View the 2023 program book here
FULL SCHEDULE
THU, June 8
2:30PM OJAI TALKS – SOLD OUT
Greenberg Center, Ojai Valley School lower campus
2:30-3:15pm Ara Guzelimian with Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels
3:30-4:30pm WQXR’s New Sounds John Schaefer with Festival artists and composers
6:00PM OJAI CHATS – FREE
Libbey Park Gazebo
In-depth conversation with composers Gabriela Ortiz and Aida Shirazi with host John Schaefer of WQXR’s New Sounds.
6:30PM MOON VIEWING MUSIC – FREE
Libbey Park Gazebo
Join Steven Schick in this solo performance of Peter Garland’s Moon Viewing Music (Inscrutable Stillness Studies #1) described as a quiet and introspective six-movement work for three large Thai-style gongs and large tam-tam.
8:00PM LIQUID BORDERS
Libbey Bowl
Rhiannon Giddens vocals | Kayhan Kalhor kamancheh | Attacca Quartet | red fish blue fish percussion ensemble with Steven Schick director
Gabriela ORTIZ Liquid Borders
Franz Joseph HAYDN String Quartet in F major, Op. 77 No. 2 Hob. III:82
Zakir HUSSAIN Pallavi (arr. Reena Esmail)
Philip GLASS First Movement from String Quartet No. 3 (“Mishima”)
Colin JACOBSEN Beloved do not let me be discouraged
Geeshie WILEY Last Kind Words (arr. Jacob Garchik)
Rhiannon GIDDENS Lullaby
David CROSBY/Nathan SCHRAM Where We Are Not (arr. Nathan Schram)
Caroline SHAW Stem and Root from The Evergreen
John ADAMS Judah to Ocean, Rag the Bone from John’s Book of Alleged Dances
SQUAREPUSHER Xetaka 1
Free live stream of this concert will be available.
FRI, June 9
8:00AM OJAI DAWNS
Zalk Theater, Besant Hill School
Emi Ferguson flute | Ross Karre percussion | Niloufar Shiri kamancheh | Aida Shirazi electronics |Steven Schick percussion | red fish blue fish
Golfam KHAYAM Lost Wind
Aida SHIRAZI and Niloufar SHIRI Yearning, Every Dawn New Work World Premiere
Edgard VARÈSE Density 21.5
CHOU Wen-Chung Echoes From The Gorge
The Ojai Dawns is a benefit for Festival Family Donor Circles. Learn more here>
Subscribers receive priority to purchase single tickets before going on sale to the general public beginning March 31.
10:00AM VIS-À-VIS
Libbey Bowl
Lara Downes piano | Michi Wiancko violin | Mario Gotoh viola | Karen Ouzounian cello |Emi Ferguson flute | Joshua Rubin clarinet | Gloria Cheng piano | Wu Man pipa | Steven Schick conductor/percussion
Due to injury, pianist Leonard Hayes has had to reduce his playing commitments and has withdrawn from this concert. We are deeply grateful to Lara Downes for agreeing to step in on short notice. Please note the revised program:
Shawn OKPEBHOLO Amazing Grace
H.T. BURLEIGH On Bended Knees
Margaret BONDS Troubled Water (Wade in the Water)
Michael ABELS Iconoclasm
Jessie MONTGOMERY Rhapsody No. 2
Nasim KHORASSANI Growth
Nina BARZEGAR Inexorable Passage
Lei LIANG vis-à-vis
Free live stream of this concert will be available.
11:30AM OJAI CHATS – FREE
Libbey Park Gazebo
In-depth conversation with composers Nina Barzegar and Nasim Khorassani with host John Schaefer of WQXR’s New Sounds
3:30PM GHOST OPERA – SOLD OUT
Greenberg Center, Ojai Valley School lower campus
Wu Man pipa | Attacca Quartet
PeiJu Chien-Pott dancer/choreographer | Jon Reimer director | Nicholas Houfek lighting designer
TAN Dun Ghost Opera
Tan Dun’s Ghost Opera evokes the spirits of Bach and Shakespeare, standing with the ancient folk traditions of traditional shamanistic Chinese music. A new production, created especially for the Ojai Music Festival, brings dance into the work and re-imagines it for a new generation.
Ghost Opera is an add-on event, not included in the Libbey Bowl Series Pass. Purchase here >
6:00PM OJAI CHATS – FREE
Libbey Park Gazebo
In-depth conversation with Lei Liang and Wu Man with host John Schaefer of WQXR’s New Sounds
8:00PM AN EVENING WITH RHIANNON GIDDENS AND FRANCESCO TURRISI – SOLD OUT
Libbey Bowl
An intimate concert with Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi with music ranging from the Baroque to Appalachian ballads and traditional Black American songs.
Free live stream of this concert will be available.
SAT, June 10
8:00AM MORNING MEDITATION – FREE
Chaparral Auditorium
Niloufar Shiri kamancheh | Mario Gotoh violin
11:30AM OJAI CHATS – FREE
Libbey Park Gazebo
In-depth conversation with composers Niloufar Nourbakhsh and Carlos Simon with host John Schaefer of WQXR’s New Sounds.
10:00AM THE WILLOWS ARE NEW
Libbey Bowl
Karen Ouzounian cello | Wu Man pipa | Nathan Schram viola | Gloria Cheng piano | Kayhan Kalhor kamancheh
Niloufar NOURBAKHSH Veiled
Lei LIANG Mother’s Songs
GE Gan-Ru Gong
CHOU Wen-Chung The Willows are New
Kayhan KALHOR Solo Improvisation
Free live stream of this concert will be available.
3:30PM GHOST OPERA – SOLD OUT
Greenberg Center, Ojai Valley School lower campus
Wu Man pipa | Attacca Quartet
PeiJu Chien-Pott dancer/choreographer | Jon Reimer director | Nicholas Houfek lighting designer
TAN Dun Ghost Opera
Tan Dun’s Ghost Opera evokes the spirits of Bach and Shakespeare, standing with the ancient folk traditions of traditional shamanistic Chinese music. A new production, created especially for the Ojai Music Festival, brings dance into the work and re-imagines it for a new generation.
This is a repeat performance. Ghost Opera is an add-on event, not included in the Libbey Bowl Series Pass. Purchase here >
6:00PM OJAI CHATS – FREE
Libbey Park Gazebo
In-depth conversation with composer Michael Abels with host John Schaefer of WQXR’s New Sounds.
8:00PM OMAR’S JOURNEY – SOLD OUT
Libbey Bowl
Limmie Pulliam tenor (Omar) | Rhiannon Giddens soprano (Julie) | Cheryse McLeod Lewis mezzo-soprano (Fatima) | Michael Preacely bass-baritone (Abdul/Abe) | Andy Papas bass-baritone (Johnson/Owen)
Emi Ferguson flute | Joshua Rubin clarinet | Mazz Swift, Michi Wiancko violins | Mario Gotoh viola Karen Ouzounian cello | Shawn Conley bass | Leonard Hayes piano | Francesco Turrisi, Ross Karre percussion
Justin Robinson fiddle | Seckou Keita kora
Music from Senegal and the Carolinas
Music by Rhiannon GIDDENS/Michael ABELS Omar’s Journey World Premiere
Libretto by Rhiannon Giddens
An Ojai-commissioned work for voices and chamber ensemble drawn from the Pulitzer-Prize winning opera Omar, by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels, framed by traditional music that traces the journey of the real-life Omar Ibn Said from Senegal to the Carolinas.
Free live stream of this concert will be available.
SUN, June 11
8:00AM MORNING MEDITATION – FREE
Chaparral Auditorium
Seckou Keita kora
10:00AM EARLY MUSIC
Libbey Bowl
Francesco Turrisi curator and keyboards | Rhiannon Giddens vocals | Wu Man pipa
Kayhan Kalhor kamancheh | Joshua Stauffer therobo | Attacca Quartet
A program imagined specifically for the magical atmosphere of Sunday morning in Libbey Bowl, playing on the two ideas of very old music and music for the first hours of the day. Francesco Turrisi curates and introduces music ranging from thousand-year-old works for solo pipa, to Renaissance consort music, from ancient Persian melodies to modal jazz improvisations.
Free live stream of this concert will be available.
11:30AM OJAI CHATS – FREE
Libbey Park Gazebo
In-depth conversation with Francesco Turrisi with host John Schaefer of WQXR’s New Sounds.
1:00PM STONES AND STARS: LISTENING TO (AND BEYOND) THE WORLD – FREE
Libbey Park
Steven Schick percussion
Make music with us! Join in on this interactive community performance led by Steven Schick.
2:30PM BETWEEN WORLDS
Greenberg Center, Ojai Valley School lower campus
Mazz Swift violin Mario Gotoh viola | Karen Ouzounian cello | Shawn Conley bass
Ross Karre projection designer
Carlos SIMON Between Worlds
A complete performance of Carlos Simon’s cycle Between Worlds, four solo string works placed in visual context by their source of inspiration: the remarkable paintings of Bill Traylor (ca. 1853-1949), chronicling nearly a century of Black American life.
Text related to Bill Traylor and the project title “Between Worlds” are borrowed from, and organized in relation to, Between Worlds: The Art of Bill Traylor, by Leslie Umberger for the Smithsonian American Art Museum, (book and exhibition), 2018.
Festival Family Donor Circle Members receive first priority seats. Learn more here>
Subscribers receive priority to purchase single tickets before going on sale to the general public beginning March 31.
4:00PM BUILD A HOUSE – FREE FAMILY EVENT
Libbey Park
A special free family event – Rhiannon Giddens does a reading and special musical performance based on her new children’s book, Build A House.
5:30PM FINALE: STRINGS ATTACHED
Libbey Bowl
Amy Schroeder violin | Kayhan Kalhor kamancheh | Seckou Keita kora | Rhiannon Giddens singer/instrumentalist | Wu Man pipa | Justin Robinson fiddle | Francesco Turrisi multi-instrumentalist | Members of Silkroad Ensemble
Michael ABELS Isolation Variation
Duo Improvisation with Kayhan Kalhor and Seckou Keita
Nassim KHORASSANI Lullaby
Followed by a selection of music announced from the stage — an exuberant finale celebrating the many musical stories featured at this year’s Festival!
Free live stream of this concert will be available.
THU, June 8
2:30PM OJAI TALKS – SOLD OUT
Greenberg Center, Ojai Valley School lower campus
2:30-3:15pm Ara Guzelimian with Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels
3:30-4:30pm WQXR’s New Sounds John Schaefer with Festival artists and composers
6:00PM OJAI CHATS – FREE
Libbey Park Gazebo
In-depth conversation with composers Gabriela Ortiz and Aida Shirazi with host John Schaefer of WQXR’s New Sounds.
6:30PM MOON VIEWING MUSIC – FREE
Libbey Park Gazebo
Join Steven Schick in this solo performance of Peter Garland’s Moon Viewing Music (Inscrutable Stillness Studies #1) described as a quiet and introspective six-movement work for three large Thai-style gongs and large tam-tam.
8:00PM LIQUID BORDERS
Libbey Bowl
Rhiannon Giddens vocals | Kayhan Kalhor kamancheh | Attacca Quartet | red fish blue fish percussion ensemble | Steven Schick director
Gabriela ORTIZ Liquid Borders
Franz Joseph HAYDN String Quartet in F major, Op. 77 No. 2 Hob. III:82
Zakir HUSSAIN Pallavi (arr. Reena Esmail)
Philip GLASS First Movement from String Quartet No. 3 (“Mishima”)
Colin JACOBSEN Beloved do not let me be discouraged
Geeshie WILEY Last Kind Words (arr. Jacob Garchik)
Rhiannon GIDDENS Lullaby
David CROSBY/Nathan SCHRAM Where We Are Not (arr. Nathan Schram)
Caroline SHAW Stem and Root from The Evergreen
John ADAMS Judah to Ocean, Rag the Bone from John’s Book of Alleged Dances
SQUAREPUSHER Xetaka 1
Free live stream of this concert will be available.
FRI, June 9
8:00AM OJAI DAWNS
Zalk Theater, Besant Hill School
Emi Ferguson flute
Ross Karre percussion
Niloufar Shiri kamancheh
Aida Shirazi electronics
Steven Schick percussion
red fish blue fish
Golfam KHAYAM Lost Wind
Aida SHIRAZI and Nioufar SHIRI Yearning, Every Dawn New Work World Premiere
Edgard VARÈSE Density 21.5
CHOU Wen-Chung Echoes From The Gorge
The Ojai Dawns is a benefit for Festival Family Donor Circles. Learn more here>
10:00AM VIS-À-VIS
Libbey Bowl
Lara Downes piano | Michi Wiancko violin | Mario Gotoh viola | Karen Ouzounian cello |Emi Ferguson flute | Joshua Rubin clarinet | Gloria Cheng piano |Wu Man pipa | Steven Schick conductor/percussion
Due to injury, pianist Leonard Hayes has had to reduce his playing commitments and has withdrawn from this concert. We are deeply grateful to Lara Downes for agreeing to step in on short notice. Please note the revised program:
Shawn OKPEBHOLO Amazing Grace
H.T. BURLEIGH On Bended Knees
Margaret BONDS Troubled Water (Wade in the Water)
Michael ABELS Iconoclasm
Jessie MONTGOMERY Rhapsody No. 2
Nasim KHORASSANI Growth
Nina BARZEGAR Inexorable Passage
Lei LIANG vis-à-vis
Free live stream of this concert will be available.
11:30AM OJAI CHATS – FREE
LIBBEY PARK GAZEBO
In-depth conversation with composers Nina Barzegar and Nasim Khorassani with host John Schaefer of WQXR’s New Sounds.
FREE. Open to the public.
3:30PM GHOST OPERA – SOLD OUT
Greenberg Center, Ojai Valley School lower campus
Wu Man pipa
Attacca Quartet
PeiJu Chien-Pott dancer/choreographer
Jon Reimer director
Nicholas Houfek lighting designer
TAN Dun Ghost Opera
Tan Dun’s Ghost Opera evokes the spirits of Bach and Shakespeare, standing with the ancient folk traditions of traditional shamanistic Chinese music. A new production, created especially for the Ojai Music Festival, brings dance into the work and re-imagines it for a new generation.
Ghost Opera is an add-on event, not included in the Libbey Bowl Series Pass. Purchase here >
8:00PM AN EVENING WITH RHIANNON GIDDENS AND FRANCESCO TURRISI – SOLD OUT
Libbey Bowl
An intimate concert with Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi with music ranging from the Baroque to Appalachian ballads and traditional Black American songs as well as excerpts from Songs of Flight by Shawn Okpebholo.
Free live stream of this concert will be available.
SAT, June 10
8:00AM MORNING MEDITATION – FREE
Chaparral Auditorium
Niloufar Shiri kamancheh
Mario Gotoh violin
10:00AM MORNING CONCERT
Libbey Bowl
Karen Ouzounian cello
Wu Man pipa
Nathan Schram viola
Gloria Cheng piano
Kayhan Kalhor kamancheh
Niloufar NOURBAKHSH Veiled
Lei LIANG Mother’s Songs
GE Gan-Ru Gong
CHOU Wen-Chung The Willows are New
Kayhan KALHOR Solo Improvisation
Free live stream of this concert will be available.
11:30AM OJAI CHATS – FREE
Libbey Park Gazebo
In-depth conversation with composers Niloufar Nourbakhsh and Carlos Simon with host John Schaefer of WQXR’s New Sounds.
3:30PM GHOST OPERA – SOLD OUT
Greenberg Center, Ojai Valley School lower campus
Wu Man pipa
Attacca Quartet
PeiJu Chien-Pott dancer/choreographer
Jon Reimer director
Nicholas Houfek lighting designer
TAN Dun Ghost Opera
Tan Dun’s Ghost Opera evokes the spirits of Bach and Shakespeare, standing with the ancient folk traditions of traditional shamanistic Chinese music. This new production, created especially for Ojai, introduces dance into the work and re-imagines this landmark piece for a new generation.
Repeat performance. Ghost Opera is an add-on event, not included in the Libbey Bowl Series Pass. Purchase here >
6:00PM OJAI CHATS – FREE
Libbey Park Gazebo
In-depth conversation with composer Michael Abels with host John Schaefer of WQXR’s New Sounds.
8:00PM OMAR’S JOURNEY – SOLD OUT
Libbey Bowl
Seckou Keita kora
Justin Robinson fiddle
Rhiannon Giddens soprano
Cheryse McLeod Lewis mezzo-soprano
Limmie Pulliam tenor
Michael Preacely bass-baritone
Ojai Festival Ensemble
Music from Senegal and the Carolinas
Rhiannon GIDDENS/Michael ABELS Omar’s Journey World Premiere
An Ojai-commissioned work for voices and chamber ensemble drawn from the opera Omar, by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels, framed by traditional music that traces the journey of the real-life Omar Ibn Said from Senegal to the Carolinas.
Free live stream of this concert will be available.
SUN, June 11
8:00AM MORNING MEDITATION – FREE
Chaparral Auditorium
Seckou Keita kora
10:00AM EARLY MUSIC
Libbey Bowl
Francesco Turrisi curator and keyboards | Rhiannon Giddens vocals | Wu Man pipa
Kayhan Kalhor kamancheh | Joshua Stauffer therobo | Attacca Quartet
A program imagined specifically for the magical atmosphere of Sunday morning in Libbey Bowl, playing on the two ideas of very old music and music for the first hours of the day. Francesco Turrisi curates and introduces music ranging from thousand-year-old works for solo pipa, to Renaissance consort music, from ancient Persian melodies to modal jazz improvisations.
Free live stream of this concert will be available.
11:30AM OJAI CHATS – FREE
Libbey Park Gazebo
In-depth conversation with Francesco Turrisi with host John Schaefer of WQXR’s New Sounds.
1:00PM STONES AND STARS: LISTENING TO (AND BEYOND) THE WORLD – FREE
Libbey Park
Steven Schick percussion
Make music with us! Join in on this interactive community performance led by Steven Schick.
2:30PM BETWEEN WORLDS
Greenberg Center, Ojai Valley School lower campus
Mazz Swift violin
Mario Gotoh viola
Karen Ouzounian cello
Shawn Conley bass
Ross Karre projection designer
Carlos SIMON Between Worlds
A complete performance of Carlos Simon’s cycle Between Worlds, four solo string works placed in visual context by their source of inspiration: the remarkable paintings of Bill Traylor (ca. 1853-1949), chronicling nearly a century of Black American life.
Text related to Bill Traylor and the project title “Between Worlds” are borrowed from, and organized in relation to, Between Worlds: The Art of Bill Traylor, by Leslie Umberger for the Smithsonian American Art Museum, (book and exhibition), 2018.
Festival Family Donor Circle Members receive first priority seats. Learn more here>
4:00PM BUILD A HOUSE – FREE FAMILY EVENT
Libbey Park
Rhiannon Giddens does a reading and special musical performance based on her new children’s book, Build A House.
5:30PM FINALE: STRINGS ATTACHED
Libbey Bowl
Amy Schroeder violin | Kayhan Kalhor kamancheh | Seckou Keita kora | Rhiannon Giddens singer/instrumentalist | Wu Man pipa | Justin Robinson fiddle | Francesco Turrisi multi-instrumentalist | Members of Silkroad Ensemble
Michael ABELS Isolation Variation
Duo Improvisation with Kayhan Kalhor and Seckou Keita
Nassim KHORASSANI Lullaby
Followed by a selection of music announced from the stage — an exuberant finale celebrating the many musical stories featured at this year’s Festival!
Free live stream of this concert will be available.