The entertainment industry mourns the death of songwriter and actress Judy Parker Gaudio, (age 79). Gaudio, the writer of Billboard chart-topping songs and Broadway hits, passed away peacefully from respiratory complications on Thursday, her husband Bob Gaudio confirmed.
Single tickets for the Santa Barbara Symphony's highly anticipated 2017-18 season will go on sale at 10 am on Friday, September 15. The orchestra will present a total of nine compelling programs over the course of its coming season, which opens October 14 with an extraordinary all-Mozart concert featuring a ballet world premiere. Performances take place at the Granada Theatre, 1214 State Street in Santa Barbara. Priced from $29, tickets can be purchased at thesymphony.org or through the Granada box office, (805) 899-2222. Complete season program information is available online at thesymphony.org.
Classical guitar virtuoso Pablo Sáinz Villegas, whose charismatic stage presence and formidable technique have dazzled audiences throughout much of the world, will headline a pair of concerts at the Granada Theatre and take part in multiple community outreach events as the Santa Barbara Symphony's inaugural artist-in-residence during the 2017-18 season. Mr. Villegas, who captivated local audiences in a pair of electrifying concerts to conclude the Santa Barbara Symphony's 2015-16 season, will rejoin the orchestra for Joaquín Rodrigo's sensuous Concierto de Aranjuez as well as Isaac Albéniz's evocative Souvenirs of Spain at the Granada Theatre on November 18 and 19. He will also perform a solo concert at the Royal Presidio of Santa Barbara on November 16, and present educational programs for area children at The Granada on January 18 and 19. Additional events are being planned.
Although I never watched their program, I do remember that Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker were wildly known almost as much for their outrageous personalities and sartorial style as their devotion to preaching the gospel of Jesus. It is easy to see why the pair became an unlikely surrogate family for the two teenagers from Detroit raised on that same belief, as they rapidly became the hottest stars in televangical America. But for the naive siblings, especially BeBe, it's not an easy lesson learning how to reconcile the temptations of fame and fortune with the things he ultimately values more. It's a wildy funny yet emotional journey toward self-discovery, told with great music and outstanding performances by siblings Juan Winans and Deborah Joy Winans (the children of Carvin Winans, Sr. and Deborah Winans) who portray their aunt CeCe and uncle BeBe with the utmost respect, magical stage presence, and the most amazing vocal pipes!
Mary Jane Cooper, a longtime Santa Barbara Symphony volunteer, was honored with a Most Valuable Player Award at a luncheon held today as part of the Association of California Symphony Orchestras' (ACSO) annual conference in Los Angeles. Ms. Cooper was recognized for her outstanding efforts on behalf of the Music Van, the Santa Barbara Symphony's award-winning outreach program for area children.
Dr. Don Gilman, an internationally recognized author, speaker, and executive coach, has been elected president of the Santa Barbara Symphony Board of Directors. He succeeds Arthur G. Swalley, who served as president for three years. Also elected to the Symphony Board's executive committee were Pamela Johnston (secretary and development chair) and Kate Parker (member-at-large). Jon W. Greenleaf, who had been serving as secretary, was elected vice president. Christopher D. Harris and Stephen Erickson were re-elected treasurer and counsel, respectively.
Actors' Playhouse will present the South Florida premiere of It Shoulda Been You from May 17 - June 11, 2017 at the Miracle Theatre. With an original book and lyrics by Brian Hargrove and music by Barbara Anselmi, It Shoulda Been You puts a refreshingly modern spin on the traditional wedding comedy, proving that when it comes to wedding day insanity, it's all relative.
Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre's founding artistic director Fred Anzevino today announced the company's lineup for the 2017-18 season, its last in its Rogers Park venue, the No Exit Café. The company will move into a new home in Evanston for the 2018-19 season. Their '17-'18 season will open in September with William Finn and James Lapine's 1998 off-Broadway hit, A New Brain. The musical, which was inspired by a real-life medical crisis Finn experienced, concerns a songwriter who while in a coma and awaiting life-threatening brain surgery, hallucinates about the songs he has yet to write and the people in his life. Its score includes some of Finn's most romantic, humorous and joyous songs, such as “I'd Rather Be Sailing,” “The Music Still Plays On” and “I Feel So Much Spring.” A New Brain will be directed by Anzevino, with music direction by Jeremy Ramey and choreography by Cameron Turner. It will run from September 15 through October 29.
Amy Marshall, an arts administration professional with broad experience across a range of performance disciplines, has been named director of development for the Santa Barbara Symphony. Her appointment was effective April 14.
Eleanor Linton, a professional musician turned fundraising professional, has been appointed donor services associate for the Santa Barbara Symphony. Her new duties commenced April 4.
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.
The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) and Skylark Vocal Ensemble present Clear Voices in the Dark, an evening of French and American song on Thursday, April 27 at FIAF's Florence Gould Hall. The nationally acclaimed chamber group will perform an immersive concert interspersing songs from the American Civil War with Francis Poulenc's challenging and rarely performed Figure Humaine in a special 70th-anniversary presentation.
Internationally renowned pianist Lilya Zilberstein will perform Edvard Grieg's dramatic and fiercely compelling Piano Concerto in A Minor with the Santa Barbara Symphony, under the baton of guest conductor Christian Arming, at the Granada Theatre on April 15 and 16.
The Santa Barbara Symphony, under the baton of guest conductor David Lockington, will provide stirring orchestral accompaniment to screened excerpts from Disney's beloved Fantasia films at the Granada Theatre on January 28 and 29.
Alex Leonard is a classy performer. His relaxed, minimalist style and adherence to vocals as written take one back to an agreeable past. Jazz riffs weave around rather than obscure melody. Lyric meaning is gracefully maintained. Aided and abetted by expert veterans Jay Leonhart on bass and Al Gafa on guitar, Leonard saluted the great Nat King Cole at Pangea on January 18 with a bit of history, a couple of illuminating anecdotes, and signature songs.
The Santa Barbara Symphony, under the baton of guest conductor David Lockington, will provide stirring orchestral accompaniment to screened excerpts from Disney's beloved Fantasia films at the Granada Theatre on January 28 and 29.
The Santa Barbara Symphony, under the baton of guest conductor Bob Bernhardt, will usher in the year 2017 with a rousing New Year's Eve pops concert at the historic Granada Theatre.
The Santa Barbara Symphony, under the baton of guest conductor Bob Bernhardt, will usher in the year 2017 with a rousing New Year's Eve pops concert at the historic Granada Theatre.
Kevin A. Marvin, whose bold administrative reforms have reinvigorated the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, has been named executive director of the Santa Barbara Symphony.
The fact that William Finn and James Lapine's 1992 Broadway musical FALSETTOS began as two separate one-act musicals - parts two and three of a trilogy - that premiered Off-Broadway nine years apart makes it unique theatre piece, especially when you consider that the heighted awareness of the AIDS epidemic that occurred during those nine years gave each one, despite being about the same characters, significantly different tones.
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