VENTURA : Ticket Sales Begin for Chamber Music Fest

Mayor Tom Buford was first in line to purchase a deluxe pass to next month’s Ventura Chamber Music Festival, the inaugural attempt to bring a greater sense of art and culture to the city’s downtown.

The $145 premium pass is good for admission to eight concerts spread over the five-day event.

“Usually my position allows me to speak without writing a check first,” Buford joked, as organizers kicked off ticket sales to the festival Tuesday.

The concert series begins May 17 and runs through the weekend, with musical performances scheduled at a number of downtown venues throughout the five days.

“We can all applaud ourselves a little bit for what we’ve started here,” Buford said. “Five or 10 years from now it’s not going to be as easy to buy a ticket.”

The festival was organized by a committee of downtown business leaders, volunteers and city recreation officials. The Ventura City Council kicked in a $15,000 matching grant.

The chamber orchestra is directed by Burns Taft, who said Tuesday that the festival already promises to enhance the city’s image.

“It’s been a dream of decades to try and bring to Ventura something that other cities up and down the coast enjoy,” Taft said. “And we’ll have something for everybody.”

The concert program features classic chamber music, brass bands, a guitar quintet and a variety of music from other cultures. For more information call the orchestra at (805) 648-3146.