Tag archives: MAW

Exploring the Process of Music with Joshua Roman
By Joanne A Calitri   |   January 30, 2020

World-renowned cellist, composer, and curator Joshua Roman is an alumnus of the Music Academy of the West (MAW) since 2002. He sent out letters of inquiry around the U.S. to secure a space undisturbed for composing a 16-minute piece for the Cleveland Orchestra. Scott Reed, President and CEO of MAW, reached out to Ashley Woods […]

A Little Garden Music
By Richard Mineards   |   October 24, 2019

It was another high note when the Women’s Auxiliary of the Music Academy of the West hosted its second annual benefit Music in the Gardens on the Miraflores campus, with a record 400 guests raising around $80,000 to benefit the community access program, which provides subsidized and free tickets to MAW events. Themed American Rhythms, […]

Music in the Gardens
By Steven Libowitz   |   October 3, 2019

You won’t find any violins, violas or cellos on the grounds of the Music Academy of the West next Sunday afternoon, October 13, when the classical music institute hosts the Music in the Gardens benefit. But there will be plenty of guitars, electric basses, banjos, horns and even a fiddle or two at the second […]

Music to our Ears
By Richard Mineards   |   October 3, 2019

It was a decidedly busy night when Santa Barbara Choral Society held a kick-off reception for its 72nd season at the Music Academy of the West. Claudia Scott, who has sung with the choir for half a century, was recognized for her sterling contribution to the choir, while Debra Stewart and Erica Di Bartolomeo, both […]

Fiesta Kick-Off
By Richard Mineards   |   August 8, 2019

A positive plethora of presidents, past and present, descended on the Hilton Beachfront Resort for the sold-out 71st annual La Reception del Presidents, kicking off Fiesta Week in grand style. The fun fête in the Plaza del Sol, short on speeches and long on tradition with dancing and music, attracted more than 330 local dignitaries, […]

Chords for the Kids
By Richard Mineards   |   August 1, 2019

School students had to face the music at the Music Academy of the West. More than 300 youngsters from United Way of Santa Barbara County’s Fun in the Sun scheme attended a concert at Hahn Hall as part of the Up Close and Musical program, now in its eighth year. The fun event, a collaboration […]

Mounting an Operatic Mountain: MAW’s West Coast Premiere
By Steven Libowitz   |   August 1, 2019

For its 2019 opera presentation, Music Academy of the West is providing the vocal and instrumental fellows the chance to take on a very modern work that has only had a handful of previous productions. Cold Mountain – the 2014 saga from the prolific composer Jennifer Higdon – is adapted from Charles Frazier’s epic Civil […]

Summer Festival Continues
By Richard Mineards   |   July 25, 2019

As the 72nd Music Academy of the West summer festival nears its conclusion, the Santa Barbara Bowl was the place to be on an idyllic evening for a community concert with the historic London Symphony Orchestra and the Academy Festival Orchestra under conductor Daniel Harding, music director of the Orchestre de Paris. The sold-out show, […]

Bass Instincts: My oh Meyer
By Steven Libowitz   |   July 25, 2019

Five-time Grammy Award winner and 2002 MacArthur “Genius Grant” Award recipient double bassist Edgar Meyer negotiates a rarely traveled road as a star in both the classical music and bluegrass worlds, where he works as both a performer and a composer. Hailed dryly by The New Yorker as “the most remarkable virtuoso in the relatively […]

In Concert with The Squire Foundation with NCEAS & the Music Academy of the West
By Joanne A Calitri   |   July 25, 2019

The “Cocoon” world premiere arrived in a sold-out concert on July 19 at the Music Academy of the West (MAW) Hahn Hall, as part of the MAW Fellows “Picnic Concert Series.” The guest artist composition titled “Cocoon,” by Jim Stephenson, is a trifecta Artist in Resident project which started July 2018 incorporating science, music, and […]

MAW Welcomes Mosher Guest Artist Claire Chase
By Steven Libowitz   |   July 18, 2019

Classical musicians don’t come much more ambitious and open-minded than flutist Claire Chase. The accomplishments of the soloist, collaborative artist, curator, and advocate for new and experimental music are numerous, including founding the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE) in 2001, which has premiered more than 800 works since its inception, while her recognition includes being named […]

Child’s Play
By Richard Mineards   |   July 11, 2019

It was a trip down memory lane for polo patriarch Glen Holden and his wife, Gloria, when for the first time in six years, they hosted a Family Fun Day at their former Gehache Ranch, now owned by Santa Barbara Polo Club president, John Muse. The fun event was so oversubscribed, with more than 500 […]

London Calling: Three Shows in a Row
By Steven Libowitz   |   July 11, 2019

The London Symphony Orchestra’s four-year partnership with the Music Academy of the West, which came on the heels of a similar groundbreaking deal with the New York Philharmonic from 2014-17, officially began last year. But this summer is when the entire LSO – one of the world’s great orchestras that is also well known for […]

Letters to the Editor
By Montecito Journal   |   July 11, 2019

East Valley Road to Perdition I am astonished to be writing again about the Ennisbrook Owner’s Association and their unwillingness to fulfill their responsibilities to us as members and residents.  Ennisbrook owns our entire road. It starts at East Valley Road, and continues past ten properties and the four Ennisbrook members are the last four […]

Honoring a Legend
By Lynda Millner   |   July 4, 2019

Jerome Lowenthal is one of the most electric pianistic personalities before the public,” so says one of his reviewers. Santa Barbara’s The Music Academy of the West (MAW) claims him for their own because he has been a part of their eight-week summer program for an amazing 50 years mentoring students. Yet he has appeared […]

Venturing Off Campus
By Richard Mineards   |   July 4, 2019

It was all a case of location, location, location as the Music Academy of the West’s 72nd annual summer festival entered its second week. Having staged all concerts at Hahn Hall on the Miraflores campus with the fest’s kickoff, the Lobero and Granada were added into the mix this week. The Festival Artists Series at […]

London? We Have Lift Off
By Steven Libowitz   |   July 4, 2019

The Music Academy of the West transforms the Granada Theatre into Mission Control for a special London Symphony Orchestra space-themed family concert next Friday, July 12, kicking off three straight days of different programs with the esteemed British orchestra in the second year of its partnership with MAW. The Voyager program, which incorporates excerpts from […]

Real Estate
By Richard Mineards   |   June 27, 2019

A ten-acre Montecito estate, with seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms, has just come on the market for $17 million. The 13,932 sq. ft. property is just a tiara’s toss or two from the homes of TV talk show titans Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres. The expansive grounds include terraced gardens, a pool, spa with a […]

Rescue Mission Revamp
By Richard Mineards   |   June 27, 2019

After more than two years and a $12 million budget, the 33-year-old 40,000 sq. ft. Rescue Mission is ready for its closeup. The extensive project represents five years of planning, permitting, fundraising and rebuilding the facility, which has served more than three million meals and provided 1.6 million stays for the homeless since 1986. The […]

Shakespeare Salon
By Steven Libowitz   |   June 27, 2019

In just his third season at the Music Academy of the West, Los Angeles-based director and designer James Darrah has already had a dramatic effect on the seven-decades-old summer festival – employing his unique collaborative focus and vision at a convergence of opera, classical music, and theater to the already well-respected program at the stunning […]