Tag archives: JoAnne Wasserman

It might seem strange, but sometimes serendipity shows up in classical music. Such was the case a couple of years ago when much heralded Composer Christopher Tin noticed someone leafing through some of his scores at a nearby table in a sushi restaurant in Los Angeles. That turned out to be JoAnne Wasserman, the 33-year […]

Santa Barbara Choral Society marked the conclusion of its 77th season with The Many Shades of Choral under veteran director JoAnne Wasserman with accompaniment by Kevin Su Fukagawa at Trinity Lutheran Church. The entertaining concert featured a wide range of composers beginning with selections from Mozart, including his final work for his hometown Salzburg Cathedral […]

One hundred and fifty guests crowded into the Cabrillo Pavilion for the 17th Women of Achievement Awards lunch organized by the Association for Women in Communications Santa Barbara. The fun fest, co-chaired by Brooke Holland and Judith Smith-Meyer, featured Dr. Nancy O’Reilly, founder of Women Connect4Good, and honored five visionary women – JoAnne Wasserman, veteran […]

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 […]

Around these parts, George Frideric Handel’s Messiah generally gets performed only in December, in advance of Christmas, frequently as a sing-along or featuring just the famous “Hallelujah” chorus, and always as it was written in English. This weekend, the Santa Barbara Choral Society is rolling out the beloved oratorio. This most familiar of choral pieces […]

Santa Barbara Choral Society under veteran conductor JoAnne Wasserman was in top form for its 10th annual Hallelujah Project at the historic Lobero, which also included young Sing! project choral students from the Music Academy of the West, and Emmy-winning actress Meredith Baxter in a rocking chair reciting ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. Accompanied by […]

If you want to take in all of the choral programs happening this weekend, you’d better figure out how to clone yourself quickly. By some quirk of fate, or quirky communication between them, seven different mostly choral concerts are taking place this week, including an astonishing five between Saturday and Sunday, four of them from […]

The Santa Barbara Choral Society’s season finale at the Trinity Lutheran Church was a sellout, the 70-voice chorus accompanied by a 28-piece orchestra with guest soloists soprano Elissa Johnston, Michal Dawson Connor, Jimmer Bolden, and choral society alto section leader Becca Clarke in a “Visionaries, Then & Now” concert. The entertaining program began with a […]

Santa Barbara Choral Society showed its true colors when it staged a Red, White, and Blues concert under veteran conductor JoAnne Wasserman at Trinity Episcopal Church. In a nod to America’s rich multi-cultured heritage of musical traditions featuring works by Leonard Bernstein, Randall Thompson, Shawn Kirchner, and Eric Whitacre, the entertaining show was a musical […]

Santa Barbara Choral Society was in top form under veteran conductor JoAnne Wasserman with its 9th annual Hallelujah Project at the Lobero, which included SING! program choral students from the Music Academy and Dishwalla lead singer Justin Fox in a rocking chair reading ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. Accompanied by an orchestra, the enthusiastic singers […]

Choir lovers rejoice: It’s the most wonderful time of year as several of the city’s classical vocal groups perform holiday concerts this week. Sing! – the Music Academy’s free community youth choral program – gets things going at 6 pm December 7 with a free one-hour concert featuring Christmas carols and holiday songs from across […]

Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation had a record turnout of more than 1,000 people when it held its annual Memorial Day ceremony at Santa Barbara Cemetery. The Pledge of Allegiance was read by retired Air Force Lt. Col. Patricia Rumpza, with the national anthem sung by retired police sergeant David Gonzales. Santa Barbara Choral Society, under […]

It was a double anniversary celebration when the Santa Barbara Choral Society hosted a 75th anniversary gala at the Music Academy’s Lehmann Hall, which also marked the 30th season of its veteran conductor JoAnne Wasserman. Before repairing to the Duo Catering dinner, guests were at Hahn Hall, just a tiara’s toss away, for a highly […]

Santa Barbara Choral Society, which is celebrating its 75th anniversary, put on a heavenly concert at Trinity Episcopal Church under veteran conductor JoAnne Wasserman, herself celebrating 30 years at the helm. The performance, For the Love of Music, with Music Academy graduate David Potter on piano, featured works by Pachelbel, Byrd, Bradbury, and Morten Lauridsen’s […]

Peace and love were on the musical menu when the 74-year-old Santa Barbara Choral Society performed a Pax + Amare concert at the First Presbyterian Church under veteran conductor JoAnne Wasserman. Latvian baritone soloist Valdis Jansons, a voice coach at UCSB, sang in both pieces – French composer Maurice Duruflé’s 1947 “Requiem” and Ralph Vaughan […]

Jazz is about a lot of things, not the least of which is the ability to improvise in connection with both the music and the other instrumentalists. That’s a Marcus Roberts Trio specialty, as the long-term partnership featuring pianist Roberts, drummer Jason Marsalis, and bassist Rodney Jordan share equally in shaping performances via changes in […]

Heal the Ocean, the popular Santa Barbara nonprofit, received a tidal wave of support when it threw its Christmas party at the Carpinteria art gallery, Lobster Town USA, which in the New Year will be turning into the town’s first cannabis dispensary, owners Patrick and Maire Radis tell me. More than 150 guests turned out […]

Since its founding in 1948, the Santa Barbara Choral Society has never missed a performance. Despite wildfires and mudslides, the show always goes on. And even during the worldwide pandemic, veteran director JoAnne Wasserman, who has conducted the talented singers for 28 years, was determined to carry on the tradition with a virtual concert at […]

Santa Barbara Choral Society has plenty to sing about as the tony troupe celebrates its 70th anniversary and the 25th anniversary of its director JoAnne Wasserman. To mark the double-header, longtime supporters Gary and Kate Rees hosted a sunset soirée for premier Canto donors at their charming mountainside home before next month’s anniversary concert at […]

If you like to honor all who served in the military, the place to go on Veterans Day is the Santa Barbara Cemetery just off of Channel Drive. This year was especially poignant because it marked the end of WWI one hundred years ago. The ceremony is put on by the Pierre Claeyssens Veterans Foundation, […]