Festival Information

Box Office Hours

The Festival Box Office is located in the center of Libbey Park. Our friendly staff and interns will be glad to help you with ticket purchases and questions, as well as ordering your 2024 Festival series passes. Assisted listening devices are available for checkout at the Box Office. Please bring a valid photo ID. If you are unable to use your tickets, you can make a taxdeductible contribution by returning them to the Box Office at least 48 hours in advance of the concert. Stop by the Box Office or call our Ticket Donation Hotline at 805.646.2192.

HOURS OF OPERATION:

Thurs., June 8 12pm-9pm

Fri., June 9 9am-1pm / 2:30pm-9pm Sat., June 10 9am-1pm / 2:30pm-9pm Sun., June 11 9am-1pm / 4pm-7:30pm

Late Seating

Performances start at the time designated on your ticket. In deference to the comfort and listening pleasure of the audience, late-arriving patrons will not be seated while music is being performed. Latecomers are asked to wait quietly in the designated areas until the first break in the program when ushers will assist them to their seats. Late-seating breaks and arrangements vary by concert and are at the discretion of the Front of House Manager in consultation with the conductor and performing artists. Please note that performances without breaks may not have late seating.

Chimes will ring 10 minutes before the start of each concert and 10 minutes before the end of intermission.

Please note: Artists and programs are subject to change without notice. In the event of a weather emergency, concerts may be canceled without ticket refunds.

PHOTOS AND RECORDINGS

Photography, audio recording, and videography are prohibited during Festival performances. We appreciate your cooperation in helping us create an environment for the artists that is not distracting.

PHONES AND ELECTRONIC DEVICES

As a courtesy to others, before the start of Festival performances please turn off your phone, car alarm, and any other electronic device that makes noise or emits light. Efforts to control paper rustling will be appreciated by both audience members and artists.

ALCOHOL & DRINKS POLICY

Due to City of Ojai’s policy, alcohol that is purchased in the Festival’s Green Room in the Park must be consumed in the designated restricted areas. Alcohol will be permitted only in the lawn area of the Bowl. We appreciate that patrons do not bring beverages in the reserved seating sections of the Libbey Bowl. No food or drinks will be allowed in our off-campus venues.

SMOKING POLICY

Both Libbey Park and Libbey Bowl are designated no-smoking zones (including vape pens and e-cigarettes) by the City of Ojai. The Festival’s office, donor lounge, off-campus events, and backstage are also nonsmoking areas.

Lawn Seating

As a courtesy to other lawn patrons, blankets and low-rise chairs are preferred. Please bring low-rise, beach-style chairs with legs of 10 inches or less. Patrons with higher-rise chairs, such as camping or deck chairs, will be asked to move to the house right side of the lawn. Please do not leave valuable items in the lawn area. The Festival is not responsible for lost or damaged items.

Lost And Found

If you lose or find an item, please check in with the Festival Box Office, just outside the entrance to Libbey Bowl.

Restrooms

The Festival provides and maintains portable restrooms which are located 50 yards east of the Box Office in Libbey Park.

Patrons With Special Needs

Seating for patrons with wheelchairs is available in a reserved section of Libbey Bowl. Please contact the Box Office as early as possible for special seating requests. A handicapped parking lot is located on Signal Street for vehicles displaying a DMV handicapped parking hang tag or license plate. Early arrival is encouraged, as these spaces fill up. For patrons requiring a short walk into Libbey Bowl, a handicapped drop-off point is located near the backstage on Signal Street. Please notify the barricade attendant and they will direct you. There is also nearby parking for the drivers of those needing assistance. For listening devices, please visit the Box Office. Public restrooms at the east end of Libbey Park are wheelchair accessible. Please contact an usher if you need assistance.

In The Event Of An Emergency

Emergency exits are clearly marked. In the event of an emergency, ushers and Festival staff will provide instructions. Contact an usher or member of the Festival staff if you require medical assistance.

Service Animals

Patrons with disabilities are welcome to bring service animals. Service animals, as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), are dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks directly related to a person’s disability. The dog must be able to rest in the seat area of the individual with a disability, excluding aisles or walkways. Please note that any animal whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support does not qualify as a service animal under ADA regulations. We reserve the right to withhold or remove a service dog that fundamentally alters the nature of our programming by behaving in an unacceptable way during a performance, and/ or if the person with the disability does not or cannot control the animal.

After The Performance

We appreciate your cooperation in helping to clear the seating area after concerts. Please be sure to take all personal items and dispose of trash as you leave the Bowl.

Go Green

The Festival strives to minimize its ecological footprint. We encourage you to do your share by separating your trash and using our recycle boxes provided by E.J. Harrison & Sons, and by using our complimentary water refill stations located throughout the Park and inside the Bowl. The same program book can be reused throughout the Festival.

Ojai Trolley Service

The Ojai Trolley is a convenient way to get from your Ojai lodging to the Libbey Bowl! The Trolley stops near the Blue Iguana Inn, Capri, Casa Ojai, Chantico, Hummingbird Inn, Ojai Rancho Inn, and Ojai Valley Inn. On the evenings of THU, FRI, and SAT, the Ojai Trolley will have free late service after the evening concerts, courtesy of the Ojai Music Festival. You can board the Trolley after these evening performances on Signal Street.

ATMs

There are a few banks within walking distance of Libbey Bowl: Pacific Western Bank (110 S. Ventura Street), Bank of America (205 W. Ojai Avenue) and Wells Fargo Bank (202 E. Matilija Street).

COVID-SAFETY PROTOCOL

The Ojai Music Festival is committed to protecting and ensuring the health and safety of its staff, artists, volunteers, and the Ojai community. Your support and participation are greatly appreciated.

During the 2023 Festival, our audiences will no longer be required to wear masks or show proof of Covid-19 vaccination. Masks are optional but recommended for individuals who are at increased risk for severe disease. We will have hand sanitation supplies available throughout the Festival campus.

Please stay at home if you have any symptoms of illness or have been in contact with someone who is symptomatic or has tested positive for Covid-19. These guidelines are subject to change based on the advice of public health officials and conditions at the time of the Festival.

Keep informed with any updates on our free Mobile App.

Ojai Talks is made possible by the generous support of Rachel Sater and Tom McNalley

OJAI CHATS at Libbey Park Gazebo, 6:00pm: Gabriela Ortiz and Aida Shirazi

Pop-Up Performance at Libbey Park, 6:30pm: Moon Viewing Music by Peter Garland featuring Steven Schick

Thursday, June 8, 2023 | 2:30pm

Greenberg Center, Ojai Valley School (lower campus)

Ojai Talks

PART I

Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels with Ara Guzelimian

BREAK

GREENBERG CENTER, OJAI VALLEY SCHOOL (LOWER CAMPUS)

723 EL PASEO ROAD, OJAI

PART II

2023 Featured Composers with John Schaefer of WNYC/New Sounds

Thursday, June 8, 2023 | 6:30pm

Libbey Park

Free Community Event

Steven Schick percussion

Peter GARLAND (b. 1953)

Moon Viewing Music (2016)

Moon Viewing Music (Inscrutable Stillness

Studies #1) is composed for three large, knobbed gongs and one large (flat) tam-tam. For the gongs I want a deep low sound, but at the same time the relationship between them (and the character of the pieces in which multiple gongs are featured) is essentially melodic. I am not fixing pitches or interval relationships, so as not to limit possibilities (and to accommodate what might be available on hand). But the tonal (and harmonic/vibrational) character of the three gongs is very important.

This music is low and slow — an obvious correlation exists between tempo and pitch register. As opposed to high and fast, for instance. I might also suggest a correspondence between the round shapes of the gongs and tam-tam and that of the full moon.

I have long ago ceased indicating specific mallets or beaters for my percussionist friends, who are way ahead of me in that department. Besides, a certain amount of empirical testing is inevitable and desirable.

Each of the six pieces has a corresponding haiku or short poem, and there is meant to be a correlation between text and music. Hence the percussionist is free to recite these poems (or not) before each movement. Ryokan, Buson, and Saigyo are well-known poets, and the texts are taken from various collections of their work. Hyakuri and Renseki (#5 and #6) are lesser-known haiku poets and their texts are taken from a favorite book of mine, Japanese Death Poems, compiled by Yoel Hoffman and published by Charles E. Tuttle Company.

For me moon viewing is a year-round activity, though I’m aware that it is associated with autumn in the Japanese literary tradition (as in the text for #4). This cycle was composed in the winter. There is a unique light and intensity in a winter moon, as it rises in the darkest days (nights) of the year, and shines on a landscape of trees stripped of their leaves and of white snow that amplifies and reflects the moonlight, often creating an eerie sense of daylight — further reinforced by the shadows cast on the snow.

There is also a special silence because of the extreme cold, and the absence of animal, bird, and insect sounds. If autumn is the moonlight of nostalgia, winter is the moonlight of loneliness, an inscrutable stillness.

—PETER GARLAND

This concert is made possible with the generous support of Cathryn and Tom Krause

The concert appearance of Attacca Quartet is made possible by the generous support of Hyon Chough and Maurice Singer

OJAI CHATS at Libbey Park Gazebo, 6:00pm: Gabriela Ortiz and Aida Shirazi

Pop-Up Performance at Libbey Park, 6:30pm: Moon Viewing Music by Peter Garland featuring Steven Schick

Thursday, June 8, 2023 | 8:00pm

Libbey Bowl

Liquid Borders

Rhiannon Giddens vocals | Kayhan Kalhor kamancheh | Steven Schick percussion/director | red fish blue fish percussion

Attacca Quartet: Amy Schroeder and Domenic Salerni violins Nathan Schram viola Andrew Yee cello

Gabriela ORTIZ

Liquid Borders

Liquid City

Liquid Desert

Liquid Jungle red fish blue fish, Steven Schick percussion

INTERMISSION

Attacca Quartet Playlist

Joseph HAYDN

Andante from String Quartet in F major, Op. 77 No. 2 Hob. III:82

Zakir HUSSAIN

Pallavi

(arranged by Reena Esmail)

Philip GLASS First Movement from String Quartet No. 3 (“Mishima”)

Colin JACOBSEN

Beloved, Do Not Let Me Be Discouraged

Kayhan Kalhor kamancheh | Francesco Turrisi percussion

Geeshie WILEY

Last Kind Words

Rhiannon GIDDENS Lullaby

Rhiannon Giddens vocals

David CROSBY/Nathan SCHRAM Where We Are Not

(arranged by Nathan Schram)

Caroline SHAW Stem and Root from The Evergreen

John ADAMS

Judah to Ocean and Rag the Bone from John’s Book of Alleged Dances

SQUAREPUSHER

Xetaka 1

Gabriela ORTIZ (b. 1964)

Liquid Borders (2013)

Joseph HAYDN (1732-1809)

Andante from String Quartet in F major, Op. 77, No. 2 Hob. III:82 (1799)

Zakir HUSSAIN (b. 1951)

Pallavi (2017)

Philip GLASS (b. 1937)

First Movement from String Quartet No. 3 (“Mishima”) (1985)

No Boundaries

Liquid Borders: Both the title and the premise of the percussion quartet by Gabriela Ortiz that opens this edition of the Ojai Music Festival could not be better suited to Rhiannon Giddens’s curatorial vision. The Mexico City–based Ortiz has created a body of boundlessly imaginative work animated by adventurous border crossings between strikingly different realms: folk and avant-garde, Latin American and European, acoustic and electronic.

Ortiz comes from an influential musical family. Her parents were among the earliest members of the still-active group Los Folkloristas, founded in 1966, which transformed the understanding of Latin American folk music. A composer who asserts that “sounds have souls,” she has developed a special connection to California ensembles, producing works for the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Kronos Quartet.

Explorations of folklore and folk music, pre- and post-colonial, play a prominent role in Ortiz’s music. She combines these sources with contemporary techniques to generate unprecedented yet somehow inevitable sounding and extraordinarily evocative musical spaces.

Colin JACOBSEN (b. 1978)

Beloved, Do Not Let Me Be Discouraged (2008)

Geeshie WILEY (1908-1950)

Last Kind Words

Rhiannon GIDDENS (b. 1977)

Lullaby

David CROSBY (1941-2023)/

Nathan SCHRAM (b. 1987) Where We Are Not (2020)

Caroline SHAW (b. 1977)

Stem and Root from The Evergreen (2022)

John ADAMS (b. 1947)

Judah to Ocean and Rag the Bone from John’s Book of Alleged Dances (1994)

SQUAREPUSHER (Tom Jenkinson, b. 1975) Xetaka 1 (2021)

Liquid Borders originated as a commission from Steven Schick for his University of California at San Diego–based percussion ensemble red fish blue fish and was premiered at the Banff Centre in Canada in August 2014. The title refers not only to dissolving aesthetic barriers but to Ortiz’s utopian reflection on what it might be like to overcome the artificial divisions she believes are put in place for political and economic reasons.

But because those divisions are in place, they exacerbate injustices caused by changes in the economy, society, and climate, which Ortiz illustrates in the varied soundscapes corresponding to each of the work’s three movements. The metallic and glass percussion of “Liquid City” conjures an urban landscape that, according to the composer, refers to the problem of impoverished immigrants from Mexico’s countryside facing desperate conditions when they seek economic improvement in the cities. In “Liquid Desert,” the soundscape changes dramatically to ghostly, dry, dark, rattling sounds. The social context here involves the problem in the north of Mexico caused by cheap maquila factories that exploit impoverished women. The players are instructed to whisper the word maquila to represent “these lost voices of women who have disappeared or been killed.” “Liquid Jungle” uses the timbres of marimbas, bongos, and woodblocks to evoke the scene at Mexico’s southern border, with driving rhythms derived from Caribbean and African music. The life force itself pulses with irresistible energy and cannot be contained.

Liquefying the borders between genres and disciplines is a signature of the Attacca Quartet. The playlist they’ve put together to launch their Ojai residency presents a self-portrait of the ensemble and their voracious appetite for trying new things. But rather than a straightforward, realist style, it’s a portrait painted in wildly abstract colors, “where our past and our future are simultaneously reflected in some form,” as cellist Andrew Yee puts it. “Asking what our artistic vision adds to this already rich art form has freed us up to experiment with the framework of our programming.”

The “Haydn 68” project — a cycle of all of the composer’s quartets, which Attacca performed from 2010 to 2016 — left a lasting mark on the quartet’s sound.