Santa Barbara Symphony & Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts Present PETER AND THE WOLF

The Santa Barbara Symphony, in collaboration with the Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts (SBCPA), will present a special family performance of Peter and the Wolf, Sergei Prokofiev's enchanting musical tale of adventure and bravery, at 3 pm on Saturday, November 26, in the Granada Theatre. Featuring celebrated storyteller Michael Katz as narrator, the concert will be preceded by interactive musical activities in the Granada lobby organized by the Santa Barbara Zoo, the Symphony's own Music Van, the Santa Barbara Public Library, and MOXI - the Wolf Museum of Exploration and Innovation. Ticket prices start at $10; family 4-packs are available for $25. Premium seating costs $50.

"This concert, combined with the pre-performance activities, will make for a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon for the entire family," said Kathryn R. Martin, interim executive director of the Santa Barbara Symphony. "Engaging our community's young people in orchestral experiences such as Peter and the Wolf is part of our core mission, and we are proud to partner with our colleagues at the Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts in such efforts."

Peter and the Wolf has delighted generations of listeners since its world premiere in May 1936. Prokofiev's musical narrative about a boy and his animal friends is notable for its distinctive instrumentation - each character is represented by a particular instrument and musical theme. Though generally considered a children's tale - the work was commissioned by the Central Children's Theatre in Moscow - it was composed during Stalin's Great Purge, and barely survived Soviet censorship before finding an unlikely champion in the person of Walt Disney, who produced an animated version in 1946. It has been a family favorite ever since.

Presented without intermission, the Santa Barbara Symphony's performance will be approximately 45 minutes. The concert is recommended for children ages 3 and over.

"We're proud to collaborate with the Santa Barbara Symphony to make this family concert accessible and affordable to the community, through our Jurkowitz Center for Community Engagement," said Dr. Craig Springer, president and CEO of the SBCPA. "We are grateful to each organization's generous family of donors for making this possible."

A professional storyteller since 1984, Michael Katz hosts the program Katz Pajamas on National Public Radio station KCBX. He is a founding member of Boxtales Theatre Company, and was the founding artistic director for the Flying Leap Storytelling Festival in Solvang. Far Away and Close to Home, Mr. Katz's recording of folktales from around the world, earned a Parents' Choice Silver Honor Award. Based in Santa Barbara, he's been described as "a versatile performer" (Los Angeles Times) with a "gift for telling tales" (Santa Barbara Independent). He last appeared with the Symphony in 2013, when he narrated a concert program for schools.

Pre-performance activities on November 26 will begin at 2 pm and include the Santa Barbara Symphony's award-winning Music Van, a mobile music classroom that enabLes Children of all ages to see, touch, and play a selection of orchestral instruments.

The Santa Barbara Symphony's 2016-17 season will continue November 19 and 20 with a program of Mozart and Tchaikovsky piano concertos featuring soloists Natasha Kislenko and visiting artist Markus Groh. The Symphony's popular New Year's Pops Concert will include an appearance by the spellbinding aerial performance troupe Cirque de la Symphonie. On January 28 and 29, guest conductor David Lockington will lead orchestral accompaniment for screened scenes from Walt Disney's beloved Fantasiafilms, as well as performances of Hindemith's Symphonic Metamorphosis of Themes by Carl Maria von Weber. The Symphony will next present the West Coast premiere of American composer Jonathan Leshnoff's Clarinet Concerto along with Copland's iconic Symphony No. 3 on February 11 and 12. Additional highlights include a pairing of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons and Piazzolla's The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, with guest violinist Philippe Quint (March 18 and 19); Sibelius' Symphony No. 5 and Grieg's Piano Concerto, featuring guest soloist Lilya Zilberstein (April 15 and 16); and a celebration of Paris, including Mozart's Symphony No. 31, Saint-Saëns' Cello Concerto (with guest artist Zuill Bailey), Liszt's Les préludes, and Gershwin's An American in Paris (May 13 and 14).

The Granada Theatre is located at 1214 State Street in Santa Barbara. Complete season program information is available online at www.thesymphony.org. Tickets can be purchased at www.granadasb.org or by calling 805-899-2222.

The Santa Barbara Symphony is led by the charismatic 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.

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, visit www.thesymphony.org.

The SBCPA, a privately-funded 501(c)(3) corporation established in 1983, is dedicated to providing best-in-class production, sales, and administrative support to arts organizations from throughout the Santa Barbara region, including its Historic Theatre District partners (the Lobero Theatre and the New Vic Theatre) as well as its eight resident companies (CAMA, the Music Academy of the West, Opera Santa Barbara, the Santa Barbara Choral Society, the Santa Barbara Symphony, State Street Ballet, Theater League, and UCSB Arts & Lectures). The SBCPA's most visible service is operation of the Granada Theatre. Purchased by the SBCPA in 2003, restored and reopened in 2008, the Granada Theatre has state-of-the-art electrical, sound, lighting and fly systems, large and up-to-date dressing rooms, as well as contemporary audience amenities. For more information, visit www.granadasb.org.

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