Ojai Music Festival: Free closing concerts will be celebrated in SP

June 03, 2016
Santa Paula News

It could almost be called the Ojai (Santa Paula) Music Festival when come June 12 East Main Street will be filled with an eclectic showcase of music for a free gala celebration to mark the closing of the annual event.

It will be the first time in its 70-year history that the festival will wander from Ojai for the closing concert.

Organizers of the Ojai Music Festival and the Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce have partnered in the effort to not only bring the festival to the historic Downtown but to make sure everyone knows there will be two stages offering continuous music.

It is hoped that not only local Ventura County residents will attend but also those out-of-towners that will travel Ojai-Santa Paula Road/Highway 150 to go back to their homes in Los Angeles county on the closing day of the festival. 

“Everyone is excited about it,” said Marilyn Appleby, the incoming Chamber of Commerce  Chair who has worked closely with organizers on the local event. “It’s a wonderful partnership and the festival group have been great to work with…they really want this to be successful as much as we do!” 

Part of ensuring that success has included presentations to the City Council and a road show of chamber and festival officials visiting local clubs and organizations to garner support.

It will be some show: scheduled performers include Egyptian singer Dina El Wedidi and her band; Indian vocalist Aruna Sairam; the International Contemporary Ensemble, 33 musicians performing contemporary classical music that have garnered rave reviews; and the Grammy-winning vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth. 

Rather than repeat their performances they’ll play different music at the street party than what they’ll play in Ojai, and unlike the main show they will trade off and together in a musical celebration not often available to the ear. 

This year’s Festival Musical Director is the internationally renowned Peter Sellars, who according to CEO Gina Gutierrez was taken with Santa Paula’s ambiance and history. Sellars selected the Downtown as a venue, the first time the festival has every branched out.

The four-day Ojai Music Festival will feature Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho and showcases her works including the American premieres of the chamber version of “La Passion de Simone” and her newest dramatic creation “Only the Sound Remains”. 

The Festival also presents a commissioned work by Pulitzer Prize-winning Caroline Shaw, “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely” and presents the world premieres of “Josephine Baker: A Personal Portrait” with arrangements and music by percussionist/composer Tyshawn Sorey and a new work by Cuban composer/conductor Tania León for YOLA (Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles) and ICE (International Contemporary Ensemble). 

ICE and the Calder Quartet return on the heels of their brilliant 2015 Festival appearances, and Ojai welcomes alumni soprano Julia Bullock and violinist/vocalist Carla Kihlstedt; Ojai debuts include the Grammy-winning vocal collective Roomful of Teeth, Egyptian singer Dina El Wedidi, Indian Carnatic singer Aruna Sairam, and YOLA.

The City of Santa Paula is co-sponsoring the event with the Chamber of Commerce to make sure those that visit the historic Downtown for an evening of music and celebration will have a night to remember.

The Ojai Music Festival is celebrating its 70th year milestone with its long-held tradition of pushing boundaries with artists, music, ideas and audiences — and its actual boundary by concluding the festival in historic Downtown Santa Paula. 

The Ojai Music Festival will take place June 9-12. The June 12 Santa Paula Street Concert and Festival will be held from 6 to 8:30 p.m. a stretch of Main Street closed for music and dining. 

For more information visit:

www.ojaifestival.org





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