Fisher’s Showcase Graces the Granada

Grace Fisher’s annual Winter Music Showcase has become an entrenched highlight of the holiday calendar each December at the Granada. The event celebrates the season and the community through focusing on the diverse array of local talent in town, with boundary-crossing performances that mirror Fisher’s commitment to advance disability inclusion in the arts. 

It’s a mission that has motivated Fisher since that fateful night in 2014 when a rare disease called acute flaccid myelitis turned the then high-school student into a quadriplegic. Fisher now uses a mouthstick to paint and write music, a passion since childhood. This year’s performers include the Santa Barbara Chamber Players, Jackson Gillies, Will Breman, The Waymarkers, Timo Nuñez’s Arte Flamenco Dance Studio, Chris Fossek and several others, plus the showcase debut of local favorite Michael McDonald. As always, funds raised at the eighth annual event on December 14 go to Fisher’s foundation, which supports the Inclusive Arts Clubhouse in La Cumbre Plaza. I spoke briefly with Grace about the Showcase.

Q. What’s new from you in this year’s holiday show?

A. I have a new original piece of music, and I just decided on a title yesterday, which drives my parents crazy because I’ve had the whole year to figure it out. It’s called “Light in Motion,” and it came from someone suggesting I write about how Disneyland makes me feel. For me, it’s like stepping into a world of fantasy and getting outside of the reality that we live in. Although I didn’t write it with dancers in mind, I love combining different art forms, so I invited some dancers from the State Street Ballet Academy to dance while it’s being played. I also have a new painting that will be up for sale. It will be featured on the backdrop of the stage, which is really cool. 

Michael McDonald is playing the show for the first time. How did you guys connect? 

We were talking with Kenny Loggins, but he was unable to commit, but then said, “I’ve got this friend Michael McDonald who might do it.” I reached out and he said sure. It’s very exciting to be able to feature an artist that big, and he’s just been so gracious with his time and his attitude. 

As always, you have many returning guests, a lot of whom were your friends and colleagues growing up, even though your world has expanded a lot since then. How is the Foundation connecting with people from your high school peer group?

I’m coming up on my 10-year high school reunion, but it’s always great to get these people together again. We used to have the singers in the Madrigals when I was there, but it’s hard to wrangle my high school friends to pull something together all these years later, but they might make a return appearance this year. Former Madrigal and Class President William Belfiore has been named general manager of the new Santa Barbara News-Press and there are some others around. We also have a new group in The Waymarkers, the new group from Adam Phillips [the leader of Santa Barbara Folk Orchestra who sings and plays bagpipes, whistles and acoustic guitar]. His sister was my first piano teacher, so it’s great to be able to work with them. 

You’re incredibly busy with all the creating you do and running the clubhouse. What keeps you going, especially with how painstaking it is to use the mouthstick for anything physical?

Every note that I write is very intentional because it’s like I do it one note at a time. But while my disability definitely makes things harder and take longer, I also have the time to be able to commit and devote a whole day towards writing music, for example. I do experience a little bit of burnout, but that’s why I have multiple things in my life to be able to balance and switch to working on a painting or going to the clubhouse and doing more of the mindless administrative work of the foundation. People don’t realize how resilient we are until you’re put in a situation like this. There’s a life beyond any challenge that you might be facing.

Last year you received an Access/VSA Emerging Young Artist award from Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. Just last month, you were named a Local Hero by the Santa Barbara Independent, not to mention a profile in MJ’s just-out 2026 Giving List book. How does all that recognition feel for you? 

I don’t strive to get awards, but it’s nice to be recognized for the hard work that I put in. The Local Hero was great, to be honored next to John Palminteri and all these iconic figures in Santa Barbara. It’s definitely encouraging. With each piece of artwork that I make, with each piece of music that I write, I feel like there’s so much more potential for me to get better. [Recognition] just makes me want to create even more and get things out there.