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  • 2010
    • August
      • Justifying our Existence
        08/27/10
        Based on how quiet it has been around here lately, you'd probably think that everyone is out on vacation. In fact, we've all been (mostly) in the office, keeping the planning for Festival 2011 moving forward.

        The number one question that I get from friends when they learn about

    • July
      • On Watching the Bowl Come Down
        07/21/10
        As the date for the demolition drew nearer, Festival staff found themselves increasingly looking for excuses to walk by the Bowl - to fix it in our memories, I suppose. As one of the newest staff members, I've only had three seasons at the Bowl, and still I was drawn to keep looking at the str

    • June
      • Thank you for sharing four days of music with us!
        06/14/10
        It's hard to believe that four days have come and gone so quickly. We enjoyed seeing returning Festival friends and meeting new enthusiasts. It was great to even pair some of our alumni patrons with Festival first-timers who gave them great tips on Ojai and shared their own favorite memories. W

      • About Working with the Ensemble Modern
        06/09/10
        After Ensemble Modern's arrival to LAX last night, Ojai rehearsals began at 10am this morning and are now in full swing. Ensemble Modern has their own set of assistants, who, together with our crew, execute stage changes efficiently and so far, without siginificant hitches. Today's rehears

      • Learning from a Sarode Master
        06/08/10
        When I was in high school my father took me to a screening of Monterey Pop, the well-known documentary film about the 1967 Monterey Pop Music Festival. Despite historic performances by the Who, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix (in which he famously smashed and burned his guitar on stage), what made th

      • What's special about the Ojai experience?
        06/08/10
        From this week's Los Angeles Times Magazine:

        “You’re in this small town. You’ve just heard a concert. You go into a coffee shop, where you see audience members, or even the artists, and overhear people debating what was just performed...Music should provoke a reaction. It’s perfectl

      • Ojai's Unique Music Director Structure
        06/07/10
        Unlike other music festivals, every year Ojai has a new music director. Why? Tom Morris explains:

      • That Ojai DNA - You know it when you hear it
        06/05/10
        Of course fans of Ojai know that contemporary music is an aphrodesiac. But the conventional wisdom in the orchestra world is that modern music is a box-office killer. But maybe that's just because orchestras were just a little late figuring out how to do it.

        Over at the Atlanta Symp

      • Try before you come
        06/05/10
        Curious about the music and performers featured at Ojai this summer? Naxos has recorded some of it/them, and the enterprising recording label is currently featuring recordings by Messaien, Schoenberg and Varese on its blog. More about them here.

      • Julie Jeffrey on Coming to Ojai with the Wildcat Viols
        06/02/10
        When Tom Morris called me to invite Wildcat Viols to play Purcell Fantasias at Ojai, I thought it was one of those random strokes of fantastic good luck that we all dream of. As performers firmly ensconced in the early music world, we usually operate in a variety of big-fish-in-a-little-pond situat

      • George Benjamin's Ojai Career
        06/02/10
        What exactly defines an Ojai Music Festival experience? What ties together the music and people featured at Ojai? It's lineage, says Tom Morris. This might be the first year composer George Benjamin is the festival's music director, but he has ties to it that go back through his entire car

      • The Ghosts of Greatness Perched on your Shoulder
        06/02/10
        The Ojai Music Festival has a long history of distinguished musicians participating. It's a veritable Who's Who in American contemporary music over the years. So how to approach the task of programming the latest edition? Artistic director Tom Morris talks about what it takes:

        <

    • May
      • Ben Maas Takes You Behind the Scenes
        05/28/10
        This year’s Ojai Festival has presented a number of challenges that are different from previous festivals. To better understand this year’s Festival, I should probably back up and explain exactly what the job of the sound designer involves.

        The sound designer’s job breaks down into two

      • Donors Remember Past Artists
        05/26/10
        In the new Libbey Bowl, on the comfortable new chairs, patrons and supporters have an opportunity to donate money to name their own seat. More than simply naming a seat for themselves, however, donors are invited to commemorate the Music Director whose work inspired them most. To date, Festival a

      • Going to the Birds
        05/25/10
        Olivier Messaien was obsessed with birds and the songs they sang. He spent much of his career exploring their songs and trying to replicate the sounds in his compositions. So what does that sound like? Here's a priceless video in which he demonstrates (and that's his wife at the piano).
      • Remembering the Muse
        05/20/10
        Vingt Regards is by far the largest scale work in the piano repertoire. Yvonne Loriod’s place in musical history would have been assured by the simple fact that she gave the work’s premiere – in liberated Paris – in March 1945. But she had also directly inspired the work: the already celebrated (tho

      • The Right Notes
        05/03/10
        Writing notes for the Ojai Festival brings new challenges each year because making connections between works and composers, and teasing themes across several days of concerts inevitably involves trying to “suss out” (as they say in Britain) the logic behind the programming choices of the festival’s

    • April
      • Pierre Boulez Wins the Prestigious Kyoto Award
        04/19/10
        UPDATE - Apparently M. Boulez was unable to make it to the States, his trip was another casualty of the volcanic ash crisis. This is no reason for you to miss out on hearing him conduct though. See below!

        ............................................................

        Pierre Bo

    • March
      • Zappa and the EM
        03/25/10
        Below is a translation from the Ensemble Moderne's 1992 program book. These are Dietmar Wisner's rehearsal notes, as translated by our own resident musicologist/linguist/all around good guy, Chris Hailey. Truly fascinating.

        ...................................................

      • Alex Ross Discusses the Ojai Approach
        03/12/10
        Ok, it's not exactly like Alex Ross came out and said that Ojai was doing everything right, but to our ears, it's awfully close. Check out this part of his recent lecture at Wigmore Hall.

        "Perhaps concerts should become, in a way, more old-fashioned — more local, communal.

    • February
      • Ojai makes a connection in Berkeley
        02/23/10
        Tom Morris and I spent a few days together last week. Yes, Tom made it out of the historic winter storms on the East Coast last week--only delayed by a day! We spent time in Ojai refining the Festival schedule (you'll see that we will be moving the Friday symposium a little earlier than origina

      • Learning about Ragas
        02/22/10
        One of our amazing BRAVO! Artists in Residence, Judy Piazza, came to the office today. We know her primarily as a tremendously engaging teacher, but her professional musical career is in world music, specifically percussion. So since I had her attention, I asked her what she could tell me about ra

      • The Festival Says Goodbye to a Dear Friend
        02/11/10
        The Festival family lost a dear friend last weekend. Marty Fujita, who spearheaded the first ever Ojai Festival Green Initiative died of complications from cancer. Her loss grieves so many in the Ojai community, who will always remember her great energy, and the passionate commitment that she had

      • Getting to know George Benjamin
        02/03/10
        George Benjamin visited Ojai for the first time in January. In two events – one in Ojai on January 18 at the Wachtells and another in Los Angeles on January 19 at the Rosens – George confessed to having had a personal spy over the years who kept him up to date on everything about Ojai. Her name was

    • January
      • Trimpin's Sound Arch is selected as public art installation for the re-opening of the new Libbey Bowl
        01/26/10
        In mid-December, the Festival office had a nice surprise visit from Trimpin. He shared with us that he was in Ojai to present his proposal to Ojai's Art Commission for the public art installation which will coincide with the opening of the new Libbey Bowl in 2011...and now, I am happy to rep

      • An OMF Intern talks about what the Festival means to her
        01/25/10
        So every summer, the staff at the Festival goes from 6 to hundreds. A big chunk of that expansion is the many wonderful interns who devote the first few weeks of their summer to making the Festival happen. Last year, we were lucky to snag Margaret Crites, a budding composer, former Ojai resident,

      • Jeff talks about his weekend with George
        01/20/10
        After a long journey from SF (after his two week residency with the SF Symphony) to LAX instead of Santa Barbara (due to multiple canceled flights from the storms!), George Benjamin arrived in Ojai late Monday afternoon. George has heard all about Ojai from many of his friends (Pierre Boulez, Pie

      • A Blog on Blogging
        01/15/10
        The Symphony Magazine's Jan/Feb issue includes a feature article on how the classical music world has been taking on the blogosphere. Naturally, it mentions Festival alumni, pianist Jeremy Denk who has a fabulous blog, and eighth blackbird's Tim Munro, who was blogging before, during, and

      • OMF Board Member Russ Irwin Offers a Guest Post
        01/12/10
        Russ Irwin, one of our fantastic board members, has been taking in the George Benjamin concerts up in San Francisco. Here, he offers a review:

        Last night, George Benjamin (Ojai Music Festival Music Director 2010) began his San Francisco Symphony residency in a concert conducted by David

  • 2009
    • December
      • The Telegraph calls Benjamin's Into the Little Hill a Masterpiece
        12/23/09
        Just read last week's London Telegraph article "Opera: Review of the Decade," and Rupert Christiansen called George Benjamin's Into the Little Hill "...the era’s one masterpiece...a perfect miniature which haunts, chills and thrills."
        You can read the full ar

      • About the Bowl
        12/15/09
        As many of you know, the Festival, along with the City of Ojai and numerous community partners began working to save the deteriorating Libbey Bowl over a year ago. Festival patrons and supporters have been asking me about the project and the progress thus far, so here is a little update.

      • Looking Forward to 2010 -- Thoughts from Our Festival Friends
        12/15/09
        It's always fun for us to get feedback from our patrons, like you. Here are a few thoughts shared during a recent informal poll, plus my own "can't wait" concert:

        "The Sunday night program will embody the essence of Ojai's legacy with works by Boulez, Ligeti

      • Brad Lubman talks about conducting Zappa at the 2010 Festival
        12/07/09
        I am so happy and excited to be returning to Ojai! It is, indeed, a very special place. I'll never forget my debut there with the Festival Orchestra in 2005, nor will I ever forget the debut there of my ensemble, SIGNAL, in 2008. Not only am I looking forward to returning to Ojai, but I alw

      • New Music 101
        12/04/09
        Recently, a new Festival board member of the Ojai Music Festival asked me where she might find some good information on contemporary music -- something to give her a good overview of what is going on, who is hot, what's been going on over the last several years, a list of music to listen to, an

    • November
      • Timing is everything – Ojai will welcome George Benjamin
        11/09/09
        Ojai Festival’s tradition of inviting a different music director for each season is guaranteeing variety and vitality across festivals. After eighth blackbird’s commitment to young American composers last year, we return this year to a more European focus, albeit with plenty of surprise, adventure,

      • Remember that Amazing Flutes Program I wrote about before?
        11/03/09
        Well, here's your chance to learn more about it. Come to the Ojai Art Center November 10th at 5:30 to learn more about what makes it so truly unique.

        The Festival is sponsoring the event along with Darakshan Farber. There will be wine and appetizers and good company!

        Ple

    • October
      • Our Updated Web Site is Up and Running
        10/19/09
        This past month I celebrated my 8th anniversary at the Festival. I feel pretty lucky. I get to be a part of an outstanding music organization with a rich legacy of creating trailblazing programs, and best of all, I get to work with a talented, committed staff who also bring baked goodies to share!
      • BRAVO! Teacher Receives the U.N. Medal for Peacekeeping
        10/12/09
        John Zeretzke, master musician, and acclaimed teacher has long been with the BRAVO! program as one of our sought-after Artists-In-Residence. His program has always incorporated a strong geographical and cultural element, teaching students about the traditional musics of South America, the Middle

      • The more adventurous the better!
        10/05/09
        During the summer (which has flown right by) we did a lot of data crunching, thanks to the survey respondents and interviewees. Now four months later, we finally have the results to share. The information we collected echoed past data - our audience members are highly committed; love the adventurous

    • September
      • About George Benjamin
        09/24/09
        George Benjamin (b. 1960) is that rare specimen of a musical prodigy who has redeemed in maturity all the promise of his youth. He began composing at nine and at sixteen was already studying with Olivier Messiaen (and piano with Yvonne Loriod). Now, at 50, Benjamin has retained the appealing spontan

      • About the Presence of Musicians at the Festival
        09/16/09

        So every year, when we welcome the new crop of interns, we have an introductory go-round and the staff tells everyone what they do for the Festival, and the interns tell us their primary instrument. And, invariably, some time during the Festival, an intern will ask me whether or not the staff

      • More From eighth blackbird about their time in Ojai
        09/08/09
        Tim Munro turns out to be as gifted a writer as he is a flutist. Don't miss his latest blog entry here.

    • August
      • YouTube mash-ups
        08/26/09
        So I fell into a Youtube wormhole last week. It started when a friend of mine posted a video mash-up of Nirvana’s iconic Smells Like Teen Spirit with the completely incongruous vocals of Rick Astley’s Never Gonna Let You Down. Now I liked the Nirvana well enough, but I’m over it these days – the so

      • Copland's Home Inspires a New generation
        08/12/09
        Just in case you missed the great WSJ article on the new life in Aaron Copland's old house, here it is.

      • Cats Playing Pianos
        08/06/09
        Here in the Festival office, we read Daniel Stephen Johnson's Blog for all sorts of reasons, but the main reason we love him is that he keeps us up on all the latest cats-playing-pianos news. And what news it is! DSJ found some fellow who managed to piece together a reasonable facsimile of

    • July
      • News from in and Around the Office
        07/29/09
        It's summertime, but there's still lots happening at the Ojai Festival. Here are some of the highlights:

        - Anna has accepted a new position with the Festival as Director of the Libbey Bowl campaign. It's a monumental job, and we are so glad to have Anna at the helm.
      • Osvaldo Golijov Signs with Boosey and Hawkes
        07/22/09
        Festival favorite, composer of Ayre, and Ainadamar, has just signed on with Boosey and Hawkes. One of the most frequently performed living composers, Golijov has many exciting projects in the works, including a piece for Emmanuel Ax and Dawn Upshaw, as well as an opera commissioned by the Metropoli

      • Intern Beauty Queen
        07/16/09
        Festival Intern Kayla Bailey has just won the title of Miss Moorpark! You may have seen her in the Box Office during Festival weekend, handing out will call tickets, and generally being helpful and wonderful. Kayla, we are porud of you! On to Miss CA next!

    • June
      • Here Comes Ojai
        06/02/09
        We know that the Festival really is just around the corner when the artists start coming into town. The birds arrived in Montecito on May 30th, and are now comfortably set up at the fabulous Music Academy of the West. They are in rehearsals all day. Look for video of the latest developments soon.

    • May
      • More on Jeremy Denk
        05/12/09
        So we suspect the Goldbergs are very much on his mind because he's rehearsing them. Regardless, this is a very clever entry, with lovely musical examples. Enjoy! Read the blog here!

      • Mark De Chiazza On the New Pierrot
        05/06/09


        Mark De Chiazza brings a truly unique perspective to the Shoenberg piece. See an intervie with him here.

    • April
      • Watch Colbert's Take on Double Sextet
        04/30/09
        Watch Steven Colbert here!

      • Check out the Meehan/Perkins Duo's New Youtube Channel
        04/24/09
        The amazing percussion duo Meehan and Perkins just launched their Youtube channel.

        Click here for some amazing percussion video!

        You can see Meehand and Perkins at the Festival in the Thursday night concert, again in Music for 18, Sunday morning, and in the Marathon Finale.

      • Steve Reich wins the Pulitzer
        04/21/09
        Congratulations to Steve Reich! We can't wait to hear the prize-winning piece, Double Sextet, on the Sunday program.

        Watch a rehearsal for the piece here.

      • More Denk
        04/17/09
        The man is funny.

        He's very very funny.

      • Youtube Symphony Orchestra
        04/16/09
        The Youtube Symphony is up! For those not clued in to all things Youtube, this was the project by which musicians from around the world submitted orchestral parts via video, and the technicians at Youtube then turned the submissions into a complete work as a video mash-up. Leaving aside the techni

      • Scammer Alert
        04/14/09
        We can't really believe that this is happening. Last week, someone started calling the offices claiming to be Steven Mackey - the great American composer, and featured performer on the 2009 OMF lineup. His story was pretty complicated, but the gist of it was this: poor fellow got stuck in Jam

      • David Robertson turns out to be even MORE talented than we knew
        04/06/09
        We're all pretty amazed by this story over here. The incomprable David Robertson and his Saint Louis Orchestra were scheduled to perform at Carnegie Hall over the weekend, but inclement weather prevented the orchestra from getting in to NYC until 2 hours before the concert was scheduled to beg

    • March
      • iTunes and Cage
        03/31/09
        Stolen wholesale from Alex Ross's blog, The Rest is Noise:

        Yes, you can make it a ringtone

        iTunes is offering the first movement of Cage's 4'33" as its Discovery Download this week. Opinion in the comments section is strongly divided. My favorite: "NOTH

      • Video of Tom Morris discussing season 2009
        03/23/09
        Every Ojai Festival is special, but there is no question that the 2009 Festival will be unlike any other. Eighth blackbird will be bringing their unique collaborative ideas to the stage, and they've planned all their most favorite pieces. Tom Morris has been working closely with them to devel

      • Glorious Music Van
        03/19/09
        The students make a true racket, but they look so completely adorable doing it. Thanks volunteers!

      • Congratulations to Rinde Eckert
        03/19/09
        From Alpert Awards -

        "Rinde Eckert has received the 2009 Alpert Award in the Arts for Theater. The Alpert Award provides unrestricted, annual prizes of $75,000 to five engaged, independent artists working in the fields of dance, film/video, music, theatre and the visual arts. Initia

      • Music Van today at Miramonte
        03/18/09
        BRAVO! is hosting an open-house Music Van at Miramonte from 3 - 5 today. Drop in anytime to try out instruments.

        Pictures coming soon!

    • February
      • More on Lisa Bielawa
        02/23/09
        Lisa Bielawa's wild and wonderful music will be heard for the first time in Ojai at the Sunday Night concert this June. Ms. Bielawa is a long time collaborator with eighth blackbird. Apparently, she has the attention of one Mr. Alex Ross too.

        Check out the piece he's talkin

      • Love for Pierre-Laurent Aimard in the WSJ
        02/18/09
        So no surprise to Festival friends, the WSJ has a glowing article on Pierre-Laurent Aimard, and his recent chart-topping recordings of Bach. What was news to us was his long relationship with George Benjamin, who we are all eagerly anticipating having as Music Director in 2010. Learn more about bo

      • Congratulations Gloria Cheng!
        02/10/09


        Congratulations to Gloria Cheng on her recent Grammy win! Ms. Cheng's album "Piano Music of Salonen, Stucky, and Lutoslawski" won the Grammy for Best Instrumental Solo Performance. Ms. Cheng, a longtime Festival favorite, was most recently at the 2008 Ojai Festival per

      • Clarity Looks Too Much Like Truth
        02/09/09
        It's an open secret that we here in the Festival office have been struggling a bit to describe the upcoming world premiere piece Slide, which will have its debut at the Friday Night Concert. In addition to the obvious questions that come up with any new piece (i.e. what does it SOUND like?), t

      • RIP Lukas Foss
        02/04/09
        We will miss you.

        LA Times remembers the great composer

        The Ventura County Star does too

      • Exciting Night for Eotvos Fans at Zankel
        02/02/09
        There was a good old-fashioned ruckus at Zankel Hall during a concert of Eotvos's music, though not because of the music, exactly. Seems that a slightly hard of hearing woman had turned her cell phone up as far as it could go, and when it went off during the concert, she was unable to find any

    • January
      • Libbey Bowl Project Moves Forward
        01/26/09
        Rebuilding Libbey Bowl has become a major focus of the Ojai Music Festival during the past year. Once we realized that we could not save or salvage any part of the current structure, a group of us have been working steadily to develop a design concept, identify and work through the questions that l

      • Pitchfork TV Posts Video of Steve Reich at SXSW
        01/21/09
        Recently, Pitchfork TV added this video of an interview at the South By Southwest Festival in Austin TX or Steve Reich. The video features So Percussion and Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore. Learn more about your Festival favorites here!

        Video Here

  • 2008
    • December
      • Gloria Cheng Receives Grammy Nomination
        12/22/08
        Ojai Festival favorite Gloria Cheng has been nominated for a Grammy for her album, Piano Music Of Salonen, Stucky, And Lutoslawski. The Festival wishes her good luck. We'll be watching anxioiusly for the results!

      • You Tube Announces On-Line Orchestra Project
        12/22/08
        Taken from an on-line news source:

        "You Tube announces a new marketing project by Google to bolster the organized presence of classical music on YouTube and promote the idea of online communities. The project, called the YouTube Symphony Orchestra (www.youtube.com/symphony), was anno