Tag archives: Joan Rutkowski

Nicholas Burlett is the new chair of Opera Santa Barbara replacing Joan Rutkowski after a four-year reign. Burlett, a graduate of Cornell University, New York, is a director of engineering for an international safety and security software firm and moved to our Eden by the Beach in 2004. “We must be willing to look for […]

To the Riviera aerie of Joan Rutkowski, board chair of Opera Santa Barbara, for a delightful Bistro Musicale for gourmands and oenophiles organized by Epicurean SB founder Amy Baer Robinson, and concert pianist Jacopo Giacopuzzi, founder of the two-year-old Italian organization La Piazza. Jacopo and his sister, Maddalena, both alumni of the Music Academy, played […]

“Welcome to our first ever production of an opera in Spanish,” said Opera Santa Barbara’s (OSB) artistic and general director Kostis Protopapas and board chair Joan Rutkowski. There was a sold-out audience at the Lobero to see Il Postino (The Postman). Some of you may remember the 1994 Oscar winning film which transferred the action […]

Opera Santa Barbara (OSB) celebrated its 25th anniversary with a concert at the Lobero Theatre followed by a party across the street at the El Paseo Restaurant. To add some sparkle to the occasion, the evening began with a champagne reception on the terrace at the front of the theatre for 500 guests. After going […]