Watching the Bowl come down was a little bittersweet. To see how painfully easily the Bowl could be reduced to bits with nothing more powerful than a claw was a sad and clear reminder that rebuilding was a necessity if Ojai was to have any performance structure at all. As Jeff is fond of saying, "The community won, not the termites." And he's right. Tearing down the old Bowl was the first step toward something better, for both the Ojai community and the Festival family.
Are there other performance spaces where the space is such a critical element in the concert experience? For those who heard it this year, Messiaen's Vingt Regards will always and forever be about the interplay of Eric Huebner's tremendous virtuosity with Ojai's active aviary community (who behaved throughout as though the concert was being played strictly for them). Listening to the crickets chirp during Takemitsu's Rain Tree has altered how we hear that piece today. And the sound of the rustling trees has accompanied Dawn Upshaw as beautifully as any piano could.
The good news is that the new Bowl will mimic the old in many important ways. It will retain the same iconic look of the old Bowl, while adding much needed backstage space, and critical upgrades to the seating. And of course, with the many beautiful trees all around, we expect that the crickets and birds will continue to be our friendly neighbors.
Tearing down the old Bowl is the first sign of the exciting changes to come. And so we say, with great fondness and gratitude, thank you for your many years of service dear old Bowl. We won't forget you.
- Christiana Thomas
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