UCSB Arts & Lectures

When someone from Los Angeles says to me, “What is there to do in Santa Barbara? They are inferring it’s such a small town. I always think, “What is there not to do?” We have our own symphony, our own ballet company, and our own opera company to name just a few. And then we have UCSB Arts & Lectures, which have been bringing hundreds of shows and speakers to us for 60 years. WOW!

Arts & Lectures staff recently held their big reveal party at the Coral Casino. Invited were Producers Circle and Leadership Circle folks, patrons, media, community partners, and more. It was good to be back at the Biltmore after the mudslides and long restoration. After cocktails and conversation on the terrace, we went into the ballroom to get all the scoop.

Celesta Billeci, Miller McCune executive director, told the crowd, “This is Arts & Lectures’s 60th anniversary,” and they have about 70 different performances for the season. To name a few, Jeff Goldblum was not only in Jurassic Park but will be here playing piano with a jazz band. Joan Baez will be here on her final tour. Then there’s Annie Leibovitz, Wynton Marsalis, Yo–Yo Ma giving a lecture instead of playing, Madeleine Albright, and Alan Cumming. Those are just some of the stars that shine.

Besides all that, there is education for all. The outreach program serves more than 30,000 community members annually with assemblies in elementary and secondary schools, workshops, and conversations with artists and speakers, ticket subsidies for students at all levels, school-time presentations for students at the Granada Theatre, and the list goes on. You can contribute just to the educational outreach programs if you want. Please call (805) 893-2174.

If you still have any time left, there are a thousand nonprofits you can volunteer for. Finding something to do in Santa Barbara is not a problem.