OJAICAST

Hanzhi Wang demonstrates the incredible range of her accordion, talks about working with dancers and discusses her own connection to mountains for the Saturday morning meditation performance at the Ojai Meadows Preserve.

Will Thomas, Producer
Christopher Noxon, Host
Hanzhi Wang, guest

OJAICAST theme by Thomas Kotcheff and Louis Weeks

Music featured -

1. Sequenza XIII composed by Luciano Berio and performed by Teodoro Anzellotti on the album Berio: Sequenzas

2. Circles composed by Bryce Dessner, currently unreleased

3. Mountain Song composed and performed by Hanzhi Wang, currently unreleased

4. Menuetto composed by Martin Lohse and performed by Hanzhi Wang on the album On the Path to H.C. Andersen

5. Wind Constellation 1/2/3 composed by Will Thomas and performed by Will Thomas on the album AV

Pianist Vicki Ray dives into the Saturday evening program discussing works by Magnus Lindberg, Anna Thorvaldsdóttir, Gabriela Smith, and John Adams.

Will Thomas, Producer
Christopher Noxon, Host
Vicki Ray, guest

OJAICAST theme by Thomas Kotcheff and Louis Weeks

Music featured -

1. Related Rocks composed by Magnus Lindberg and performed by Emil Holmström, Joonas Ahonen, Jani Niinimäki and Jerry Piipponen on the album Lindberg: Aura, Marea & Related Rocks

2. Ro composed by Anna Thorvaldsdóttir and performed by Caput Ensemble on the album Aerial

3. Anthozoa composed by Gabriela Smith and performed by Curtis Institute of Sound, currently unreleased

4. Chamber Symphony composed by John Adams and performed by Boston Modern Orchestra on the album John Adams: Chamber Symphony

5. Rundfunk composed by Enno Poppe and performed by Ensemble Mosaik on the album Enno Poppe: Rundfunk für neun Synthesizer

Join us for fascinating stories and a deep exploration into pieces Jonathan Hepfer will be performing by Globokar, Xenakis and Ferneyhough at this year’s Festival.

Will Thomas, Producer
Christopher Noxon, Host
Jonathan Hepfer, guest

OJAICAST theme by Thomas Kotcheff and Louis Weeks

Music featured -

1. Komboi composed by Iannis Xenakis and performed by Red Fish Blue Fish and Steven Schick on the album Xenakis Edition, Vol. 7: Percussion Works

2. Toucher composed by Vinko Globokar and performed by Matthias Kaul on the album Globokar: Toucher

3. Bone Alphabet composed by Brian Ferneyhough and performed by Steven Schick on Bone Alphabet EP

4. Human Sadness performed by Julian Casablancas and the Voidz on the album Tyranny

Artistic Director, Ara Guzelimian talks about Esa-Pekka Salonen's return to the festival, Messiaen's birdsong obsession and celebrating 80 years of the Ojai Music Festival.

Will Thomas, Producer
Christopher Noxon, Host
Ara Guzelimian, guest

OJAICAST theme by Thomas Kotcheff and Louis Weeks

Music featured -

1. Lachen Verlernt composed by Esa-Pekka Salonen and performed by Tim Fain on the album Unraveling

2. FOG composed by Esa-Pekka Salonen and performed by Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, currently unreleased

3. Quartet for the End of Time composed by Olivier Messiaen and performed by Martin Fröst

4. Sequenza XIII for Accordion composed by Luciano Berio and performed by Teodoro Anzellotti on the album Berio: Sequenzas

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

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

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

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)

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

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