Santa Barbara Youth Symphony to Present Free Concert

The Santa Barbara Youth Symphony, whose accomplished members hail from throughout the region, will present a free concert at the Lobero Theatre on Sunday, March 5. Featuring Sibelius' Symphony No. 2, theme music from the long-running television series Doctor Who, the first movement of Kabalevsky's Violin Concerto in C Major, and the overture from Wolf-Ferrari's Susanna's Secret, the performance will begin at 4 pm. The Lobero Theatre is located at 33 East Canon Perdido Street in Santa Barbara.

Consisting of some 80 musicians ages 12 to 18 from Santa Barbara and Ventura counties, the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony is the capstone program of the Santa Barbara Symphony's award-winning Music Education Center, which organizes outreach activities for area children of all ages. The ensemble is led by Music Director Andy Radford, principal bassoonist of the Santa Barbara Symphony, and members are selected through audition. The March 5 performance will feature a solo turn by 16-year-old violinist Francis Pan of Goleta.

The Santa Barbara Youth Symphony will present a community concert at the Page Youth Center in Santa Barbara on April 29 before concluding its season at the Lobero Theatre on May 21. For more information, call 805-898-8785.

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.