavo Dudamel, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Grant Gershon, to name a few. He has traveled the world singing, including Taiwan, where he performed the role of Gaston in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.
Pianist Conor Hanick is regarded as one of his generation’s most inquisitive interpreters of music new and old whose “technical refinement, color, crispness and wondrous variety of articulation benefit works by any master,” (The New York Times).
Jonathan Hepfer is a percussionist, conductor, and concert curator. He began playing classical music at age seventeen after discovering the work of John Cage while studying at SUNY Buffalo. Subsequently, Jonathan attended Oberlin Conservatory, UC San Diego and the Musikhochschule Freiburg (on a DAAD fellowship) where he studied with Michael Rosen, Steven Schick and Bernhard Wulff.
Leila Josefowicz’s passionate advocacy of contemporary music for the violin is reflected in her diverse programs and enthusiasm for performing new works. A favorite of living composers, Josefowicz has premiered many concertos, including those by Colin Matthews, Luca Francesconi, John Adams, and Esa-Pekka Salonen, all written especially for her.
Described as a “modern renaissance man,” (Over the Mountain Journal) Grammy® nominated pianist Aron Kallay’s playing has been called “exquisite…every sound sounded considered, alive, worthy of our wonder” (LA Times). “Perhaps Los Angeles’ most versatile keyboardist,” (LaOpus) Aron has been praised as possessing “that special blend of intellect, emotion, and overt physicality that makes even the thorniest scores simply leap from the page into the listeners laps.” (KPFK)
New Zealand-born violinist Geneva Lewis has forged a reputation as a musician of consummate artistry whose performances speak from and to the heart. Lauded for “remarkable mastery of her instrument” (CVNC) and hailed as “clearly one to watch” (Musical America).
Rose Lombardo was appointed Principal Flute of the San Diego Symphony in 2011 at the age of 23. At the time, she was in her second year of graduate studies with Jim Walker at the Colburn School Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles and graduated with a Professional Studies Certificate. Previously, Ms. Lombardo earned a Bachelor of Music degree from The Juilliard School where she studied with Jeffrey Khaner.
Clarinetist Anthony McGill, praised for his “trademark brilliance, penetrating sound and rich character” (The New York Times), is one of classical music’s most recognizable and multifaceted figures. He serves as Principal Clarinet of the New York Philharmonic—the first African-American principal in the orchestra’s history—and enjoys a dynamic solo and chamber music career.
Praised for her ‘infectious energy’ and elegant phrasing, Aleksandra Melaniuk is a conductor particularly drawn to repertoire shaped by folk influences and marked by strong dramatic character and vivid orchestral colour. She currently serves as a Salonen Conducting Fellow in the Negaunee Conducting Program at the Colburn School and the San Francisco Symphony.
Todd Moellenberg is a pianist and artist based in Los Angeles. He specializes in both classical and contemporary repertoire, and has been featured in performances with Piano Spheres, Monday Evening Concerts, Wild Up, Hear Now, Brightwork, Los Angeles Philharmonic, People Inside Electronics, PARTCH Ensemble, The Industry, and actress Laverne Cox. He has worked closely with composers Chaya Czernowin, Roger Reynolds, Yiheng Yvonne Wu, Rand Steiger, Bunita Marcus, Thomas Meadowcroft and Xavier Beteta, with recordings released on Deutsche Grammophon, Sideband, and Petrichor.
Grammy-nominated pianist John Novacek regularly tours the Americas, Europe, and Asia as both soloist and chamber musician. The current season includes concerto performances with the Mexico City Philharmonic, Austin Symphony Orchestra, Springfield (MA) Symphony Orchestra, National Academy Orchestra of Canada, Traverse (MI) Symphony Orchestra, Vista Philharmonic (Groton, MA), Anderson (IN) Symphony Orchestra, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, and the orchestras of Colorado College Summer Music Festival, Festival Mozaic and the Mendocino Music Festival.
Acclaimed for her “staggering virtuosity,” Hanzhi Wang is the only accordionist to ever win a place on the roster of Young Concert Artists in its 60-year history. An ambassador for her instrument, Hanzhi has been praised for her captivating stage presence and performances that display passion and finesse.
German-Turkish musician Mert Yalniz is recognized as one of the most compelling artistic voices of his generation. Active as a conductor, pianist, and composer, he unites technical brilliance with artistic depth and an interdisciplinary perspective. With this versatility, he is increasingly establishing himself on the international classical music stage.
Composer, conductor, and creative thinker – John Adams occupies a unique position in the world of American music. His works, both operatic and symphonic, stand out among contemporary classical compositions for their depth of expression, brilliance of sound, and the profoundly humanist nature of their themes. Over the past 45 years, Adams’s music has played a decisive role in turning the tide of contemporary musical aesthetics away from academic modernism and toward a more expansive, expressive language, entirely characteristic of his New World surroundings.
Gabriella Smith is a composer whose work invites listeners to find joy in climate action. Her music comes from a love of play, exploring new instrumental sounds, and creating musical arcs that transport audiences into sonic landscapes inspired by the natural world. An “outright sensation” (LA Times), her music “exudes inventiveness with a welcoming personality, rousing energy and torrents of joy” (NY Times).
Enjoy this gallery from both weeks of the 2025 BRAVO Art & Music Camp, just one of the many BRAVO Education & Community Programs that serve children and adults throughout the Ojai Valley.
Jamie Bennett at last year’s 2024 Festival. Photo credit: Timothy Teague
Dear Ojai Festival friends,
We began the summer with the sad news of the passing of Jamie Bennett, a key figure in the Festival’s recent history as both a Board member and, for five years, our President and CEO. Jamie was a treasured friend to many in our extended Festival community in both Los Angeles and Ojai, bringing the same immediacy and warmth to all, whether they were of long-standing history or recent acquaintance.
Jamie brought a wealth of professional expertise from his many years in media and non-profit management, working for organizations such as the Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc), Disney, and CBS where his time included a term as General Manager of KCBS-TV. Jamie came to the Festival first as a Board member and then took a staff leadership role as President and CEO from 2015 until 2020, helping to navigate the complicated early days of the pandemic and that year’s online Festival. Happily, for all of us, he returned to the Board after his work as CEO and remained deeply engaged in all dimensions of the Festival’s progress. He remained active until his last days, making calls, and sending helpful notes to the end.
I first met Jamie at the beginning of my return as Artistic and Executive Director in 2020. He was extremely helpful in providing grounding and much information to get me started. He was also an extraordinary ambassador to the Festival with his natural knack for putting people together. I have numerous rewarding recent friendships that began with Jamie saying, “You should meet this person, I think you would like them.” He was right in each case. His devotion to community in both his home cities of Los Angeles and Ojai led to his generous involvement in many worthy civic organizations and causes. We will miss him.
Claire Chase and Pan participants at the opening night concert. Photo Credit: Timothy Teague 2025
Savoring the Festival
I have been traveling extensively for both professional and personal reasons in the weeks following the Festival, which has given me the time, distance, and perspective to reflect on our wonderful time together in June. There are so many memories and experiences that remain in such sharp focus. We can relive the Libbey Bowl concerts by way of our treasure-trove archive of livestreams on demand:
Patrons walking in the Ojai Meadows Preserve. Photo Credit: Timothy Teague 2025
One of my favorite newer Festival traditions is that of our free Morning Meditations, which this year took place in the atmospheric Chaparral Auditorium as well as most memorably at the Ojai Meadows Preserve in an extremely happy and fruitful collaboration with the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy. My OVLC colleagues and I watched with delight as several hundred people streamed into the grove of trees with mountain panoramas as backdrop.
Joshua Rubin playing with composer Tania León listening behind him. Photo Credit: Timothy Teague 2025
The morning began with Susie Ibarra’s Sunbird, originally a multi-tracked solo flute piece for Claire Chase, here specially arranged for the occasion for four players – Claire, Joshua Rubin, Michael Matsuno, and M.A. Tiesenga.
Although the complex logistics prevent livestreams of these early morning concerts, we can find some of the works on recordings by the same artists. Here is the original flute version of Sunbird for us to savor:
The next day, the Sunday morning meditation at Chaparral ended in a mesmerizing way with Anna Thorvaldsdottir’s Sola, played by violist Leilehua Lanzilotti. Happily, Leilehua’s studio recording of the work allows all of us to hear it.
We will continue to revisit some special moments of this past June throughout the summer even as we focus work on planning the 2026 Festival with Esa-Pekka Salonen, which will be our 80th Anniversary. Because of the June timing of the Festival, our fiscal year ends on August 31. Like so many of our colleagues in arts organizations, we are facing significant financial challenges with reductions or even elimination of arts funding in our ever-changing national landscape. We hugely thank our devoted supporters and ask those have not yet done so to consider making a gift prior to August 31 to help us close out what has been a most rewarding year artistically. We need all of you!
The Ojai Holiday Home Tour & Market (HHTM) is a beloved seasonal celebration that blends festive charm with local creativity. Tour four beautifully decorated Ojai homes, each offering a unique take on holiday style, then head to Libbey Park for the open-air Holiday Market—featuring handmade goods, artisan gifts, and treats from local makers, just in time for the holidays. Going on its 30th year, the HHTM serves as the Ojai Festival Women’s Committee‘s greatest annual fundraiser, which benefits the Ojai Music Festival and its BRAVO Education and Community Programs.
Home Tour
Running concurrently with the Market, the Home Tour invites guests to visit four stunning homes that showcase the beauty of the Ojai Valley with a unique approach to celebrating the Holidays.
Hours 10AM – 4PM
Location Exact locations, directions, and shuttle information (if applicable) will be shared with ticket buyers prior to the tour.
Tickets Advance tickets are $45, and go on sale in the fall of 2025. Tours are for ages 12 and up.
Holiday Market
This open-air event features a curated selection of local artisans, makers, and small businesses offering handmade goods, specialty foods, gifts, and more. Get your gift shopping done early!
Hours 10AM – 4:30PM
Location Find the Market at Libbey Park in the heart of downtown Ojai. Free street parking and free public parking lots can be found throughout town.
Tickets There are no tickets or reservations required for the Holiday Market! All ages are welcome.
The Ojai Festival Women’s Committee (OFWC) invites you to keep the Holiday Home Tour & Market a part of your annual holiday tradition by becoming a sponsor or a volunteer.
As one of the largest financial supporters of the Ojai Music Festival and its BRAVO Education and Community Programs, the OFWC is proud of its essential role in our community’s future through this annual staple.
Thank you for joining us at our 79th Festival, June 5-8, 2025, with Music Director Claire Chase. It was a glorious time to be in our communal festival experience to share music, conversation, and listening.
Take a look at excerpts from the press.
Like many of the pieces at Ojai this year, “Sky Islands” was an unpredictable, amorphous, kaleidoscopic soundscape, its structure intentionally loose and good-natured
You can’t escape nature in Ojai. That meant that flutist Claire Chase, this year’s Ojai Music Festival music director who is often called a force of nature, fit right in.
Presented by the Ojai Music FestivalWomen’s Committee November 15 & 16, 2025 | Libbey Park, Downtown Ojai
About the Event:
Join us for a festive weekend of art, music, and community at the annual Ojai Holiday Market! Held in Libbey Park, this open-air event features a curated selection of local artisans, makers, and small businesses offering handmade goods, specialty foods, gifts, and more — just in time for the holiday season.
The Holiday Market is the companion event to the Ojai Holiday Home Tour. Running concurrently with the Market, the Home Tour invites guests to visit four stunning homes that showcase the beauty of the Ojai Valley with a unique approach to celebrating the Holidays.
Whether you’re a returning vendor or new to our market, we’d love to have you be part of this festive weekend that brings together shoppers and supports a great cause!
Shoppers at the 2023 Holiday Marketplace
Vendor Details:
Dates: Saturday & Sunday, November 15–16, 2025
Location: Libbey Park, Ojai, CA
Hours: 10:00am – 5:00pm daily
Booth Fees: Range from $275–$450 for the full two-day event
Why Participate? Proceeds from the Market support the Ojai Music Festival’s BRAVO education and community programs, which provide free music education to students across the Ojai Valley, as well as other free programs that serve our broader community throughout the year.
Sign up now:
Returning Vendors
Access your personalized registration portal to update your info and reserve your spot.
2025OjaiMusicFestival THU 6-5-25 8pm_musicians Steven Schick-percussion, Wu Wei-sheng, Susie Ibarra-percussion perform bayou-borne by Annea Lockwood_credit Timothy Teague (TOT_8844)
2025OjaiMusicFestival THU 6-5-25 8pm_music director Claire Chase performs Pan by Marcos Balter_credit Timothy Teague (DSC_7447)
2025OjaiMusicFestival THU 6-5-25 8pm_music director Claire Chase performs Pan by Marcos Balter_credit Timothy Teague (DSC_7482)
2025OjaiMusicFestival THU 6-5-25 8pm_music director Claire Chase performs Pan by Marcos Balter_credit Timothy Teague (TOT_9008)
2025OjaiMusicFestival THU 6-5-25 8pm_music director Claire Chase performs Pan by Marcos Balter_credit Timothy Teague (TOT_9181)
2025OjaiMusicFestival FRI 6-6-25 1030am_musicians Alex Peh-Cory Smythe-Craig Taborn keyboards perform Pulsing Lifters (World premiere of trio arrangement) by Terry RILEY (arr. Alex PEH) _credit Timothy Teague (DSC_7677)
2025OjaiMusicFestival FRI 6-6-25 1030am_Cory Smythe piano performs Countdowns by John COLTRANE-Cory SMYTHE_credit Timothy Teague (TOT_9223)
2025OjaiMusicFestival FRI 6-6-25 1030am_musicians Craig Taborn and Cory Smythe piano perform a Duo Improvisation for Ojai_credit Timothy Teague (DSC_7759)
2025OjaiMusicFestival FRI 6-6-25 8pm_USC Cello Ensemble with conductor Steven Schick perform Mirage-The Dancing Sun by Sofia Gubaidulina_credit Timothy Teague (TOT_9602)
2025OjaiMusicFestival FRI 6-6-25 8pm_USC Cello Ensemble with conductor Steven Schick perform Mirage-The Dancing Sun by Sofia Gubaidulina_credit Timothy Teague (TOT_9612)
2025OjaiMusicFestival FRI 6-6-25 8pm_USC Cello Ensemble with conductor Steven Schick perform Mirage-The Dancing Sun by Sofia Gubaidulina_credit Timothy Teague (TOT_9627)
2025OjaiMusicFestival FRI 6-6-25 330pm_music director Claire Chase performs Sex Magic (West Coast Premiere) by Liza Lim_credit Timothy Teague (DSC_7856)
2025OjaiMusicFestival FRI 6-6-25 330pm_music director Claire Chase performs Sex Magic (West Coast Premiere) by Liza Lim_credit Timothy Teague (DSC_7798)
2025OjaiMusicFestival SAT 6-7-25 800am_SUSIE IBARRA performs Kolubrí by SUSIE IBARRA arr. ALEKS PILMANIS_credit Timothy Teague (TOT_9947)
2025OjaiMusicFestival SAT 6-7-25 800am_SUSIE IBARRA performs Kolubrí by SUSIE IBARRA arr. ALEKS PILMANIS_credit Timothy Teague (TOT_9945)
2025OjaiMusicFestival SAT 6-7-25 800pm_Jack Quartet, Kathryn Schulmeister double bass and Alex Peh harpsichord perform Meditation on the Bach chorale Vor deinen Thron, BWV 668 by SOFIA GUBAIDULINA_credit Timothy Teague (DSC_8372)
2025OjaiMusicFestival SAT 6-7-25 800pm_Steven Schick conducts How Forests Think by Liza Lim_credit Timothy Teague (DSC_8540)
2025OjaiMusicFestival SAT 6-7-25 800pm_Wu Wei sheng with Steven Schick conductor accept applause after performing How Forests Think by Liza Lim_credit Timothy Teague (TOT_0461)
2025OjaiMusicFestival SUN 6-8-25 1030am_Alex Peh (piano), music director Claire Chase (flute), Susie Ibarra and Levy Lorenzo (percussion) and JACK Quartet perform Sky Islands by Susie Ibarra_credit Timothy Teague (TOT_0634)
2025OjaiMusicFestival SUN 6-8-25 1030am_Alex Peh (piano) performs Rituál by TANIA LEÓN_credit Timothy Teague (DSC_8675)
2025OjaiMusicFestival SUN 6-8-25 1030am_Susie Ibarra (percussion) performs Sky Islands by Susie Ibarra_credit Timothy Teague (DSC_8724)
2025OjaiMusicFestival SUN 6-8-25 1030am_Wu Wei (sheng) perform Nest Box by Susie Ibarra_Susie Ibarra (percussion) can be seen in the background_credit Timothy Teague (DSC_8650)
2025OjaiMusicFestival SUN 6-8-25 530pm_Alex Peh (piano) and Steven Schick (percussion) perform The Witness by Pauline Oliveros_credit Timothy Teague (DSC_8992)
2025OjaiMusicFestival SUN 6-8-25 530pm_music director Claire Chase (flute) and Wu Wei (sheng) along with other Festival artists perform Pulsefield by Terry Riley_credit Timothy Teague (DSC_9095)
2025OjaiMusicFestival SUN 6-8-25 530pm_Susie Ibarra and Steven Schick (percussion) perform Pulsefield by Terry Riley_credit Timothy Teague (TOT_1000)
2025OjaiMusicFestival SUN 6-8-25 530pm_music director Claire Chase with other Festival artists following the performance of Pulsefield by Terry Riley_credit Timothy Teague (DSC_9197)
2025OjaiMusicFestival THU 6-5-25 8pm_musicians Steven Schick-percussion, Wu Wei-sheng, Susie Ibarra-percussion perform bayou-borne by Annea Lockwood_credit Timothy Teague (TOT_8844)
2025OjaiMusicFestival THU 6-5-25 8pm_music director Claire Chase performs Pan by Marcos Balter_credit Timothy Teague (DSC_7447)
2025OjaiMusicFestival THU 6-5-25 8pm_music director Claire Chase performs Pan by Marcos Balter_credit Timothy Teague (DSC_7482)
2025OjaiMusicFestival THU 6-5-25 8pm_music director Claire Chase performs Pan by Marcos Balter_credit Timothy Teague (TOT_9008)
2025OjaiMusicFestival THU 6-5-25 8pm_music director Claire Chase performs Pan by Marcos Balter_credit Timothy Teague (TOT_9181)
2025OjaiMusicFestival FRI 6-6-25 1030am_musicians Alex Peh-Cory Smythe-Craig Taborn keyboards perform Pulsing Lifters (World premiere of trio arrangement) by Terry RILEY (arr. Alex PEH) _credit Timothy Teague (DSC_7677)
2025OjaiMusicFestival FRI 6-6-25 1030am_Cory Smythe piano performs Countdowns by John COLTRANE-Cory SMYTHE_credit Timothy Teague (TOT_9223)
2025OjaiMusicFestival FRI 6-6-25 1030am_musicians Craig Taborn and Cory Smythe piano perform a Duo Improvisation for Ojai_credit Timothy Teague (DSC_7759)
2025OjaiMusicFestival FRI 6-6-25 8pm_USC Cello Ensemble with conductor Steven Schick perform Mirage-The Dancing Sun by Sofia Gubaidulina_credit Timothy Teague (TOT_9602)
2025OjaiMusicFestival FRI 6-6-25 8pm_USC Cello Ensemble with conductor Steven Schick perform Mirage-The Dancing Sun by Sofia Gubaidulina_credit Timothy Teague (TOT_9612)
2025OjaiMusicFestival FRI 6-6-25 8pm_USC Cello Ensemble with conductor Steven Schick perform Mirage-The Dancing Sun by Sofia Gubaidulina_credit Timothy Teague (TOT_9627)
2025OjaiMusicFestival FRI 6-6-25 330pm_music director Claire Chase performs Sex Magic (West Coast Premiere) by Liza Lim_credit Timothy Teague (DSC_7856)
2025OjaiMusicFestival FRI 6-6-25 330pm_music director Claire Chase performs Sex Magic (West Coast Premiere) by Liza Lim_credit Timothy Teague (DSC_7798)
2025OjaiMusicFestival SAT 6-7-25 800am_SUSIE IBARRA performs Kolubrí by SUSIE IBARRA arr. ALEKS PILMANIS_credit Timothy Teague (TOT_9947)
2025OjaiMusicFestival SAT 6-7-25 800am_SUSIE IBARRA performs Kolubrí by SUSIE IBARRA arr. ALEKS PILMANIS_credit Timothy Teague (TOT_9945)
2025OjaiMusicFestival SAT 6-7-25 800pm_Jack Quartet, Kathryn Schulmeister double bass and Alex Peh harpsichord perform Meditation on the Bach chorale Vor deinen Thron, BWV 668 by SOFIA GUBAIDULINA_credit Timothy Teague (DSC_8372)
2025OjaiMusicFestival SAT 6-7-25 800pm_Steven Schick conducts How Forests Think by Liza Lim_credit Timothy Teague (DSC_8540)
2025OjaiMusicFestival SAT 6-7-25 800pm_Wu Wei sheng with Steven Schick conductor accept applause after performing How Forests Think by Liza Lim_credit Timothy Teague (TOT_0461)
2025OjaiMusicFestival SUN 6-8-25 1030am_Alex Peh (piano), music director Claire Chase (flute), Susie Ibarra and Levy Lorenzo (percussion) and JACK Quartet perform Sky Islands by Susie Ibarra_credit Timothy Teague (TOT_0634)
2025OjaiMusicFestival SUN 6-8-25 1030am_Alex Peh (piano) performs Rituál by TANIA LEÓN_credit Timothy Teague (DSC_8675)
2025OjaiMusicFestival SUN 6-8-25 1030am_Susie Ibarra (percussion) performs Sky Islands by Susie Ibarra_credit Timothy Teague (DSC_8724)
2025OjaiMusicFestival SUN 6-8-25 1030am_Wu Wei (sheng) perform Nest Box by Susie Ibarra_Susie Ibarra (percussion) can be seen in the background_credit Timothy Teague (DSC_8650)
2025OjaiMusicFestival SUN 6-8-25 530pm_Alex Peh (piano) and Steven Schick (percussion) perform The Witness by Pauline Oliveros_credit Timothy Teague (DSC_8992)
2025OjaiMusicFestival SUN 6-8-25 530pm_music director Claire Chase (flute) and Wu Wei (sheng) along with other Festival artists perform Pulsefield by Terry Riley_credit Timothy Teague (DSC_9095)
2025OjaiMusicFestival SUN 6-8-25 530pm_Susie Ibarra and Steven Schick (percussion) perform Pulsefield by Terry Riley_credit Timothy Teague (TOT_1000)
2025OjaiMusicFestival SUN 6-8-25 530pm_music director Claire Chase with other Festival artists following the performance of Pulsefield by Terry Riley_credit Timothy Teague (DSC_9197)
The 79th Ojai Music Festival, June 5 to 8, 2025, welcomes as Music Director acclaimed flutist Claire Chase. Seven of the more than 20 music events scheduled throughout the beautiful setting of the Ojai Valley will be available at no-cost via live streaming. Since 2012, the Ojai Music Festival has expanded its global footprint building a worldwide audience with free Live Streaming Broadcasts.
You can watch free live streams of the Libbey Bowl concerts from the Festival’s homepage which will begin Thu, June 5 at 8pm. Full concert replays and highlights will be available on our website and our YouTube channel, following the Festival. Below is the schedule of concerts to be live streamed.
For more context, tune into the Ojai Music Festival Podcast:
Claire Chase flute | Joshua Rubin clarinet | Dan Rosenboom trumpet | Mattie Barbier trombone Wu Wei sheng | Susie Ibarra, Ross Karre, Steven Schick, and Wesley Sumpter percussion Alex Peh piano | M.A. Tiesenga electronic hurdy-gurdy
Marcos BALTER Alone Annea LOCKWOOD bayou-borne Marcos BALTER Pan
FRI June 6, 2025
10:30AM
Alex Peh harpsichord and keyboard |Cory Smythe and Craig Taborn piano
Terry RILEY (arr. Alex PEH) Pulsing Lifters (World premiere of trio arrangement) Anna THORVALDSDOTTIR Impressions John COLTRANE/Cory SMYTHE Countdowns Craig TABORN and Cory SMYTHE Duo Improvisation for Ojai
8:00PM
Claire Chase flute |JACK Quartet: Christopher Otto and Austin Wulliman violin, John Pickford Richards viola, Jay Campbell cello | Leilehua Lanzilotti viola Jay Campbell, Katinka Kleijn, Seth Parker Woods cello |USC Cello Ensemble | Steven Schick conductor
Leilehua LANZILOTTI ko‘u inoa Sofia GUBAIDULINA Mirage: The Dancing Sun Julius EASTMAN The Holy Presence of Joan d’Arc Terry RILEY from The Holy Liftoff A selection of movements adapted for this performance Realization by Samuel Clay Birmaher for Density 2036 part xi (2024)
SAT June 7, 2025
10:30AM
Claire Chase flute | JACK Quartet: Christopher Otto and Austin Wulliman violin, John Pickford Richards viola, Jay Campbell cello | Katinka Kleijn, Seth Parker Woods cello Cory Smythe piano | Levy Lorenzo electronics
Marcos BALTER Chambers Leilehua LANZILOTTI ahupua‘a Anna THORVALDSDOTTIRUbique (West Coast premiere) Part of Density 2036 part x (2023)
8:00PM
Wu Wei sheng | JACK Quartet: Christopher Otto and Austin Wulliman violin, John Pickford Richards viola, Jay Campbell cello |Festival Artists |Steven Schick conductor
J.S. BACH Vor deinen Thron, BWV 668 (arr. Samuel Clay BIRMAHER) Sofia GUBAIDULINA Meditation on the Bach chorale Vor deinen Thron, BWV 668 Tania LEÓN Hechizos Liza LIM How Forests Think
SUN June 8, 2025
10:30AM
Claire Chase flute | Susie Ibarra and Levy Lorenzo percussion |Wu Wei sheng | Alex Peh piano JACK Quartet: Christopher Otto and Austin Wulliman violin, John Pickford Richards viola, Jay Campbell cello
Christopher OTTO Angelorum Psalat, after Rodericus Austin WULLIMAN Dave’s Hocket: For Guillaume and Arvo Susie IBARRA Nest Box (World premiere) Commissioned by Ojai Music Festival and Music Director Claire Chase in honor of Steven Schick’s 70th birthday Tania LEÓN Rituál Susie IBARRA Sky Islands (West Coast premiere)
5:30PM
Claire Chase flute | Festival Artists | Steven Schick conductor
Leilehua LANZILOTTI ko‘u inoa Pauline OLIVEROS The Witness Tania LEÓN Singsong (World premiere of new version for solo flute) (arr. for solo flute by Claire CHASE) Terry RILEY Pulsefield
Born and raised in Iran, Bahar Royaee is a music educator and a composer/ sound designer who works within the field of concert music and various media arts. The Boston Arts Review praised Royaee’s “haunting sound design” in her work with live theatre. Royaee’s work has been performed at prominent events such as the Time:Spans 2020 Festival and the 2020 Fromm Foundation Composer Conference, 2022 Tehran Electroacoustic Music Festival, and has won awards such as the Pnea Award, the Roger Session Memorial Composition Award, and the Korourian electroacoustic music award. She has worked with Claire Chase, Suzzane Farrin, International Contemporary Ensemble, Loadbang, Composer Conference Ensemble, Contemporary Insights of Leipzig, Ensemble der gelbe Klang, Guerrilla Opera, Longleash, Mazumal, Kimia Hesabi, Splice Ensemble, to name a few. She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in music composition from City University of New York.
Eduardo Aguilar (or Eduardo Ángel Aguilar Vásquez) is a music composer whose work explores process, concepts, ideas, imaginations, perceptions, representations, thoughts, designs, and realities. Aguilar work tends to the investigation and exploration of specific ordinary phenomena by abstracting its elements, specifically by configuring a compositional synthesis between what could belong to the realm of visual and/ or sound, to understand them indistinctly in a more fundamental but equally detailed way in terms of energy. Honors and awards include: Talea Ensemble, recording (USA, 2024); Banff Center, Independent binational project (Canada, 2019/2022); JACK Studio, resident (USA, 2019); Geophysics Institute UNAM and National Seismological Service SSN –“Tectonic” and “Volcanic”– Seismicity Awards (Mexico, 2019); Impronta NEW Special Ensemble Prize (Germany, 2019); SORBONNE UNIVERSITÉ – UNAM, collaborative project on new approaches to pedagogy, technology and creation (France-Mex 2018-2019); Arditti Quartet FIMNME workshop composer selected (Mexico, 2018); Prize of Research and Artistic Creation of the Science and Art University Museum MUCA-UNAM (Mexico, 2017); Toluca Philharmonic Orchestra Composition Contest Winner Prize (Mexico, 2016); 15 Best of SBALZ International Brass Composition Competition (Spain, 2015); among others.
Vicente Atria is a Chilean composer and drummer. His music riffs on a wide range of idioms, from microtonal renaissance dances to Korean sanjo, creating playful, vibrant sonic worlds. A Deutscher Jazzpreis recipient, Atria’s work has been commissioned or performed by the Sun Ra Arkestra, Ensemble Musikfabrik, JACK Quartet, Wet Ink Ensemble, Ensemble Proton Bern, Yarn/Wire, and International Contemporary Ensemble. He has been featured in venues and festivals including Moers Festival (Germany), Skanu Mezs (Latvia), MATA Festival (NY), Wigmore Hall (UK), The Shed, Roulette Intermedium, The Jazz Gallery, and The Stone (all NY). He is a recipient of a 2025 Fondation des Treilles Musical Composition Prize, a 2024 Busoni Komponistpreis (nominated), a Wet Ink Ensemble AIR residence (2023), a MacDowell Fellowship (2023), an ASCAP Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composer Award (2022), an ACF Create award (2021), The Shed Open Call commission (2019), Chilean Ministry of Culture Fondo de la Música grants (2022 and 2020), and an ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award (2016 finalist). He holds a DMA in Composition from Columbia University.
Mattie Barbier is an LA-based musician and sonic researcher focused on experimental intonation, latent acoustic environments, and the physicality of their instrument. Their playing has been described by the LA Times as “intense, brilliant, virtuosic growling,” by The Wire as “exploring the nooks of instrumental tone far beyond the reach of most mortals,” and by The New Yorker as a “diabolically inventive trombonist-composer.”
Barbier collaborates with artists such as Weston Olencki, Ellen Arkbro, Clara Iannotta, Sarah Davachi, Michelle Lou, Wolfgang von Schweinitz, Jacob Kirkegaard, and Katherine Young. They have premiered works by George Lewis, Catherine Lamb, Liza Lim, Lester St. Louis, Kevin Drumm, Kaori Suzuki, Raven Chacon, Nate Wooley, and even British pop icon Scott Walker. As a soloist, they’ve performed with the Helsinki Philharmonic, SWR Symphonieorchester, and Wild Up.
A member of RAGE Thormbones, Wild Up, echoi, Diapason, and an active soloist and improviser on low brass and bagpipes, Barbier teaches at CalArts. They have created and presented work for the Museum of Jurassic Technology, Getty Center and Villa, Monday Evening Concerts, Roulette, San Francisco Exploratorium, Indexical, RedCat, Mahler Chamber Orchestra, and others, including a collaboration with holographer Tristan Duke. Festival appearances include Borealis (NO), Darmstadt and Donaueschinger (DE), Musica Nova Helsinki (FI), Maerzmusik (DE), Ojai Music Festival, and more.
Barbier has held guest residencies at institutions including Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Columbia, NYU, UCSD, and University of Chicago. Their recordings appear on labels such as Sofa Music, Dinzu Artifacts, Carrier, Populist, Mode, Hat Hut, New Focus, Kairos, and Domino.
Danielle Ondarza is a highly sought-after French hornist, educator, and recording artist based in Los Angeles. With a career spanning orchestral performance, chamber music, education, and media recording, she creates works that reflect both artistic excellence and a deep commitment to music education.
Ondarza performs regularly with ensembles such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera, and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, and holds tenured or contracted positions with the Los Angeles Ballet Orchestra, Los Angeles Master Chorale, and Opera Santa Barbara. Her freelance career has included performances with nearly every major Southern California orchestra, as well as chamber appearances with Forte Brass, Jacaranda, Ensemble Green, and the Hear Now Festival.
As a studio musician, Ondarza’s horn playing can be heard on a wide range of film, television, and video game scores, including Coco, Finding Dory, Man of Steel, Nope, League of Legends, and World of Warcraft, as well as albums by Daft Punk, Sia, John Legend, Bruce Springsteen, and Mitski. She has performed live with artists including Andrea Bocelli, Mariah Carey, Billie Eilish, Alicia Keys, and Josh Groban, and has appeared on major televised events such as The Academy Awards, The Voice, and MTV Video Music Awards.
An experienced educator, she serves on the faculties of Pomona College, Occidental College, the Colburn School, and the Pasadena Conservatory of Music, where she also chairs the Winds, Brass & Percussion department. She has designed and taught music courses at Cal Poly Pomona, the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts, and numerous summer and outreach programs.
Ben Cortez Richter, originally from Pleasanton, CA in the San Francisco Bay, has worked internationally as an opera stage director and assistant director. Having received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music and completed his master’s degree work at Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, both in Voice/Opera, he decided to leave the stage and pursue a career as a stage director. While living in Germany before relocating to Boston in 2020, Ben held several first assistant director positions at Oper Frankfurt, Badisches Staatstheater where he assisted and remounted beloved productions. He also served as and continues his work as a freelance assistant director and scenic staging choreographer at such theaters as Oper Köln, Staatstheater Berlin and Tiroler Festspiel.
Richter has assisted Barrie Kosky, Lydia Steier, David Herrmann, and Katharina Thoma among other notable European and American stage directors. In 2023, he joined the San Francisco Symphony in scenically coordinating performances of Pan by Marcos Balter with flutist Claire Chase in San Francisco and Cité de la Musique in Paris. During those performances, Ben led community members of both cities through staging called for in Balter’s moving piece. He has also created and stage directed numerous condensed operas for children featuring German language dialogue including La bohème, L’elisir d’amore, and Don Giovanni. Currently serving as Director of Artistic Operations at Boston Lyric Opera, Richter is thrilled to continue his scenic collaboration work with the BSO.
Dan Rosenboom is an internationally recognized trumpet player, composer, and producer. He is known as a prolific member of the Los Angeles creative music scene, having released more than 25 albums of original music as a solo artist and bandleader. He has supported over 60 artists across over 100 releases on his label, Orenda Records. Rosenboom is a proud member of the Hollywood studio musician community and has recorded for over 200 major film and television soundtracks with such notable composers as John Williams, Danny Elfman, James Newton Howard, Alan Silvestri, Alexandre Desplat, and many more. He has also performed with the LA Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Opera. He studied at the Eastman School of Music, CalArts, and UCLA, where he earned advanced degrees in music.
As a composer, Rosenboom has been recognized by the American Composers Forum, ASCAP, the Meet the Composer Foundation, and the Yvar Mikhashoff Trust for New Music. As a bandleader, he has brought his music to the Monterey Jazz Festival, Angel City Jazz Festival, Jazzfestival Saalfelden and Jazz em Agosto. Rosenboom’s band Burning Ghosts has drawn international attention for their rousing blend of experimental jazz, punk, and metal as response to modern socio-political ills. To date they have released four albums, including one on John Zorn’s legendary Tzadik label, and have toured in the US and Europe.
Rosenboom is an advocate for progressive music education. He currently teaches at UCLA and his trumpet pedagogy book, The Boom Method: Universal Fundamentals for Trumpet and Other Instruments, Vol. 1, was published by Balqhuidder Music in 2019. His writing has also been published in John Zorn’s Arcana IX: Musicians on Music on Tzadik. Rosenboom is proud to be an endorsing artist for Yamaha Trumpets, Bob Reeves Brass Mouthpieces, AEA Microphones, Horn FX, and Kirlin Cables.
