A Taste of Cello : Music Fest Strives to Please Ears, Sweeten City Coffers

VENTURA — With the silky strain of a cello, an ensemble of local musicians on Tuesday opened the 1996 Ventura Chamber Music Festival, an ambitious undertaking that--now in its second year--is being heralded as the city’s signature cultural event.

“It is a world-class gathering of artists,” Councilwoman Rosa Lee Measures said. “We feel it is a significant cultural asset for the city. This festival is geared to be an international draw.”

But the event, which continues today through Sunday, is not solely an example of art for art’s sake.

The fledging music festival is also a potential moneymaker for Ventura--an event that while celebrating the music of classical composers should also regularly produce a crisp cha-ching on downtown cash registers.

“It’s a happy marriage of interests,” said Sonia Tower, the city’s cultural affairs director. “Every arts organization has to focus on economic realities.”

And the reality is that art festivals can be economic engines for a community, Tower said.

According to a study released by the California Arts Council two years ago, art festivals generate $11 for each $1 spent putting on the event.

“From a $100,000 event,” Tower said, “you are going to get a $1-million benefit.”

Taking a cue from such statistics, city officials collaborated with the Ventura County Chamber Orchestra and a steering committee of about 50 volunteers to launch an arts festival that would blend commercial and cultural interests.

“You are able to provide something to residents of this community that is a high-quality artistic product and, on the flip side, is an effective way for the Southern California market area to learn about Ventura,” Tower said.

Indeed, organizers have tried to market the festival to a wider audience than just city residents. Last year about 30% of the attendees came from outside the area, city and tourism officials said.

In fact, the response to last year’s sellout inaugural season encouraged festival organizers to increase the number of concerts from 11 to 16 this year, and raise the overall ticket sale goal from $25,000 to $45,000.

Meanwhile, Burns Taft, the festival’s musical director, assembled a provocative mix of concerts that feature two premieres by local composers, the presentation of lesser-known works of Shostakovich and Schubert, and a Mother’s Day performance by three first-place winners of last year’s Metropolitan Opera auditions.

And to accompany this year’s event, festival organizers have planned a plush $100-a-person gala affair on a 110-foot yacht that will set sail tonight. To their surprise, all 150 seats sold out almost immediately and there is a waiting list for any spots that may open at the last minute.

By staging events such as these in a variety of locations in downtown Ventura, city leaders hope to cast a new image of Ventura as a haven of arts and culture that will lure music aficionados back to the city in years to come.

“This is the kind of event that grows over the years,” said Bill Clawson, director of the Ventura Visitor and Convention Bureau.

And as the festival grows in importance in the regional music scene, ideally so will the economic benefits.

“The impact from last year’s festival was limited to maybe a hundred hotel rooms,” Clawson said. “As the festival grows and it gains prestige, we would expect that to grow. I think we are already seeing that in the second year.”

So far, this year’s festival is nearly sold out. Tickets are still available for six of the 16 concerts, including two that are free.

On Tuesday, music enthusiasts waltzed out of the First United Methodist Church after the first concert of this year’s festival, a performance by the Westlake Chamber Ensemble that included a world premiere of Ventura-based composer John Biggs’ “Fantasy on a Theme of Rameau,” a homage to French composer Jean-Philippe Rameau, who was a contemporary of Bach and Handel.

“I am just so pleased to see Ventura put on something like this,” said Judy Vielbig, a Ventura resident who plans to attend at least four additional concerts this week. “It gives us a focus for arts in the community.”

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Upcoming Performances

Tickets are available for the following Ventura Chamber Music Festival concerts:

Today:

* Elegant Artistry, featuring guitarist Matthew Greif, 3 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 1338 E. Santa Clara St., free

Thursday:

* Sanctuary of Song, featuring soprano Linda Ottsen and pianist Connie Steiner, 3 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 1338 E. Santa Clara St., free

* Poetry of Piano, featuring pianist Eduardus Halim, Ventura Church of Religious Science, 101 S. Laurel St., $18

Friday:

* String Soiree, featuring the Colorado String Quartet, 8 p.m., San Buenaventura Mission, 211 E. Main St., $28

Saturday:

* Splendid St. Petersburg, featuring the Ventura County Chamber Orchestra, 8 p.m., Our Lady of Assumption Church, 3175 Telegraph Road, $28

Sunday:

* Golden Vienna, 8 p.m., featuring the Colorado String Quartet, San Buenaventura Mission, 211 E. Main St., $28

Call 648-3146 for tickets and information.