Matthias Pintscher and Chad Smith announce 74th Festival program
The 2020 Festival celebrates Pintscher as composer, conductor, and collaborator; welcomes the residency of his Ensemble intercontemporain (EIC) in its first Ojai appearance; and anticipates the return of the Calder Quartet
Building connections between today’s most progressive composers and those from the past six centuries, the Festival explores the sonic worlds of Matthias Pintscher, seven-time Ojai Music Director Pierre Boulez, and composer Olga Neu-wirth with highlights:
- The 2020 Festival is anchored by Boulez’s Memoriale and sur Incises; the US Premiere of Olga Neuwirth’s Eleanor Suite, as well as performances of her In the realms of the unreal and Aello; the West Coast Premiere of Pintscher’s Nur, plus Uriel, Bereshit, and Rittrato di Gesualdo featured for the first time in Ojai; and programmed alongside works by Bach, Unsuk Chin, Gesualdo, Ligeti, Mahler, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Steve Reich, Schubert, Varèse, and Zappa
- US Premiere of the Genesis Cycle, with World Premiere EIC/Ojai co-commission of the “eighth day” The Flood by Toshio Hosakawa. Curated by Pintscher for EIC’s 40th birthday in 2017, the Genesis Cycle explores the Creation story and features works by composers from different countries, including Mark Andre, Franck Bedrossian, Chaya Czernowin, Joan Magra-né Figuera, Stefano Gervasoni, Toshio Hosakawa, Marko Nikodijevic, and Anna Thorvaldsdottir
- Festival concludes with Free Concert for the Community, including works by Angélica Negrón, Gabriela Ortiz, Copland, and Stravinsky
- 2020 Ojai Music Festival opens with a Preview Concert featuring the US Premiere of Olga Neuwirth’s Le Encantadas o le avventure nel mare delle meraviglie with Pintscher conducting his Ensemble Intercontemporain and members of IRCAM, in partnership with the LA Philharmonic’s Noon to Midnight at Walt Disney Concert Hall, June 6
The 74th Ojai Music Festival, June 11-14, 2020, celebrates Music Director Matthias Pintscher as composer, conductor, and collaborator, and his commitment to strengthening the interactions and connections between the music of today and seminal works from across the centuries.
Joining Mr. Pintscher will be the Ensemble intercontemporain (EIC) in its first appearance at the Ojai Music Festival. Mr. Pintscher is Music Director of the EIC, the world’s leading contemporary music ensemble founded by seven-time Ojai Music Director Pierre Boulez. The 2020 Festival welcomes the return of the Calder Quartet and the LA Phil New Music Group, plus the Ojai debuts of mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford, tenor Andrew Staples, and singer/songwriter Della Miles. Matthias Pintscher said, “Since I received the invitation to serve as Music Director for the Ojai Music Festival, I am in an inspiring state of excitement, passion, and curiosity on all imaginable levels. Ojai is truly a magical place that allows all of us to find out more about ourselves. Here we can take risks, be bold, be introspective, and dare to wade towards the unknown, even the big unknown inside ourselves. Working and living in NYC and Paris I naturally wanted to create the vision of building a musical “invisible bridge” between two equally strong musical cultures – how they clash with, and yet complete each other today. It is a journey and it is my privilege to take you by the hand and to walk with you in this beautiful sonic garden where we are all invited to explore and discover together.”
Matthias Pintscher said, “Since I received the invitation to serve as Music Director for the Ojai Music Festival, I am in an inspiring state of excitement, passion, and curiosity on all imaginable levels. Ojai is truly a magical place that allows all of us to find out more about ourselves. Here we can take risks, be bold, be introspective, and dare to wade towards the unknown, even the big unknown inside ourselves. Working and living in NYC and Paris I naturally wanted to create the vision of building a musical “invisible bridge” between two equally strong musical cultures – how they clash with, and yet complete each other today. It is a journey and it is my privilege to take you by the hand and to walk with you in this beautiful sonic garden where we are all invited to explore and discover together.”
Artistic Director Chad Smith commented, “Here in Ojai you will find an oasis of music making of the highest caliber in a relaxing and openhearted environment. Audiences and artists create memorable moments together – moments of discovery and of deep listening, and moments when we realize we are hearing the future of music play out in front of us. This journey, where music of today interconnects to seminal musical moments of our great tradition, requires a bold guide, an imaginative programmer, and an enthusiastic advocate. Therefore, I am thrilled to welcome Matthias Pintscher, one of today’s singular composers and most sought-after conductors, as Music Director. Matthias embodies Ojai’s commitment to adventurous music making and to introducing virtuosic artists to our community. This year we will meet his extraordinary Ensemble intercontemporain. Their arrival is both an exciting first and a powerful connection to Ojai’s storied past. Alongside works by Matthias, Boulez’s provocative and riveting music will be a featured thread across the Festival, as will the music of Olga Neuwirth, one the most brilliant composers of our time.”
Chad Smith, who serves as Ojai’s Artistic Director for the 2020 Festival, was named in October to the position of CEO for the Los Angeles Philharmonic. As announced last month, Ara Guzelimian will serve as Ojai’s next Artistic Director beginning with the 2021 Festival, following Mr. Smith’s decision to step away from Ojai, given his recent appointment. Details for Mr. Guzelimian’s first Festival – the Ojai Music Festival’s 75th – will be announced in 2020.
Based in Paris, Ensemble intercontemporain is considered one of the leading performance organizations devoted to contemporary new music and was founded in 1976 by former Ojai Music Director Pierre Boulez. Now led by Mr. Pintscher, EIC’s 31 soloists share a passion for 20th to 21st century music and collaborate closely with composers of today to explore instrumental techniques and develop projects, which interweave music, dance, theater, film, and the visual arts. EIC last appeared in the US in 2015 for Mr. Pintscher’s inaugural year as their music director. Their last Los Angeles appearance was in 1986 with Pierre Boulez.
The Calder Quartet, which made its Ojai debut at the 2015 Festival with Music Director Steven Schick and returned in 2016 with Music Director Peter Sellars, will present during the 2020 Festival a thoughtfully balanced mix of new and old works for the Ojai Dawns and Libbey Bowl concerts. The Calder will perform a wide range of works by Olga Neuwirth, Matthias Pintscher, Cage, Schubert, and Ives. Hailed as one of American’s great quartets, the Los Angeles-based Calder Quartet is currently composed of violinists Benjamin Jacobson and Tereza Stanislav, violist Jonathan Moerschel, and cellist Eric Byers. Violinist Tereza Stanislav joined the quartet in 2019, replacing Andrew Bulbrook who was an original member of the quartet. Founded in 1998 at the University of Southern California, the group takes its name from American sculptor Alexander Calder.
Since the first concert in 1981, the LA Phil New Music Group has performed works by some of the sharpest minds in composition. Their Ojai appearance in June 2020 marks a return after nearly two decades, performing Steve Reich’s seminal Tehillim on Friday, June 12.
The 2020 Festival will feature the Ojai debuts of several performers. Singer/songwriter Della Miles, who created the role of Eleanor in the world premiere of Olga Neuwirth’s opera American Lulu at the Komische Oper Berlin in 2012, will reprise her role on opening night, Thursday, June 11, in the Suite for Eleanor. Mezzo-soprano Tamara Mumford and tenor Andrew Staples will be the featured soloists in Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde arranged by Glenn Cortese on Sunday, June 14.
Pintscher, Boulez, and Neuwirth
Known as one of today’s foremost composers, Matthias Pintscher will have his works interspersed throughout the 2020 Festival, including Bereshit, Nur, Uriel, and 4° quartetto d’archi Ritratto di Gesualdo. In addition to his music directorship of the Ensemble Intercontemporain founded by Pierre Boulez, Mr. Pintscher’s connection with Boulez was a deeply personal friendship and an interwoven professional path that also included their respective roles with EIC, IRCAM, the Lucerne Festival Academy, and now the Ojai Music Festival. Boulez’s works to be performed by EIC include his sur Incises and Mèmoriale.
The 2020 Festival also shines a light on the work of the prolific, ingenious, daring, and deeply relevant work of Austrian composer Olga Neuwirth. Three of her major works will be performed during the Festival with EIC, Calder Quartet, and singer/songwriter Della Miles including Suite from Eleanor, which received its premiere in 2015 at the Salzburg Festival. Additional featured music of Ms. Neuwirth during the Festival will include in the realms of the unreal performed by the Calder Quartet and Aello – ballet mécanomorphe with the EIC.
Prior to the start of the 74th Festival in Ojai, an Ojai Music Festival Preview Concert at the LA Phil’s Noon to Midnight on June 6 will offer the US Premiere of Ms. Neuwirth’s Le Encantadas o le avventure nel mare delle meraviglie. Mr. Pintscher will conduct the EIC with members of IRCAM (Institute for Research and Coordination in Acoustics/Music), also founded by Boulez.
IRCAM is a Paris-based public research center dedicated to both scientific research on sound and the creation and transmission of music. Ms. Neuwirth’s Le Encantadas o le avventure nel mare delle meraviglie is inspired by Herman Melville’s descriptions of the Galapagos Islands and the sounds of Venice, the city of islands. The performance, which requires the capacities of an indoor venue, will utilize the full Walt Disney Concert Hall placing musicians throughout the Hall. . Prior to this US concert, Ms. Neuwirth’s Le Encantadas has been performed in Europe, including at the Philharmonie de Paris (2015), the Lucerne Festival (2016), and most recently, the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg (2019). This Ojai Preview Concert will be the first appearance of an Ojai program as part of the LA Phil’s Noon to Midnight.
Chad Smith commented, “Olga’s spatial work, Le Encantadas o le avventure nel mare delle meraviglie, is a work of extraordinary imagination and technical brilliance. It is also a deeply affecting work requiring a special acoustic environment – one tailor-made for Walt Disney Concert Hall. With EIC in residence at Ojai, Matthias and I thought a perfect way to kick off the Ojai Music Festival this year was to present Olga’s work at the LA Phil’s Noon to Midnight festival.”
The last time Ms. Neuwirth’s works were performed in Ojai was in 2002 with the world premiere of Incidendo/fluido for piano with pianist Marino Formenti. “Thrilling and ingenious, Neuwirth’s works are musically innovative, socially and politically critical and ethically earnest. They are an expression of her convictions and her finely honed sense of justice, capturing almost every conceivable genre and mood: from light to dark, brutal to tender, tragic to comic, real to imagined, social to existential. Olga Neuwirth has at times risked being ostracized by the music world and society in general for what she believes. Yet she does not let this discourage her, but pushes herself to step outside her comfort zone and cut across categories to embrace people and affinities of every imaginable race, age and gender,” wrote Catherine Saxon-Kerkhoff (Berlin 2015) of Ms. Neuwirth.
The Genesis Cycle
In celebration of the EIC’s 40th birthday in 2017, Matthias Pintscher curated the Genesis Cycle by inviting seven composers from seven different countries to write a new, approximately ten-minute work capturing one of the seven days of Creation. The pieces reflect the Old Testament’s telling of how the universe came to be, as well as the composers’ own creative process of musical imagination. For the Ojai performance and US premiere, Genesis Cycle will include the world premiere of an eighth day with a new work by Japanese composer Toshio Hosakowa, entitled The Flood. The first seven days comprise works by Mark Andre, Franck Bedrossian, Chaya Czernowin, Joan Magrane Figuera, Stefano Gervasoni, Marko Nikodijevic, and Anna Thorvaldsdottir. This joint project is a compelling panorama of composition in the present day with various stylistic leanings.
Furthering the dialogue between new and old music, the Festival will explore Mr. Pintscher’s interest in Mozart with a performance of the Gran Partita, as well as Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 4, and Gesualdo’s arrangement by Sciarrino.
Free Concert for the Community
The 2020 Ojai Music Festival will culminate on Sunday afternoon with a free concert event for the community at the Libbey Bowl with the Calder Quartet and guest artists. It will feature the music of Angélica Negrón, Gabriela Ortiz, Copland, and Stravinsky. Additional program details will be shared in the spring of 2020.
Ojai Talks
The 2020 Festival begins with Ojai Talks hosted by Ara Guzelimian, who will return as Ojai’s Artistic Director with the 2021 Festival. On Thursday, June 11, a series of discussions will begin with an exploration of the 2020 Festival programming and its connection with the sonic world of Pierre Boulez. More on-site and online dialogue during the 2020 Festival includes Concert Insights, the pre-concert talks at the Libbey Bowl Tennis Courts with Festival artists. Pre-concert interviews with artists are also broadcast through the Festival’s live streaming programs.
View full 2020 Festival Schedule
Read 2020 Festival Artists’ Bios
Lucas Niggli – Drums, Percussion
Ara Guzelimian, Ojai Talks Director & Artistic Director Designate
Ara Guzelimian is Provost and Dean of the Juilliard School in New York City having been appointed to the post in August 2006. At Juilliard, he works closely with the President in overseeing the faculty, curriculum and artistic planning of the distinguished performing arts conservatory in all three of its divisions – dance, drama and music. Mr. Guzelimian who was Artistic Director for Ojai Music Festival from 1992 to 1997, will return as Ojai’s Artistic Director for the 2021 Festival.
Prior to the Juilliard appointment, he was Senior Director and Artistic Advisor of Carnegie Hall from 1998 to 2006; in that post, he oversaw the artistic planning and programming for the opening of Zankel Hall in 2003. He was also host and producer of the acclaimed “Making Music” composer series at Carnegie Hall from 1999 to 2008. Mr. Guzelimian currently serves as Artistic Consultant for the Marlboro Music Festival and School in Vermont. He is also a member of the Music Visiting Committee of the Morgan Library and Museum in New York City. He is a member of the Steering Committee of the Aga Khan Music Awards, and a Board member of the Amphion and Pacific Harmony Foundations.
He has given lectures and taught at the invitation of the Metropolitan Opera, the Salzburg Easter Festival, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Banff Centre for the Arts, the Chicago Symphony, the National Center for the Performing Arts in Taipei and the Jerusalem Music Center. Previously, Ara Guzelimian held the position of Artistic Administrator of the Aspen Music Festival and School in Colorado and he was long associated with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the beginning of his career, first as producer for the Orchestra’s national radio broadcasts and, subsequently, as Artistic Administrator. As a writer and music critic, he has contributed to such publications as Musical America, Opera Quarterly, Opera News, Symphony magazine, The New York Times, the Record Geijutsu magazine (Tokyo), the program books of the Salzburg and the Helsinki Festivals, and the journal for the IRCAM center in Paris.
Mr. Guzelimian is editor of Parallels and Paradoxes: Explorations in Music and Society (Pantheon Books, 2002), a collection of dialogues between Daniel Barenboim and Edward Said. The Chicago, Boston, and London Symphony orchestras, conducted by Bernard Haitink, have performed Mr. Guzelimian’s performing edition of Mendelssohn’s incidental music to Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In September 2003, Mr. Guzelimian was awarded the title Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government for his contributions to French music and culture.
Tamara Mumford, Mezzo-Soprano
Della Miles, Vocalist
Calder Quartet
Andrew Staples, Tenor
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 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, [email protected], (704) 340-4094
Gina Gutierrez, [email protected], (805) 646-2094
BRAVO Program is Back to School
The BRAVO Program is looking forward to an exciting year!
By Laura Walter, BRAVO Education Coordinator
It’s the start of the school year and our Education Through Music (ETM) weekly classes have begun in all public Ojai elementary schools for ages four to nine. ETM is based on folk songs and increases language fluency and the ability to sing in tune. In the age of the digital brain, we nurture and educate through having aesthetic experiences—joy and beauty. Teachers comment, “I notice an improvement in their listening skills, but more importantly their ability to take turns and be happy for their friends who are chosen. Students who were inhibited the first few times, now are excited to participate!”
Our BRAVO program is also out-and-about in the community — approaching quickly is the annual Ojai Day on October 19, where our volunteers will set up our ever-popular BRAVO Instrument Petting Zoo in Libbey Park. It’s always fun to see people of all ages try out the myriad of instruments from blowing a trumpet to banging on some boom-whackers. 
Another place to see BRAVO in action is at the Holiday Home Tour and Marketplace on November 16 and 17. Local musicians serenade tour guests with strains of Mozart, Joni Mitchell, Top Ten Renaissance favorites, and James Taylor—what a variety! This year we will also have music for the Marketplace at Libbey Park. Be on the lookout for vocal quartets, fiddlers, easy listening, and classical oboe!
Take a musical trip to China or Indonesia in the spring by joining us at our Imagine concert! Building on last year’s vast success, we are looking forward to collaborating with Ojai Valley School and the Barbara Barnard Smith World Musics Foundation to present another world music concert for students from ten Ojai schools. We will once again add a late afternoon free community concert.
In conjunction with Music in the Schools month, Music Van will make its way to Ojai elementary schools with the help of a dedicated team of more than 50 volunteers. We introduce children to the instruments of the orchestra: brass, winds, percussion, and strings. Each child (and volunteer!) can try every instrument and the organized cacophony is surprisingly delightful! Mostly because of the smiles and giggles from all participants. Every year we hear from teachers that many students are inspired to choose an instrument and join the music program. Many children who struggle in school can find success in music. They have a chance to excel and find something they are passionate about. Working together and striving toward beauty are a vital part of educating our future citizens. Many thanks to Santa Barbara Symphony for use of their Music Van.
In addition to serving schoolchildren in the Ojai Valley, our Bridge Program is an inter-generational program that has third graders stepping up to interact with senior residents at the Gables of Ojai. Children, seniors, and caregivers spend time meeting each other, singing, skipping together (either on our feet, or just our hands), dancing, and finding new partners. The children are excited to meet new friends and find out about their lives. Many of the seniors remark afterward that they remember these songs from their childhood and didn’t know that children still sing them. Our time is filled with laughter, beauty, and wonder. At the end no one really wants to leave. There have been many tears of joy at these events.
The BRAVO program is made possible with the support of generous funders – California Arts Council, the Stauffer Foundation, the City of Ojai, and the Ojai Festival Women’s Committee.
For more information in volunteering or supporting our BRAVO program, please email [email protected] or call us at 805 646 2094 and ask for Laura Walter.
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!
74th Ojai Music Festival
2020 Music Director Matthias Pintscher is already getting started with next year’s programming of the 74th Ojai Music Festival, June 11 to 14. We are so excited to share all of the exciting pieces and ensembles he is lining up. Listen to his vision for Ojai in the video below.
The Festival will feature a fantastic array of contemporary works that connect back to the seminal music moments of our great tradition; moving forward with respect to what is behind us. Featuring works by Pierre Boulez, Mozart, and Music Director Matthias Pintscher, 2020 will encompass a bridge of the classical contemporary relationship between Europe and the USA.
Watch the video below to hear Artistic Director Chad Smith’s 2020 vision in his own words.
Ensemble intercontemporain
2019 Audience Survey
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.”
2019 Festival Reviews
The 2019 Ojai Music Festival with Music Director Barbara Hannigan brought a new experience to this year’s listeners, as she showcased her numerous skills as “a fearless femme fatale actress, dancer, athlete, sports psychologist, educator, cook and rising star conductor”. (Read the rest of this article here). Relive the 2019 Festival anytime by watching our archived live streaming concerts.
Feedback from our audience, artists, and members of the press is important to us. Read review excerpts below. We will continue to update these next few as reviews come in.
“an ironwoman musical triathlon of exacting singing, vital conducting and inspiring mentoring” LA Times
“Hannigan thrust her arm to the sky in a gesture of pure triumph, all you could say was, “Wow!” SFCV
“Ojai Music Festival — a utopia where open-minded audiences welcome adventurous works presented against a backdrop of green hills, bird song and Pixie tangerines.” NY Times
“a Coachella for classical and new-music fans.” LA Weekly
“Here was Ms. Hannigan in all her polymathic glory: the impresario who commissioned the piece; the conductor whose persuasive authority demonstrated that it was no vanity project; and the alluring singer, bright and magnetic, who wasn’t above ending on a literal high note.” NY Times
“It is still the quirkiest major music festival in America.” LA Times
“Over its four movements, Schoenberg makes the transition from Wagnerian chromaticism into free-floating atonal space, with a soprano adding a text in the final two movements. Hannigan made it sound downright operatic, pushing her voice to expressionistic limits with a rapid flutter as the members of the JACK bore down.” – Musical America
“Suddenly, in the past few years, the jazz portion of the (contemporary music-geared Ojai Music Festival) story has been shifting and expanding in relevant ways… this year’s roster included jazz- related artists John Zorn, Tyshawn Sorey, and Mark-Anthony Turnage.” – All About jazz
“one of America’s most daring and contemporary-oriented festivals, well-known around internationally.” – Santa Barbara Independent
“If music is a journey, then the Ojai Music Festivalis a serendipitous and often indirect one.” – Los Angeles Review of Books
In Hannigan’s sensitive hands, Vivier’s incantatory 22-minute score, which he called “a long song of solitude,” made touching emotional and narrative sense and conjured arresting timbres from the percussion instruments, including chimes and bass drum. – Classical Voice North America
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
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
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.
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!
2019 Live Stream Schedule
The Ojai Music Festival allows the world beyond Ojai’s Libbey Bowl to experience the music and ideas expressed at the Festival through state-of-the art live streaming access during the four-day event. In addition to the concerts, you can also watch our live stream interviews with hosts Steven Smith of National Sawdust and Thomas Kotcheff of Classical KUSC.
Please join us for the 2019 Ojai Music Festival live broadcast!
Thursday, June 6 2019
| Start Time | Event |
| 7:00 pm | Pre-Show with hosts Smith & Kotcheff |
| 7:30 pm | The Rake’s Progress |
Friday, June 7 2019
Morning
| Start Time | Event |
| 3:00 pm | Pre-Show & Barbara Hannigan Interview |
| 3:30 pm | The Music of John Zorn Part 1 |
| 4:30 pm | Concert Recap & Interview with Peppie Wiersma of LUDWIG |
| 5:00 pm | The Music of John Zorn Part 2 |
| 5:55 pm | Concert Recap & Ojai Talks with Barbara Hannigan |
Evening
| Start Time | Event |
| 7:00 pm | Pre-Show & Interview with Bill Elliott |
| 7:30 pm | Part 1: Debussy, Ravel, Messiaen, & Schoenberg |
| 8:30 pm | Concert Recap & Interview with Edo Frenkel |
| 9:00 pm | Part 2: Schoenberg, Debussy, Vivier |
| 10:00 pm | Concert Recap |
Saturday, June 8 2019
Morning
| Start Time | Event |
| 3:00 pm | Pre-Show & Interview with Elgan Lyr Thomas of EQ |
| 3:30 pm | Part 1: Tribute to Oliver Knussen |
| 4:20 pm | Concert Recap & Interview with Aphrodite Patoulidou of EQ |
| 4:50 pm | Part 2: Rachmaninoff, Turnage |
| 5:50 pm | Concert Recap & Ojai Talks with Thomas W. Morris |
Evening
| Start Time | Event |
| 7:00 pm | Concert Recap & Interview with Jay Campbell & Christopher Otto of JACK Quartet |
| 7:30 pm | Part 1: Zorn Jumalattaret |
| 8:00 pm | Concert Recap |
| 8:15 pm | Part 2: Rites of Passage |
| 9:00 pm | Concert Recap & Interview with Stephan Farber |
| 9:30 pm | Part 3: Gerard Grisey |
| 10:00 pm | Concert Recap |
Sunday, June 9 2019
Morning
| Start Time | Event |
| 10:30 am | Pre-Show & Interview with Chad Smith |
| 11:00 am | Part 1: Walton |
| 11:45 am | Concert Recap & Interview with Molly Sheridan |
| 12:15 pm | Part 2: Terry Riley |
| 1:05 pm | Concert Recap |
| 1:15 pm | Replay of Ojai Talks |
Evening
| Start Time | Event |
| 3:45 pm | Pre-Show & Interview Thomas W. Morris |
| 4:30 pm | Part 1: Stravinsky |
| 5:05 pm | Concert Recap |
| 5:25 pm | Part 2: Hadyn, Gershwin |
| 6:10 pm | Festival Recap |