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2020 Music Director: Matthias Pintscher

“It is a tremendous pleasure and incredible honor to be music director for the 2020 Ojai Festival, something I have dreamed about since moving to New York twelve years ago. I feel a combination of joy and responsibility to showcase composers and works that create something like an INVISIBLE BRIDGE between the two continents in which I am living and working: Europe and the USA. I have realized that my role as musical communicator – as composer, conductor, educator, and festival di- rector – is to actively strengthen the interactions and connections between the music of today and its heritage in the US and on the “old continent”. As a European living in New York and Paris, I want to explore this INVISIBLE BRIDGE as one of the key elements for my programming of the 2020 Ojai Festival: thoughtful, innovative, loving, provocative, and poetic. Music speaks most directly from hu- man to human, and Ojai is a perfect place to showcase this. I am excited. See you in 2020.” – Matthias Pintscher, 2020 Music Director

Matthias Pintscher is the Music Director of the Ensemble Intercontemporain, the world’s leading contemporary music ensemble founded by Pierre Boulez. In addition to a robust concert season in Paris, he toured extensively with them throughout Europe, Asia, and the United States this season including concerts in Berlin, Brussels, Russia, and the United States. Known equally as one of to-day’s foremost composers, Mr. Pintscher will conduct the premiere of his new work for baritone, chorus, and orchestra, performed by Georg Nigl and the Chorus and Symphonieorchester des Bayer- ischen Rundfunks at their Musica Viva festival in February 2020.

In the 2019/20 season, Mr. Pintscher makes debuts with the symphony orchestras of Montreal, Baltimore, Houston, Pittsburgh, and with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra at Interlochen. He also makes his debut at the Vienna State Opera conducting the premiere of Olga Neuwirth’s new opera Orlando, and returns to the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin to conduct performances of Beat Furrer’s Violetter Schnee, which he premiered in January 2019. Re-invitations this season include the Cleveland Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, and Chamber Orchestra of Europe. In summer 2020, Mr. Pintscher will serve as Music Director of the 74th Ojai Music Festival.

Highlights of Mr. Pintscher’s 2018/19 season included serving as the Season Creative Chair for the Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, as Artist-in-Residence at the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, and con- cluding a nine-year term as the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra’s Artist-in-Association. Last season, Mr. Pintscher made his debuts with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Rotterdam Philharmonic, and the Staatsoper Berlin, and returned to the symphony orchestras of Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, the New York Philharmonic, the New World Symphony in Miami, and the Music Academy of the West. In Europe, he conducted the Scottish Chamber Orchestra at the Edinburgh International Festival and returned to the Orchestre de Paris, Danish National Symphony Orchestra, and Helsinki Philharmonic. Mr. Pintscher also conducted the premiere of his work Nur, a new concerto for piano and ensemble, performed by Daniel Barenboim and the Boulez Ensemble in January 2018. An enthusiastic supporter of and mentor to students and young musicians, Mr. Pintscher served as Principal Conductor of the Lucerne Festival Academy Orchestra from 2016- 2018 and worked with the Karajan Academy of the Berlin Philharmonic in their 2017/18 season, culminating in a concert at the Philharmonie.

Matthias Pintscher began his musical training in conducting, studying with Pierre Boulez and Peter Eötvös in his early twenties, during which time composing took a more prominent role in his life. He rapidly gained critical acclaim in both areas of activity, and continues to compose in addition to his conducting career. As a composer, Mr. Pintscher’s music is championed by some of today’s finest performing artists, orchestras, and conductors. His works have been performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, and the Orchestre de Paris, among many others. Bärenreiter is his exclusive publisher, and recordings of his compositions can be found on Kairos, EMI, Teldec, Wergo, and Winter & Winter. Mr. Pintscher has been on the composition faculty of The Juilliard School since 2014.

June 12, 2019
Meet the 2019 Interns

2019 Ojai Music Festival Interns

We are so happy to welcome the 2019 Class of Festival Interns! Learn more about them below.

Glenna Adkins is a musician and writer studying at Sarah Lawrence College, and a recent recipient of the Presser Undergraduate Scholar Award for Music. As a cellist, improviser, and avid music listener, Glenna is passionate about the performance of new music and the collaborative efforts of artists playing and experimenting together. Inspired by the intersection of different art forms, she has created and performed music for various productions of devised theater and dance, exploring ideas of musical narrative through improvised sound. As a writer, Glenna finds inspiration in ideas of time and memory, in music, and the liminal spaces connecting these curiosities. When not in school, Glenna lives in Los Angeles where she teaches cello and finishes novels she mistakenly thought she’d have time to read during the school year. She is very happy to return to Ojai for her second summer as a Festival intern.

Oliver Jung, originally from Santa Monica, CA, is a producer of Wave and Bass music, and an audio engineer. He is currently pursuing a BFA in Music Technology at California Institute of the Arts (Calarts) with a minor in Digital Arts. His work explores the dark, distorted, and ethereal, focusing on bringing beauty to the offensive. Accidentally falling into the world of live sound, Oliver has staged 200+ events for the likes of John Mayer and Carlos Vives. Moving forward, he continues producing for himself, as well as for collaborations and installations.

Maddi Baird is a Music Composition student at San Diego State University. Maddi emphasizes in multimedia scoring and sound design, as well as the creation of sound installations. Having a strong passion for music technology, synthesis and analog gear, she focuses on creating unique and textured soundscapes while utilizing modular synthesis and software such as MAX. Maddi currently serves as the Chief Engineer for KCR College Radio and works as the Student Engineer for KPBS where she is able to blend her interests in technology, music, and public radio. Maddi plays in the SDSU Javanese Gamelan, as well playing bass guitar and synthesizer in the experimental duo Pastel Set. Following the Ojai Festival in 2019, she will study composition in France with Laurel Halo.

Ryan Schmidt‘s philosophy for navigating a career is the ideal of citizen-artistry. He carries a background of music and the nonprofit sector with the desire to uplift and inspire hope and well-being. An avid contemporary music performer, he was a Performer-Fellow at the Bang on a Can Summer Music Festival last summer and toured five National Parks with the Grand Valley State University New Music Ensemble. He is a Teaching Artist Assistant at a Michigan nonprofit organization called Artists Creating Together which serves individuals with disabilities through visual and performing art programs. He looks forward to meeting and serving the Ojai Music Festival community!

Paul Seitz, a native of Chicago, Illinois, Is currently a rising sophomore at Boston University where he studies Trombone Performance with a minor in Arts Leadership. Paul Has been a student worker at the International Trombone Festival and an Audition Ambassador at Boston University. Paul hopes to one day play trombone professionally In orchestra, opera, solo and chamber music settings. In addition, Paul hopes to develop skills in the fields of arts leadership and Administration. Paul enjoys romantic era classical music and his favorite composers are Mahler, Shostakovich and Hindemith. In his free time, Paul enjoys biking, swimming, running and strength training. Paul is excited for the opportunity to be a intern at Ojai Music Festival.

Bree Fotheringham is a student at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles where she studies with Robert Lipsett. An accomplished violinist, Bree has made solo appearances with many orchestras, including the Utah Symphony and has been awarded several competition prizes including the grand prize at the 2018 North American Recovered Voices competition. She has performed with world-class artists including Joseph Silverstein, and Andrew Marriner. Bree is currently the assistant concertmaster of the American Youth Symphony and an orchestral leadership fellow at the Aspen Music Festival, where she will serve as concertmaster of the Philharmonic beginning in June. Passionate about community engagement, Bree makes a conscious effort to make classical music more accessible in her community by organizing several community concerts a year through Colburn’s Center for Innovation and Community Impact. She has performed with the Colburn Orchestra during the school’s community engagement week and chamber performances as an artist-in-residence at Street Symphony.

Sierra Dudas is the Marketing and PR intern for the 2019 Ojai Music Festival. After spending her childhood surrounded by music, Sierra decided to pursue her dream as a Music Industry student at the University of Southern California. Eager to learn as much as possible about the music business, she has worked with the Guild of Music Supervisors, Grammy U, and Coyote Country Radio Station. Sierra is also a Showrunner for the USC Speakers Committee, a group that brings guests such as Ken Jeong of Crazy Rich Asians and Jonathan Van Ness of Queer Eye onto campus. In her free time, Sierra loves to paint, eat brunch, and host Bachelor viewing parties for her friends.

Sarah Voshall is currently a fourth year piano major at the California Institute of the Arts studying with Ming Tsu and Vicki Ray. Her current project for this summer is producing a one-day piano festival in Antelope Valley, CA for student pianists. She has recently completed a business affairs internship at Alfred Music in Van Nuys where she worked in license administration. When she’s not practicing furiously for her upcoming graduation recital, she spends her time reading, taking photos, playing cajon, and day tripping all over southern California. Upon graduation, her plan is to pursue graduate studies in business or systems engineering with a focus on nonprofit arts organizations.

June 12, 2019
LUDWIG’s Ojai Experience

“Once upon a time I have played in the Ojai Music Festival. It was like being in Paradise.’
– Marieke Stordiau, LUDWIG musician

Many Ojai Music Festival artists who step onto the Libbey Bowl stage for the first time are instantly smitten with the enchanting intimate setting of shaded trees and a symphony of birds and crickets as accompanists, and equally so with the curious and enthusiastic audience members who are ready to listen with ears and minds wide open.

Members of LUDWIG – the 2019 ensemble in residence – needless to say had the same experience. Take a look at their journey from Europe to California with photos by Annelies van der Vegt.
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July 8, 2019
2019 Festival Reviews

Ojai Music Festival. – “The Rake’s Progresss” 6/6/19 Libby Bowl by David Bazemore

The 2019 Ojai Music Festival with Music Director Barbara Hannigan brought a new experience to this year’s listeners, as she showcased her numerous skills as “a fearless femme fatale actress, dancer, athlete, sports psychologist, educator, cook and rising star conductor”. (Read the rest of this article here). Relive the 2019 Festival anytime by watching our archived live streaming concerts.

Feedback from our audience, artists, and members of the press is important to us. Read review excerpts below. We will continue to update these next few as reviews come in.

Download PDF of reviews here

“an ironwoman musical triathlon of exacting singing, vital conducting and inspiring mentoring” LA Times

“Hannigan thrust her arm to the sky in a gesture of pure triumph, all you could say was, “Wow!” SFCV

“Ojai Music Festival — a utopia where open-minded audiences welcome adventurous works presented against a backdrop of green hills, bird song and Pixie tangerines.” NY Times

“a Coachella for classical and new-music fans.” LA Weekly

“Here was Ms. Hannigan in all her polymathic glory: the impresario who commissioned the piece; the conductor whose persuasive authority demonstrated that it was no vanity project; and the alluring singer, bright and magnetic, who wasn’t above ending on a literal high note.” NY Times

“It is still the quirkiest major music festival in America.” LA Times

“Over its four movements, Schoenberg makes the transition from Wagnerian chromaticism into free-floating atonal space, with a soprano adding a text in the final two movements. Hannigan made it sound downright operatic, pushing her voice to expressionistic limits with a rapid flutter as the members of the JACK bore down.” – Musical America

“Suddenly, in the past few years, the jazz portion of the (contemporary music-geared Ojai Music Festival) story has been shifting and expanding in relevant ways… this year’s roster included jazz- related artists John Zorn, Tyshawn Sorey, and Mark-Anthony Turnage.” – All About jazz

“one of America’s most daring and contemporary-oriented festivals, well-known around internationally.” – Santa Barbara Independent

“If music is a journey, then the Ojai Music Festivalis a serendipitous and often indirect one.” – Los Angeles Review of Books

In Hannigan’s sensitive hands, Vivier’s incantatory 22-minute score, which he called “a long song of solitude,” made touching emotional and narrative sense and conjured arresting timbres from the percussion instruments, including chimes and bass drum. – Classical Voice North America

July 10, 2019
2025 Festival in the News

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
The new york times

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.
LOS ANGELES TIMES

The festival’s biggest surprise must have been Wu Wei’s mastery of the seemingly daunting sheng, to which he brought enviable finesse and warmth.
wall street journal

Balter’s score is a masterpiece of musical artistry and dramatic storytelling, and Chase’s performance showed off her virtuosity and endurance…
SAN FRANCISCO CLASSICAL VOICE

A Once-in-a-Lifetime Ojai Festival Cultivates Deep Listening
san francisco classical voice

Listening With and To the Sounds and Sites of Ojai
santa barbara independent

Pied Piper (On Flutes) Leads Ojai On A Long, Winding Road To Fun
classical voice north america

READ reviews

Watch LIVESTREAMS

July 8, 2025
From Ara: A Remembrance and Looking Back

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:

Watch Livestreams

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:

Sunbird By Susie Ibarra on Apple Music:

go to Apple music

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.

Sola By Anna Thorvaldsdottir on Apple Music:

go to Apple music

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!

Support the Festival

With much gratitude and good wishes,

Ara Guzelimian
Artistic and Executive Director

July 16, 2025
2022 Festival Critical Acclaim

Thank you for joining us at our 76th Festival, June 9-12, 2022. It was an exhilarating time! The energy and boundless creativity of AMOC* was vividly present across the Ojai Valley, giving all of us an extraordinary artistic adventure. Read review excerpts below.

Relive concerts anytime by watching our archived live streaming concerts

View our photo gallery of some of our favorite Festival moments.

Download PDF of reviews here

“The Ojai Music Festival has always been more than the sum of its considerable parts, thanks to its compact duration (little more than a long weekend), eclectic classical programming, embrace of other disciplines (including theater, dance and spoken word), and sustained ability to attract luminaries to its still delightfully rustic outdoor setting—Igor Stravinsky, Aaron Copland and Pierre Boulez remain the most famous of its annually appointed music directors. Yet this year, something else pervaded, too: a feeling that the center of the classical-music universe, at least from June 9 through 12, was right here.” – Wall Street Journal

“Davóne Tines, in a program note describing amoc’s approach to Eastman’s unswervingly radical music, wrote, “What is possible if all members of a performing ensemble are present for every step of the creation of a performance?” Ojai made the possibilities clear.” – The New Yorker

“There is nothing in music quite like Ojai, now three-quarters of a century old, with that packed morning-to-night-schedule, its variety of spaces and the stalwart curiosity of its audience. Led by Ara Guzelimian with a steady hand, the festival is Southern California relaxed — T-shirts and shorts, maybe a hoodie at night — but the repertory tends rigorous and recondite.” – New York Times

“This Utopian collective of 17 extraordinary artists happily reinventing opera was the communal music director last weekend for the 75th anniversary of this ever-quixotic festival.” – Los Angeles Times

“Eastman’s beloved half-hour Gay Guerilla was a standout moment during the program — and the festival. The dizzily ecstatic work came off as a musical statement at once unruly and internally logical, raucous and yet reflective, as was Eastman’s complex musical wont. Among other distinguishing marks at Ojai 2022, Eastman now joins the ranks of the festival’s ever-expanding songbook of 20th- and 21st-century greats whose music left a mark in this dreamy outpost of a town.” – San Francisco Classical Voice

“Open Rehearsal, directed by the choreographer and dancer Bobbi Jene Smith, felt more nuanced. An outgrowth of Smith’s recent work “Broken Theater,” it is a wry, sometimes uproarious and poignant metatheatrical riff on the process of creation.” – New York Times

“For all its worldly trappings, as an annual gathering point for internationally-respected musicians, composers, conductors, plus visitors and press from near and far, the unique power of the Ojai Music Festival (ojaifestival.org) is partly rooted in its “village” concept. As the cliché goes, it “takes one” to pull all the festival pieces together and it is one, a golden west coast destination spot.” – Santa Barbara Independent

“With AMOC’s boundary-pushing tenure at an end, Ojai has once more proved the most elastic of music festivals. And it seems clear that Mr. Guzelimian intends to continue stretching things.” – Wall Street Journal

“Compositional styles ran a wide gamut at the festival, from the ethereal simplicity of Cassandra Miller’s “About Bach” to the riotous, pop-flavored eclecticism of Doug Balliett’s mini-opera Rome Is Falling.” – The New Yorker

“Everything for AMOC is sacred in that it needs to perform at the highest level, but nothing is so sacred that it can’t be rethought musically, socially, racially, sexually, theatrically, physically.” – Los Angeles Times

“Many in the arts these days talk a big game about interdisciplinary collaboration, but few walk the walk like AMOC” – New York Times

June 20, 2022
2021 Critical Acclaim

Ojai Music Festival 2021. John Adams, Miranda Cuckson, Rhiannon Giddens, Víkingur Ólafsson, Attacca Quartet. Photos by Timothy Teague

Thank you for joining us at our 75th Festival, September 16-19, 2021. Read review excerpts below. Relive concerts anytime by watching our archived live streaming concerts. View our photo gallery of some of our favorite Festival moments.

Download PDF of reviews here

“a forward-looking survey of young artists — fitting for a festival that has long focused on the future” New York Times

“Against unsettlingly uncertain odds, Ojai’s 75th anniversary festival happened as hoped and promised, and it was special” Los Angeles Times

“In Ojai, circa 2021, themes of “homecoming” and pandemic-related dynamics struck emotional chords beyond the provocative and consoling musical goods.” San Francisco Classical Voice

“Throughout its illustrious history, the Ojai Music Festival has been known for a series of unpredictable, serendipitous musical experiences that become known as quintessential Ojai moments. One such moment stood out as a highlight of this year’s festival – an “Ojai Dawns” concert… [with a program of] all Mexican composers, music by [Gabriela] Ortiz, Javier Álvarez, and Georgina Derbez.” San Francisco Classical Voice

“Pandemic-waylaid, the Ojai Music Festival finally erected its contemporary-music-geared Big Top with one of its strongest programs of late.” Santa Barbara Independent

“Rhiannon Giddens was an inspired choice to anchor the festival with… a rousing concert of her original/traditional material on Saturday night… The concert… resonated with all of the pain and struggle we have experienced over the last two years in a way that was at once healing and grounding.” Santa Barbara Independent

“arguably the most exciting music event in this country” Berkshire Fine Arts

“Music sounds fresh and very much of the moment. It both delights and moves in its Ojai setting.” Berkshire Fine Arts

“thoughtfully programmed and precisely performed” Sequenza 21

“The Ojai spirit of adventure was alive in the programming hands of music director du jour John Adams… and the new artistic and executive director Ara Guzelimian” Classical Voice North America

November 1, 2021
2024 Press Coverage

Thank you for joining us at our 78th Festival, June 6-9, 2024. It was a glorious time to be in our communal festival experience, particularly in the company of our wondrous Music Director, Mitsuko Uchida. We were graced by her performances of extraordinary depth and insight along with the exhilaration of her partnership with the generous, brilliant musicians of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra and the 2024 featured artists.

Take a look at excerpts from the press.

“…we’re talking about Ojai, where open-minded audiences take in music accompanied by nature and snack on freshly picked pixie tangerines. Uchida might have seemed like a headliner, but this festival is about sharing the wealth.”
New York Times

“What’s so extraordinary about the Ojai Music Festival, now in its 78th year? Many things, actually, including its brevity (this year running June 6 through 9); challenging and often sharply contrasting programming; and a rich concentration of talent…”
Wall Street Journal

“Uchida’s playing was so uncompromisingly ethereal that its purpose seemed meant to open the listener’s mind a crack.”
Los Angeles Times

read reviews

“In programming cahoots with artistic director Ara Guzelimian, Uchida managed to tap many important and lesser-heard musical touchpoints over the weekend, including paying respects to Saariaho, who died just more than a year ago. Her Lichtbogen, conducted here by her daughter Aliisa Neige Barriere, has a shimmering, evanescent atmosphere, mixing acoustic and electronic elements with abiding sensitivity…”
SB Independent

“The Ojai moment came during the cadenza of the second movement, Larghetto, when the piano, in its highest register, evokes the entrancing power of Papageno’s magic bells. A silence descended over Libbey Bowl that was so complete that the only sounds were the piano, the croaking of frogs, the rustling of crickets, and the songs of night birds. It was as if Uchida’s playing had somehow entranced us all.”
San Francisco Classical Voice

“[Alexi] Kenney, 30, who has seemed on the verge of stardom for some time, certainly became one of the highlights of this festival (he made his Ojai debut in 2021). Along with Kafka Fragments, he gave a brilliant solo performance, with innocuous abstract projections by visual artist Xuan, of another hour-long work called Shifting Ground, consisting of 11 pieces by various composers, also at the Ojai Valley School.
Classical Voice North America

Watch 2024 HIGHLIGHTS AND concerts

July 1, 2024
2023 Festival Press Coverage

Thank you for joining us at our 77th Festival, June 8-11, 2023, featuring Music Director Rhiannon Giddens. Our audience, volunteers, and team’s enthusiasm, curiosity, and openness give life to the Festival every year. Take a look at excerpts from the press – from previews to reviews.

…an annual pilgrimage for the musically open-minded. The nearly 80-year-old event, held in the valley city of Ojai in the mountains east of Santa Barbara, has proved chameleonlike, adopting a new tone every year thanks to its tradition of selecting a new music director annually. What remains consistent, however, is the dedication to experimental, boundary-pushing art that challenges listeners’ ears and minds.
Alta Online

“We’re not trying to turn the festival upside down,” says Giddens. “We’re looking to bring many musical threads together under the same umbrella.” “The element of surprise is part of the Ojai Festival’s identity,” says Artistic and Executive Director Ara Guzelimian.
SF Classical Voice

“There is an element of uncertainty about a program like this,” she [Rhiannon Giddens] says, “which is the point. There will be years where everything has been written out, and every concert has all pieces programmed, and they’ve been practiced and everything. This is not that year. … I think everybody will have moments of, like, ‘I’m not sure what’s going to happen right now.’ But I think that’s powerful.’”
Los Angeles Times

REad previews

read reviews

Ms. Giddens is a boundary breaker, a quality this 77-year-old festival has variously celebrated since its inception.
Wall Street Journal

Rhiannon Giddens’s own multifaceted talents mostly held the floor. She is a remarkably versatile singer, soaking up diverse vocal styles like a highly-absorbent sponge and pouring them out in timbres unmistakably her own
Musical America

[Rhiannon] Giddens and Francesco Turrisi, her partner and musical collaborator — a Sicilian whose specialties are jazz piano and early music — intriguingly mixed genres, happily and sometimes successfully ignoring perceived musical borders.But that kind of thing is usual for Ojai, which prides itself on pushing the musical envelope.
Classical Voice North America

reWatch 2023 concerts

August 14, 2023
What the Festival Means to Me

The Ojai Music Festival is long known for being a place for experimentation, exploration, and interaction. We are in awe of our patrons, returning and new, who share the experience with the artists and community, and equally important, their feedback and insights every year. We thank you for making the time to share your personal “What the Festival Means to You.”

It means the joy of discovery and communication through music. It means openness to experience, willingness to engage deeply with something and give it a chance to touch your soul and change you forever…

This is a world-class musical event in a small-town atmosphere, which is a unique and delightful pairing.

The experience of live music in an outdoor setting that is more intimate than a concert hall.

“An inspirational weekend with incredible performers, devoted audience, and unpredictable concerts. We always find something weird and something wonderful throughout the events.”

Do you have questions? We’ve got answers!

Visit our FAQ

FIrst-timers’ tips

2024 Libbey Bowl Passes

November 17, 2023
2019 Audience Survey

2019 Festival finale with Barbara Hannigan and LUDWIG. Photo by Annaliese van der Vegt

The Ojai Music Festival is long known for being a place for experimentation and discovery, and receiving feedback from our patrons is important to us. This year, we sent out an electronic audience survey to 998 emails of 2019 ticket buyers, and we had an overwhelming 41% response. For those who participated, we thank you for making the time to share your evaluations about your experience.

As we continue to comb through the results and comments, we would like to share some initial findings. You can also read 2019 press reviews and view the 2019 photo gallery.

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Select memorable moments of patrons from the survey:

“The “Gershwin” belongs here… an absolute “slam dunk” rivaling anything I’ve seen anywhere… (Lady Gaga… watch your step!) but really, the most memorable “moment” was: Barbara Hannigan. I cannot recall ever experiencing any one person with more depth, comprehensiveness, vision and creativity that what I feel when I hear her sing, conduct or just talk about music. Thank you so much for this year!”

“Finding out that I liked some of Zorn and a lot of Knussen. My time at Ojai each year is a time of musical discovery and a challenge to myself to be open and listening deep.”

“The Rake’s Progress, also meeting old and new friends at the Picnic suppers in the Park.”

“The energy throughout the weekend from the staff, volunteers and concertgoers was infectious.”

“Being reminded how wonderful it is to see friends and acquaintances over and over again, and the accessibility of even the most well-known of the artists.”

“Sun coming through later half of program and a chorus of birds. Vivier’s Lonely Child was a highly inspiring experience seen live. Rake’s Progress. I wept throughout the last third of it.”

July 20, 2019
Ensemble intercontemporain

In 1976, Pierre Boulez founded the Ensemble intercontemporain with the support of Michel Guy (who was Minister of Culture at the time) and the collaboration and Nicholas Snowman. The Ensemble’s 31 soloists share a passion for 20th to 21st century music. They are employed on permanent contract, enabling them to fulfill the major aims of the Ensemble: performance, creation, and education for young musicians and the general public.

Under the artistic direction of Matthias Pintscher the musicians work in close collaboration with composers, exploring instrumental techniques and developing projects that interweave music, dance, theater, film, video, and visual arts. In collaboration with IRCAM (Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique), the Ensemble Intercontemporain is also active in the field of synthetic sound generation. New pieces are commissioned and performed on a regular basis with the support of the Fondation Meyer.

The Ensemble is renowned for its strong emphasis on music education: concerts for kids, creative workshops for students, training programs for future performers, conductors, and composers. Since 2004, the Ensemble soloists have been tutoring young instrumentalists, conductors and composers in the field of contemporary repertoire at the Lucerne Festival Academy, a several week educational project held by the Lucerne Festival.

Resident of the Philharmonie de Paris, the Ensemble performs and records in France and abroad, taking part in major festivals worldwide. The Ensemble is financed by the Ministry of Culture and Communication and receives additional support from the Paris City Council. New commissions by Ensemble intercontemporain are supported by Fondation Meyer.

August 8, 2019
74th Ojai Music Festival

2020 Music Director Matthias Pintscher is already getting started with next year’s programming of the 74th Ojai Music Festival, June 11 to 14. We are so excited to share all of the exciting pieces and ensembles he is lining up. Listen to his vision for Ojai in the video below.

The Festival will feature a fantastic array of contemporary works that connect back to the seminal music moments of our great tradition; moving forward with respect to what is behind us. Featuring works by Pierre Boulez, Mozart, and Music Director Matthias Pintscher, 2020 will encompass a bridge of the classical contemporary relationship between Europe and the USA.

Watch the video below to hear Artistic Director Chad Smith’s 2020 vision in his own words.

August 10, 2019
Stephen Gosling Plays John Zorn with JACK Quartet

Friday, June 7, 2019: 11:00am – 11:45am – Libbey Bowl

John Zorn is a universalist, a composer, performer, filmmaker, cultural manager, and aesthetic philosopher who has forged an independent path through stylistic domains that range from the classical avant-garde to virtually all popular idioms. This two-concert survey of his chamber music includes recent works by one of the most fertile, thought-provoking, and idiosyncratic music minds of our time.

2020 Passes on sale now with Music Director Matthias Pintscher!

August 13, 2019
BRAVO Program is Back to School

The BRAVO Program is looking forward to an exciting year!
By Laura Walter, BRAVO Education Coordinator

It’s the start of the school year and our Education Through Music (ETM) weekly classes have begun in all public Ojai elementary schools for ages four to nine. ETM is based on folk songs and increases language fluency and the ability to sing in tune. In the age of the digital brain, we nurture and educate through having aesthetic experiences—joy and beauty. Teachers comment, “I notice an improvement in their listening skills, but more importantly their ability to take turns and be happy for their friends who are chosen. Students who were inhibited the first few times, now are excited to participate!”

Our BRAVO program is also out-and-about in the community — approaching quickly is the annual Ojai Day on October 19, where our volunteers will set up our ever-popular BRAVO Instrument Petting Zoo in Libbey Park. It’s always fun to see people of all ages try out the myriad of instruments from blowing a trumpet to banging on some boom-whackers.

Another place to see BRAVO in action is at the Holiday Home Tour and Marketplace on November 16 and 17. Local musicians serenade tour guests with strains of Mozart, Joni Mitchell, Top Ten Renaissance favorites, and James Taylor—what a variety! This year we will also have music for the Marketplace at Libbey Park. Be on the lookout for vocal quartets, fiddlers, easy listening, and classical oboe!

Take a musical trip to China or Indonesia in the spring by joining us at our Imagine concert! Building on last year’s vast success, we are looking forward to collaborating with Ojai Valley School and the Barbara Barnard Smith World Musics Foundation to present another world music concert for students from ten Ojai schools. We will once again add a late afternoon free community concert.

In conjunction with Music in the Schools month, Music Van will make its way to Ojai elementary schools with the help of a dedicated team of more than 50 volunteers. We introduce children to the instruments of the orchestra: brass, winds, percussion, and strings. Each child (and volunteer!) can try every instrument and the organized cacophony is surprisingly delightful! Mostly because of the smiles and giggles from all participants. Every year we hear from teachers that many students are inspired to choose an instrument and join the music program. Many children who struggle in school can find success in music. They have a chance to excel and find something they are passionate about. Working together and striving toward beauty are a vital part of educating our future citizens. Many thanks to Santa Barbara Symphony for use of their Music Van.

In addition to serving schoolchildren in the Ojai Valley, our Bridge Program is an inter-generational program that has third graders stepping up to interact with senior residents at the Gables of Ojai. Children, seniors, and caregivers spend time meeting each other, singing, skipping together (either on our feet, or just our hands), dancing, and finding new partners. The children are excited to meet new friends and find out about their lives. Many of the seniors remark afterward that they remember these songs from their childhood and didn’t know that children still sing them. Our time is filled with laughter, beauty, and wonder. At the end no one really wants to leave. There have been many tears of joy at these events.

The BRAVO program is made possible with the support of generous funders – California Arts Council, the Stauffer Foundation, the City of Ojai, and the Ojai Festival Women’s Committee.

For more information in volunteering or supporting our BRAVO program, please email info@ojafestival.org or call us at 805 646 2094 and ask for Laura Walter.

September 10, 2019
Ojai Festival Names New Board Leadership

OJAI MUSIC FESTIVAL NAMES NEW BOARD
CHAIR JERROLD EBERHARDT AND FY2020 SLATE OF OFFICERS

(September 19, 2019 OJAI, CA) – The Ojai Music Festival announced its FY2020 Slate of Officers for the Board of Directors this past weekend at the annual Board meeting with Jerrold Eberhardt as Board Chair succeeding David Nygren, who remains on the Board. Other Board officers are Barry Sanders, Vice-Chair Governance; Stephan Farber, Vice-Chair Finance and Treasurer; Michele Brustin, Vice- Chair Development; and Cathryn Krause, Secretary.

“I am deeply honored to continue to serve the Ojai Music Festival in this new capacity as Board chair, and I am humbled to succeed my dear friend David Nygren who served with distinction over the past five years. On behalf of my deeply dedicated Board colleagues, I want to thank David for his thoughtful, generous leadership,” commented Eberhardt. “The first Festival I attended was Eighth Blackbird’s in 2009. Since then, I have enjoyed magical weekends of remarkable music making in Ojai during Tom Morris’ defining tenure. Building on the Festival’s breathtaking artistic momentum, we look toward the future under the leadership of Chad Smith as Artistic Director. Chad, whose artistic genius is well known around the globe, is arguably the best in the business, and he is exactly the right visionary for the Ojai Music Festival today. Under Chad’s watch and as Ojai approaches its 75th anniversary in 2021, we are extremely optimistic about the future of this treasured Festival.”

Jerrold L. Eberhardt had a distinguished 40-year career at Smith Barney. He and his family moved from Chicago to Los Angeles in 1997 when he was named Senior Executive Vice President and Divisional Director for the Western Division, which included 11 States and was expanded to include Asia and Australia. He retired in 2009. Mr. Eberhardt has been a member of the Board of Directors of Dynasty Financial Partners, LLC since 2012. Dynasty is the premier provider of integrated wealth management solutions and technology for Independent Registered Investment Advisors.

Throughout his business career, he was active in charitable and civic affairs in the Chicago community. Prior to moving to Los Angeles, he was a trustee of the Ravinia Festival Association and served as vice chairman and a member of the executive committee.

Mr. Eberhardt is former Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, and currently serves as vice chairman and a member of the executive committee. He is a member of the Board of the Music Academy of the West and serves on the executive committee. He also serves on the Board of the Music Center Foundation and is a past trustee of the Aspen Music Festival & School, having served on the Board for six years. He is a member of The California Club and previously served on the Board of Directors and as the Chairman of the Finance Committee. Mr. Eberhardt graduated from the University of Illinois and received his MBA from the University of Cincinnati.

Ojai Music Festival Board of Directors
The FY2020 Board of Directors currently includes: Barry Sanders, attorney, author and civic leader (Los Angeles); Stephan Farber, founder/CEO of Sound Post Capital (Houston); Michele Brustin, civic leader (Santa Barbara); Cathryn Krause, co-founder of BST Solutions (Ojai); Sandy Buechley, business intelligence manager at Patagonia, Inc. (Ojai); NancyBell Coe, president (retired) of Music Academy of the West (Santa Barbara); James P. Drummy, principal at the law firm of Poindexter & Doutré Inc. (Los Angeles); Fred Fisher, founding architect partner of Fred Fisher & Partners (Ojai); David Nygren, founder of Nygren Consulting, LLC; David Oxtoby, president of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (Boston); Dr. Barry Schifrin, doctor (retired) (Los Angeles); Maurice Singer, founding principal at the Evergreen Advantage (Los Angeles/Santa Barbara); Dr. Bridget Tsao-Brockman, optometrist (Ojai); Merrill Williams, director of public relations of the Ojai Valley Inn & Spa (retired) (Ojai); and the Ojai Festival Women’s Committee president Tiese Quinn (Ojai).

Ojai Music Festival
From its founding in 1947, the Ojai Music Festival has become a place for groundbreaking musical experiences, bringing together innovative artists and curious audiences in an intimate, idyllic setting 75 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The Festival presents broad-ranging programs in unusual ways with an eclectic mix of new and rarely performed music, as well as refreshing juxtapositions of musical styles. The four-day festival is an immersive experience with concerts, free community events, symposia, and gatherings. Considered a highlight of the international music summer season, Ojai has remained a leader in the classical music landscape for seven decades.

Through its signature structure of the Artistic Director appointing an annual Music Director, Ojai has presented a “who’s who” of music including 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, Peter Sellars, Vijay Iyer, Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Barbara Hannigan.

The Ojai Music Festival approaches its 75th anniversary, and looks toward the future with Artistic Director Chad Smith whose first Festival will be in June 2020 with Music Director Matthias Pintscher. Mr. Smith succeeds Thomas W. Morris whose defining tenure spanned 16 years.

74^th Ojai Music Festival with Matthias Pintscher
The 74^th Festival – June 11 to 14, 2020 – with Music Director Matthias Pintscher will highlight progressive and forward-thinking composers of today’s generation while paying homage to early classical roots. Featuring a vast array of composers from the past six centuries, the program will connect the traditional with the contemporary. Joining Pintscher for this adventurous musical exploration will be the Ensemble Intercontemporain in their Ojai Music Festival debut. This Paris-based world-renowned ensemble of 31 full-time musicians is dedicated to performing and promoting contemporary chamber music, which was founded by past Music Director Pierre Boulez in 1972 and now led by Pintscher. For series passes to the 2020 Festival, visit OjaiFestival.org or call 805 646 2053.

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Contact:
Nikki Scandalios, nikki@scandaliospr.com, (704) 340-4094
Gina Gutierrez, ggutierrez@ojaifestival.org, (805) 646-2094

September 19, 2019
2020 Composer Profile: Olga Neuwirth

“This remarkable creator – of orchestral pieces and chamber works as well as hybrids of film and performance art – draws on a plethora of influences, yet devises her own astonishing sound.” – The Guardian

Olga Neuwirth studied at the Academy of Music in Vienna and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. During her stay in the States she also attended an art college, where she studied painting and film. Her private teachers in composition included Adriana Hölszky, Tristan Murail and Luigi Nono. She first burst onto the international scene in 1991, at the age of 22, when two of her mini-operas were performed at the Wiener Festwochen. Ever since her works have been presented worldwide.

Olga Neuwirth’s works are multi-layered and multi-sensory. Some pieces also draw on the full range of effects of both electronic and orchestral instruments as well as video, which she began integrating into some of her works in the late 1980’s. The listener is struck by the immediacy of her music, which is often dramatic and expressive as she is particularly interested in emotions and how they relate to the brain and memory.

The Ojai Music Festival debuted her World Premiere Incidendo / fluido at the 2002 Ojai Music Festival performed by pianist Marino Formenti. For Music Director Matthias Pintscher’s upcoming Festival, June 11 to 14, 2020, Neuwirth’s music will be showcased throughout the four days.

Purchase 2020 series passes:

October 7, 2019
Ojai Home Tour Details

October 9, 2019
2019 Applications for the Arts Management Intern Program Now Available

(OJAI, CA) – The Ojai Music Festival’s arts management internship program is now accepting applications for the 73^rd Ojai Music Festival slated for June 6 to 9, 2019 with soprano and conductor Barbara Hannigan as music director. Entering its 12^th year, the Festival’s sought-after program provides hands-on experiences to college students as they are immersed in areas of production, administration, operations, special events, merchandising, live streaming, marketing, public relations, and patron services.

Students from varying fields and walks of life enjoy access to different opportunities which give them new skill sets and experiences that they take with them throughout their careers. The internship program also provides them to interact with leaders in the music industry and create lasting friendships with other students.

Applicants must be 18 or over and enrolled in a two or four year accredited college. The Festival provides housing for the duration of the internship as well as a stipend. Applications are due by March 1, 2019. Download the application here.

About the Ojai Music Festival
From its founding in 1947, the Ojai Music Festival has created a place for groundbreaking musical experiences, bringing together innovative artists and curious audiences in an intimate, idyllic setting 80 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The Festival presents broad-ranging programs in unusual ways with an eclectic mix of rarely performed music, refreshing juxtapositions of musical styles, and works by today’s composers. The four-day festival is an immersive experience with concerts, free community events, symposia, and gatherings. Considered a highlight of the international music summer season, Ojai has remained a leader in the classical music landscape for seven decades.

Through its unique structure of the Artistic Director appointing an annual Music Director, Ojai has presented a “who’s who” of music including Aaron Copland, Igor Stravinsky, Olivier Messiaen, 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, Peter Sellars, Vijay Iyer, Barbara Hannigan (2019), and Matthias Pintscher (2020).

The 73^rd Ojai Music Festival, June 6 to 9, 2019, will celebrate and explore the creative breadth of Music Director Barbara Hannigan, as conductor, singer, and mentor. Joining Ms. Hannigan will be the US debuts of her mentoring initiative for young professional artists, Equilibrium (EQ), and the orchestral collective from Amsterdam, LUDWIG, with whom Ms. Hannigan made her Grammy Award-winning conducting debut CD “Crazy Girl Crazy” in 2017.

The 2019 Festival program will feature works by composers central to Ojai’s history and future, including John Luther Adams, Gerard Grisey, Oliver Knussen, Catherine Lamb, Olivier Messiaen, Terry Riley, Arnold Schoenberg, Tyshawn Sorey, Igor Stravinsky, Mark-Anthony Turnage, Claude Vivier, and John Zorn. Highlights will include the staged production of Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress with Ms. Hannigan conducting and members of EQ as the cast; Ms. Hannigan performing in Gérard Grisey’s Quatre chants pour franchir le seuil; the Ojai premiere of John Zorn’s Jumalattaret and Girl Crazy Suite, a special arrangement by Bill Elliott of songs from the Gershwin musical.

For more information regarding the internship program for the Ojai Music Festival, please call the main office at 805 646 2094 or email info@ojaifestival.org. For more information on the Ojai Music Festival, visit OjaiFestival.org.

January 28, 2019
Andrew Staples, Tenor

A prolific concert performer, Andrew has appeared with the Berliner Philharmoniker and Wiener Philharmoniker, the Akademisten Berlin, the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment with Sir Simon Rattle; the Orchestre de Paris, Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra and London Symphony Orchestra with Daniel Harding; the Swedish Chamber Orchestra and Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Andrew Manze; the Gävle Symphony and Robin Ticciati; the Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest and the Philadelphia Orchestra with Yannick Nézet-Séguin; and the Accademia Santa Cecilia with Semyon Bychkov.

Andrew made his debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden as Jacquino Fidelio, returning for Flamand Capriccio, Tamino Die Zauberflöte, Artabenes in Arne’s Artaxerxes and Narraboth Salome. He has also appeared at the National Theatre Prague; La Monnaie Brussels; the Salzburger Festspiele; Hamburgische Staatsoper, Theater an der Wien, the Lucerne Festival and the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Learn more: http://www.ajrstaples.com/new-page

November 5, 2019
Calder Quartet

Hailed as “Superb” and “imaginative, skillful creators” by the New York Times, the Calder Quartet captivates audiences exploring a broad spectrum of repertoire, always striving to

fulfill the composer’s vision in their performances. The group’s distinctive artistry is exemplified by a musical curiosity brought to everything they perform and has led them to be called “one of America’s most satisfying – and most enterprising – quartets”. (Los Angeles Times)

Winners of the prestigious 2014 Avery Fisher Career Grant, they are widely known for the discovery, commissioning, recording and mentoring of some of today’s best emerging composers. In addition to performances of the complete Beethoven and Bartok quartets, the Calder Quartet’s dedication to commissioning new works has given rise to premieres of dozens of string quartets by established and up-and-coming composers including Peter Eötvös, Andrew Norman, Christopher Rouse, Ted Hearne and Christopher Cerrone. Inspired by innovative American artist Alexander Calder, the Calder Quartet’s desire to bring immediacy and context to the works they perform creates an artfully crafted musical experience.

Recent highlights include Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Disney Hall, Lincoln Center, Metropolitan Museum of Art, multiple performances at Wigmore Hall, Barbican, Salzburg Festival, Donaueschingen Festival, Frankfurt Alte Oper, Tonhalle Zurich, IRCAM Paris, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie and the Sydney Opera House. They have performed as soloists with the Cleveland Orchestra and LA Philharmonic and have collaborated with musicians such as Thomas Adès, Peter

Eötvös, Anders Hillborg, Daniel Bjarnasson, Andrew Norman, Audrey Luna, Johannes Moser, Joshua Bell, Menahem Pressler, Joseph Kalechstein, Paul Neubauer, Iva Bittová and Edgar Meyer. In 2017, the Calder Quartet signed an exclusive, multi-disc record deal with Pentatone with their debut recording featuring Beethoven scheduled for release in Fall 2018.

The quartet has signed an exclusive, multi-disc record deal with Pentatone records. Their debut recording features the music of Beethoven and Swedish composer Anders Hillborg. Previously the quartet has appeared on Signum Classics, BMC records, Bridge Records and E1 recording the quartets of Peter Eötvös with Audrey Luna, Thomas Adès’ chamber music with the composer at the piano, early works of Terry Riley, the chamber music of Christopher Rouse, Mozart Piano concertos with Anne-Marie McDermott, and Ravel and Mozart quartets.

As a side project, the quartet has collaborated with acts such as Andrew WK, Lord Huron, Vampire Weekend, and The National. Television appearances include the Late Show with David Letterman, Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, Late Night with Jimmy Kimmel, and the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson as well as radio appearances on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic, Performance Today, WQXR New York, KUSC Los Angeles, Colorado Public Radio, and NPR.

In 2011 the Calder Quartet launched a non-profit dedicated to furthering its efforts in commissioning, presenting, recording, and education, collaborating with

the Getty Museum, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, and the Barbican Centre in London. The Calder Quartet formed at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music and continued studies at the Colburn Conservatory of Music with Ronald Leonard, and at the Juilliard School, receiving the Artist Diploma in Chamber Music Studies as the Juilliard Graduate Resident String Quartet. The quartet regularly conducts master classes and has taught at the Colburn School, the Oberlin School the Juilliard School, Cleveland Institute of Music, University of Cincinnati College Conservatory and USC Thornton School of Music.

November 5, 2019
Della Miles, Vocalist

Whenever there’s talk about “a song you can’t seem to get out of your head ,” chances are you are thinking about the artist as much as you are about the song itself. Sure, there’s the melody, arrangement, lyrics, instrumentation and voice, but they are not what conveys the feeling that a certain song is actually meant for you only. Song-craft is not mathematics, and singing is more than can be expressed in notes and scales. Even in our technically advanced day and age there’s still no substitute for the original artist and her ability to connect with an audience of strangers. If we’re lucky, there will never be.

Since 2005 she has toured stadiums with one of the biggest artist in Germany “Marius Müller Weternhagen” September 30, 2012. Della has made her debut in her first opera (American Lulu) performed in Berlins Komische Oper. This opportunity came just by her performance in the Berlin O-2-World Stadium. Della says ” I was so excited about my role because I also enjoy acting”

*The opera debut was successful and Della was asked to perform the opperetta called ELENOR where Della stood alone with a full orchestra in the Lucern Opera Festival 2015, Paris Philharmony in 2016, and will perform 2018 in Carngie Hall.

The point in case being Della Miles from Houston Texas, who could very well wind up soundtracking your life.

Born into an extended family of 5 brothers and sisters, Della had her musical tastes developed from an early age. “I came in touch with music through my parents, my mother played the piano in church, and directed the choir”.

At home Della would listen to her fathers old collection of jazz records like Miles Davis. A successful club owner and lover of music himself, he turned her on to the influences that can now be heard in Della’s music.

During her teenage years Della began performing in Houston’s night Clubs, sometimes along with her sister while simultaneously attending high school. After some college years studying Criminal Justice Della decided that “music is all I want to do” and started out for Los Angeles. Knowing only one person in the city, it was a scary place for a young girl to be, but Della claims she “did her research”. “My idea was to go to night clubs and to perform at every open mic night”.

Della caught the attention of several music industry suits and found herself choosing between engagements. She became one of Los Angeles top studio singers where she performed around 12 Mc Donald jingles and a few tv spot comercials. Della has also performed on many movie tracks. Later Della was casted in the Micheal Jackson Musical Stage Theathre piece called “Sisterella” where she played the leading role as “Ella. Being seen in this stage play she was asked to become a backing vocalist for Whitney Houston. (“that is where I got most of my training”) Since that time Della has been singing and writing her own songs.

Della Miles’ songs are the kind of songs that make you notice the labour that went into their conception. Not in a bad way, although it’s more like a labour of love. Her last record was pervaded by purity and experience.”

With Della Miles, the experience is actually worthwhile and strangely inviting. Maybe it has something to do with that formidable voice that manages to express something more about the human condition than is available with pre-fabricated entertainment tidbits. Maybe it’s in the arrangements, all effortless amalgam of lush orchestration and vintage soul that resonates with listeners both casual and intent. Or maybe it is the artist after all, even if he or she may decline that responsibility. We will see as Della is currently writing her new CD.

After asking Della about her being a singer/song writer she replied:

“I am always trying to develop as an artist who establish songs, and not themselves”.

She should be looking at herself. Then again, hers is the ultimate bias.

November 5, 2019
Tamara Mumford, Mezzo-Soprano

This season, mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford returns to the Metropolitan Opera for Wagner’s Das Rheingold and Götterdämmerung, and appears in concerts with the Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Berlin Philharmonic both in Berlin and on tour in Asia. She also makes her debut at the Santa Fe Opera in the world premiere of The Thirteenth Child.

A graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, Ms. Mumford made her debut there as Laura in Luisa Miller, and has since appeared in more than 140 performances with the company, some of which include the Pilgrim in the new production of Kajia Saariaho’s L’Amour de loin, Smeaton in the new production of Anna Bolena, and in productions of Rigoletto, Ariadne auf Naxos, Il Trittico, Parsifal, Idomeneo, Cavalleria Rusticana, Nixon in China, The Queen of Spades, the complete Ring Cycle, The Magic Flute, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and Wozzeck.

Other recent opera engagements have included her role debut as the title role in Tancredi with Teatro Nuovo, the first ever American performances of Rossini’s Aureliano in Palmira at the Caramoor Festival, L’Amour de loin at the Festival d’opéra de Québec, Iolante at the Dallas Opera, the title role in the American premiere of Henze’s Phaedra, the title role in The Rape of Lucretia, and the world premiere of Daniel Schnyder’s Yardbird at Opera Philadelphia; the title role in Dido and Aeneas at the Glimmerglass Festival, Ottavia in L’incoronazione di Poppea at the Glyndebourne Opera Festival and the BBC Proms, Orsini in Lucrezia Borgia at the Caramoor Festival , Isabella in L’Italiana in Algeri at the Palm Beach Opera, the title role in The Rape of Lucretia, conducted by Lorin Maazel at the Castleton Festival; the title role in Carmen at the Crested Butte Music Festival, Principessa in Suor Angelica and Ciesca in Gianni Schicchi with the Orchestra Sinfonica Giuseppe Verdi di Milano in Italy; and the title role in La Cenerentola at Utah Festival Opera.

Also an active concert performer and recitalist, Ms Mumford appeared with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra in US and European tours of the world premiere of John Adam’s oratorio The Gospel According to the Other Mary and in performances of Mahler Symphony No. 3. She also appeared with the Mo. Dudamel and the LAPO in performances of Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde in a production by Yuval Sharon and the Chilean theater group Teatrocinema. Other concert engagements have included appearances with the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Dallas Symphony, Utah Symphony, Oregon Symphony, and Milwaukee Symphony orchestras; the Berlin Philharmonic, the Netherland Radio Philharmonic, and at the Hollywood Bowl and the Ravinia, Tanglewood, Grand Teton, Vail, Tucson Desert Song, Britt and La Jolla Summer Music festivals. She made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2005 as part of the Richard Good and Friends concert series in Zankel Hall, and has since appeared there with James Levine and the Met Chamber Orchestra. She has also made multiple appearances in the Musicians from Marlboro’s summer festivals and US tours. In recital she has been presented in New York by the Marilyn Horne Foundation, the Frick Collection, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and in Philadelphia by the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society.

Ms Mumford has appeared in the Metropolitan Opera’s Met: Live in HD series broadcasts of Anna Bolena, Das Rheingold, Gotterdämmerung, The Magic Flute, Nixon in China, Manon Lescaut, and Il Trittico. Her recordings include Handel’s Messiah with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (Momon Tabernacle Choir), Beethoven’s Cantata on the Death of Emperor Joseph II with Michael Tilson Thomas and the San Francisco Symphony (Avie), and John Adams’ The Gospel According to the Other Mary with Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic (Deutsche Grammophon). She was and was one of sixteen singers invited to work with Naxos Records and Yale University in a collaborative project to record the complete songs of Charles Ives.

A native of Sandy, Utah, Ms. Mumford holds a Bachelors of Music from Utah State University and has received awards from the Opera Index Competition, Palm Beach Opera Competition, Sullivan Foundation, Connecticut Opera Guild Competition, Joyce Dutka Foundation Competition and the MacAllister Awards.

Learn more: https://www.tamaramumford.com

November 5, 2019
Ara Guzelimian, Ojai Talks Director & Artistic Director Designate

Ara Guzelimian is Provost and Dean of the Juilliard School in New York City having been appointed to the post in August 2006. At Juilliard, he works closely with the President in overseeing the faculty, curriculum and artistic planning of the distinguished performing arts conservatory in all three of its divisions – dance, drama and music. Mr. Guzelimian who was Artistic Director for Ojai Music Festival from 1992 to 1997, will return as Ojai’s Artistic Director for the 2021 Festival.

Prior to the Juilliard appointment, he was Senior Director and Artistic Advisor of Carnegie Hall from 1998 to 2006; in that post, he oversaw the artistic planning and programming for the opening of Zankel Hall in 2003. He was also host and producer of the acclaimed “Making Music” composer series at Carnegie Hall from 1999 to 2008. Mr. Guzelimian currently serves as Artistic Consultant for the Marlboro Music Festival and School in Vermont. He is also a member of the Music Visiting Committee of the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City. He is a member of the Steering Committee of the Aga Khan Music Awards, and a Board member of the Amphion and Pacific Harmony Foundations.

He has given lectures and taught at the invitation of the Metropolitan Opera, the Salzburg Easter Festival, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Banff Centre for the Arts, the Chicago Symphony, the National Center for the Performing Arts in Taipei and the Jerusalem Music Center. Previously, Ara Guzelimian held the position of Artistic Administrator of the Aspen Music Festival and School in Colorado and he was long associated with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the beginning of his career, first as producer for the Orchestra’s national radio broadcasts and, subsequently, as Artistic Administrator. As a writer and music critic, he has contributed to such publications as Musical America, Opera Quarterly, Opera News, Symphony magazine, The New York Times, the Record Geijutsu magazine (Tokyo), the program books of the Salzburg and the Helsinki Festivals, and the journal for the IRCAM center in Paris.

Mr. Guzelimian is editor of Parallels and Paradoxes: Explorations in Music and Society (Pantheon Books, 2002), a collection of dialogues between Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said. The Chicago, Boston, and London Symphony orchestras, conducted by Bernard Haitink, have performed Mr. Guzelimian’s performing edition of Mendelssohn’s incidental music to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In September 2003, Mr. Guzelimian was awarded the title Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government for his contributions to French music and culture.

November 7, 2019