Ojai Pops Orchestra – Free community concert

The Ojai Pops Orchestra will be returning to The Libbey Bowl in Ojai on Sunday October 22nd.     This concert is FREE and open to the public.  Donations are greatly appreciated.  The concert is dedicated to the hope of bringing peace to Ukraine, Israel, and Gaza.The orchestra plays for “the love of the music” and the comradery.  The orchestra is comprised of many local musicians. Some musicians travel from as far as Los Angeles, Goleta, and Bakersfield.  The musicians are predominantly semi-professional musicians, some professional musicians, and some student musicians.

The October 22rd concert will feature a wide variety of music, including music by Aretha Franklin, Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin, and Vaughn Williams.  The concert will feature an oboe concerto featuring LA Bom An. Bom An is an active freelance oboist and English horn player based in Los Angeles.  She is currently the principal oboe of San Fernando Valley Symphony orchestra, Los Angeles Symphonic Winds, Symphony of the Vines, and the section oboe of San Luis Obispo Symphony. She is also the English horn of the Santa Monica Symphony.  The concert will also feature vocalists; Miriam Dance, Eliya Frantz, Eva Weiss, and Bella Garcia Holland.  The singers will sing songs such as At Last, Midnight Train to Georgia, Think, Respect, Ain’t No Way, and Stars and the Moon.

Eliya Frantz is a 23-year-old singer/songwriter, born and raised in Ventura County. She has recently released her debut EP “Nothing Less” onto all streaming services, establishing herself as an original artist with themes of self-love and independence. She recently graduated from Azusa Pacific University with a degree in vocal performance.

Miriam Dance teaches theatre arts in Santa Barbara.  She is a very active freelance singer, singing in 8 bands in Santa Barbara. Miriam has sung with the Ojai Pops Orchestra previously.

Bella Garcia Holland is a Santa Barbara based singer. She studied music at UCSB and teaches in Santa Barbara.

Eva Weiss has sung with the Ojai Pops Orchestra previously.  Eva has sung her whole life, mostly in church as a soloist.

Conductor and founder, Scott Weiss, studied trumpet and conducting at UCSB.  Additionally, he has studied trumpet privately with some of LA’s top studio musicians and attended the Conducting Guild workshop at the Cabrillo Festival with Marin Alsop of the Baltimore Symphony and with Gustav Meier.  In January of 2017, Weiss attended the Los Angeles Film Conducting Intensive at Warner Brothers Studios.