Jean-Baptiste Barrière

Jean-BaptisteBarriereJean-Baptiste Barrière was born in Paris in 1958. He has studied music, art history, philosophy, and mathematical logic. He made a career at IRCAM/Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris, where he started as a researcher in 1981, before becoming a director of musical research, education, and finally production. In 1998, he left IRCAM to concentrate on his own composition and multimedia projects.

Julia Bullock, soprano

Bullock-325Julia Bullock, equally at home with concert repertoire and opera, has been hailed for her versatile talent. This season, she appeared as soloist with the London Symphony Orchestra and Simon Rattle, the New World Symphony with Christian Reif, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s at Alice Tully Hall, and in recitals at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Kennedy Center, to name a few. In November, she sang the lead role in the Berlin Philharmonic’s Orchestra Academy performance of Saariaho’s La Passion de Simone, directed by Peter Sellars, which she now reprises at the Ojai Festival.

Cambalache

cambalacheCambalache is the direct result of Los Angeles musicians, community workers, and artists creating a space and cultivating relationships with Jarocho musicians and community workers in Veracruz, Mexico. Their primary concept of organizing and exchange comes from the “el fandango” model which is: building community through participatory music. In January of 2003, Los Angeles music group Quetzal, along with a dozen other musicians, visual artists, writers, and community workers from LA visited Xalapa, Veracruz to help organize and form part of the first encuentro Chicana/o/Jarocha/o. This dialogue, from which a myriad of projects, recordings, writings, performances, and relationships have evolved, extended that concept of el fandango to a transnational network of artists, community workers in Veracruz, and the Chicano and Mexican immigrant communities in Los Angeles.

Cesar Castro lead vocals, requinto jarocho, jarana, quijada
Xochi Flores vocals, jarana tercera, zapateado
Chuy Sandoval vocals, jarana segunda, jarana tercera, pandeiro
Juan Perez bass

Joana Carneiro, conductor

Joana-Carneiro-325Noted for her vibrant performances in a wide diversity of musical styles, Joana Carneiro has attracted considerable attention as one of the most outstanding young conductors working today. In 2009, she was named music director of Berkeley Symphony, succeeding Kent Nagano and becoming only the third music director in the 40-year history of the orchestra. She also currently serves as official guest conductor of the Gulbenkian Orchestra, working there at least four weeks every year. In January 2014 she was appointed principal conductor of the Orquesta Sinfonica Portuguesa.

Calder Quartet

calder-quartet-325The Calder Quartet, called “outstanding” and “superb” by the New York Times, performs a broad range of repertoire at an exceptional level, always striving to channel and fulfill the composer’s vision. Already the choice of many leading composers to perform their works – including Christopher Rouse, Terry Riley and Thomas Adès – the group’s distinctive approach is exemplified by a musical curiosity brought to everything they perform, whether it’s Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, or sold-out rock shows with bands like The National or The Airborne Toxic Event. Winners of the 2014 Avery Fisher Career Grant, they are known for the discovery, commissioning, recording and mentoring of some of today’s best emerging composers (over 25 commissioned works to date).

Phyllis Chen, toy pianist and composer

PhyllisChen351Phyllis Chen is a pianist, toy pianist, and composer whose musical interests have led in numerous directions as a soloist and collaborative artist. In 2007, Chen founded the UnCaged Toy Piano Composition Competition to encourage composers to write new music for the instrument. Since its inception, the call has received over 200 toy piano pieces from composers around the globe. In 2011, she launched the first biennial UnCaged Toy Piano Festival: three days featuring new works for toy piano and a variety of toy piano performers. Each year the festival has been greeted with great enthusiasm, with audience members crossing state borders and oceans to attend.

Eric Dudley, conductor

Eric20Dudley-2Through his activities as a conductor, vocalist, pianist, and composer, Eric Dudley enjoys a busy schedule of performances in the United States and abroad. After distinguished tenures as assistant conductor for both the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and the Princeton Symphony, he recently appeared as principal conductor for the 2015 Bendigo Festival of Exploratory Music in Australia. Among his latest guest conducting engagements are the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, Hartford Symphony Orchestra (CT), Adelphi Chamber Orchestra (NJ), TENET Vocal Ensemble (NY), Signal Ensemble (NY), International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), and the Melbourne International Arts Festival. He served for four years on the part-time faculty of Mannes College in New York as director of the Mannes Prep Philharmonic and The New School Chorus, and begins his next appointment as music director of the San Francisco Conservatory Orchestra in the 2016–17 concert season.
As a founding member of Roomful of Teeth, Dudley is a performer on the group’s 2014 Grammy Award–winning debut album; their latest album, Render, was nominated in the same category in 2016 and includes one of his compositions. For eight seasons, Dudley has also been a tenor in the Grammy-nominated Choir of Trinity Wall Street, where in addition to his role as an ensemble and solo singer, he has prepared the choir for performances at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, performed as a pianist and harpsichordist on Trinity’s chamber series, and served as assistant and guest conductor for a number of the Trinity Choir and Baroque Orchestra’s concert offerings. His own works have received premieres by the Hartford Symphony Orchestra, Roomful of Teeth, Quey Percussion, and through a residency grant from Meet the Composer and the New England Foundation for the Arts. Born in Canada and raised in Connecticut, Dudley received his bachelor’s degree in composition from the Eastman School of Music, and earned master’s and doctorate degrees in orchestral conducting as the recipient of the Dean’s Prize from Yale.

Dina El Wedidi

With her powerful, nuanced voice and authentic style, Egyptian singer and composer Dina El Wedidi (دينا الوديدي) has spent the past six years carving out her place in the Egyptian music scene. While studying oriental languages at the University of Cairo, Dina joined El Warsha Theatre Troupe, exploring Egyptian folklore and performing in such unlikely places as a Cairo prison, and later she performed classical Egyptian and Arabic songs with the Habayebna band. These experiences pushed Dina to sing in many styles, and were the impetus for her to begin composing her own songs. In 2011, she took the fundamental next step and formed her own band; from here her success has soared.

Ara Guzelimian, Ojai Talks Director

ara325Provost and dean of The Juilliard School, Ara Guzelimian is the former senior director and artistic advisor to Carnegie Hall and artistic director from 1992 to 1997 of the Ojai Music Festival, where he worked closely with Festival music directors Pierre Boulez, John Adams, Kent Nagano, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Emanuel Ax. Guzelimian also served as artistic administrator of the Aspen Music Festival and was associated with the Los Angeles Philharmonic for 15 years as producer of the orchestra’s national radio broadcasts and as artistic administrator. He has been active as a radio producer and has written for numerous publications. Guzelimian was awarded the title Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government for his contributions to French music and culture.

 

Camilla Hoitenga, flute

C-HoitengaBorn in Grand Rapids, MI, flutist Camilla Hoitenga studied in the United States, England, and France and eventually made her home in Germany, where she worked several years with Karlheinz Stockhausen. Following her own “path less traveled” she cultivates a repertoire ranging from Bach and Schubert to concertos written for her by Kaija Saariaho, Pèter Koeszeghy or Ken-Ichiro Kobayashi; from Stockhausen’s theatrical Zungenspitzentanz for piccolo to Jean-Baptiste Barrière’s state-of-the-art pieces for live video and electronics to improvisations and recitals with pianist and sound-artist Taavi Kerikmäe. Whether accompanied by orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony or the London Philharmonic or playing alone on stage, Hoitenga captivates her audiences with intense performances, acclaimed by the press as “brilliant,” “alluring,” and “ideally transparent and precise.”

Los Jornaleros del Norte

Los-Jornaleros-del-norteIt’s been 15 years since Los Jornaleros del Norte began singing about and for the worker and immigrant community in the United States. It was an immigration raid at a corner of day laborers in the City of Industry, California, which was the impetus for the creation of music and poetry of resistance for them. On that day, a day laborer and musician, Omar Sierra, wrote “El Corrido de Industry” which recounted the events of the raid. This inspired others to share their stories through song and with the help of Pablo Alvarado, founding member and Director of NDLON (National Day Labor Organizing Network), day laborers began to write, sing, and share their struggles and hopes through music and poetry. Since then, they’ve become the soundtrack for the day laborer and immigrant community’s struggle for visibility, inclusion, and equality. Their songs are a historical document of the experiences of the migrant worker community in the United States.

Susan McClary, musicologist

susan-mcclaryDr. Susan McClary (Professor of Music at Case Western Reserve University; Distinguished Professor Emerita, UCLA) focuses her research on the cultural criticism of music. Her books include Feminine Endings: Music, Gender, and Sexuality; Georges Bizet: Carmen; Conventional Wisdom: The Content of Musical Form; Modal Subjectivities: Renaissance Self-Fashioning in the Italian Madrigal; Reading Music; Desire and Pleasure in 17th-Century Music; and Structures of Feeling in 17th-Century Expressive Culture. McClary received a MacArthur Foundation “Genius” Fellowship in 1995, and her work has been translated into at least 20 languages. She is now completing a book titled The Passions of Peter Sellars: The Staging of Music Drama.

Roomful of Teeth

roomful-of-teeth-325Roomful of Teeth is a Grammy Award–winning vocal project dedicated to mining the expressive potential of the human voice. Through study with masters from singing traditions the world over, the eight-voice ensemble continually expands its vocabulary of singing techniques and, through an ongoing commissioning process, forges a new repertoire without borders. Founded in 2009 by Brad Wells, the group gathers annually at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA) in North Adams, MA, where they’ve studied Tuvan throat singing, yodeling, belting, Inuit throat singing, Korean P’ansori, Georgian singing, Sardinian cantu a tenore, Hindustani music, and Persian classical singing with some of the world’s top performers and teachers. Commissioned composers include Rinde Eckert, Judd Greenstein, Merrill Garbus (of tUnE-yArDs), Anna Clyne, Fred Hersch, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Michael Harrison, Sam Amidon, and Ted Hearne.

Caroline Shaw

caroline-shaw-325Caroline Adelaide Shaw is a New York-based musician appearing in many different guises. Trained primarily as a violinist from an early age in North Carolina, she is a Grammy-winning singer in Roomful of Teeth and in 2013 became the youngest ever winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Music, for her enigmatic composition Partita for 8 Voices (also nominated for a Grammy for Best Classical Composition). She will make her solo violin debut in 2015 with the Cincinnati Symphony (MusicNOW).

Davóne Tines, bass-baritone

Davone-Tines-Headshot-2016Davóne Tines, deemed a “… charismatic, full-voiced bass-baritone …” by the New York Times, is building an international career commanding a broad spectrum of opera and concert performance. This past season included appearances with the Boston Pops in Symphony Hall and at Tanglewood, where he was a Tanglewood Music Center Fellow, as well as a debut with the American Repertory Theater in the world premiere of Matthew Aucoin’s opera Crossing, directed by multiple Tony Award–winning director Diane Paulus, for which the Wall Street Journal called him a “glowing bass-baritone” and the Stylus Music Journal said he “… brought the house down with his eloquent and painful singing” in the leading role of Freddie Stowers.

YOLA

Ojai20-20YOLA20Photo About the YOLA at HOLA Symphonic Winds
Through YOLA, the Los Angeles Philharmonic and its community partners provide free instruments, intensive music training, and academic support to students from underserved neighborhoods, empowering them to become vital citizens, leaders and agents of change. Inspired by El Sistema – the Venezuelan music education system that nurtured the LA Phil’s Music Director Gustavo Dudamel – YOLA has grown to serve more than 700 students at three sites across Los Angeles since its founding in 2007.

Comprised of 35 students ages 12 – 18, the YOLA at HOLA Symphonic Winds are founding members of YOLA at Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA). Currently, in its seventh year, the site at HOLA serves students ages 6 – 18 with intensive after-school orchestral instruction five days a week. A holistic approach fosters a sense of community and provides students with the opportunity to take advantage of HOLA’s exceptional programs and resource.

Roland Auzet, director

auzet bioFrench composer, percussionist, and theater director Roland Auzet defines himself as a stage writer. An artist and performer with many interests and talents, Auzet received the Chevalier des Arts et Lettres from the French Ministry in 2007 for his remarkable body of work in contemporary music, circus, dance, opera, and theater.

Maya Beiser, cello

maya-beiser-bio

Maya Beiser has captivated audiences worldwide with her virtuosity, eclectic repertoire, and relentless quest to redefine her instrument’s boundaries. The Boston Globe declares, “With virtuoso chops, rock-star charisma, and an appetite for pushing her instrument to the edge of avant-garde adventurousness, Maya Beiser is the post-modern diva of the cello.”

CalArts Ensemble

The CalArts Sila ensemble is an outgrowth of the New Century Players: the faculty, student, and alumni ensemble in residence at CalArts for over 25 years. In various configurations, the group has played at Japan America Theater, Zipper Hall, REDCAT, the Kennedy Center, and at the Dartington Center for the Arts, England. Individual members have performed nationally and internationally as founding members of ensembles Partch (2015 Grammy winner of Best Classical Compendium for Plectra and Percussion Dances), Vir2ual Cage, Formalist Quartet, Southland Ensemble, Isaura String Quartet, and [LIMINAR]. Members also perform regularly with Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, wild Up, Southwest Chamber Music, The Industry, Knoxville Symphony, Sarasota Opera, Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Blackearth Percussion Group, XTET, the Lian Ensemble, Kim Richmond Jazz Orchestra, and the LA Philharmonic.

MMDG Music Ensemble


The MMDG Music Ensemble, formed in 1996, performs with the Dance Group throughout the season at home and on tour and has become integral to the company’s creative life. The core group of accomplished musicians is supplemented by a large roster of regular guests, including cellist Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Emanuel Ax. While in Brooklyn, members of the ensemble participate in the Mark Morris Dance, Music and Literacy Project in the New York City public school system.

Gloria Cheng, piano

Gloria ChengPianist Gloria Cheng is acclaimed as a discerning artist whose performances tap the emotional core of contemporary music. In recitals that explore significant interconnections amongst composers, Cheng has been presented by the Ojai Festival, Chicago Humanities Festival, William Kapell Festival, and the Tanglewood Festival of Contemporary Music. She has appeared on leading concert series including Carnegie Hall’s Making Music, Cal Performances, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra’s Engine408, Stanford Lively Arts, and at (le) Poisson Rouge.

Sandeep Das, tabla

sandeep-das
Two-time Grammy nominated tabla player Sandeep Das is considered one of the leading tabla players in the world today. One of the disciples of legendary tabla maestro Pandit Kishan Maharaj ji of the Benaras Gharana, his initiation into tabla was with Pt. Shiv Kumar Singh of Patna and he made his debut at age 15 with Sitar Maestro Pt. Ravi Shankar.

Peter Evans, trumpet

peter evans
Peter Evans has been a member of the New York musical community since 2003, when he moved to the city after graduating from the Oberlin Conservatory with a degree in classical trumpet performance. He currently works in a wide variety of areas, including solo performance, chamber orchestras, performance art, free improvised settings, electro-acoustic music and composition.

Jacob Greenberg, piano

jacob greenberg
Jacob Greenberg’s work as a soloist and chamber musician has earned worldwide acclaim. As a longtime member of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), he has performed throughout North and South America and Europe. His solo concert series, Music at Close Range, shows his equal commitment to classics of the repertoire.

Mellissa Hughes, soprano

hughes_portrait
Hailed by The New York Times as “a versatile, charismatic soprano endowed with brilliant technique and superlative stage instincts…indispensable to New York’s new-music ecosystem,” Mellissa Hughes enjoys a busy international career in contemporary and early music.