Uploaded October 2022 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Members of American Modern Opera Company (AMOC*) and Ojai Music Festival's Artistic & Executive Director, Ara Guzelimian, discuss how to use interdisciplinary collaboration to create new pathways that connect creators and audiences in surprising and visceral ways.
AMOC* served as Music Director for the 2022 Ojai Music Festival – the second ensemble and first explicitly interdisciplinary company to hold the position in the festival's 75-year history.
This event was presented for free by New Music USA on Wednesday, September 28th, 2022. ASL interpretation is provided.
Panelists:
Ara Guzelimian - moderator | Ojai Music Festival
Matthew Aucoin - panelist | AMOC*
Julia Bullock - panelist | AMOC*
Keir GoGwilt - panelist | AMOC*
Bobbi Jene Smith - panelist | AMOC*
Organizations:
The mission of AMOC*, founded in 2017 by Matthew Aucoin and Zack Winokur, is to build and share a body of collaborative work. As a group of dancers, singers, musicians, writers, directors, composers, choreographers and producers united by a core set of values, AMOC* artists pool their resources to create new pathways that connect creators and audiences in surprising and visceral ways. Most recently, AMOC* served as Music Director for the 2022 Ojai Music Festival–the second ensemble and first explicitly interdisciplinary company to hold the position in OMF’s 75-year history. Over the Festival’s four days, AMOC* offered 18 performances, eight world premieres, and six new theatrical productions. In July 2022, AMOC* premiered a new production of Harawi at Festival d’Aix, an affecting interpretation of Olivier Messiaen’s song cycle that breaks open its explorations of love and death into a newly physicalized and theatrical dimension. AMOC*’s 2022-2023 season will also see the world premiere of Bobbi Jene Smith’s Broken Theater, presented in partnership with New Dialect and Carolina Performing Arts; the New York premieres of Carolyn Chen’s How to Fall Apart and Anthony Cheung’s echoing of tenses; and the world premiere of Comet Poppea at the Spoleto Festival USA, which includes an AMOC*-commissioned opera by composer George Lewis. For more information, visit www.runningamoc.org.
The Ojai Music Festival represents an ideal of adventurous, open-minded, and open-hearted programming in the most beautiful and welcoming of settings, with audiences and artists to match its aspirations. Marking its 75th anniversary, the Festival remains a creative laboratory for thought-provoking musical experiences, bringing together innovative artists and curious audiences in an intimate, idyllic outdoor setting. Each Festival’s narrative is guided by a different Music Director, whose distinctive perspectives shape programming — ensuring energized festivals year after year. Throughout each year, the Ojai Music Festival contributes to Southern California’s cultural landscape with in-person and online Festival-related programming as well as robust educational offerings that serve thousands of public-school students and seniors. The organization’s apex is the world-renowned four-day Festival, which takes place in Ojai, a breathtaking valley 75 miles from Los Angeles, which is a perennial platform for the fresh and unexpected. During the immersive experience, a mingling of the most curious take part in concerts, symposia, free community events, and social gatherings. During the intimate Festival weekend, considered a highlight of the international music summer season, Ojai welcomes up to 7,000 patrons and reaches 35 times more audiences worldwide through live and on-demand streaming of concerts and discussions. Learn more at www.ojaifestival.org.
New Music USA supports and amplifies the sounds of tomorrow by nurturing the creation, performance, and appreciation of new music for adventurous listeners in the United States and beyond. We empower and connect US-based music makers, organizations, and audiences by providing funding through our grants; offering support and fostering new connections through our programs; deepening knowledge through our online magazine, NewMusicBox; and working as an advocate for the field. New Music USA envisions a thriving and equitable ecosystem for new music throughout the United States. Learn more at newmusicusa.org.
Members of American Modern Opera Company (AMOC*) and Ojai Music Festival's Artistic & Executive Director, Ara Guzelimian, discuss how to use interdisciplinary collaboration to create new pathways that connect creators and audiences in surprising and visceral ways.
AMOC* served as Music Director for the 2022 Ojai Music Festival – the second ensemble and first explicitly interdisciplinary company to hold the position in the festival's 75-year history.
This event was presented for free by New Music USA on Wednesday, September 28th, 2022. ASL interpretation is provided.
Panelists:
Ara Guzelimian - moderator | Ojai Music Festival
Matthew Aucoin - panelist | AMOC*
Julia Bullock - panelist | AMOC*
Keir GoGwilt - panelist | AMOC*
Bobbi Jene Smith - panelist | AMOC*
Organizations:
The mission of AMOC*, founded in 2017 by Matthew Aucoin and Zack Winokur, is to build and share a body of collaborative work. As a group of dancers, singers, musicians, writers, directors, composers, choreographers and producers united by a core set of values, AMOC* artists pool their resources to create new pathways that connect creators and audiences in surprising and visceral ways. Most recently, AMOC* served as Music Director for the 2022 Ojai Music Festival–the second ensemble and first explicitly interdisciplinary company to hold the position in OMF’s 75-year history. Over the Festival’s four days, AMOC* offered 18 performances, eight world premieres, and six new theatrical productions. In July 2022, AMOC* premiered a new production of Harawi at Festival d’Aix, an affecting interpretation of Olivier Messiaen’s song cycle that breaks open its explorations of love and death into a newly physicalized and theatrical dimension. AMOC*’s 2022-2023 season will also see the world premiere of Bobbi Jene Smith’s Broken Theater, presented in partnership with New Dialect and Carolina Performing Arts; the New York premieres of Carolyn Chen’s How to Fall Apart and Anthony Cheung’s echoing of tenses; and the world premiere of Comet Poppea at the Spoleto Festival USA, which includes an AMOC*-commissioned opera by composer George Lewis. For more information, visit www.runningamoc.org.
The Ojai Music Festival represents an ideal of adventurous, open-minded, and open-hearted programming in the most beautiful and welcoming of settings, with audiences and artists to match its aspirations. Marking its 75th anniversary, the Festival remains a creative laboratory for thought-provoking musical experiences, bringing together innovative artists and curious audiences in an intimate, idyllic outdoor setting. Each Festival’s narrative is guided by a different Music Director, whose distinctive perspectives shape programming — ensuring energized festivals year after year. Throughout each year, the Ojai Music Festival contributes to Southern California’s cultural landscape with in-person and online Festival-related programming as well as robust educational offerings that serve thousands of public-school students and seniors. The organization’s apex is the world-renowned four-day Festival, which takes place in Ojai, a breathtaking valley 75 miles from Los Angeles, which is a perennial platform for the fresh and unexpected. During the immersive experience, a mingling of the most curious take part in concerts, symposia, free community events, and social gatherings. During the intimate Festival weekend, considered a highlight of the international music summer season, Ojai welcomes up to 7,000 patrons and reaches 35 times more audiences worldwide through live and on-demand streaming of concerts and discussions. Learn more at www.ojaifestival.org.
New Music USA supports and amplifies the sounds of tomorrow by nurturing the creation, performance, and appreciation of new music for adventurous listeners in the United States and beyond. We empower and connect US-based music makers, organizations, and audiences by providing funding through our grants; offering support and fostering new connections through our programs; deepening knowledge through our online magazine, NewMusicBox; and working as an advocate for the field. New Music USA envisions a thriving and equitable ecosystem for new music throughout the United States. Learn more at newmusicusa.org.
