Violinist Philippe Quint to Perform With the Santa Barbara Symphony, 3/18

Russian-born violin virtuoso Philippe Quint - lauded for his "fervidly expressive" playing (San Francisco Chronicle) and "bravura technique" (The Times of London) - will showcase his formidable endurance in performances of Antonio Vivaldi's timeless The Four Seasons and Astor Piazzolla's nuevo tango masterpiece The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires with the Santa Barbara Symphony on March 18 and 19. Conducted by Maestro Nir Kabaretti, and including Haydn's dramatic Symphony No. 101 ("The Clock"), the concerts will take place at 8 pm on Saturday, March 18, and at 3 pm on Sunday, March 19, in Santa Barbara's Granada Theatre. Tickets are now available.

"Vivaldi's The Four Seasons is among the world's most beloved works, and we pair it with Piazzolla's own spectacular season cycle, also written for solo violin and strings. These concerts will offer a unique opportunity to hear two compositional approaches to the same natural phenomena, and just before we welcome the spring," said Maestro Kabaretti, now in his 11th season as the Santa Barbara Symphony's music director. "Philippe Quint is a magnificent soloist, and will play both pieces all the way through - a feat requiring extraordinary stamina. 'The Clock' is a charming piece from the Father of Symphonies' late period."

Mr. Quint's extensive press file reads like a catalog of superlatives: "A legend in the making" (Palm Beach Daily News); "an ardent, technically masterful advocate of the concerto" (The Courier-Journal); "searingly poetic" (The Daily Telegraph); and "a compellingly mercurial and vivid player" (The Independent) are among the many plaudits he has garnered. His seven recordings have met with similar acclaim, including multiple Grammy nominations and honors from Gramophone and other publications. Born in what is now St. Petersburg, Russia, Mr. Quint studied with the famed violinist Andrei Korsakov, and made his orchestral debut at age 9, performing Wieniawski's Concerto No. 2, before earning bachelor's and master's degrees at Juilliard. His most recent appearances have included debuts with the London Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Rochester Philharmonic, the Phoenix Symphony, and the San Antonio Symphony, among many others. He starred in the 2012 independent film Downtown Express, directed by Emmy Award winner David Grubin. Mr. Quint plays the 1708 "Ruby" Antonio Stradivari violin, on loan to him through the Stradivari Society.

The Santa Barbara Symphony's 2016-17 season will continue with Sibelius' Symphony No. 5 and Grieg's famed Piano Concerto, featuring guest soloist Lilya Zilberstein, on 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 on 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.

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 concerts on March 18 and 19 are generously supported by Chris and David Chernof, the Elaine F. Stepanek Foundation, Chris Lancashire and Catherine Gee, Jo Beth Van Gelderen, and Arlington Financial Advisors.

Tickets start at $29 and can be purchased at www.granadasb.org or by calling 805-899-2222. Group sales discounts of as much as 20 percent are available. Patrons ages 20-29 can purchase $20 tickets; students with valid ID can purchase $10 tickets. Seating in both cases is confined to selected sections of the Granada Theatre.

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.

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