Opera Santa Barbara Receives $20,000 Grant

Opera Santa Barbara will receive a $20,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to help defray costs associated with its new production of Leoš Janá?ek's The Cunning Little Vixen, which the company will present at the Granada Theatre on March 3 and 5.

One of three Santa Barbara-area organizations to receive NEA support during the current grant-making cycle, Opera Santa Barbara has received agency funding in the past, including grants in support of its 2015 production of A Streetcar Named Desire and its 2012 production of Orpheus and Eurydice.

"This is a tremendous vote of confidence and a welcome validation of our artistic vision in relation to presenting The Cunning Little Vixen to local audiences," said Opera Santa Barbara General Director Steven Sharpe. "We are very grateful to the National Endowment for the Arts."

An independent federal agency, the NEA advances artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities, and will disburse more than $30 million for projects nationwide in its first major grant funding round of fiscal year 2017. "The arts are for all of us, and by supporting these projects, the National Endowment for the Arts is providing more opportunities for the public to engage with the arts," said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. "Whether in a theater, a town square, a museum, or a hospital, the arts are everywhere and make our lives richer."

Superstar soprano - and UC Santa Barbara faculty member - Isabel Bayrakdarian will headline the cast of The Cunning Little Vixen, Janá?ek's humorous and tender allegory about the connections between people and animals, and the cyclical nature of life. Directed by Crystal Manich and designed by Francois-Pierre Couture, the new production will appeal to both children and adults, and will be performed in English with English surtitles. Baritone David Kravitz will portray the Forester, and mezzo-soprano Lauren McNeese will make her company debut as the Fox. Hailed as an "electrifying" performer by The New York Times, Ms. Bayrakdarian has captivated opera and concert audiences the world over. The production also will feature the company's new Youth Opera chorus for singers ages 8 to 18.

Opera Santa Barbara will conclude its 2016-17 season with a production of La Rondine, Puccini's elegant and poignant operetta about a worldly woman who falls in love with a naïve younger man. Soprano Karin Wolverton will make her company debut as Magda, tenor Adam Diegel will sing the role of Ruggiero, and baritone Zeffin Quinn Hollis will perform as Rambaldo. Tara Faircloth will direct.

Complete artist biographies are available at www.operasb.org.

Ranging in price from $29 to $204, tickets for Opera Santa Barbara performances can be purchased at www.granadasb.org or by calling 805-899-2222. The Granada Theatre is located at 1214 State Street in downtown Santa Barbara.

For additional information, visit www.operasb.org or call 805-898-3890.

About Opera Santa Barbara

Founded in 1994 by Marilyn Gilbert and Nathan Rundlett, Opera Santa Barbara is committed to presenting productions and educational programs of the highest quality. Over more than two decades the company has staged some 50 operas and devoted thousands of hours to community outreach. The organization remains dedicated to the core passions that animated its founding: celebrating and championing the breadth and beauty of opera, and contributing to the cultural enrichment of the Santa Barbara community. Additional information is available at www.operasb.org.