Oregon Festival of American Music is an eclectic, thematically-based two-week summer music festival that has been held annually in Eugene, Oregon since 1992. Produced by The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts, OFAM (as it is referred to locally) has, throughout its history, explored American music in all of its forms, but in recent years has focussed its attention specifically on the Great American Songbook and related genre. Its principal music director is jazz clarinetist Ken Peplowski.
Oregon Festival of American Music was founded in 1991 as a two-day summer orchestral pops festival dedicated to the championship of American classical music. In 1993 the Festival was designated as a Resident Company of the Hult Center for the Performing Arts. By 1995 the organization had significantly expanded its vision of cultural service beyond orchestral repertoire, which lead to a significant re-orientation of the festival towards a more eclectic program of American music, including jazz, historic popular, and diverse folk traditions alongside of a continued commitment to the American art music tradition. Under the principle supervision of longtime executive director James Ralph, the festival has been under the artistic leadership of a diverse group of music directors, including Cajun fiddle master Michael Doucet, American conductor James Paul and jazz pianist & composer Dick Hyman. Under the dual leadership of Hyman and Paul from 1998 to 2006, OFAM undertook a series of highly diverse and innovative programs that was established by Doucet and Paul in 1997 and continued with Paul and Hyman through 2001. In 2002 the festival introduced musical theater to its production mix and shifted its principle focus to the exploration and celebration of the American Songbook, leaving its art music initiative in the hands of its other annual concert programs. In 2007 jazz clarinetist Ken Peplowski assumed the title of Jazz Advisor upon the retirement of Mr. Hyman.
In 1996 Oregon Festival of American Music expanded its cultural service mix to include a year-round community music school and year-round concert programming in diverse musical genres packaged in several concert series and festivals. In 2002 the company moved into Eugene's original First Baptist Church building, adding cultural/educational venue management to its services. In 2004 it officially changed its name to The John G. Shedd Institute for the Arts, reserving "Oregon Festival of American Music" for its flagship August festival.
Oregon Festival of American Music's thematically-based programming model falls into 3 distinct periods: Under the music direction of Alsop from 1992-96 the festival was largely a summer symphony orchestra pops festival. From 1997-2001 Paul, Hyman and Ralph headed a creative effort that included a balance of orchestral, jazz, historic popular and traditional musical genres with regular commissions that often included ballet. Since 2002 the festival has focussed more specifically on a systematic annual treatment of the Great American Songbook, with a deemphasis of art music in favor of musical theater and concerts that focus on various treatments of the Songbook, ranging from straight vocal interpretations to standards-based jazz. Themes run the range of the American musical landscape: