Tag archives: Classical Music
Amy Tatum has been chosen out of 150 applicants to be the new principal flutist for the Santa Barbara Symphony. Tatum, who was one of 70 musicians traveling to our Eden by the Beach for the final auditions, made her debut at the Granada with the “Plains, Trains & Violins” concert last month (Jan). As […]
Less than six years after the four-decades-old Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra played its final concert in town, a new ensemble that’s even more community-based and oriented is stepping in to fill the void with an even more ambitious approach. The Santa Barbara Chamber Players (SBCP), created by local musicians who first practiced during the pandemic […]
Community Arts Music Association of Santa Barbara, aka CAMA, is deservedly well-known and cherished for its commitment and ability to bring the finest classical musicians from around the world to Santa Barbara, a cultural coup of musical riches that would normally be beyond the means for such a small community. It helps that it all […]
When Jennifer Kloetzel steps on stage at Lehmann Hall to perform as part of the Music Academy’s All-Star Cello Choir in the final concert of the new Mariposa series on December 17, it will be the first time the cellist has appeared on campus under the Academy’s aegis since she was a second-time summer student […]
In the last several years, Santa Barbara composer and artist Grace Fisher has accumulated a number of admirable accomplishments. She’s written music for symphonies and scores for short films, the latter claiming awards at film festivals. She also created a few animation shorts as well as several paintings, been a part of two locally-created documentaries, […]
The Arlington Theatre, our town’s largest indoor venue, hosts Santa Barbara’s first-ever Mariachi holiday concert produced by a local organization, in this case UCSB Arts & Lectures. The incomparable José Hernández will lead Mariachi Sol de México in a festive musical tribute to Mexico’s Christmas traditions, offering holiday favorites in a December 7 performance that […]
It was back to nature for Camerata Pacifica when it hosted its monthly concert at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History rather than its usual venue at the Music Academy’s Hahn Hall, which is undergoing renovation. But the dynamic duo of percussionist Ji Hye Jung and pianist Soyeon Kate Lee were both in fine […]
The threat of imminent development of the western parcel of the San Marcos Foothills Preserve 18 months ago not only triggered an astonishingly speedy and successful campaign to purchase the land as a nature preserve in perpetuity, it also synchronistically spawned a sensational new piece of music from a Santa Barbara native: Cody Westheimer’s Wisdom […]
Adrian Spence’s Camerata Pacifica, which is celebrating its 33rd season, put on a doozy of a show at the Music Academy’s Hahn Hall. Yura Lee, a member of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, mesmerized on both violin and viola with her frenzied renditions of Kodály’s “Sonata for Solo Cello in B Minor,” specially […]
Music Academy (they lopped off “of the West” from the name this summer) doesn’t just have a new moniker, they’ve also created a brand-new series to continue the celebration of its milestone 75th year. Think of the new Mariposa Series as “homecoming” recitals held on campus to showcase what Academy alumni and faculty are up […]
As the saying goes, Ruth Lin has some big shoes to fill as she steps into the dual role of chair of the Westmont music department and conductor of its orchestra. Her predecessor, Michael Shasberger, who retired this summer, not only served as the department’s first chair but also created both the orchestra and the […]
CAMA – the Community Arts Music Association of Santa Barbara – kicked off its 104th concert season in grand style at the Granada Theatre with the City of Birmingham Symphony and its dynamic conductor Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, who last appeared in our Eden by the Beach 34 years ago. She succeeded British conductor Sir Simon Rattle, […]
It was music of a very different kind when Kathryn Martin, President and CEO of the Santa Barbara Symphony, celebrated the tenth anniversary of her half century with an ABBA-solutely fabulous fête for 70 guests at the La Lieff tasting room in the Funk Zone. Featuring a cover band of the Swedish singers, Abba Dabba […]
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, whose history dates back to just one year after CAMA hosted its first concert with the brand-new Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1919, reached international fame under British conductor Sir Simon Rattle, who was recently in town himself to lead the London Symphony Orchestra at the Granada Theatre for the […]
Normally when Opera Santa Barbara’s (OSB) Artistic and General Director Kostis Protopapas signs a stage director for one of the company’s productions, he largely leaves the non-musical decisions behind. “I hire directors that I trust and I let them run with it,” he said, a formula that has served Protopapas well over his six-year tenure […]
It couldn’t have been a more picturesque locale when Opera Santa Barbara hosted its second Opera in the Park concert at Godric Grove in Elings Park. More than 150 fans turned out to watch five singers, all Chrisman Studio Artists, sing famous opera works and music from the likes of Rossini, Verdi, Bizet, Mozart, Puccini, […]
Supporters of the Santa Barbara Symphony, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary, had to face the music at the historic Lobero Theatre when veteran maestro Nir Kabaretti outlined the season’s nine programs in the next nine months, kicking off with Carmina Burana in collaboration with the State Street Ballet at the Granada in October. Local […]
Santa Barbara Symphony’s Crescendo Society hosted its second annual brunch at the Santa Barbara Club as the talented musicians, under maestro Nir Kabaretti, celebrate their 70th anniversary. As the 100 guests, major donors to the Granada Theatre-based organization, tucked into fresh fruit and quiche, while quaffing coffee and orange juice, the Gatsby Trio with symphony […]
Every year in recent times, the Santa Barbara Symphony announces a new season that’s about expanding its audience while keeping core fans as well as strengthening community connections. But this year feels different. Maybe it’s residue of having had to pivot to persevere during the pandemic or the impact of a recent five-year commitment from […]
The 2022 Music Academy Summer Festival came to a close on Saturday night with the symphony-vocal extravaganza at the Granada. Coming up next: three different recitals from the five fellows who claimed top prize in the musical competitions, plus perhaps a new product from the winner of the Music Academy Innovation Institute’s 2022 Fast Pitch […]
