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  • View Complete Festival Schedule

    View Complete Festival Schedule

  • Updates on Free Events: Sunrise Concert Parking, Gamelan Performances and More!

    mm_home_02_910x400This year, the Ojai Music Festival will present 37 events in just four days! This includes main Libbey Bowl concerts, Ojai Talks, Ojai Films, Concert Insights, and an abundance of free community events. Here are some new updates on some of these free events to help better prepare you:

    Sat June 8: The parking lot at Besant Hill will open at 7:00am. Please bring a chair or blanket for the concert, or feel free to wander as you enjoy John Luther Adams’ Strange and Sacred Noise. We highly recommend wearing flat comfortable shoes. Besant Hill School’s address is 8585 Santa Paula Ojai Road. 

    Sun June 9: Due to the high volume of ticket requests for the Sunday Sunrise Concert featuring John Luther Adams’ songbirdsongs, we are providing a free bus shuttle to take ticketed patrons to Meditation Mount. The shuttle and all concert parking will be located at Boccali’s Restaurant and the first shuttle will begin loading at 7:00am. Please plan to arrive well before the concert starts to guarantee parking. Only authorized vehicles will be allowed at Meditation Mount. Boccali’s address 3277 Ojai Santa Paula Road (located at Ojai Avenue and Reeves Road).

    While you wait for the concert to begin at 8:00am, you can participate in bird watching with the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy at 7:15am. Please bring your own binoculars. RSVP at info@ojaifestival.org.
    Maps and directions will be available at the Festival box office. If you have any questions, please call our box office at 805 646 2053.
     

    Gamelan Performances: Fri, June 7 and Sat, June 8

    These two free concerts performed by the acclaimed Gamelan Sari Raras at the Libbey Park Gazebo will be special treats for the community!  Limited seating will be provided;  we encourage you to bring your own chairs or blankets.

    Fitness Classes: Fri, June 7; Sat, June 8; Sun, June 9 
    Dance with MMDG: Sat, June 8 

    Festival patrons and the Ojai community have a rare opportunity to join dancers from the acclaimed Mark Morris Dance Group, who will help jump-start the day with basic stretching. The fitness classes will be held Friday, Saturday and Sunday morning, 9:00-10:00am, at the Libbey Park Flagpole Lawn. We recommend wearing comfortable shoes or sneakers.

    And there’s more — learn dance moves from dancers of the Mark Morris Dance Group who will teach a few moves from one of the works featured at the Friday evening concert. This free event will be at the Ojai Art Center. We recommend wearing flat shoes (you will also have the option to dance barefoot).

    Both events are free and open to the public.

    View complete schedule here >>

     

  • Anna Bowen, actress

    Anna-Bowen-picAnna Bowen is thrilled to be performing at the 69th Ojai Music Festival. Her credits include the on-Broadway production of 101 Dalmatians, as well as several off-Broadway productions, including The Music of Motown, Rom and Julz, Doubletime, and Wanda’s World. On the West Coast, she has appeared in Les Miserables, RENT, Aladdin, Aida, Evita, among others, as well as with the Transcendence Theatre Company. Also active on television, her credits include appearances on Castle, Mixology, Law and Order SVU, and As The World Turns. She can be seen around Los Angeles singing with the Overstreets New Orleans Jazz Band, The Melodies, and with eclectic singer Lawrence Rothman. Bowen’s non-fiction book of interviews, Me+You, is available now and her forthcoming work, Being Biracial, will be published next spring.

  • Charlotte Cannon, actress

    rsz_img_0285_2_editedCharlotte Cannon, originally from Brighton, England, is a recent alumnus of the Chicago College of Performing Arts. Since graduating last May she has had the opportunity to collaborate on new works with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lookingglass Theatre Company, Chicago Children’s Choir, Red Tape Theatre, The Inappropriate Theatre Company, and Fearless Theatre. She is represented by Stewart Talent.

  • Josephine Chan, piano

    J-Chan-lighterHailing from San Francisco, Josephine Chan (11) started piano lessons at the age of six. She is currently a scholarship student in the Pre-College Division at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she studies piano performance with Corey McVicar. She was awarded top prize at the 2012 San Francisco Chopin Competition, and has enjoyed success at several competitions including the 2015 Marilyn Mindell Piano Competition, the 2011 and 2013 Junior Bach Festivals, and the 2013 American Protégé International Piano Competition. Performance highlights include: Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, the San Francisco Conservatory Fanfare Luncheon, San Francisco Conservatory Showcase Concert, and Lang Lang’s 101 Pianists Workshop.

  • Margaret Cook, actress

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    Margaret Cook is very excited to perform with the Chicago Symphony once more. Cook is an actress currently living in Chicago where she earned her BFA in Acting at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts. She would like to thank her friends and family for their support.

     

  • Colin Creveling, actor

    colin-crevelingA professional actor since the age of seven, performance flows naturally from this one-man circus. Colin Creveling discovered ensemble-based circus while pursuing his passion for theatre at the Chicago Conservatory for Performing arts. Inspired by the instruction of Keland Scher, David Kersnar, and Douglas Grew, he began working with Lookingglass Theatre Company in collaboration with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. This union of theatre and circus was the catalyst for the creation of the Inappropriate Theatre Company, an ensemble of physical actors and circus performers who develop large-scale spectacle performances and character-driven circus acts for shows and events within the city. Having spent the last 3 years on and off the road, from 150 shows at the largest beach resort in India to the country’s foremost traveling youth circus, Smirkus, Colin is elated to be working with his CCPA family and the monumentally talented artists and staff of the Ojai Music Festival and UC Berkeley.

    Learn more at on Colin’s website >>

     

  • Ojai Rancho Inn

    Ojai Rancho Inn

    ranchoinn615 W. Ojai Ave.
    Phone:     805 646 1434
    Website: OjaiRanchoInn.com
    **To Book: Call Sheila – 805 646 2094 x 110**

    Charmingly rustic and lovingly curated (think Ojai summer camp), Ojai Rancho Inn’s vintage vibe keeps visitors immersed in a truly unique local experience. With a pool, bikes, friendly local owners, and a ‘backyard’ that connects right to the Ojai Valley bike trail, the Rancho Inn is a perfect place to park your car, leave your bags, and walk in (5 blocks) to concerts at Libbey Bowl.

    The Festival has rooms reserved for patrons – to book, please call Sheila Cohn at 805 646 2094 x 110 or email scohn@sbtravel.com.

  • Joseph Galizia, actor

    Joseph-GaliziaJoseph is an actor, circus performer, performance artist, and rapper residing in Chicago. Since his graduation in 2011 he has had the pleasure of working with numerous theatrical venues including: Lookingglass Theatre Company, Next Theatre Company, Black Ensemble Theater, Actor’s Gymnasium, Chicago Children’s Choir, Fox Valley Repertory, and several shows with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra including A Pierre Dream. He is delighted to be a part of such a marvelous production with his friends, and thrilled to be sharing Pierre’s story with the world.

     

  • Derek Herman, actor

    Derek-HermanDerek Herman is a native of Portland who has since moved to the windy city of Chicago. While in Portland, Herman was in the West Coast premiere of Speech & Debate with Artists Repertory Theatre. His other appearances in the Pacific Northwest include with the Profile Theatre and Oregon Children’s Theatre. Since moving to Chicago, Herman has performed with the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre in Since I Suppose, as well as with The Artistic Home, Teatro Vista, and The Raven Theatre. Derek is founder and Artistic Director of Fearless Theatre. He holds a BFA from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University. Learn more at derekherman.weebly.com.

    Learn more on Derek’s website >>

  • Nyle Kenning, actor

    nyle-kenningGrowing up in the Southwestern mountains of Colorado, Nyle Kenning has had the opportunity to experience nature in her infinite forms. He has been fortunate to have perceptive, challenging, and loving teachers for all of his life. Kenning currently lives in Chicago as an actor and theatre artist where he pursues a greater understanding of Shakespeare, music, and the circus arts. He feels blessed to be a part of this great piece again.

     

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  • 2013 Festival Preview CD

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    Listen to a special advance release of the 2013 Ojai Music Festival Preview CD, featuring Festival Artistic Director Thomas W. Morris and Gail Eichenthal of Classical KUSC. Or, click here to download and save to your computer for later listening >>

    With special thanks to:

    kusc

  • ‘Remembering Lou,’ by John Luther Adams

    ‘Remembering Lou,’ by John Luther Adams

    Shortly after Lou Harrison’s death, fellow composer and friend John Luther Adams wrote this remembrance in his honor.

    The great redwood has fallen.
    Light streams into the forest.
    The sound will reverberate
    for generations to come.

    The passing of Lou Harrison marks the end of an era in American music that began with Charles Ives and continued on through Henry Cowell, Ruth Crawford Seeger, Harry Partch, Conlon Nancarrow, and John Cage.

    jla copy
    From left: John Luther Adams, Bill Colvig, Lou Harrison. Photo by Dennis Keeley.

    The expressive range, diversity of media, prolific quantity, and consistent quality of Lou’s music are perhaps unequalled among recent composers. From heroically dissonant orchestral counterpoint to explosive percussive rhythms to ravishing, timeless music for gamelan, his body of work embraces most of the important currents in the music of our time.

    Lou always fearlessly pursued his own way. While still a young man, he left the competitive careerism of New York City to make his home on the California coast. There, surrounded by the beauties of nature and the richness of Pacific cultures, he created his own uniquely personal world, grounded in his credo: “Cherish. Conserve. Consider. Create.”

    As a teacher Lou introduced many young Western musicians to the music of other cultures, or as he called it, “the whole, wide, wonderful world of music.” His diminutive Music Primer remains a wellspring of creative wisdom about the life and the craft of a composer.

    Through his wide-ranging friendships, Lou was a central figure, connecting five generations of musical independents. His spirit lives on in his music and through the gifts he gave to so many younger musicians. I feel blessed to have been among them.

    Thirty years ago, as an aspiring young composer, I won second place in a composition contest. I was especially thrilled since one of the judges was Lou Harrison, whose music I very much admired. Emboldened, I made the pilgrimage to San Jose State University, where Lou was teaching at the time. I was delighted to find the man himself to be every bit as scintillating and engaging as his music.

    From that day on, Lou was a generous mentor, an attentive friend, and an inspiring model to me, as he has been for many other younger composers. Lou always treated me with respect as a younger colleague. His matter-of-fact embrace of my aspirations removed any shred of doubt in my mind that I would make a life as a composer. (more…)

  • Lend a Hand! Volunteer at the 67th Festival in June!

    Lend a Hand! Volunteer at the 67th Festival in June!

    Volunteers play an important role at the Ojai Music Festival throughout the year, but during the four-day Festival, their participation grows ten-fold with close to 100 people lending a helping hand to ensure the Festival’s success.

    Applications are now being accepted for the 67th Ojai Music Festival, June 6-9. Positions include ushering, backstage crew, venue set up, and merchandise. In addition, office assistance is needed prior to the Festival and during the weekend. Volunteers receive a free Festival shirt and complimentary lawn tickets based on the number of volunteered hours as a token of appreciation.

    Celebrating its 67th season, the Ojai Music Festival, June 6-9 will explore the musical interests of its Music Director Mark Morris. The Festival will also feature the Mark Morris Dance Group and MMDG Music Ensemble, the American String Quartet, The Bad Plus, red fish blue fish, Gamelan Sari Raras, and many others.

    Download a volunteer application here >>
    Questions? Please call (805) 646-2094 ext. 116.

  • My Memories of Lou Harrison Part I

    by Jain Fletcher

    The Ojai Music Festival is fortunate to have amazing patrons who share their own personal experiences with music, from their past and present. Long-time patron, Jain Fletcher, kindly gave us a personal account of her friendship with composer Lou Harrison. 

    Facing pages from my copy of Lou Harrison’s Music Primer.
    Facing pages from my copy of Lou Harrison’s Music Primer.

    I entered San José State University (SJSU) in 1967 as a music major (flute). I was very fortunate to enter an environment consisting of a relatively young faculty of musicians who were energetic and capable of instituting and carrying out some really exciting musical initiatives. Although I took it all for granted at the time, in looking back, I have realized that the epitome of my music training and experiences took place in college.  For everything that was good about the Music Department during my years at SJSU (1967 to 1979, from B.A. to M.A.), the greatest part was the benefit of having a sublime eminence on the faculty: Lou Harrison was on the staff as Composer-in-Residence.  

    When I first got to college, I never could have foreseen that I was going to have any personal interaction with Lou.  What I did know, from the enthusiastic buzz about him, was that I wanted to experience as much as I could of what he had to offer. So, in those early days, I kept my ears and eyes open for news of concerts with his music, and then attended every one. I also took his survey course, “Music and World Cultures,” in my freshman year. Given that this course was open to all students there was no way it could have been as awesome as it would have been if it had been addressed to music majors or graduates. But think about it: a class on world music(!) from Lou Harrison!!  Needless to say, it was a complete eye-opener. Sure, he knew his subject, but better yet, he was an excellent teacher. I had never heard anyone discourse so articulately and beautifully in- or outside a classroom. Because he was so passionate about this topic, it was also a difficult course to do well in. In the end, what he introduced in that class opened up a whole new world of music for me at a very impressionable time of my life.
    (more…)

  • My Memories of Lou Harrison Part II

    Part II of My Memories of Lou Harrison by Jain Fletcher

    A general letter of reference I requested from Lou after I graduated (B.A.) from San José State.
    A general letter of reference I requested from Lou after I graduated (B.A.) from San José State.

    In my last year of school, I started trying to make plans to go to New York, but with my chronic lack of funds, my chances were not looking very promising. At around that same time, Lou told me he was being asked to make a tour of New York state with his small group (Bill Colvig and Richard Dee) and, since I was “going to New York anyway” he had some music for violin (ossia flute) and drone that he thought would be nice to have me play on the concerts. I could not imagine saying “no” to this unbelievable opportunity, so I happily agreed. To prepare for our tour, we spent at least 3 weekend days at Lou’s and Bill’s place in Cabrillo, practicing the music for the concert. After that, we would have a little dinner before I coaxed my ’56 VW back over the Santa Cruz mountains to San Jose.

    Practicing for the concert was very special, indeed, but I treasure even more the chance I got to be with Lou and his friends in his and Bill’s very colorful and comfortable home. The most pleasant part of those dinners was the stories they would tell.  My most vivid memory of those stories was this one time when Bill and Lou regaled me over dinner with their recent adventure at a local hardware store trying out various metallic canisters to be used as “drums” (such as galvanized steel garbage cans) or beaters (such as hammers and large bolts, etc.) for a piece they were going to be staging soon. I could not help imagining the look on other shoppers’ faces when they saw two men pulling several garbage can lids out into the aisles to test their sound qualities–all the while engaged in a spirited discussion of their relative merits. When I registered both my delight and amazement at this story, they assured me that they had long since managed to garner the proprietor’s “blessing” for this activity. I also remember how much Lou shared of himself at his house. I remember asking one evening about how he got such beautiful handwriting. He not only told me how he got his start at calligraphy (which I have managed to forget after all these years), but he also gave me my first impromptu calligraphy “lesson”. He wanted to show me how “easy” it was to make the strokes, first by showing me, then by letting me try. My results could not have been much more than scribbles at the time, but his lesson “took”, because it gave me the courage to continue. About three years later (when I was working in a book and art supplies store), I had my first real chance to learn some calligraphy–and I have practiced it since. Not to either Lou’s or Ron’s level, mind you, but it pleases me anyway…
    (more…)

  • Ojai as a Creative Laboratory

    by Tom Morris, Artistic Director

    Last year's performance of Inuksuit is an example of how the Festival continues to create a mutual, interactive experience between audiences and artists.
    Last year’s performance of Inuksuit is an example of how the Festival continues to create a mutual, interactive experience between audiences and artists.

    After last June’s Festival with Leif Ove Andsnes, and as plans were developing for 2013 with Mark Morris, and for 2014 with Jeremy Denk, I realized that Ojai is increasingly about being a laboratory for great artists to experiment – to reinvent themselves. It is not a place where artists come to trot out the programs they do elsewhere. In many ways, the very essence of Ojai stems powerfully from the fact that artists are part of the experiment themselves so audience and performers join at the hip in the mutual experience.

    All the final touches are now in place for 2013 and we will have, indeed, a seamless and continuous party of music, dance and conversation. Get your rest ahead of time! With Mark Morris as our irrepressible guide, we have a festival that will look and feel different with more than 30 distinct events over 4 days:

    • We start with 8 major concerts – more than in the past as we cut some previous 2-hour concerts into 2 1-hour concerts: 1 concert Thursday night, 2 Friday night, 1 Saturday morning, 1 Saturday evening, 1 Sunday morning, and 2 Sunday evening.

    • We will have 2 Ojai Talks, each with 2 sessions, on Thursday and Friday.

    • We will have 7 free extra events, subject only to getting an advance reservation: 3 film screenings at the Ojai Playhouse, 1 on Thursday and 2 on Saturday; 2 Ojai Late Night concerts in the Libbey Bowl on Friday and Saturday nights; Ojai Sunrise concerts on Saturday and Sunday mornings at Meditation Mount and at Two Tree Hill on the Besant Hill School in Upper Ojai

    • We will have 7 community events – free and open to the public: 2 gamelan concerts in the Libbey Park Gazebo on Friday and Saturday; a 30-minute concert of music for toy piano to be performed on the Libbey Park playground Friday between the 2 evening concerts; public fitness classes led by dancers from the MMDG Friday, Saturday and Sunday mornings in the Libbey Park; a “Dance with the MMDG” Saturday afternoon at the Ojai Arts Center where members of the MMDG will teach you a movement of Lou Harrison’s Grand Duo which is being performed on Friday night

    • We will have 3 special events for donors: Social Dancing with Mark Morris at the opening night party Thursday night at the Ojai Arts Center; Open-mic karaoke with Mark Morris and The Bad Plus at Agave Maria’s late Friday night; a special performance by American String quartet on Sunday afternoon at the Ojai Arts Center

    • The Legacy Lunch Saturday afternoon at the Lavender Inn when Chris Hailey will interview several veteran members of the MMDG

    • 6 Concert Insights with Christopher Hailey, 4 of which will be with Mark Morris

    • A Reception for 2014 subscribers.

    • And there just might be a few other surprises!!!

    This will be a festival that truly reflects what Mark Morris stands for in all of his work. It will be infused with his infectious energy, his extraordinary artistry, his supreme ability to delight, and his playful sense of fun. As he has said:

    “….thrilling, raucous, serene, contemplative, serendipitous, and surprising. As Lou Harrison put it: ‘music is a song & a dance.’”

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  • Join us for the 2013 Festival Preview Weekend

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  • Enhance Your Festival Experience by Making a Donation Today

    Enhance Your Festival Experience by Making a Donation Today

    During the four-day festival, donors have exclusive opportunities to enhance their immersion experience. This includes a private concert, the opening night party with Music Director Mark Morris and open mic night with the artists. Plus, there are other perks like VIP parking and access to the Festival Lounge.

    View all the benefits when you make a tax-deductible donation today! Click here >>

  • Festival program book opportunities for Ojai businesses and beyond

    Festival program book opportunities for Ojai businesses and beyond

    A significant part of the Ojai Music Festival’s legacy and ‘aura’ is its idyllic setting. When When John Bauer first laid eyes on Ojai some 67 years ago, he knew that the Ojai Valley would be the perfect location for an emerging festival for the arts.

    To this day, Ojai continues to charm not only audience members, but Festival artists who equally fall in love with the intimate, outdoor setting of the Libbey Bowl as well as the eclectic small town and bucolic surroundings.

    Indeed, the Festival is fortunate to have a backyard of beauty, plus a very supportive community from the residents to the businesses.

    The many businesses – from lodging, restaurants and art galleries to shops, spas and coffee shops, participate in many ways including advertising in the hefty program book, written eloquently by musicologist Christopher Hailey. Although the Festival has other ad partners outside of the Ojai community, it is the local businesses that support the must-read program book that patrons read fiendishly during the Festival and keep even after the Festival as a memento!

    View our list of local eateries here > >

    Find things to do in Ojai during Festival or year round >> 

    Are you a business looking to “win over” a highly –desirable group of arts patrons?
    View our media kit, which includes rates and audience demographics >>

     

  • Updated 2013 Festival Schedule

    Updated 2013 Festival Schedule

  • Ojai’s Crown Jewel: Ojai Valley Inn & Spa

    Ojai’s Crown Jewel: Ojai Valley Inn & Spa

    ovi905 Country Club Rd
    Phone: 805 646 1111
    Website: OjaiResort.com

    Often cited as one of the top resorts in the country, the famed Ojai Valley Inn & Spa offers a complete vacation experience, featuring luxurious rooms, extensive spa services, a variety of delicious restaurants, and a picturesque golf course, all surrounded by stunning views of the Topa Topa mountains and Ojai’s pink moment. Conveniently located a 10 minute walk from Libbey Bowl (or an even shorter bike ride), the Ojai Valley Inn is connected to the Libbey Bowl and downtown Ojai by the Ojai Valley Trail.

    Festival patrons receive as special room rate at the Inn. Click here to book online or use group code MUSIC when making your reservation.