Ojai Pops Concert: Benefit Music 4 Kids

Ojai Pops Concert Series – Celebrating our 10-year anniversary!  Free community concert at the Libbey Bowl in Ojai on Sunday, August 30^th, 2026.

Ojai Pops Orchestra@3:30pm

The Ojai Pops Concert Series will present its first of five free Community Concert of the season this Sunday, August 30, 2026, at the Libbey Bowl in Ojai, to benefit Music 4 Kids.  Music 4 Kids is a 501c3 organization that provides music scholarships to students in need.

The 3:30pm concert will feature the Ojai Pops Orchestra playing a wide variety of music, including the “Imperial March” the Darth Vader Theme from Star Wars written by John Williams.  The vocal selections will include “Sweet Love” made famous by Anita Baker, “Somewhere” from West Side Story written by Leonard Bernstein.  Freda Ramey will sing “Think” and “Respect” made famous by Aretha Franklin.  The Ojai Pops Orchestra plays for the love of music and the camaraderie. The orchestra is unique as its members are a mix of professional, amateur, and student musicians.  The musicians & vocalists donate their time to raise money for Music 4 Kids.  This concert will feature guest vocalists Freda Ramey, Marisa Miculian, Eva Weiss and backup singers; Kristen & Aaliyah Navarro.  We are excited to have Randy Jones & Gabe Garnett playing the Vivaldi Double Trumpet Concerto composed by Antonio Vivaldi.

Freda Ramey has been singing since she was a child and like so many singers, began by singing in church.  From there she joined theater projects and groups throughout grade school, high school and college.  She’s enjoyed working in a variety of bands and genres including rock, Motown, jazz, R and B and big band jazz. She’s worked with small, intimate combos as well as large, hard-hitting groups like The House Arrest Band where she currently serves as lead vocalist. Freda comes from a musical family. She’s the granddaughter of the late, great Eugene Ramey who’s found on numerous recordings of the 40s and 50s.

Marisa Miculian discovered her love for the stage at the age of seven when she was cast in a production at UC Santa Barbara. She continued to pursue acting throughout her school years.  At 21, Marisa began formal vocal training—and has been dedicated to the craft ever since. She has studied under three exceptional voice teachers: Stacie Anthes, Joyce McWilliams, and Linda Ottsen.  From 2010 she has performed in 20 shows at the Ojai Art Center Theater alone and sang in musicals at the Conejo Players and the Camarillo Skyway playhouse. She has also performed in musicals at SBCC, Lobero Theater, Center Stage Theater and the Circle Bar B in Santa Barbara. Her favorite roles have been Lady of the Lake from Spamalot, Elizabeth from Young Frankenstein the Musical, and the Old Lady in Candide.

Scott Weiss, the Conductor, founder and Trumpet player studied trumpet and conducting at UCSB.  Additionally, he has studied trumpet privately with some of the country’s top orchestral and studio teachers.  He attended the Conducting Guild workshop at the Cabrillo Festival with Marin Alsop of the Baltimore Symphony and with Gustav Meier.  He also attended the Los Angeles Film Conducting Intensive at Warner Brothers Studios and the San Francisco Philharmonic Conducting Workshop.

Upcoming concerts in the series:

September 13: Tuxedo Junction Jazz Band and Jesse Rivkin

October 4: Ben Buttner and Tuxedo Junction Jazz Band

October 18: Ojai Pops Orchestra

November 1: Los Padres Horn Quartet, Ventvm Qvintet, and Phoenyx Big Band

Students in need of a music scholarship for private lessons may contact Music 4 Kids at ojaipops@gmail.com.  Please refer to the website: www.ojaipops.com for additional information.

Volunteers are always needed to assist the orchestra. The Ojai Pops Concert Series is sponsored by the City of Ojai and by Music 4 Kids, a California 501(c) (3) non-profit organization whose goal is to provide low-cost music lessons, instruments, and free concerts.  Donations are greatly appreciated.