90
O J A I M AG A Z I N E | SPRING 2026
T
here’s something about Ojai.
For 80 years, the Ojai Music Festival has drawn worldclass musical artists and a loyal and ever-widening audience to this enchanting hamlet in the mountains. The festival’s 80th anniversary celebration from June 11-14 promises to live up to the festival’s reputation with world-renowned Finnish conductor-composer Esa-Pekka Salonen as this year’s music director.
Esa-Pekka Salonen, this year’s music director. Photo: Andrew Eccles
“We mark this milestone year with looks back to our extraordinary history, and leap forward with our newest music,” said Ara Guzelimian, the festival’s artistic and executive director. Ojai will immerse itself in music for four days with artists like American-Canadian classical violinist Leila Josefowicz, New York Philharmonic principal clarinetist Anthony McGill, and the Attacca Quartet, representing the next generation of classical music. Performances take place throughout the day at various locations in and around town, but the heart of the festival is the Libbey Bowl outdoor amphitheater, where evening performances are held under the stars.
Leila Josefowicz Photo: Chris Lee
th
“Ojai has always been a center of creativity,” Guzelimian said. “I’m not particularly mystical, but there is something about that setting that has long attracted seekers and creative spirits like (Jiddu) Krishnamurti and (artist) Beatrice Wood. There’s something about the welcoming of innovation and exploration that exists here, and makes it very welcoming.” The festival will feature two premieres: a world premiere from Pulitzer Prize-winning composer John Adams, and a U.S. premiere of a piece by Salonen. The Attacca Quartet will present “Iron Jig,” which Adams composed specifically for the quartet, with whom he has collaborated for 15 years. Adams, a contemporary composer perhaps best known for operas like Nixon in China and Doctor Atomic, also served as music director of the Ojai festival in 1993 and 2021. Adams said he “wanted to write this piece for them as a ‘gigue,’” a lively musical style from the baroque period. “The Irish version is the jig. When I started composing it, everything was a
by KIM LAMB GREGORY
fast three-four time. The piece is really intensive.” Adams will not perform at the festival, but will be in attendance, so audience members could wind up sitting next to him or any number of musical icons throughout the event — or perhaps run into them at Bart’s Books or one of the city’s outdoor cafes. “There are performance spaces all over Ojai,” Adams said when asked about
the popularity and longevity of the Ojai Music Festival. “It’s the surrounding landscape, the spiritual history of the city.” SALONEN SPOTLIGHT Salonen’s premiere piece, written for violin and cello, will be performed by New Zealand violinist Geneva Lewis and American cellist Jay Campbell. The audience will also hear the first complete performance of Salonen’s Piano Preludes with Juilliard School faculty member