Ojai Music Festival, 80 Years
Give
BUY

Category: Festival Blog

  • Lucas Niggli – Drums, Percussion

    Lucas Niggli – Drums, Percussion

    Born in 1968 in Cameroon, he now lives with his family in Uster near Zurich (CH). As drummer and improviser, he plays in various bands including «Steamboat Switzerland» (with Dominik Blum and Marino Pliakas), He composes and generates concepts for his own band: Lucas Niggli ZOOM and BIG ZOOM, also featuring Nils Wogram and Philipp Schaufelberger, Anne La Berge, Barry Guy), in a Duo with Xu Fengxia and the Drum Duo with Peter Conradin Zumthor or BEAT BAG BOHEMIA (Drum Quartet). He plays regularly with Barry Guy, Maya Homburger, Pierre Favre, Andreas Schaerer (Duo and Quartet A Novel Of Anomaly ), Luciano Biondini, Charlotte Hug and in a Worldmusic-Trio with the Balafon Master Aly Keïta.

    He toured all over the world including Festival-performances: Vancouver, Berlin, Willisau, Moers, Saalfelden, Le Mans, Donaueschingen, Bath (UK), Capetown, Staatsoper Wien, Theater Basel, Theater Hamburg  a.m.o.

    He has performed the works of contemporary composers (Olga Neuwirth, John Cage, Sam Hayden, D. Dramm, M. Werthmüller) and taken part in several crossover projects with such musicians as Butch Morris, Sylvie Couvoisier, Trevor Watts, Fred Frith, John Cale, Phil Minton, Samuel Nori, Ikue Mori, Xu Fengxia, Michel Portal, Flea, Erika Stucky, Susanne Abbuehl, Wu Wei, Michel Portal, Andrew Cyrille, Klangforum Wien, Lucerne Festival Academy and many others.

    He teaches at the University Of Arts in Zurich, ZHdK and is promoter of a concertserie for contemporary music.

  • Tamara Mumford, Mezzo-Soprano

    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

  • Della Miles, Vocalist

    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.

     

  • Calder Quartet

    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.

  • Andrew Staples, Tenor

    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

  • Ojai Home Tour Details

  • 2020 Composer Profile: Olga Neuwirth

    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:

  • Ojai Festival Names New Board Leadership

    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. 

    74th Ojai Music Festival with Matthias Pintscher
    The 74th 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.

    ####

     

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

  • 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!

  • Ensemble intercontemporain

    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.

     

  • 2019 Audience Survey

    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.

    [ngg src=”galleries” ids=”116″ display=”basic_slideshow”] 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.”

     

  • LUDWIG’s Ojai Experience

    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.

    [ngg src=”galleries” ids=”115″ display=”basic_thumbnail”]

  • 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. 

  • 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.

  • 2019 Festival Gallery

    The 2019 Ojai Music Festival was a memorable four-day collective experience. Check out our gallery below to relive all the fun!

    Photos by David Bazemore and Sierra Dudas

  • Rewatch Your Favorite Concerts

    Rewatch Your Favorite Concerts

    Although the 2019 Ojai Music Festival has come to a close, you can still relive every wonderful moment by rewatching your favorite concerts. 

  • Welcome to Ojai! An All-Access Guide to the Sights and Spots

    Welcome to Ojai! An All-Access Guide to the Sights and Spots

    Festival season is almost upon us! Artists, interns, production staff, and festival goers have begun to flood the gorgeous city of Ojai, eagerly anticipating all that the town has to offer. Here is our curated guide to the best restaurants, shops, and other hot spots to check out during your stay in Ojai. (Plus some other favorites outside of the valley to check out!)

     

    Food & Drink

    Agave Maria: Authentic Mexican cuisine with great patio seating. 

    Bonnie Lu’s: Country-style diner serving up Americana favorites. 

    Farmer & the Cook: Farm-fresh food with an emphasis on organic ingredients. 

    Jim & Rob’s: Healthy and fresh burritos and burgers. 

    Rainbow Bridge: Market featuring healthy grab-n-go options. 

    Ranch House: A romantic spot serving farm-to-table cuisine. 

    Retail

    Gem Quest Jewelers: Jewelry and repair store with handmade designs. 

    Serendipity Toys: One of the last old-school toy shops featuring retro and contemporary playthings from around the world. 

    Sespe Creek: Voted Ventura County’s #1 cannabis dispensary. 

    BookEnds Book Store: Selling books in a renovated former church. 

    Cattywampus Crafts: An assortment of natural materials and craft supplies. 

    Shangri-La Care: Cannabis dispensary voted 2018 Small Business of the Year. 

    Barbara Bowman: Internationally inspired jewelry. 

    Bart’s Books: World-renowned outdoor bookstore. 

    photo by Ray Powers

    Activities

    Ojai Valley Trail Riding: Horse ranch featuring trail rides throughout the Enchanted Forest and Ventura River Valley. 

    Old Creek Ranch: 850-acre cattle ranch featuring a winery and fruit orchards. 

    Porch Gallery: Art gallery featuring contemporary artwork. 

    Bamboo Creek Spa: Massage therapists trained in China. 

    Brittany Davis Gallery: A classical gallery with a twist. 

    Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza: Performing Arts Center with live music, comedy shows, movie nights, and dance performances.

    Agora Foundation: Offering book seminars, panels, and more. 

    Music Academy of West: Summer music conservatory offering numerous concert series, masterclasses, and film screenings. 

    Pacific Opera Project: Offering affordable and accessible opera performances. 

    UCSB Arts & Lectures: Hosting dance performances, concerts, movie screenings, and lectures in the Santa Barbara area. 

    Will Geer’s Theatricum Botanicum: Arts Center performing classic theater. 

    Canvas & Paper: Exhibition space for paintings and drawings. 

    Human Arts Gallery: Representing over 130 American artists. 

    Realty & Organizations

    Joan Roberts: Former state director for the California Association of Realtors. 

    Sharon MaHarry: President of the Ojai Valley Board of Realtors. 

    The Artesian: Innovative senior living for those engaged in the community. 

    The Gables: Compassionate assisted living facility. 

    Blue Iguana Inn:  A bohemian boutique inn featuring lush gardens. 

    Nora Davis: An accomplished Ojai real estate agent for more than 30 years. 

    Michael Malone: A financial advisor with a love for volunteering. 

    Patty Waltcher: Coldwell Banker Previews Specialist. 

    Monica Ros School: Providing a magical education for Ojai’s children. 

    Ojai Hospital Foundation: Investing in the health of Ojai residents. 

    Ojai Valley School: A private college prep day and boarding school. 

    Oak Grove School: A progressive boarding school in Ojai. 

    Villanova Prep: A Catholic boarding school in Augustinian tradition. 

    Thacher School: A college preparatory boarding school in Ojai. 

    We hope you enjoy your stay In the beautiful town of Ojai. Don’t forget to come back for Ojai Day, a family-friendly extravaganza occurring Saturday October 19, and the 20th Annual Ojai Film Festival, occurring October 31 through November 10! 

     

  • Ojai Gallery Walk

    [pdf-embedder url=”https://dev.ojaifestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Discover-art-in-ojai-2.pdf” title=”Discover art in ojai-2″]

  • 2019 Open Rehearsal Schedule

    [pdf-embedder url=”https://dev.ojaifestival.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Open-rehearsal-schedule8.pdf” title=”Open rehearsal schedule8″] 

  • John Zorn, Rites of Passage, & Grisey

    Saturday evening, June 8th, kicks off with John Zorn’s Jumalattaret, bringing the gods and ancient heroes of the Finnish epic Kalevala to life through a cycle of songs with Barbara Hannigan and Stephen Gosling. The music uses a variety of techniques and genres and moves from lyrical folk-like simplicity to more complex atonal and textural pyrotechnics.

    In Part II of the evening, the folk songs of Rites of Passage will incorporate indigenous and raw folk material reflecting each performer’s cultural and ethnic heritage; with resonances that are both primal and personal. Collectively, the songs chart a cyclical journey through courtship and marriage, the bloom of new love, conflict and dissolution, new beginnings, and love reawakened. A line from the final, jubilant piece, the Cuban folksong Guantanamera, gives voice to the creative impulse that underpins it all: “Before I die, I want to share these poems of my soul.”

    We end the evening with Quatre Chants Pour Franchir Le Seuil, Gérard Grisey’s last completed score before his sudden and unexpected death in 1998. Its subject – passing the frontier from this world to the next – may well seem eerily prescient, but its themes of threshold and transition are threaded throughout the composer’s works and lie at the core of his creative being. As a pioneer of spectral music, Grisey explored the subtle gradations that grow out of the microtonal properties of each tone.

  • Rake’s Progress Libretto

    Rake’s Progress Synopsis 
    Download the libretto

    In the idyllic countryside, Anne Trulove and Tom Rakewell celebrate their love. Anne’s father has found a job for Tom in the city, but Tom longs for an easier path to money. Nick Shadow appears with news that Tom has inherited a fortune from an unknown uncle. They must leave for London and Tom need only pay Shadow for his services after a year and a day. In the wicked city, Shadow introduces Tom to Mother Goose’s brothel. Back in the country, Anne fears the worst and decides that she must rescue Tom.

    Meanwhile, Tom, in his new London house, is already bored with ordinary pleasures, so Shadow suggests visiting the amazing bearded woman, Baba the Turk. When Anne arrives at Tom’s house, she is horrified to find him married to the hideous Baba. When Tom tires of Baba as well, Shadow appears with one last new idea… a machine that turns stones into bread. Anne again appears to save Tom, but this time his house is for sale and his property for auction. The bankrupt Tom has disappeared with Shadow. Baba urges Anne to follow him.

    A year and a day from their first meeting, Shadow brings Tom to a graveyard at night. A terrified Tom discovers he must pay not with money but with his soul. But, as Shadow is about to take hold of him, Tom hears Anne’s voice in the distance and his past love is reawakened. Shadow, defeated, disappears into the ground. Tom survives, but he is now mad and is shut up in Bedlam. Anne comes there to comfort him, but there is little to be done. Her father arrives and persuades her to leave Tom to his fate.
    In the epilogue each of the principal characters draws a moral from the tale and all join together to assert that “for idle hands and hearts and minds, the Devil finds a work to do.”

    —from Boosey & Hawkes

     

     

     

     

  • Purchase Series Passes

    Purchase Series Passes

  • Video: Barbara Hannigan on the 2019 Festival

    Video: Barbara Hannigan on the 2019 Festival

     

    2019 Music Director Barbara Hannigan – conductor, singer, and mentor – discusses her artistic values and describes herself as a creative person intensely interested in the collaborative process. 

    View the full schedule here 

  • The Ojai Music Festival Welcomes New Board Members

    The Ojai Music Festival and Board Chair David Nygren announces the appointment of two new members of its Board of Directors, as well as the full slate of officers for the 2018-19 season voted in at the September annual meeting. Joining the 18-member Board of Directors is Stephan Farber and Judith Hale Norris.

    Stephan Farber is a private wealth advisor working closely with multi-generation families who encounter distinctive challenges in managing and stewarding their wealth. Farber works with leading collectors of musical instruments and art. He has particular depth in wealth transfer strategies and tax-sensitive philanthropic initiatives. Prior to his career in banking, he worked for many years in the music industry with a wide range of artists including Philip Glass, David Bowie, and The Rolling Stones. A string instrument enthusiast, Stephan collects and plays pre-war Gibson mandolins and serves on the board of Arco Collaborative, established by internationally renowned violinist Jennifer Koh. He received his M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and B.A. from Oberlin College. Currently, he lives with his family in Houston, Texas.

    Judith Hale Norris is the President of the Ojai Festival Women’s Committee. She also serves on the Board of the Ojai Education Foundation, the Steering Committee of the Ojai Women’s Fund, and as Co-Chair of the Council of Distinguished Advisers, Straus Institute of Resolution, Pepperdine University School of Law. She recently retired as an Adjunct Professor and Associate Director of the Investor Advocacy Clinic at Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, Pepperdine University School of Law. Prior to her appointment in 2010 as Associate Director of the Investor Advocacy Clinic, she served as Vice President and Director for the Western Region of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Dispute Resolution with regional headquarters in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Before joining FINRA in 1986, She served as Chief Staff Counsel for the U.S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit (DC) and for the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit (Boston). She also served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts and as a trial and appellate attorney for the U. S. Department of Justice in Washington, D. C. Norris received her Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Maine and her Juris Doctor degree from Boston University School of Law. She received her Mediator Certificate from the Institute of Conflict Management.

    The 2018-19 Board Officers are David Nygren, chairman; Barry Sanders, vice-chair strategic planning; David Oxtoby, vice-chair governance; Cathryn Krause, secretary; and Jerrold Eberhardt, treasurer.

    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 social 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, and Vijay Iyer. Following Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Ojai will welcome Music Director Barbara Hannigan (2019), Matthias Pintscher (2020), and Mitsuko Uchida (2021).

    As the Ojai Music Festival approaches its 75th anniversary and looks toward the future with recently appointed Artistic Director Chad Smith, who will take the helm in 2020, the innumerable contributions by Thomas W. Morris will continue to be realized through the 2019 Festival and beyond. Under Mr. Morris’ creative watch, the Festival continues to push boundaries and scope; explore each music director’s individual perspective, creativity, and artistic communities; invite an ever-broadening roster of artists; and build connections across musical communities with through-curated programming for each Festival. 

    73rd Ojai Music Festival
    The Festival’s 73rd installment – June 6-9, 2019 – celebrates and explores the creative artistic force of Music Director Barbara Hannigan as conductor, singer, and mentor. The four-day immersive experience will be a synthesis of dark and light: chiaroscuro with music curated by Hannigan that resonates deeply with her interests and collaborations. Music will include Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress and other vocal works by Schoenberg, Grisey, Turnage, and Vivier. The Festival will also feature the American debut of LUDWIG orchestra and members of Hannigan’s new Equilibrium mentoring initiative.

    Series Passes for 2019 Ojai Music Festival 
    Advance 2019 series subscriptions are available for purchase at OjaiFestival.org or by calling (805) 646-2053. Ticket prices range from $165 to $925 for reserved seating and lawn series start at $75.

  • Up Close: Patron Memories

    Up Close: Patron Memories

    The Festival continues to thrive because of the enthusiastic support of its friends and patrons. Enjoy a few snapshots of a memorable Festival moment!

    [ngg_images source=”galleries” container_ids=”109″ exclusions=”1202″ display_type=”photocrati-nextgen_pro_thumbnail_grid” override_thumbnail_settings=”0″ thumbnail_width=”240″ thumbnail_height=”160″ thumbnail_crop=”1″ images_per_page=”12″ border_size=”0″ border_color=”#eeeeee” spacing=”2″ number_of_columns=”3″ display_type_view=”default” ngg_triggers_display=”never” captions_enabled=”1″ captions_display_sharing=”0″ captions_display_title=”1″ captions_display_description=”1″ captions_animation=”slideup” order_by=”sortorder” order_direction=”ASC” returns=”included” maximum_entity_count=”500″]

    Images courtesy of Frank Gruber.