Music FestivalThe Ojai Music Festival, led by...

Music Festival

The Ojai Music Festival, led by conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen and artistic director Ernest Fleischmann, will open today and continue through the weekend in downtown Ojai. “Music of and About the Americas� is the theme this year. A wide-ranging program of orchestral and chamber music concerts and recitals is planned. American soprano Dawn Upshaw will appear in recital and with orchestra. Other performers will include British pianist Paul Crossley, Cuarteto Latinoamericano, and Latin jazz musicians Oscar Castro-Neves and Dori Caymmi. On Friday the festival will host a symposium from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ojai Center of the Arts, called “The New Musical Immigrants: A U.S./Latin American Dialogue.� This includes presentations by academics, Cuarteto Latinoamericano and composers. Registration will begin at 10 a.m. $15 general, $5 students. Box lunch: $10.

* Ojai Music Festival; Libbey Bowl, downtown Ojai; today through Sunday. For a complete schedule and ticket information, call 646-2094. https://www.ojaifestival.org.

Pioneer Ways

Conejo Valley Historical Society will host its annual Pioneer Jamboree on Saturday at the Stagecoach Inn Museum in Newbury Park. The festival will offer “a celebration of crafts, music, dancing and storytelling from the early days.� Activities will include woodcarving, blacksmithing, doll-making, butter-churning and other period demonstrations, plus live performers and vendors.

* Pioneer Jamboree; Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Stagecoach Inn Museum, 51 S. Ventu Park Road, Newbury Park. $4 general, $1 children. 498-9441.

Jazz Performance

Former Ellington cornetist-arranger Bill Berry and his 16-piece L.A. Big Band will be joined by singer Ernie Andrews on Sunday at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. Beforehand, the Westlake High School Jazz Band will give a free outdoor show at the Civic Arts Plaza at 5:30 p.m., and a combo from the L.A. Jazz Society will perform outside the theater lobby at 6:45. The performances are sponsored by KCLU-FM (88.3).

* Bill Berry and his 16-piece L.A. Big Band, with singer Ernie Andrews; Sunday, 7:30 p.m.; Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza’s Scherr Forum, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd. $23-$32. 493-3900.

Kite Festival

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley will host the Cal Oaks Kite Classic on Sunday. Highlights of the festival, presented by California Oaks State Bank, include professional kite demonstrations, skydiving, food and flyovers by the Experimental Air Force. The first 1,000 children will receive free kites.

* Cal Oaks Kite Classic; Sunday, noon-4 p.m.; Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, 40 Presidential Drive, near Simi Valley. Free. 522-8444.

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