Navy blue blazers, gold buttons and Nantucket red pants reigned supreme when the Santa Barbara Yacht Club marked its 153rd opening day as the second oldest sailing Mecca on the West Coast. Club chef Owen Hanavan laid out a heaping display of food – plank halibut, Eggs Florentine and Benedict, sizzling sausages and more – […]
Fans of Handel’s Messiah were prepared for a fun dual language perspective of the beloved oratorio when Santa Barbara Choral Society performed at Trinity Lutheran Church with a full 21-piece orchestra in both English and Spanish. The new dual language version of Handel’s classic included a new arrangement from the Bach Collegium San Diego conducted […]
Owls, a New York-based string quartet collective, wooed the audience at the Music Academy of the West’s Hahn Hall with their original, visceral performance, part of UCSB Arts and Lectures. The entertaining foursome, which unusually included two cellists rather than two violinists – Gabriel Cabezas and Paul Wiancko, violist Ayane Kozasa, and violinist Alexi Kenney […]
Russian pianist Yefim Bronfman, 66, playing in our Eden by the Beach for the first time in more than 25 years, showed off his technical brilliance to the full. Bronfman, who studied at Juilliard in New York and the Curtis Institute of Music, was part of the CAMA Masterseries, having won an Avery Fisher Prize […]
Athleticism ruled supreme when Circa Humans 2.0 – created by Yaron Lifschitz and the Australian Circa Ensemble – performed at the Lobero as part of the popular UCSB Arts & Lectures series. The innovative new world show featured tightly woven choreography that was exhilarating, primal, and deeply engaging as the ten performers moved expressively in […]
Mark E. Trueblood, who has guided Community Arts Music Association (CAMA) of Santa Barbara to new programming heights over the course of his 27-year tenure as executive director and later president, will retire once the current concert season concludes. Elizabeth Alvarez, currently CAMA’s director of development, will succeed him as managing director of the venerable […]
Blue Origins New Shepard rocket launched on Monday with its all-female crew, including Santa Barbara singer Katy Perry, CBS News anchor Gayle King, and Lauren Sanchez, fiancée of Amazon mogul Jeff Bezos. It soared through the Texas sky with the tony triumvirate and three other crew members enjoying a few minutes in space before returning […]
Legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma reigned supreme when he performed to a sold-out crowd at the Arlington, part of the popular UCSB Arts & Lectures series. The Paris-born musician talked about his fascinating life dedicated to music, and played a number of his favorite pieces. Yo-Yo’s career has been multifaceted and a testament to his belief […]
Writer, actor and pianist Hershey Felder excels with the Ensemble Theatre Company’s latest world premiere production Rachmaninoff and the Tsar at the New Vic. Known internationally for his solo composer plays, for the first time he appears opposite another actor – British-Italian Jonathan Silvestri – in the role of the doomed ruler of Russia, Tsar […]
It was clearly worth the wait when the London-based Chineke! Orchestra made its West Coast debut at the Granada, part of CAMA’s 106th season. The talented company’s 2020 tour had been unfortunately cancelled in the wake of the COVID pandemic, just weeks before its scheduled concert. A champion of diversity in classical music, Chineke’s vibrant […]
The verdict is in on Meghan Markle’s long awaited and rebranded As Ever raspberry spread. “It might be time for her to ‘concentrate’ on a new formula,” is the withering opinion by Jane Herz in London’s Daily Mail, my former employer, who managed to get her hands on a $9 7.6-ounce jar ($14 for “keepsake […]
It was an evening of decidedly high note – not to mention a few in between – when Opera Santa Barbara hosted its annual La Dolce Vita gala for 155 guests dying to be in the right aria at the Montecito Club, raising around $150,000. The gala committee was co-chaired by Karen Knight and Carol […]
A tidal wave of munificence enveloped the Santa Barbara Channelkeeeper’s 23rd annual Blue Water Ball at the Cabrillo Pavilion with 175 guests raising an impressive $180,000 for the popular nonprofit. The bumper bash was emceed by the ubiquitous Geoff Green and showcased Chumash leaders Art Cisneros and Mia Lopez, and featured artist Benjamin Anderson who […]
To the clubby Manor Bar at Rick Caruso’s Rosewood Miramar Hotel for the launch of its new creative and colorful cocktail collection. Tables now feature 3D miniatures, featuring small books listing cocktail ingredients and new glassware made in Italy, with the 12 spirited works including Journey to the Center of the Earth, and my favorite […]
Gina Carbajal, chief programs officer at the Scholarship of Santa Barbara, was one of 11 women from Santa Barbara and Ventura counties honored by state senator Monique Limón in separate Women of the Year ceremonies. The honorees were recognized for their efforts in support of local students, women, children, small businesses, farmers, healthcare providers, and […]
Montecito resident Keith Yeager won the live auction bidding for L.A. Lakers tickets at this year’s Santa Barbara Athletic Round Table prelude to March Madness at the Cabrillo Pavilion. The hoops event featured local coaches breaking down the college bracket with expertise, high hopes, and good humor. Retired coach Tim Floyd inspired the crowd with […]
Farmers & Merchants Bank has named Nolan Nicholson to the newly created position as Regional Relationship Manager of the Tri-County Region encompassing Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Luis Obispo counties. Nolan, who I encounter regularly at the Santa Barbara Polo Club, is nephew of current executive chairman Daniel Walker, a former club president, and CEO […]
Prince Harry has sensationally quit as patron of the African charity he started in honor of his late mother Princess Diana in 2006. The Duke of Sussex, 40, said he is “disturbed” and “in shock” to step down from Sentebale, the youth-focused organization he co-founded with Prince Seeiso of Lesotho, a tiny landlocked nation in […]
Now in its 78th season, the Music Academy of the West’s annual summer festival, which runs from June 15 to August 9, offers an unparalleled blend of world class performances and musical discovery. Themed “Soundtrack to Summer,” the mega event showcases international artists performing alongside 150 of the academy’s gifted young musicians and 60 esteemed […]
Sultry lounge singer Storm Large lived up to her billing when she sang at the Granada with the Santa Barbara Symphony, under veteran maestro Nir Kabaretti in Kurt Weill’s Seven Deadly Sins with additional vocals by the Hudson Shad Quartet. Other sensual works in the concert included Jacques Ibert’s “Divertissement,” William Grant Still’s “Seven Little […]
Montecito Bank & Trust, which is celebrating its half century, held its annual anniversary grants reception at its State Street headquarters when Janet Garufis, chairman and CEO, handed out $5,000 checks, instead of the normal $3,000, to 11 nonprofits chosen by the bank’s staff. The Jerry Parent Legacy Award went to Many Mansions, which runs […]
Meghan Markle has made friends locally with “working women with normal jobs,” she tells People magazine. This comes after critics of her Netflix lifestyle show told the Duchess of Sussex she was “out of touch” and “tone deaf.” But Meghan says she and Prince Harry, who live on a $14.65 million estate in Riven Rock, […]
Santa Barbara Choral Society had an annual gala with a difference with Shamrock at the Rockwood over St. Patrick’s Day weekend. The sold-out bash welcomed more than 130 guests to the women’s club which had been transformed into a giant Irish-themed bar, and where they were welcomed by emcees Larry Schecter and Kathleen Stinnett before […]
A new comedy about texts, sex, and empty nests, Parents in Chains – written by Emmy and Peabody Award winner Jay Martel – is the latest Ensemble Theatre Company production at the New Vic. Directed by Andy Fickman, the play focuses on six Los Angeles parents dealing with communications from their teenagers driving home from […]
The venerable Granada rocked to the Motown sound when the Tony Award-winning show Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations rocked the theater in the American Theater Guild production. Electrifying smash hits launched them from their home in Detroit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in a fascinating story about […]
Hahn Hall at the Music Academy of the West was socially gridlocked for the Mariposa series of yMusic featuring trumpeter alumni CJ Camerieri performing a new work inviting listeners to commune with the fragile beauty of natural worlds. A new score, a blend of acoustic performance, featured raw and personal field recordings with California composer […]
UCSB Arts & Lectures Miller McCune Executive Director Celesta Billeci was honored by the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce in recognition of her 25 years at the university. Celesta, a longtime friend, received the Visionary Arts Leadership Award as part of the Regional Business Awards Gala at the Hilton from Dr. Colin Marlaire, […]
Dr. Cheryl Chooljian is the new Director of Veterinary Services for the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network. She has a diverse background in veterinary medicine and wildlife conservation. She earned her BA in biology at the University of Texas in Arlington and her Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from the Louisiana State University of Veterinary […]
Jim Jackson is the new Board Chair of Santa Barbara Zoo and Ozlem Arconian, Hillary Courtemanche, Rhonda Ledson Henderson, and Jennifer Perry have joined the board. Serving as a trustee of the Ann Jackson Family Foundation for more than 25 years, Jackson brings a legacy of leadership and community commitment to his new board role. […]
Just a week after launching her new Netflix culinary series With Love, Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex is back in the podcast game. Meghan Markle has launched Confessions of a Female Founder with Lemonada Media. “I’ve been having candid comments with amazing women who have turned dreams into realities and scaled small ideas into amazingly […]
The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum throbbed to the Caribbean beat as 140 guests celebrated a Love Boat cruise gala with head honcho Greg Gorga in all white officer’s uniform. Condor Express owner Hiroko Benko, who created a Santa Barbara Whale Heritage Area, and Sigrid Toye, a past board president and current board member, were presented […]
The venerable Granada was packed for a sold-out Rock for First Responders concert, organized by One805. Even Prince Harry turned out for the VIP reception. A guitar signed by HRH and the other performers, including Macy Gray, Kenny Loggins, Michael McDonald and Alan Parsons, soldfor $9,000. Toad the Wet Sprocket and Hootie & the Blowfish […]
French violinist and former Santa Barbara Symphony concert master Gilles Apap was in his element in a CAMA Masterpiece series concert with Friends! at the Lobero Theatre. Apap played a colorful selection of works with pianist Inna Faliks featuring Fauré, Krieger, Enescu, Piazzolla and Paganini, before playing Chinese and Tibetan compositions with Xiaoli Cioffi on […]
The Californian Rangeland Trust, founded in 1998, hosted the public premiere of its 49-minute documentary You Just Can’t See Them from the Road – directed by Keely Brazil Covello and Michaela Brazil Gillies, daughters of ranch veterinarians in a remote area of northern California. More than 200 people clad in Stetsons and cowboy boots poured […]
Santa Barbara residents Eric, former head of Google, and Wendy Schmidt’s family foundation has purchased the 350-acre parcel of land known as Mar y Cel, the largest contiguous undeveloped property in Montecito. In keeping with their philanthropic focus on the environment and in recognition of the value of Mar y Cel to the community and […]
Santa Barbara warbler Katy Perry’s high life is getting even higher! The former Dos Pueblos High student, 40, has announced she is heading into outer space as part of the historical Blue Origins all-woman crew alongside Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos’s fiancée Lauren Sanchez and CBS anchor Gayle King this spring. It will be the 11th […]
State Street Ballet, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, made quite a splash with the world premiere of its latest highly entertaining production The Little Mermaid – based on the classic 1837 fairytale of Hans Christian Andersen – at the Lobero. Choreographed by Artistic Director Megan Philips and Executive Director Cecily MacDougall the nautical adventure […]
Local longevity specialist Dr. Steven Gundry was so oversubscribed at an MClub lunch at the historic Santa Barbara Club that he had to speak twice – with 80 guests at his first performance and 75 at his second an hour later. The cardiothoracic surgeon and four times New York Times bestselling author’s ninth tome The […]
Security was paramount at the Granada when Israel’s Batsheva Dance Company performed as part of UCSB’s popular Arts & Lectures program. A small number of protesters were present, carrying disparaging placards. More than 18 Santa Barbara police officers were stationed in and outside the theater and guests had to go through metal detectors placed in […]
More than 115 guests turned out for the venerable Granada Theatre’s annual “l Love Your Theater” open house when supporters were allowed to see the “innards” of the 2,000-seat auditorium with wine and canapés on the capacious stage which a week earlier had hosted the historic London Symphony Orchestra, part of CAMA’s international program. Jon […]