Anniversaries Abound at Grand Granada
Social gridlock reigned at the venerable Granada for a 20/10 celebration, marking the 20th anniversary of the first Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts board meeting and the 10th anniversary of the iconic theater’s grand re-opening with founding, former, and current board members.
The McCune Founders Room was packed as Hal Conklin, Frank Goss, Susan Gulbransen, Joan Rutkowski, and Anne Towbes hosted a fete to mark the double-header, which saw the $60-million restoration of the 1924 State Street 1,550-seat venue, which is home to eight resident companies, including the symphony, ballet, opera, UCSB Arts & Lectures and CAMA – the Community Arts Music Association.
“It is so pleasing to see how the Granada has flourished since its re-opening a decade ago, with thousands of performances and hundreds of thousands of patrons taking advantage of all that theater has to offer,” says executive director of eight years, Craig Springer.
“Our founders’ vision has proven to be right on the money. They never lost sight of their civic responsibility to give a great gift to the city of Santa Barbara, its residents, and its guests. They succeeded far beyond anyone’s expectations.”
Among the cultural throng marking the occasion were Dan and Meg Burnham, Edward and Sue Birch, Brooks and Kate Firestone, Patricia Gregory, Mary Dorra, David Grossman, Gretchen Lieff, Helene Schneider, Wayne and Sharol Siemens, Gene Sinser and Patty DeDominic, Hayley Firestone Jessup, Lee and Marla Phillips, Geoff Rutkowksi, Patricia Goss, Haley Conklin, and Roger and Sarah Chrisman.
Tracy Dunn, special events manager and Roger Phillips, architect (photo by Priscilla) 
Marshall Rose and Sharol Siemens, emeritus director (photo by Priscilla) 
Vice chair Hal and Haley Conklin chatting with Anne Towbes (photo by Priscilla)
Notes Worthy
After what was meant to be its last curtain call at the Lobero in October after 40 years, Santa Barbara’s venerable chamber orchestra, under veteran conductor Heiichiro Ohyama, has been saved!
The Lobero Theatre Foundation is collaborating with the orchestra and its directors to continue its popular concerts after funding problems caused its demise.
The foundation will oversee administering the funds held at the closing of the orchestra. These will be used to subsidize performances and the music repertoire, as well as classical music education.
Future goals for the fund include building the endowment to reach a level that can support a series of orchestra concerts annually. It will be part of the Lobero Heritage Campaign.
“The Lobero was the appropriate choice to make this happen,” says orchestra president Joe Campanelli. “They have always been our home and we are their orchestra. It’s nice to know that fighting for an art form this valuable can sometimes bear fruit that feeds our cultural appetite.”
The first concert in the new collaboration will be April 27 featuring works by Tchaikovsky, Copland, and Ibert.
It promises to be quite a night.
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