Santa Barbara Symphony Announces 2017-18 Season

Subscription sales have begun for the Santa Barbara Symphony's 2017-18 season, which will open October 14 with an extraordinary all-Mozart program accentuated by a ballet world premiere. The orchestra will present a total of nine enthralling programs at the Granada Theatre over the course of the season, including a pair of non-subscription concerts. Series packages start at $62.

"Collaboration with other arts-presenting organizations in our community has become a Santa Barbara Symphony tradition, and we're certain next season's exciting new partnerships will resonate tremendously with local audiences, beginning with the October program," said Santa Barbara Symphony Executive Director Kevin A. Marvin. "From start to finish the season will consistently offer exceptional concert experiences, which our patrons have come to expect. We invite the community to be part of what promises to be a truly memorable season."

The concert on October 14 will feature Mozart's miraculous final symphony and his famed Requiem Mass, the latter augmented with a new work by renowned choreographer William Soleau - commissioned by the Symphony and performed by State Street Ballet dancers. Vocalists will include a chorus of local singers as well as soloists Jeanette Vecchione (soprano), Nina Yoshida Nelsen (mezzo), Benjamin Bliss (tenor), and DeAndre Simmons (bass). An encore concert will be presented on October 15. Both performances will be presented in collaboration with the Granada Theatre.

Additional season highlights include an electrifying Spanish guitar program featuring virtuoso Pablo Sáinz Villegas, who'll serve as the Symphony's first-ever Artist-in-Residence throughout 2017-18 (November 18 and 19); performances of John Corigliano's Academy Award-winning score for The Red Violin, accompanied by François Girard's engrossing film in its entirety and featuring Canadian violinist Lara St. John (January 20 and 21); a tribute to Leonard Bernstein, including selections from the ballet Fancy Free and his timeless West Side Story, with guest soprano Lisa Vroman and singers from the Santa Barbara Choral Society (February 17 and 18); celebrated Ukrainian pianist Alexander Romanovsky performing Liszt's innovative first Piano Concerto, followed by Tchaikovsky's affecting Symphony No. 5 (March 24 and 25); Mahler's monumental Symphony No. 6 (April 21 and 22); and a season-ending program uniting Santa Barbara Symphony Concertmaster Jessica Guideri with acclaimed soloist - and Santa Barbara Youth Symphony alumna - Anne Akiko Meyers for Vivaldi's arresting Double Violin Concerto (May 19 and 20).

All performances will take place at the Granada Theatre, 1214 State Street in Santa Barbara. Complete season program information is available online at www.thesymphony.org/performances/season_2017-18.

The Santa Barbara Symphony is led by the ever-compelling Nir Kabaretti, who was named the orchestra's music director in 2006 and its artistic director in 2008. Maestro Kabaretti has conducted the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Orquesta Filarmonica de Buenos Aires, the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Vienna Chamber Orchestra, to name just a few. His extensive operatic experience includes productions at the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence, Teatro Real in Madrid, Switzerland's Opéra de Lausanne, and Teatro alla Scala in Milan. Winner of the 1993 Forum Junger Kunstler Conducting Competition in Vienna, he was named the music director of the Southwest Florida Symphony in 2014.

To order subscriptions, go to www.thesymphony.org/tickets/subscriptions or call (805) 898-9386. Single tickets for the 2017-18 season will go on sale in September.

The Santa Barbara Symphony was founded in 1953 on the belief that a special city deserves a special orchestra. Consistently lauded for its unique ability to present brilliant concerts, engage the community, and deliver dynamic music education programs, the organization prizes both innovation and artistic excellence, and is widely recognized as one of the region's premier cultural institutions. Its award-winning Music Education Center serves more than 8,000 students throughout Santa Barbara County each year. Charismatic Israeli conductor Nir Kabaretti was appointed music director of the Santa Barbara Symphony in 2006. For additional information, visitwww.thesymphony.org.