Our second episode takes a look at the idea of composing across boundaries with festival composers Niloufar Nourbakhsh and Carlos Simon.

Shawn Okpebholo

Emily Praetorius, host and producer

OJAICAST theme by Thomas Kotcheff and Louis Weeks

Music Excerpts in this Episode:

The Willows are New - Chou Wen-Chung, performed by Gloria Cheng

Veiled - Niloufar Nourbakhsh, performed by Amanda Gookin

Between Worlds - Carlos Simon, performed by Julia Mirzoev

Our first episode gives an in-depth look into the 77th Ojai Music Festival (June 8th - 11th, 2023), curated by Music Director Rhiannon Giddens. Special guest Executive Director Ara Guzelimian will give us some insights into the creation of this year's festival programming and background on some of pieces being played.

Ojai Virtual Talks, Rhiannon Giddens

Emily Praetorius, host and producer

OJAICAST theme by Thomas Kotcheff and Louis Weeks

Music Excerpts in this Episode:

Liquid Borders - Gabriela Ortiz, performed by red fish blue fish

Clock Catcher - Flying Lotus, performed by Attacca Quartet

Ghost Opera - Tan Dun, performed by Kronos Quartet

More music, meditation, and dance plus community events end the four-day Festival starting with Meditation with the music of Julius Eastman, followed by Hans Otte’s The Book of Sounds, and two world premieres Dance in the Park and Rome is Falling. To end this jam-packed Fesrival, the Sunday Finale will display the virtuosity of all 17 AMOC members as a collective. Guests: Ara Guzelimian, Julia Eichten, and Doug Balliett.

Emily Praetorius, producer and host

OJAICAST theme by Thomas Kotcheff and Louis Weeks

Music Excerpts in Episode 4:

Let Festival weekend begin! In this episode we look at the Saturday program which is quintessential Ojai Music Festival -- music of Bach and Bach re-imagined and three premieres of some of today’s most exciting composers Matthew Aucoin, Carolyn Chen, and Andrew McIntosh. Guests: AMOC co-founder/composer Matthew Aucoin and AMOC member and violinist Miranda Cuckson.

Emily Praetorius, producer and host

OJAICAST theme by Thomas Kotcheff and Louis Weeks

Music Excerpts in Episode 3:

About Bach, by Cassandra Miller

Tanz Tanz, by Reiko Füting

Prelude in G Minor, by Bach

Little Jimmy, by Andrew McIntosh

From early morning sunrise to evening sunset, AMOC dives into the music of icons George Lewis and Roscoe Mitchell, the life and music of Julius Eastman alongside world premieres of works by Anthony Cheung and new staging of Messian’s Harawi. Guests: AMOC member and flutist Emi Ferguson and composer Anthony Cheung.

Emily Praetorius, producer and host

OJAICAST theme by Thomas Kotcheff and Louis Weeks

Music Excerpts in Episode 2:

Stay on It, by Julius Eastman

Harawi, mvts. 2, 6, 10, by Olivier Messiaen

Our first episode introduces us to our 2022 Music Director AMOC, the multidisciplinary collective which incorporates music, dance, poetry, theatre in all their work and their ambitious programming that begins on Thu June 9. Guests: Ara Guzelimian, Zack Winokur, and Keir Gogwilt

Emily Praetorius, producer and host

OJAICAST theme by Thomas Kotcheff and Louis Weeks

Music Excerpts in Episode 1:

Prelude to the Holy Presence of Joan d’Arc, by Julius Eastman

Rebonds B, by Iannis Xenakis

Gretchen am spinnrade, by Eric Wubbels

The Ojai Music Festival has been around since 1947, but rather than sticking to status quo, it continues to evolve and surprise with unusual intersections of musical styles and genres. Invited to talk about their Ojai experiences will be alum - Matthew Duvall of Eighth Blackbird, Music Director of 2009, and Steven Schick, percussionist, conductor and Music Director of 2015.

Classical music can be intimidating to newcomers and frequent concertgoers alike, even more so, new contemporary music. Host Thomas Kotcheff discusses this topic with the help from his guests, Musicologist Lance Brunner and composer Veronika Krausas, on finding meaning and confidence in the process of listening to classical music.

American composer and conductor John Adams, who leads the 75th Ojai Music Festival, has been an influence for many artists and composers, including several of our 2021 collaborators.  The second episode invites pianists Vicki Ray and Joanne Pearce Martin, composer Dylan Mattingly, and chairman emeritus and longtime president of Nonesuch Records Robert Hurwitz to discuss their personal connections with John Adams.

SHOW NOTES / CREDITS: 

Thomas Kotcheff, host 

OJAICAST theme by Thomas Kotcheff and Louis Weeks  

Music used in this episode: 

Our first episode gives an in-depth look into the 75th Ojai Music Festival (September 16-29, 2021) repertoire and the musical threads that connect it all together, curated by Music Director John Adams. Guests include Ojai Festival Artistic & Executive Director Ara Guzelimian, Program Book Annotator Thomas May, and featured 2021 composer Gabriela Ortiz.

N.B. John Adams was music director of the Ojai Music Festival in 1993 and not 1994 as stated in the podcast