Tag archives: Granada Theatre
“I just thought I had died and gone to heaven,” recalled Bernadette Peters, recounting a childhood memory at Santa Barbara’s Granada Theatre. As a little girl, she explored her parents’ record collection one Sunday morning while they slept, selecting the album with the prettiest cover: Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel. As the “Carousel Waltz” began, she […]
By Lisa Duncan By day, Producer Liz Cole helps bring the hit television series Tracker to life. By night, she slips behind the microphone and into a world of jazz, storytelling, and song. The glamorous Los Angeles vocalist arrived in our Eden by the Sea last Saturday for a one-night-only appearance at The Grand on […]
Moving from the subterranean sublime to the ridiculously over-the-top in the space of one week, the Broadway in Santa Barbara Series closes out its 2025-26 season at the Granada this week. Hot on the heels of the regional professional debut of Hadestown – the mesmerizing folk opera musical that reimagines the Greek myth of Orpheus […]
Why would anyone choose to go to the Granada on Saturday night for Santa Barbara Records’ second annual Locals & Legends concert, “Celebrating the Music of James Taylor,” when the iconic 78-year-old singer-songwriter himself will be in town just 11 days later? Well, there’s several reasons aside from the fact that tickets to Taylor’s sold-out […]
The Santa Barbara Symphony took a deep dive across the pond to immerse in Italian classical music for last month’s pair of concerts at the Granada. Music from the continental country was also the focus of three concerts spearheading the indoor part of the La Piazza festival around the corner at the Library Plaza last […]
by Lisa Duncan If Montecito society has a guilty pleasure, it’s clearly the “Red Hot Ferrari” – no, not the car, though there were plenty of those – but the Red Ferrari accordion, gleaming like a cherry-red speed machine. In the bustling Granada Theatre foyer Saturday, tables were dotted with accordions, daring guests to squeeze, […]
Santa Barbara Symphony Music and Artistic Director Nir Kabaretti channels his Italian heritage in this weekend’s pair of concerts at the Granada entitled Bella Italia. The program boasts a four-century journey through Italian masterworks, bookended by the “Winter” movement from one of the defining Baroque concertos in Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons opening the concert, and […]
Written by Renee Cooper Over two remarkable days at the Granada Theatre, the Santa Barbara Symphony achieved something genuinely rare: a complete traversal of all five piano concertos by Ludwig van Beethoven, performed with sustained intensity, clarity, and cohesion – and embraced by audiences with near-unanimous enthusiasm. The Beethoven Piano Concerto Marathon this past week […]
At the opposite end of the professional spectrum, and a hero’s journey of a decidedly different kind, the 2025-26 Broadway in Santa Barbara Series at the Granada Theatre gets underway December 9-10 with a revival of the official touring production of Kinky Boots. Winner of the Tony, Grammy, and London’s Olivier Awards for Best Musical, […]
Nick Carraway, Jay Gatsby, Daisy Buchanan and the other debonair, desperate, debauched, or devoted characters from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic story come to life via dance in World Ballet Company’s The Great Gatsby Ballet. The story of an enigmatic nouveau riche millionaire ambitiously pursuing the American Dream has been considered a literary classic since the […]
As a sold-out crowd – many dressed in colorful ‘60s and ‘70s garb – tooled down the aisles, the band exhorted them to “Come-on Baby, Light My Fire.” Thus began another amazing evening of rocking music brought to us by the collaboration of the Doublewide Kings and Nir Kabaretti and the Santa Barbara Symphony. The […]
The Granada Theatre was filled with 2,650 eager fans this weekend as the Santa Barbara Symphony and State Street Ballet launched their 2025/26 seasons with a dazzling joint production. Santa Barbara Symphony President & CEO, Kathryn R. Martin, and State Street Ballet Executive Director, Cecily MacDougall, welcomed guests and outlined each of their exciting upcoming […]
For the first time in their long histories, State Street Ballet and Santa Barbara Symphony are opening their season with a collaborative production, one that includes – and closes with – a full-length production of Prokofiev’s Romeo & Juliet. The concert opens with Maestro Nir Kabaretti and the orchestra performing two short works – Shostakovich’s […]
The venerable Granada Theatre was socially gridlocked when it held its 9th annual Legends gala with 100 people recognizing the John C. Mithun Foundation, the Lobero Theatre, and esteemed Santa Barbara Symphony maestro Nir Kabaretti. The tony event, which raised around $400,000, was emceed by the ubiquitous Andrew Firestone and co-chaired by Susan Jackson and […]
Although he spent his entire life in Southern California, Brian Wilson never performed at the Granada Theatre in Santa Barbara. But it’s hard not to imagine that the founder, chief songwriter and sonic architect behind The Beach Boys would be even more thrilled by the concert coming to the jewel of a theater on September […]
After 23 years on the board of the Granada, philanthropist Sarah Chrisman – wife of fellow philanthropist Roger Chrisman – is retiring and was honored at a reception of the Birnam Wood home of fellow board member Leslie and Harrison Bains for 60 guests. “Sarah’s work has been important and inspiring,” said Caren Rager, the […]
Forced by COVID to find ways to bring the music to a house-bound audience, the Granada Theatre teamed up with the Santa Barbara Symphony to create intimate podcasts that both illuminated and entertained. Out of this collaboration grew the idea of presenting cross-genre performances, the first one being Moondance which featured the music of Van […]
There have been two tribute concerts for David Crosby in the 28 months since the legendary singer-songwriter passed away at his Santa Ynez home in 2023. But Locals and Legends: Celebrating the Music of David Crosby, slated for May 24 at the Granada Theatre, offers two significant additions. The show is co-presented by Santa Barbara […]
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 […]
For the past three years, the nonprofit One805 has staged a big boisterous benefit bash in late summer at Kevin Costner’s surfside Summerland spread to raise a big percentage of its funds. The money is earmarked for all the first responder organizations throughout Santa Barbara County to help with equipment, mental health services and more. […]
