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( 2.9 / 607 )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.
As it must, the SAVE Libbey Bowl project is moving forward very quickly, with seven major tracks of this project developing simultaneously. It’s a lot to keep up with, but we are all excited and conscious of our role in this historic project.
Design Process: We have an incredible design team comprised of City of Ojai Public Works Staff, David Bury & Co. Architect team, Jones & Jones Construction management and cost estimation. The Festival is represented by myself and board member Don Cosgrove who has extensive experience with public/private re-development projects including UCLA, MOCA, and Pasadena. The team has completed their design development process and are 50% done with their construction documents. At this point, they are three weeks ahead of schedule!
City Review: The Bowl EIR and plans were unanimously approved by the Planning Commission two weeks ago--a month earlier than we had originally hoped!
Fundraising: The community campaign just launched to raise the final $1 million. We have received many important gifts, and we are pushing hard to finalize additional leadership gifts and five-year pledges before the end of December. In January, there will be eight neighborhood parties to educate more of the community about the project
Future Management: At the Festival's request, the City has constituted a Bowl Management Task Force that is charged with developing an operational plan for the new Bowl that will include a business plan, maintenance plan, and needed personnel to properly run the new facility. The task force will present a draft plan by late January.
Demolition: A community group is actively planning the final Demolition Party on Saturday, June 19th in the Bowl.
2011 Opening: Tom Morris is working with Dawn Upshaw on an opening gala program for Saturday, June 5th (anna is this right?) that will include a performance of Ayre. Former Festival Executive Director, Joan Kemper, is leading the effort to produce a Free Community Day of Music to opening the Bowl that morning.
Historical: Anna Cho, our Director of Special Projects, is working closely with the Ojai Valley Museum to create an historical exhibit about the Bowl for May - July and a legacy piece to document its history.
This is just a summary of the many activities that the Save Libbey Bowl Campaign is running. To learn more visit www, or call Anna Cho at (805) 646 2094 x.105.
- Jeff Haydon
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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, and Messiaen along side works by George Benjamin and Knussen. Ending with the Messiaen will be another transcendent experience." -- Jeff Haydon
"I'm very fond of Vingt Regards so I am looking forward to that concert and Benjamin's West Coast premiere of Into the Little Hill. Plus, having a bit of Ojai for a few days is a perk!" -- Cheryl Lew
"I've had many 'a-ha' experiences in Ojai that shook me to the core, and this year I expect the same with Haddad's work, Zappa, and Benjamin's music." -- Hal Myers
TELL US WHAT YOU ARE EXCITED TO SEE AT OJAI 2010! ADD YOUR COMMENTS TO THIS POST.
Plus, view a video taken at our Festival Preview in 2009 (Thanks to Bruno and Lena!)
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( 2.9 / 550 )
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 always welcome the opportunity to work with the Ensemble Modern. We go back a long way (I started working with them in 1997) and I have always felt a close connection with them. On top of all those wonderful things is the repertoire I'm conducting, which I also enjoy very much: Varese and Zappa. The music of Varese was one of the first experiences I had of hearing contemporary music when I was just a teenager (it was Boulez's recording with the New York Philharmonic of Arcana, Ameriques, and Ionisation). Although I had listened to many Stravinsky and Bartok works, Varese's music seemed to really look into the future in a way that made it seem more "contemporary" and "modern". I was completely intrigued and became and immediate fan!
I first heard Zappa's music as a Freshman in college. The percussion ensemble had performed Zappa's The Black Page #1 the previous year and were playing a videotape (it was 1980) of the performance. Even though I grew up listening to a lot of rock music in the late '60s and early '70s, I hadn't heard a note of Zappa. So, this too was a great discovery. Soon after that, Boulez's recording of Zappa's works for ensemble was released, so naturally I immediately bought that and added Zappa to my list of favorites!
-- Brad Lubman
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( 3 / 581 )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, and information about performers and composers to know about. I sent her some information but
also asked a few other resources, including American Music Center's Frank Oteri, with good knowledge for more suggestions. Here is what was compiled.
1. The American Music Center, which promotes contemporary and American composers, has two extraordinary tools for building knowledge and gaining insights. The first is its web magazine, New Music Box. The site is full or information and articles of interest. Its second activity is Counterstream Radio. This is a 24-hour 7-days a week web based radio station which only play contemporary music. The music is identified and there are ways to click through to get further information. It makes for fascinating listening.
2. As for books, the best is probably Alex Ross's incredible The Rest is Noise. The book is a lively journey through the 20th century, with pungent descriptions that make you want to listen to all the music. On his blog, Alex has posted examples of the music described.
3. There are several other books wrth tracking down. The first is Kyle Gann's American Music in the 20th Century , published by Schirmer Books but now out of print (you can usually track down a copy), and the second is John Warthern Struble's The History of American Classical Music, published by Facts on File. Both of course deal only with American classical music. Somewhat outdated but useful is H. H. Stuckenschmidt's Twentieth Century Music published by World University Library. This fills in for the Europeans where Gann and Struble leave off. For the interpid, there is the final volume of Richard Taruskin's massive History of Western Music.
-- Tom Morris
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( 2.9 / 479 )
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