Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and Acclaimed Mandolinist Avi Avital to Headline Free Community Concert

The Community Arts Music Association (CAMA) of Santa Barbara will present a free community concert featuring renowned mandolin soloist Avi Avital and the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra performing works by Italian Baroque master Antonio Vivaldi at The Granada Theatre on Tuesday, December 11. Beginning at 8 pm, the performance will include Vivaldi's Concerto for Two Violins in G Minor, his Concerto for Two Violins in A Minor, and The Four Seasons, his beloved collection of violin concerti. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

"In celebration of a century of great music in Santa Barbara and with continuing appreciation for the generations of concertgoers and patrons who have made this legacy possible, CAMA's Board of Directors is pleased to sponsor this free community concert," said CAMA Executive Director Mark Trueblood. "In keeping with our rich history of civic engagement, we are emphasizing community partnerships throughout our centennial season in 2018-19. Thank you to 'the CAMA Family' of engaged music lovers who have made Santa Barbara a classical music capital for 100 concert seasons!"

The first mandolin soloist to be nominated for a classical Grammy, Mr. Avital is one of the world's foremost ambassadors for his instrument. Passionate and "explosively charismatic" (The New York Times) in live performance, he is a driving force behind the reinvigoration of the mandolin repertory. More than 90 contemporary compositions, 15 of them concertos, have been written for him, and he continues to re-imagine music composed for other instruments. An exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist, he has made four recordings for the label, including his Echo Klassik Award-winning Vivaldi (2015). Recently released Avital meets Avital (2017), with oud/bassist Omer Avital, explores their shared cultural heritage and brings their differing classical and jazz musical backgrounds into dialogue. Earlier releases featured his own Bach concerto transcriptions (2012) and Between Worlds (2014), a cross-genre chamber collection exploring the nexus between classical and traditional music. He has also recorded for Naxos and Sony Classical, winning a first Echo Klassik Award for his 2008 collaboration with the David Orlowsky Trio. He has performed with the BBC, Chicago, and St Louis symphony orchestras; Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin; Tonhalle Orchester Zürich; the Israel Philharmonic; Orchestre symphonique de Montréal; the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra; and the Venice Baroque Orchestra, among others. Mr. Avital is the first mandolinist to win Israel's prestigious Aviv Competition (2007).

He will be the featured soloist for Vivaldi's The Four Seasons on December 11.

Beloved by audiences and praised by critics, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) is a preeminent interpreter of historical masterworks, as well as a champion of contemporary composers. The ensemble has been proclaimed "America's finest chamber orchestra" (Public Radio International), "LA's most unintimidating chamber music experience" (Los Angeles Magazine), "resplendent" (the Los Angeles Times), and "one of the world's great chamber orchestras" (KUSC Classical FM). Founded in 1968 as an artistic outlet for the recording industry's most gifted musicians, the orchestra has made 31 recordings; toured Europe, South America, and Japan; performed across North America; and garnered eight ASCAP Awards for adventurous programming.

A pre-concert lecture by musicologist David Malvinni will precede the December 11 performance. A classical guitarist and author, Mr. Malvinni created CAMA's music education program, which reaches students in more than a dozen area elementary schools, grades four through six. Doors open at 6:45 for the 7 pm lecture in the McCune Founders Room.

CAMA's centennial concert season continues November 9 with a performance by acclaimed pianist Richard Goode at The Lobero Theatre. Additional highlights include appearances by iconic violinist Itzhak Perlman (January 15, Granada Theatre); the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, under the direction of Nicholas McGegan (February 5, Granada Theatre); the Russian National Orchestra (February 27, Granada Theatre); the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra (March 9, Lobero Theatre); London's Philharmonia Orchestra, under the direction of Esa-Pekka Salonen (March 20, Granada Theatre); renowned pianist Garrick Ohlsson (March 30, Lobero Theatre); the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (April 5, Granada Theatre); award-winning violinist Augustin Hadelich (April 17, Lobero Theatre); and legendary cellist Mischa Maisky (May 6, Lobero Theatre).

Complete season information is available online at https://camasb.org.

Single ticket prices range from $39 to $119. Tickets for the free community concert on December 11 are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

For more information, call (805) 966-4324 or email info@camasb.org.

CAMA is Santa Barbara's oldest arts organization, and will present its 100th concert season in 2018-19. CAMA's mission is to enrich the city's cultural life by bringing live performances by world-renowned classical artists and orchestras of the highest artistic excellence to our community and by providing creative, focused music education programs for individuals of all ages.