Esa-Pekka Salonen. Photo by Benjamin Suomela.
In Wednesday’s (3/25) San Francisco Chronicle, Aidin Vaziri writes, “Esa-Pekka Salonen, the former San Francisco Symphony music director … will turn the spotlight on his own work at the 2026 Ojai Music Festival for a milestone season that doubles as a portrait of his artistic life … The four-day festival, June 11-14, is a rare concentration of Salonen’s music … The program includes the U.S. premiere of a new work for violin and cello, the first complete performance of his ‘Six Preludes’ for piano, and several of his recent compositions…. Music by his teachers—Franco Donatoni, Niccolò Castiglioni and Vinko Globokar—appears alongside works by close colleagues including Kaija Saariaho, Magnus Lindberg, Oliver Knussen and Steven Stucky. The event will mark Salonen’s return as music director in Ojai, where he previously led programs in 1999 and 2001, as well as a leadership transition for the Ojai Festival. It will be the final season for [Artistic and Executive Director] Ara Guzelimian, who has led Ojai since 2020…. A major highlight is the world premiere of John Adams’ quartet ‘Iron Jig,’ to be performed by the Attacca Quartet. The 80th edition of the festival also [includes] music by key figures from Ojai’s history, including Igor Stravinsky and Olivier Messiaen. Works by … Arnold Schoenberg, György Ligeti, Luciano Berio and Morton Feldman share the stage with contemporary voices like Gabriella Smith, Jessie Montgomery, Bryce Dessner and Jonny Greenwood.”
