OJAICAST

4. Music in Nature, Islands, and Forests with Leilehua Lanzilotti & Liza Lim

In our fourth and final episode of this series leading up to the 2025 Ojai Music Festival, Leilehua Lanzilotti discusses giant reverbs and how Hawaiian culture influences her music. Composer Liza Lim then talks about writing for solo flute and explains How Forests Think.

Will Thomas, Writer & Producer
Christopher Noxon, Host
Leilehua Lanzilotti and Liza Lim, Guests

OJAICAST theme by Thomas Kotcheff and Louis Weeks

Music featured
1. ko’u inoa composed by Leilehua Lanzilotti and performed by Jordan Bak
2. ahupua’a: iii. mohala i ka wai ka maka o ka pua composed by Leilehua Lanzilotti and performed by Leilehua Lanzilotti
3. Sola: II. – composed by Anna Thorvaldsdottir and performed by Leilehua Lanzilotti
4. Hawai’i Aloha Traditional, performed by IZ
5. Ke Aloha O Ka Haku (Queen’s Prayer) performed by Kamehameha School Children’s Choir
6. Sola: I. Prologue - I. – composed by Anna Thorvaldsdottir and performed by Leilehua Lanzilotti
7.  How Forests Think: IV. The Trees composed by Liza Lim and performed by Elision Ensemble
8. How Forests Think: III. Pollen composed by Liza Lim and performed by Elision Ensemble
9. Sex Magic: III. Oracles II "Womb Bell" composed by Liza Lim and performed by Claire Chase
10. Sex Magic: IV. Oracles III "Vermillion - On Rage" composed by Liza Lim and performed by Claire Chase
11. I find you in all things composed by Jane Sheldon and performed by Jane Sheldon

3. Claire Chase talks Big Prize, Big Premieres, and Big Bertha

This week we look behind the scenes of how the Ojai Music Festival is curated with this year’s Music Director, Claire Chase and the Festival’s Artistic and Executive Director, Ara Guzelimian. Claire tells the story of this year’s Pulitzer Prize winning piece, Sky Islands by Susie Ibarra. She also demonstrates some of her exotic flute sounds and techniques.

Will Thomas, Writer & Producer
Christopher Noxon, Host
Claire Chase and Ara Guzelimian, Guests

OJAICAST theme by Thomas Kotcheff and Louis Weeks

Music featured -
1. Pan - Death of Pan composed by Marcos Balter and performed by Claire Chase
2. Pan - Pan’s Flute composed by Marcos Balter and performed by Claire Chase
3. Pan - Harmony of the Spheres composed by Marcos Balter and performed by Claire Chase
4. Holy Liftoff composed by Terry Riley and performed by Claire Chase, unreleased
5. Sex Magic: II. Oracles I “Salutations to the Cowrie Shells composed by Liza Lim, performed by Claire Chase & Senem Pirler
6. Sky Islands composed by Susie Ibarra and performed by Claire Chase, unreleased
7. Sunbird composed by Susie Ibarra and performed by Claire Chase, unreleased
8. On the Overgrown Path, JW VIII/17, Book 1: I. Our Evenings composed by Leos Janacek and performed by Rudolf Firkusny
9. Yenna performed by Ali Farka Touré
10. Horse Sings From Cloud composed and performed by Pauline Oliveros

2. Wind and Wonder with Jay Campbell and Annea Lockwood

In this episode, cellist Jay Campbell discusses the adventurous programming of the Ojai Music Festival (June 5-8) and his recurring role on the Libbey Bowl stage with the JACK Quartet. Composer Annea Lockwood then takes us on an aural journey down rivers and bayous as she shares about her decades-long trials of recording the wind.

Will Thomas, Writer & Producer
Christopher Noxon, Host
Jay Campbell & Annea Lockwood, Guests 

OJAICAST theme by Thomas Kotcheff and Louis Weeks

Music featured -
1. Chambers composed by Marcos Balter and performed by the JACK Quartet, unreleased recording
2. The Holy Presence of Joan D’Arc composed by Julius Eastman and performed by Seth Parker Woods/Wild Up
3. Sky Islands composed by Susie Ibarra, unreleased recording
4. Eastre composed by Autechre
5. Bayou-Borne composed by Annea Lockwood and performed by Ensemble Maze
6. Housatonic River Recording by composer Annea Lockwood, unreleased
7. Wind by composer Cathy Lane
8. Arctic Winds by composer Maggi Payne

1. Exploring many flutes with Marcos Balter

We launch season five of OJAICAST as your host Christopher Noxon dives into the lineup of the 2025 Ojai Music Festival (June 5-8).   He joins composer-in-residence Marcos Balter and talks about writing music at a young age, audience participation, and collaborating with this year’s Music Director Claire Chase.  

Will Thomas, Writer & Producer
Christopher Noxon, Host
Marcos Balter, Guest 

OJAICAST theme by Thomas Kotcheff and Louis Weeks

Music featured - 
1. Processional performed by Claire Chase (composer Marcos Balter) 
2. Pan’s Flute performed by Claire Chase (composer Marcos Balter)
3. Harmony of the Spheres performed by Claire Chase (composer Marcos Balter)
4. Alone performed by Claire Chase (composer Marcos Balter), unreleased
5. Chambers performed by Spektral Quartet (composer Marcos Balter)
6. Sugarcane Fields Forever by Caetano Veloso
7. Processional performed by Claire Chase (composer Marcos Balter)

1. 2024 Ojai Music Festival: A Magical Musical Journey

This season on OJAICAST, we have one very special episode where Emily Praetorius gets to talk in-depth with Artistic and Executive Director Ara Guzelimian about what magic is in store for us at the 2024 Ojai Music Festival (June 6-9). From Mozart to Schoenberg and Haydn to Gubaidulina, we take a musical tour of the Festival programming with some extra insights into Music Director Mitsuko Uchida’s close connections with the fabulous roster of musicians joining her this year.

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major, K.453 - 3. Allegretto
Performed by Mitsuko Uchida and the English Chamber Orchestra with Jeffrey Tate

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-Flat Major, K. 482 - I. Allegro
Performed by Mitsuko Uchida and the English Chamber Orchestra with Jeffrey Tate

Sophia Gubaidulina: Five Etudes for Harp, Double Bass and Percussion
Performed by Christina Rozhkova, Alexander Suslin and Mark Pekarsky

Schoenberg: 6 Little Piano Pieces, Op. 19 - 6. Sehr langsam
Performed by Mitsuko Uchida

Sophia Gubaidulina: In Croce
Performed by Maria Kliegel and Elsbeth Moser

Helmut Lachenmann: Interieur
Performed by Sae Hashimoto

Kaija Saariaho: Lichtbogen
Performed by Avanti Chamber Orchestra

György Kurtág: Kafka Fragments - No. 19
Performed by Ah Young Hong and Patricia Kopatchinskaja

John Zorn: Road Runner
Performed by Frode Haltli

Haydn: Symphony No. 46 in B Major, Hob.I:46 - 4. Finale. Presto e scherzando
Performed by the English Chamber Orchestra with Daniel Barenboim

Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 17 in G major, K.453 - 3. Allegretto
Performed by Mitsuko Uchida and the English Chamber Orchestra with Jeffrey Tate

Emily Praetorius, host and producer
Louis Ng, recording engineer

OJAICAST theme by Thomas Kotcheff and Louis Weeks

3. Old Instruments, New Music

Our final episode welcomes kamancheh player Niloufar Shiri, pipa player Wu Man, and multi-instrumetalist Francesco Turrisi to the podcast, where they discuss the history of their instruments, how they are played in contemporary music today, and what we can look forward to in this year’s festival programming.

Niloufar Shiri Performs at Ojai Meadows Preserve
Niloufar Shiri
Pop Up Pipa with Wu Man 
Francesco Turrisi: Playlist & Ojai Talk 
Francesco Turrisi
Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi Met Museum Concert

Emily Praetorius, host and producer
Louis Ng, recording engineer

OJAICAST theme by Thomas Kotcheff and Louis Weeks

Music Excerpts in this Episode:
Niloufar Shiri Improvisation
Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi Met Museum Concert

 

2. Composing Across Boundaries

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

Shawn Okpebholo
Ojai Virtual Talks: Lei Liang and Steve Schick
Niloufar Noubakhsh and IFCA
Carlos Simon, Requiem for the Enslaved
Bill Traylor 

Emily Praetorius, host and producer
Louis Ng, recording engineer

OJAICAST theme by Thomas Kotcheff and Louis Weeks

Music Excerpts in this Episode:
mi sueño: afro-flamenco - Shawn Okpebholo, performed by Clare Longendyke

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

1. Liquid Borders

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
Uncovering the History of the Banjo with Rhiannon Giddens

Emily Praetorius, host and producer
Louis Ng, recording engineer

OJAICAST theme by Thomas Kotcheff and Louis Weeks

Music Excerpts in this Episode:
I’m on My Way - Rhiannon Giddens, performed by Rhiannon Giddens and Francesco Turrisi

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

4. All Well that Ends – Sunday, June 12

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
Louis Ng, sound engineer (lensonproductions.com)

OJAICAST theme by Thomas Kotcheff and Louis Weeks

Music Excerpts in Episode 4:
The Book of Sounds, mvts. 1, 10, by Hans Otte
     Performed by Ralph van Raat

 

3. Let the weekend begin – programs for Saturday, June 11

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
Louis Ng, sound engineer (lensonproductions.com)

OJAICAST theme by Thomas Kotcheff and Louis Weeks

Music Excerpts in Episode 3:
cross/collapse, by Catherine Lamb

About Bach, by Cassandra Miller
     Performed by Quatuor Bozzini

Tanz Tanz, by Reiko Füting
     Performed by Olivia de Prato

Prelude in G Minor, by Bach
     Performed by Emi Ferguson and Ruckus

Little Jimmy, by Andrew McIntosh
     Performed by Yarn/Wire