Ojai Music Festival has announced Teddy Abrams as Artistic and Executive Director of the Ojai Music Festival, effective Sept. 1, 2026.

He takes over for Ara Guzelimian who concludes his tenure after the 2026 festival.

Abrams is the Music Director of the Louisville Orchestra. He is a major proponent of contemporary music, having commissioned and / or premiered works by over 50 composers including Caroline Shaw, Gabriel Kahane, Mason Bates, Christopher Cerrone, Andrew Norman, Angélica Negrón, Timo Andres, Julia Wolfe, Valerie Coleman, Michael Gordon, Lera Auerbach, Chris Thile, Tyshawn Sorey, and Joel Thompson.

“Teddy Abrams is one of today’s most striking ambassadors for the impact the arts can have on building community. His artistic sensibilities, collegial spirit, and boundless energy position him as the ideal leader for the Ojai Music Festival as it enters its eighth decade,” said Ojai Music Festival Board Chairman Jerry Eberhardt per an official press release. “My Board colleagues and I have complete confidence that Teddy will build on the Festival’s momentum and will continue to meet the expectations of our celebrated, supremely adventurous audiences and to provide the platform for our growing family of the world’s most inventive artists to experiment and grow. With the resounding success of Teddy’s work to increase access and build community through music, we know he will help advance the Festival’s commitment to reach across generations and to engage with the very heart of the Ojai community and throughout the region. As we anticipate the 80th anniversary of this glorious Festival, we feel boundless gratitude for Ara Guzelimian’s generous, steady leadership, and we welcome Teddy as we look toward the future.”

Guzelimian served at the helm for six years. He was also Artistic Director from 1992-1997.