Board Emeritus Member

Freddie’s professional nursing career brought her from the Midwest to San Francisco in 1964, then to Ventura in 1994 as the music/art culture was emerging. She became the co-chair of the fundraising committee of the Ventura Chamber Orchestra, C-Note Productions, where artists were involved in creating masterful pieces of art for fundraising events.

She continues to volunteer for the Ventura Music Festival and Rubicon Theatre Company, and support all Ventura art organizations.

Her passion for nursing also continues; she volunteers at VCMC (Ventura County Medical Center) and has become a hospice volunteer for Livingston Memorial.

Board Emeritus Member

Author-lecturer Ivor Davis was a former president of the Ventura Music Festival. He and his late wife Sally were long-time board members. London born, Davis lived in Ventura for over four decades and was the author of "The Beatles and Me On Tour, 60th Anniversary Edition" (February 2024). His last book, a true crime account titled "The Devil in My Friend, The Inside Story of a Malibu Murder," was published in 2024.

As a foreign correspondent for the London Daily Express and the Times of London, Davis covered some of the biggest stories in North America. He was the only foreign correspondent to cover the Beatles' historic first tour of North America in 1964. He was the only newspaper reporter present when the Beatles met Elvis Presley in 1965, and he ghostwrote a regular newspaper column for George Harrison. In 1968 he was in the kitchen at the Ambassador Hotel when Robert Kennedy was assassinated.

He also wrote a weekly entertainment column for the New York Times Syndicate, interviewing some of the biggest names in show business, from Cary Grant to Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton to Tom Cruise, and Muhammad Ali to Jane Fonda. He was one of the "Boys on the Bus" chronicling the life of actor turned politician Ronald Reagan, first during his campaign for governor of California, then for president.

He covered some of the biggest trials in American history: Sirhan Sirhan, convicted of killing Bobby Kennedy in 1969; black power militant Angela Davis, acquitted of murder in 1972; and, a year later, Daniel Ellsberg's trial for leaking the Pentagon Papers. He wrote three books about his personal coverage of the Charles Manson and Sharon Tate murders.

To a life well lived, and a legacy of warmth left behind...

Ivor Davis
July 27, 1938 – March 29, 2026

It was with great sadness that we learned of the passing of our dear friend, Ivor Davis. A longtime supporter, advocate, and guiding voice of Ventura Music Festival, Ivor was a member of our Board Emeritus and a fountain of wit, humor, and energy. His charming, infectious laugh filled VMF concert halls, events, and parties for many years, and his supply of enthralling stories was second to none. He was a man of great passion and joy, and his presence will be missed at every season to come. Our thoughts are with his treasured family and many friends as we reflect on the wonderful times we shared. As his beloved Beatles once sang, "In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.”

Board Emeritus Member

Board Emeritus Member

Barbara Meister has lived in Ventura for 56 years. She is a retired educator who holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Elementary Education and is the author of “The Pear-Pair Tree,” a children’s book about homonyms. Barbara taught the gifted program in Ventura for many years. She was a travel writer and travel consultant. Barbara is the mother of three, grandmother of five and great-grandmother of four. A “community activist,” Barbara serves on the boards of Community Memorial Healthcare Foundation and the Ventura Jewish Federation Women's Division. She sits on the advisory/honorary boards of Rubicon Theatre Company, Casa Pacifica, Ventura Education Partnership, Ventura Music Festival and the Ventura Botanical Gardens. Barbara has established scholarships at Community Memorial Hospital, Ventura College, CSUCI , Temple Beth Torah and Ventura Education Partnership. Barbara was a producer of “How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying” on Broadway and a producer of “Pippin” in London.

Barbara and her late husband, Larry, are listed in the U.S. House of Representatives Congressional Record for their many years of community service. Because of their charitable contributions, the Park Garden Fountain at Community Memorial Hospital, the Social Hall at Temple Beth Torah, the Boardroom and Executive Offices at Casa Pacifica, the Lobby at Rubicon Theatre, the Children’s Chumash Garden at the Museum of Ventura County and the "Vantage Point" at the Ventura Botanical Gardens have been named in honor of Barbara and Larry Meister.

Board Emeritus Member

Anthony (“Tony”) Strauss is a semi-retired attorney and has been a resident of Ventura County since 1977. Tony claims that he joined the VMF Board in 2000 to be able to get good seats at a Christopher Parkening concert. He stayed on the Board and served as President from 2003 to 2005. He and his wife Michelle have remained active in Festival activities ever since. Tony has also served on the Ventura City Cultural Affairs Commission, as well as on numerous arts, community and legal boards and organizations and is a Past President of the Ventura County Bar Association. Tony now lives in Ojai and spends his “leisure” time enjoying family, travel, all things Italian and trying to play the guitar.