Ever since its first public concert May 4, 1947, the Ojai Music Festival has featured the most significant classical music composers of the day. Igor Stravinsky, Aaron Copland and Pierre Boulez all found their way to Ojai and played a significant role in transforming the rustic festival into an internationally recognized, noteworthy event.

This year's four-day festivities starting Thursday will primarily reflect the influence of two distinctly different creative personalities: festival music director/choreographer Mark Morris and Lou Harrison, one of the West Coast's most unique composers who died in 2003 at the age of 85.