“Rosen’s Turn” – Opera News Spotlight on ‘The Classical Style’
In Denk’s telling, he came up with the idea after dinner at the house of his neighbors—cellist Fred Sherry and his wife, Carol Archer, who knew Charles Rosen well. “I suddenly got this idea, and I wrote down a cast of characters for it, just as a joke for myself,” says Denk. “‘Who would be in The Classical Style by Charles Rosen, the opera?’ And I sent it around to some friends for yuks. It kept getting more serious in my mind as time went by.” Then he had his first meeting with Tom Morris, artistic director of the Ojai Festival. Morris asked if Denk had any ideas for Ojai’s annual theatrical evening. “And I said I’d always had this dream, as a joke mostly, of doing an opera based on Charles Rosen’s The Classical Style. Tom clearly fell in love with the idea. In the meantime, I had become rather close with Charles, and I spent a lot of time playing lessons for him. The project has a lot to do with Tom believing in it, and then having this idea, and my relationship with Charles — all of it sort of converged.” Rosen gave his approval for the project before he died, in 2012, and Denk began working on “a presentable libretto to convince a composer to write something.”
Saturday Evening Concert I Program Change
The new work by Andrew Norman, set to be performed by Jeremy Denk, will be replaced by another work by Mr. Norman.
Andrew Norman regrets that he was unable to complete his new piece, 140 characters or less, in sufficient time to allow for a premiere at the Ojai Music Festival. Mr. Denk looks forward to performing the piece at a later date.
SATURDAY, June 14, 6pm
Andrew Norman
Light Screens
Alex Sopp, flute
Colin Jacobsen, violin
Miranda Sielaff, viola
Eric Jacobsen, cello
Mozart/Timo Andres
“Coronation” Concerto Re-composition
Timo Andres, piano
The Knights
Eric Jacobsen, conductor
Music Director Steven Schick Reveals 2015 Festival Highlights
2015 Ojai Music Festival Music Director Steven Schick shares initial programming for 69th Festival June 11 – 14, 2015
The 2015 Festival is a celebration of 20th and 21st century composers, including works by 14 composers new to Ojai, a salute to Pierre Boulez on the occasion of his 90th birthday, the West Coast premiere of John Luther Adams Sila: The Breath of the World, and installation and free community performances of Paul Dresher’s theater piece for Steven Schick, Schick Machine
“I’ve been coming to the Ojai Music Festival, off and on, for 20 years. Now, in 2015, I have the great privilege of being music director! Out of a dizzying range of possibilities, we are curating a festival that looks to the future without forgetting where we’ve been. Together with terrific artists and great friends including the International Contemporary Ensemble, red fish blue fish, Maya Beiser, Wu Man, and the San Diego based chamber ensemble, Renga, we’ll revisit classic works by Edgard Varèse, and Béla Bartók, and we’ll hear the emerging voices of Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Roland Auzet, and Lei Liang. We’ll pay tribute to pioneers like Pauline Oliveros, and we’ll be moved by the life-affirming work of George Lewis, Claire Chase, and John Luther Adams. We will celebrate the 90th birthday of Pierre Boulez, who has been Ojai music director seven times. Oh right…and you’ll hear some of the most exciting percussion music on the planet!” – Steven Schick, 2015 music director
Download 2015 series order form >>
As the Ojai Music Festival wraps up the 68th Festival (June 12 – 15, 2014) with Music Director Jeremy Denk, the Festival’s 2015 Music Director Steven Schick and Artistic Director Thomas W. Morris share initial programming for the 69th Festival, which focuses on music by almost thirty composers, half of whom are new to Ojai; the West Coast premiere of John Luther Adam’s Sila: The Breath of the World and a special pre-festival performance on Wednesday June 10 of Pierre Boulez: A Portrait, a spectacular multi-media kaleidoscope production with narration, archive films clips, live music, and stage set by Frank Gehry, part of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Beyond the Score series. The 2015 Festival runs from Thursday, June 11 through Sunday, June 14, 2015.
Ojai enthusiastically welcomes percussionist, conductor, teacher, and author Steven Schick as Music Director. With Mr. Morris, Mr. Schick has devised a unique and explosive festival focused entirely around 20th and 21st century composers, featuring Mr. Schick as collaborator, teacher, actor, conductor, and master percussionist. Joining him will be long-time colleagues including the International Contemporary Ensemble (“ICE”), the San Diego string ensemble Renga, pipa artist Wu Man, and virtuoso cellist Maya Beiser.
The 69th Festival programming will feature works by John Luther Adams, Béla Bartók, Pierre Boulez, Edgard Varèse, and Iannis Xenakis, as well as by emerging composers, including Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Roland Auzet, and Lei Liang. Additional programming will be announced in the fall.
No stranger to Ojai, Mr. Schick collaborated on the 2011 Festival’s production of George Crumb’s Winds of Destiny (Dawn Upshaw, music director), as well as the 2012 Festival (Leif Ove Andsnes, music director) in John Luther Adams’ Inuksuit, performed throughout Libbey Park. A champion of new music, Mr. Schick has commissioned and premiered more than 150 new works and is the founder and artistic director of percussion group red fish blue fish. He is the founding member of the Bang-on-a-Can All Stars and is currently artistic director of the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, as well as music director of the La Jolla Symphony and Chorus. He is on the faculty of the University of California, San Diego. In 2015, the program will showcase Mr. Schick’s unique and broad talents as a percussionist, conductor, performer and musical trailblazer.
The 2015 Ojai Music Festival will honor Pierre Boulez on the occasion of his 90th birthday with four concerts featuring Boulez’s music paired with the music of Béla Bartók. In addition, on Wednesday, June 10 prior to the Thursday June 11 start of the Festival, Ojai will present the West Coast premiere of Pierre Boulez: A Portrait, a kaleidoscope of recorded and live music, words, and imagery. Pierre Boulez is one of Chicago Symphony’s Beyond the Score programs and features original set design by architect Frank Gehry. The performance will be preceded by a special panel discussion by Boulez’s friends and colleagues entitled “Boulez in Ojai.” Pierre Boulez has served as music director seven times since he first curated the Festival in 1967. He was most recently music director in 2003.
“Pierre Boulez is not only one of the seminal figures of our time but a prominent figure in Ojai’s history having made his American conducting debut in Ojai in 1965. He has been music director seven times. It is only fitting that we celebrate this master and friend on this milestone,” commented Artistic Director Thomas W. Morris.
Festival collaborator and recent Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Luther Adams returns to Ojai in 2015 with the West Coast premiere of his Sila: The Breath of the World, to be performed at a free community event throughout Libbey Park. This new work for an ensemble of 80 musicians will receive its first performances in July 2014 at the Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival. In the Inuit tradition, sila is the spirit that animates all things—the wind, the weather, and all forces of nature. In Sila: The Breath of the World, composed specifically to be heard outdoors, musicians and listeners alike are encouraged to move about the performance space freely. John Luther Adams’ music was first heard in the 2009 Festival, and again in 2012 with a performance of Inuksuit in Libbey Park. The 2013 Festival included performances of Mr. Adams’ For Lou Harrison, Strange and Sacred Noise, and songbirdsongs.
Throughout the 2015 Festival, Schick Machine by Paul Dresher will be performed daily in special free community concerts. Collaboratively created by a multi-disciplinary team including composer/instrument builder Paul Dresher, writer/director Rinde Eckert, Steven Schick, lighting and visual designer Tom Ontiveros, instrument inventor/educator Daniel Schmidt, and mechanical sound artist Matt Heckert, Schick Machine features Mr. Schick exploring a visually compelling world of mechanical devices, invented instruments, and seemingly infinite sonic possibilities. Exploring a magical stage filled with enormous, specially conceived instruments — including the Hurdy Grande, the Tumbler, the Peacock, the Field of Flowers, and a deconstructed pipe organ – the Schick Machine weaves whimsical stories of Mr. Schick’s childhood in Iowa with unexpected encounters with noise-making objects and invented instruments. Audience members will be invited onstage at the end of each performance to play with these unique and fantastical instruments.
Download 2015 series order form >>
Or call our box office at 805 646 2053
Relax and Visit Porch Gallery
by Lisa Casoni
The first Saturday after Heather and I moved to Ojai from Los Angeles we saw two horses parked outside the local coffee shop on our way to breakfast. We then had lunch at the Deer Lodge, a slightly off the beaten path, roadside bar/restaurant that is as much a part of the fabric of the community as the Ojai Valley Inn. By the time we sat down for dinner at Feast Bistro, the owners were introducing us to the other patrons as the “new girls in town.” That night, I was struck by two things, first, we weren’t in Los Ange
les anymore and, second, we needed to finish construction on our kitchen.
We moved to Ojai four years ago because we wanted to live in a “cosmopolitan small town” where we could walk everywhere. We weren’t asking for much. As long was no one screamed obscenities at us as we shuffled out to dinner, we were content. But, shortly, as humans often do, we wanted more. We wanted friends, community, artistic stimulation and a front porch.
Student Ticket Discount Available for the 68th Festival
“I brought my friend’s teenage daughter and son to their first classical performance. We all thoroughly enjoyed Lou Harrison’s ‘Suite for Symphonic Strings’ and both kids are more engaged in their music preferences as a result.” – 2013 Festival patron
As faculty and students prepare for the final weeks of the school year, the Ojai Music Festival is preparing for another amazing four-day music experience, and we invite students to enjoy Ojai 2014 with our special student ticket offer, made possible through the support of the Shanbrom Audience Development Fund.
Students receive 30% off single reserved seats and $5 lawn tickets with a current student ID.
Download an order form here >>
For more information, call Caitlin Praetorius at 805 646 2053
or email [email protected]
Artists Share Their “Aha Moments”
We recently asked a few of our artists to describe one of their Aha moments – an experience or piece that opened up the musical universe for them. Here are some of the responses we received:
“Early in my freshman year of college, a graduate violinist hired me to accompany her in John Adams’s Road Movies, having failed to convince any of her pianist colleagues to do so. I’d never heard Adams’s music before, much less played anything like it, and was initially nonplussed; on the page, the piece looked easy, repetitious, even boring. I was surprised to find it cycling endlessly through my head after rehearsal. It was catchy but also tough, and I spent hours with the violinist figuring out how to play it. By the time we performed Road Movies together, I was an Adams acolyte.
That experience taught me something about myself, which is that I figure out music by getting my hands dirty, through the drudgery of practice. It is the best way I know of to answer the questions: Where did this music come from? How does it work? What can I steal from it?”
– Timo Andres, composer and pianist
Read Timo’s Q&A and listen to his specially curated playlist >>
The Birth of an Opera: Second March Workshop
At the end of March, Jeremy Denk, Steven Stucky, Thomas W. Morris, Mary Birnbaum, and the New England Conservatory singers reconvened at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum to read through the revised version of ‘The Classical Style: An Opera (of Sorts). Tom Morris again wrote to Festival supporters to give an update on the work’s progress:
March 25, 2014
Dear friends:
I have just returned from Boston where again we had workshops on The Classical Style project.
The first set of workshops was held at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum the weekend of March 7-10, and I reported on those two weeks ago. The purpose of the workshops was for the composer (Steven Stucky) and librettist (Jeremy Denk) to work through the score with a marvelous group of young singers from the New England Conservatory and a pianist. With the luxury of time and without the pressure of a performance, it was possible to fine-tune the structure of the piece, make changes, correct errors, and generally find out what is working and what needs further work.
After the first weekend, the singers and pianist rejoined Jeremy on March 14-18 for another long weekend of work. Steve and Jeremy had done many revisions from the first weekend, and Steve had miraculously produced a completely revised piano/vocal score for this second weekend, thanks to the incredible magic of technology and his wonderful copyist, Ken Godel.
The group then reunited this past weekend in Boston for a final weekend of work. We spent Saturday and Sunday working through the changes developed from weekend two. Further changes were made as the work progressed. Watching the energy and concentration of the singers, Jeremy, and Steve was astonishing – changing a word of text here, a note there, a phrase, adding a pause, etc. Throughout the whole process, you could see and hear how these young singers began to inhabit the roles themselves. The work is complex for them, since seven of the eight singers perform multiple roles, and all have moments of singing and speaking.
Finally, on Monday, we had a complete run-through performance. To add to the magic, the composer himself played the piano part. Luckily, the performance was captured on video and audio so it can be used to help the final cast learn their parts. Listening to the work in the elegant Calderwood Hall was a real treat, and having the added magic of the Steve playing the piano proved captivating. The piece is charming, funny, clever, sophisticated, and moving.
Adding to the occasion was having Henri Zerner present. Henri was closely associated with Charles Rosen and shared the story that in 1964, a publisher approached Rosen with a contract to write The Classical Style. While ultimately, the work took eight years and a different publisher to be completed, it is fascinating to know that the premiere in Ojai is happening on the 50 year anniversary of the first contract being signed.
As we enter the two months before the Festival, the final piano vocal score is now being prepared, as is the orchestration. The orchestral parts will be finalized, the piano vocal scores sent to the cast, and performance preparations will begin formally at the end of May with orchestra rehearsals in New York with The Knights, and then with the cast in Ojai starting June 4.
Jeremy and Steve have now also decided on the formal name for the piece – The Classical Style: An Opera (of Sorts).
I look forward to seeing you all in Ojai.
The Birth of an Opera – First March Workshop
In March, 2014 Music Director Jeremy Denk, composer Steven Stucky, director Mary Birnbaum, and Artistic Director Thomas W. Morris gathered at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, where Jeremy is currently artist-in-residence, for the first of two workshop sessions for ‘The Classical Style: An Opera (of Sorts). With the help of eight singers from the New England Conservatory, the work received its first run through and gave Jeremy and Steven a chance to work through and refine the score. Thomas Morris wrote the following letter to Festival supporters on the incredible experience of these first workshops:
March 10, 2014
Dear friends:
I am sitting in Calderwood Hall, the gorgeous small performance hall in Boston’s venerable Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The rectangular black box hall is the centerpiece of the stunning light-filled Renzo Piano addition to the Gardner.
I have just heard the second run-through of Jeremy Denk and Steven Stucky’s The Classical Style, the comic chamber opera premiering on June 13 at this year’s Ojai Music Festival.
That Charles Rosen’s classic book, The Classical Style, is fodder for an opera defies expectations and, to some degree, common sense. And of course, that is its appeal. The book is a classic description of what the so-called “classical style” of Beethoven, Mozart, and Haydn is, how it came to be, and how it was ultimately superseded by the dynamic continuum of musical evolution. Rosen’s brilliant prose eloquently and poetically makes this case, albeit with extensive musical examples and a broad perspective.
Jeremy completed a draft of the libretto in fall 2012. Steve began working with Jeremy on the libretto at that point, and then dove into the actual composition in late summer 2013, taking a sabbatical from his Cornell teaching position in order to devote himself full-time to the task. The piano vocal score was completed two weeks ago.
An opera is complicated – not only are there questions of building a musical and dramatic arc, but questions of balance, pacing, inflection, and comprehension. When the project was conceived, we built into the planning an extensive three-week workshop at the Gardner Museum, made possible by Jeremy’s ongoing role as its artist-in-residence. The Gardner truly embraces the idea of creativity while at the same time being a venerable showcase for some very great art. As part of the Renzo Piano addition, the Gardner constructed two wonderful apartments for its artists-in-residence to reside and work in, no strings attached – in essence being a true incubator for the creation of art.
Eight marvelous young singers from Boston’s New England Conservatory plus a pianist, Steve, and Jeremy, spent the weekend working through the score, all under the watchful eye of our dynamic director Mary Birnbaum and our creative consultant Peter Kazaras. Peter and Mary bring keen and experienced theater eyes to the project at this very early stage.
A workshop is just that – an opportunity to work on the piece itself, away from the pressures of preparing for performance. It is intense, intimate, tedious, rewarding, frustrating, and wildly stimulating. The weekend began Friday evening with a read-through of the entire score. Saturday and Sunday, the team worked with the singers on specific sections of the score – rehearsing, changing, cutting, adding, fixing, shaping, and refining. It was simply incredible to witness the concentration and commitment of all.
This morning, we heard a second complete run-through of the whole piece. It was amazing to see and hear how it had developed and the increasing life it had taken. The selfless and tireless determination and energy of Steve and Jeremy was astonishing as they debated, revised, adjusted, and refined the score.
However, we are far from the end. Jeremy and Steve will confer throughout this week to synthesize all the changes, additions, and subtractions decided upon into a new piano vocal score. Steve departed five minutes ago for his six-hour drive back to Ithaca. He teaches all day tomorrow and retreats to his studio at 4pm for an all-nighter to produce the new score, with the great help of technology and his long-time copyist, Ken Godell. The plan is for a revised score to emerge Thursday morning, in time to be sent to the singers in Boston so they can prepare for the next workshop at the Gardner that starts at 5pm Friday. Next weekend will be a real working session with the singers, pianist, and Jeremy.
The following week, yet another working score will be produced based on changes and modifications decided next weekend. We all gather in Boston again March 21-24 for a final workshop of coaching sessions, rehearsals, and several full run-throughs. At that point, the final working piano vocal score will be completed, to be sent to our marvelous cast, and Steve will complete the full orchestral score and parts. Orchestra rehearsals take place in New York with The Knights around June 1, and the cast, director, and production team arrive in Ojai on June 3 for a week of rehearsals.
So what is The Classical Style like? First, the piece is very funny – a true comic opera. The text, not surprisingly, is clever, full of mischief, and fantasy. It is also a remarkable blend of irreverence and reverence – it pokes fun at musical clichés, describes and dramatizes musical form, but also celebrates poignantly the glory of music. It is very fast paced – a true comic romp. Second, Steve’s inventive and sparkling music mirrors and illuminates Jeremy’s clever libretto. Given the subject of the musical style evolution, you will hear music that embodies that musical evolution – moments of hilarious musical jokes and quotations imbedded in a wildly creative and gorgeous score. Third, the ending is very powerful and touching, particularly after the romp that precedes it. The piece makes you think and genuinely embraces the wonders of great music.
Having seen this project from being just an idea to a libretto to a score to a first performance, and now to witness its further refinement as a finished work of art has been breathtaking. Jeremy and Steve have produced a piece of magic, an amazing achievement given neither has ever written an opera, and they never worked together before this. Ojai is in for a real treat.
Ojai’s Early Morning Pink Moment
Guest Blog by Scott Eicher
I have been an early riser for most of my life. There is a certain serenity during the few minutes between first light and the time the Ojai foothills are fully lit by the sun. My viewpoint each morning is from Sarzotti Park as I walk with my dogs. The best colors are visible from early spring to early fall, when the earth’s tilt returns to its warmer weather axis. This light show is the evening Pink Moment in reverse.
The air is still and the only sound is the resident hawk declaring his territory from the top of a eucalyptus tree. At a few places in the park, you can see both the sky and the foothills above Grand Avenue and mountains of the Wills Canyon/Rice Canyon ridge line and escarpment toward Meiners Oaks, and into the far reaches of Matilija Canyon.
Welcome to our New Media Partners
The Ojai Music Festival is made possible because of the support and enthusiasm of others, from the artists and behind-the-scenes team, donors and volunteers, to corporate sponsors and media partners. This year, we welcome some new members to our growing Festival community!
Southern California Public Radio (SCPR) is a member-supported public media network that operates 89.3 KPCC-FM in Los Angeles and Orange County, 89.1 KUOR-FM in the Inland Empire and 90.3 KVLA in the Coachella Valley.
Edible Ojai & Ventura County is an award-winning quarterly magazine which promotes the abundance of local foods, season by season – celebrating small family farmers, farmers market vendors and local chefs for their dedication to producing the highest quality, organic, fresh and seasonal foods. Edible Ojai & Ventura County serves all of Ventura County, an agriculturally rich area within California’s Central Coast region.
LA Yoga Ayurveda and Health Magazine is a resource for the vibrant Yoga community of Southern California. In print, in the digital edition, online and in free weekly email newsletter, La Yoga publishes inspirational stories connecting Yoga, the people who practice, and what it means in our lives in the modern world.
Many thanks to all our media partners and sponsors. Read more here >>
View The Updated 2014 Festival Schedule
The updated 2014 Festival schedule is now available. Click the link below to view the complete schedule of events, program details, and more!
View schedule >>Purchase Festival passes >>
Watch Jeremy Denk and Tom Morris Discuss ‘The Classical Style’
The idea of ‘The Classical Style’ opera began when Festival Artistic Director Thomas W. Morris approached Jeremy Denk to be the 2014 Music Director. Over the months, the idea was refined and collaborators were added – watch the two videos below recorded in 2013, documenting some of the early ideas behind the project:
6 Ways to Get Lost In Ojai…
We always love sharing Ojai activities with Festival patrons including new hiking trails to discover. Read Ojai Quarterly Editor Bret Bradigan’s recent article from the winter issue.
1. Shelf Road
Directions: From Ojai Avenue, head north on Signal Street until it ends. Length: 3.5 miles return trip. Difficulty: Easy
It takes about an hour at a brisk pace to walk the length of the trail and back between the trailheads at either North Signal Street or Gridley Road. This hike is perfect for visitors or residents to get “ the lay of the land” in Ojai. It is also one of the most “dog friendly” walks around.
2. Ventura River Bottom Trails
Directions: From Highway 150, there’s a trailhead just east of the Ventura River bridge. From South Rice Road, there’s a trailhead just north of the intersection with Lomita Road. Also from South Rice, take a right on Meyer Road to the Oso Trailhead. Length: Varies. Difficulty: Easy to Moderate.
Three trailheads lead you into the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy’s 1,600-acre Ventura River Preserve. This three-mile stretch of the Ventura River offers a spectacular glimpse into old-growth oak canopy, splendid vistas from rocky ridgelines, deep swimming holes, lush fern grottoes, rare wildflowers and many miles of trails to choose from.
3. Pratt Trail
Directions: From Ojai Avenue, turn north on Signal Street and drive about 1.2 miles until you see the Forest Service sign on the left. The trailhead is a further half-mile. Length: 4.4 miles to Nordhoff Ridge. Difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous.
The Pratt Trail criss-crosses a seasonal stream through the backyards of private properties before opening onto a natural bowl formed by the slope of Nordhoff Ridge. Follow the signs through about two miles of dry and dusty switchbacks until you reach the ridgeline. From there, it’s another two steep, dusty miles to Nordhoff Peak, 4,426 feet above sea level.
John Luther Adams
Called “one of the most original musical thinkers of the new century” (Alex Ross, The New Yorker), John Luther Adams is a composer whose life and work are deeply rooted in the natural world.
Adams composes for orchestra, chamber ensembles, percussion and electronic media, and his music is recorded on Cold Blue, New World, Mode, Cantaloupe, and New Albion.
Preview Festival Music With Our Playlists
With the Festival quickly approaching, now is the perfect time to listen up on some of the programming for this June. You can listen to recordings of some of the works to be performed this year using our Spotify playlists.
BRAVO! Spotlight: Jacob Scesney
Each February brings a BRAVO! tradition – the annual Imagine Concert. Last week, over 1,000 local 4th to 6th grade students from eight schools attended a live performance by their older peers and professional area artists, including performances by the Matilija Jr. High strings program and a special preview of Nordhoff High School’s upcoming musical, West Side Story. Also performing were Artist-In-Residence Rebecca Comerford, local musician Jimmy Calire and special guest (and BRAVO! alum), Jacob Scesney.
Multi-instrumentalist Jacob grew up in Ojai playing the saxophone and participating in school music programs and BRAVO! workshops from elementary school, through his time at Matilija and at Nordhoff (where he won several festival awards for outstanding soloist), before transferring to the Idyllwild Arts Academy to complete his high school education. In recent years, Jacob’s burgeoning career has taken him far beyond the Ojai Valley and included tours with Casey Abrams, performances with Tim Ries, Bernie Dresel, Christian Scott, Robben Ford, and Andrew Gouche (among others), the world premiere of Rufus Reid’s Mass Transit at Disney Hall’s Redcat, and even appearances on the hit TV show Glee. He currently studies at California State University Northridge, where he was named the youngest lead alto in the history of the university’s Jazz A Band.
Watch Jacob and Jimmy perform at the Imagine concert last week:
Jacob has fond memories of his time in Ojai and recently wrote on the important role BRAVO! played in his musical training. He writes, “The BRAVO! Program … helped forge an attitude of consistency that has helped carry me through many circumstances. These programs are instrumental to the mindset needed to be a present active professional, in whatever field.”
We’re thrilled to have had Jacob back in Ojai to share his talents with another generation of Ojai’s students. It’s not that long ago that he sat where they were, and we can’t wait to see where the next years take him.
Learn more about the Festival’s BRAVO! music education and community programs >>
Help the Festival continue bringing music to public school children. Donate here >>
Q&A with Festival Executive Director, Janneke Straub
Executive Director Janneke Straub joined the Festival in January 2014. She sat down to share a bit about herself and her vision for the Festival’s upcoming years.
You have an interesting background…tell us a bit about yourself:
I grew up in France, living in Nice and Paris, going to all kinds of festivals – my parents are mostly into new music and baroque music (not orchestral music and opera). They also love modern sculptures, contemporary architecture, and medieval art. They still travel to nurture these passions. In Nice, I lived next to the Matisse Museum, the arenas, and the world-class Nice Jazz Festival. During this one week festival, bands performed on three different stages and changed every hour from 5:30pm to 10:30pm. Guest artists included both the most famous and the up-and-coming like Lionel Hampton, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, and Stephane Grappelli.
And you became involved with music festivals from an early age?
While in middle and high school, my parents encouraged me to attend summer academies in the most beautiful festival settings. My favorite was the Pablo Casals Festival nestled in a small village, Prades in the Pyrenees, near the Spanish border, where cellist Pablo Casals lived during Franco’s regime. Casals interrupted his international career, left his beloved country and refused to perform in protest. His musician friends and fans finally convinced him to celebrate the bicentennial of Johann Sebastian Bach with them in 1950 after 12 years of silence. That’s how this chamber music festival started.
As a young student at the International Pablo Casals Academy, I would practice, and play chamber music, then get all dressed up and go to the concerts in the late afternoon and evening. Most of the concerts took place in the parish church and in the Abbey of Saint Michel de Cuixa with its pink marble cloister built in the 11th century. The three monks who lived in this reclusive sanctuary kept an eye on us (no tank tops, shorts, etc).
After I left Nice to pursue my studies at the University in Paris, I needed a summer job and the Artistic Director of the festival, Michel Lethiec, invited me back to work in production. I returned to work at the festival every August for seven consecutive years, until I moved to the United States in 1996.
What I love most about festivals is that you put your everyday life aside, and the focus is 100% on music. Beautiful settings have a major effect on us. You feel completely open and focused on the present and what you are about to experience.
What was your first job in the US?
I worked for the Los Angeles Philharmonic at a time when the organization completely re-invented itself and became a model orchestra for the 21st century. I learned about fund development during the capital campaign [to build Walt Disney Concert Hall], the opening celebrations, and the first five years in Disney Hall, when Esa-Pekka Salonen was Music Director. Frank Gehry’s vision was to build a living room for the city. No one on staff, other than [President] Deborah Borda, had opened a new hall before. From one year to the next, the LA Philharmonic Association doubled the number of concerts that it presented from approximately 80 in 2002 to 150 in 2003. What I experienced during those 13 years was so unique: we, the staff, had this extraordinary chance to stretch our minds and work as a team to make this transformation happen.
What was your next big career move?
In October 2008, I left the LA Philharmonic to become the Executive Director of the American Youth Symphony, which is a training ground for exceptionally talented college level musicians. Access to this 105-member orchestra is based on merit only. There is no tuition, no fees to audition; only vibrant music making. The challenge was to turn this traditional orchestra into the powerful and trend-setting organization that it is today.
And now you’re in Ojai at the Festival! What are you most excited about?
I am excited to work with Artistic Director Tom Morris. We share this desire to reinvent the Festival, and ourselves, every year – a love of exploration and new ground. Our work is about creating a stimulating environment for the audience and for world-class artists. It’s about engaging a community into the process of creation.
I’d like to work closely with the Ojai community to make sure the work we do impacts the community in a stronger way. In my mind, this Festival is flourishing because it is rooted here, in a beautiful community and a spectacular natural setting.
I’d like every aspect of the Festival to be cutting-edge; the experiences you gather in Ojai are exceptional, ear-opening, inspiring, and fun. I’d like our guests to feel the way you feel when you visit an exhibition and discover something new and completely unexpected that opens the door to a new world to explore.
Did you ever think that you’d be running your own Festival?
When I was about 22 years old, I had a dream and thought: “Wouldn’t it be nice if I ran my own festival, one-day?“ And here I am!
You can contact Janneke at 805 646 2094 or [email protected] .
3 Minutes With 2014 Music Director Jeremy Denk
Our Ojai North partner, Cal Performances, has produced “3 Minutes With Jeremy Denk” – watch Jeremy preview 2014 highlights, explain The Classical Style…and give a brief music lesson on Bach:
View the 2014 Ojai Music Festival Schedule >>
View the 2014 Ojai North Schedule >>
Purchase tickets to the 2014 Ojai Music Festival >>
Purchase tickets to the 2014 Ojai North >>
Guarantee Lodging for the 2014 Festival by Booking Early
Lodging in Ojai and the surrounding areas tends to fill up before June arrives – guarantee a room by booking early for Festival weekend.
View a list of area lodging >>
To learn more or for recommendations, call the box office at 805 646 2053 or our complimentary Festival concierge Sheila Cohn, 805 646 2094 ext 110 / [email protected].
Barbara Hannigan, 2019 Music Director
2019 Festival: June 6-9, 2019
Barbara Hannigan is known worldwide as a soprano of vital expressive force directed by exceptional technique. She is now bringing that same high energy and expertise to her varied activities as a conductor while continuing to work, as a singer, with the most prominent maestros, including Simon Rattle, Kent Nagano, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Andris Nelsons, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Kirill Petrenko, David Zinman, Vladimir Jurowski, Antonio Pappano, Pierre Boulez, Alan Gilbert and Reinbert De Leeuw.
Future Music Directors In Ojai – A Trip Down Memory Lane
The Festival recently announced upcoming Music Directors for the next three years – Steven Schick, Peter Sellars, and Esa-Pekka Salonen. Despite their different backgrounds and wide interests, the three share a common, strong bond with southern California, as well as a history of past Festival appearances. Explore some recent – and not so recent – photos of Steve, Peter, and Esa-Pekka out of our archives in the slideshow below.
[new_royalslider id=”33″]2020 Music Director
74th Ojai Music Festival: June 11 – 14, 2020
The Ojai Music Festival will name its 2020 Music Director later this spring.
Mitsuko Uchida, 2021 Music Director
75th Ojai Music Festival: June 10-13, 2021
Legendary pianist Mitsuko Uchida brings a deep insight into the music she plays through her own quest for truth and beauty. Renowned for her interpretations of Mozart, Schubert, Schumann and Beethoven, she has also illuminated the music of Berg, Schoenberg, Webern and Boulez for a new generation of listeners.
American Public Media’s ‘Performance Today’ Returns For A Second Residency
The Ojai Music Festival is pleased to announce that American Public Media’s popular radio program Performance Today will return to Ojai in June for a second residency with the Festival. Performance Today and its host Fred Child was seen at the 2012 Festival with Music Director Leif Ove Andsnes. At the Festival, Fred hosted a Concert Insights session, conducted artists and patron interviews, and recorded performances for rebroadcast throughout the year.
Also present in 2012 was 2014 Music Director Jeremy Denk, who sat down with Fred Child at the Sunrise Subscriber Breakfast at the Ojai Valley Inn. At the breakfast, Jeremy spoke with Fred about his plans for the 68th Festival and answered questions from subscribers. The conversation was recorded and later aired on Performance Today.
If you missed the reception, or want to listen again, you can do so below:
[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/117519844″ params=”color=000000&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]Now, almost two years later, Jeremy prepares to return to Ojai for his Festival. Programs and works may have shifted from his “original ideas,” but the spirit of the ideas shared in 2012 still live on in the planned Festival schedule. We’re so excited to have both Jeremy and APM back in Ojai this June – we hope you will join us!
View the 2014 Festival schedule >>
Order series passes online >>
2013 Year In Pictures
With Mark Morris at the helm as music director, 2013 was a momentous year, with more Festival events and concerts than ever before in its history. Click through the slideshow below to relive some of our favorite moments. We thank you for your steadfast support and enthusiasm, which help make each year possible.
[new_royalslider id=”31″]Create more Ojai memories in 2014. Please join us for the 68th Ojai Music Festival with Jeremy Denk. View program schedule >>
Please consider joining our new Ojai Membership to demonstrate your support >>