Tag archives: Opera Santa Barbara

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 […]

It was an evening of high note, not to mention many others in between, when Opera Santa Barbara pulled out all the stops to celebrate its 25th anniversary at the Lobero Theatre. The company, founded by soprano Marilyn Gilbert and the late Nathan Rundlett, presented a sold-out non-stop “hit parade” of opera favorites, conducted by […]

The Kronos Quartet has never shied away from controversy. Over the course of its 45-year history, the ensemble has exploded any previous notion of the limitations of the string quartet, embracing everything from ultra-modern composers and unfamiliar sounds to wildly unexpected and some would say edgy collaborations, most recently with “Sight Machine,” a multimedia piece […]

Opera Santa Barbara, celebrating its 25th anniversary, launched its latest season in cracking style with Puccini’s classic work La Boheme at the Granada. Director Omer Ben Seadia, who made her local debut three years ago with A Streetcar Named Desire and L’Italiana in Algeri, has done an artfully crafted four-act show with opera director Kostis […]

Liquid assets were in abundance when the Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County staged its 9th annual Chowder Fest Charity Cookout at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum. Featuring 34 vendors, more than 500 turned out for the harborside foodie fest, raising around $65,000 for the 59-year-old nonprofit that provides legal representation and advice to […]

Herb Kendall and Sara Jane Lind have been recognized by Opera Santa Barbara and officially installed as honorary board members at the start of the 25th anniversary season. Herb, a successful builder and community developer in Princeton, New Jersey, joined the organization’s board in 2011 until his retirement last year. He served on CAMA’s board […]

Barbara Burger and Susan Aberle have been elected to Opera Santa Barbara’s board of directors. “Both Barbara and Susan have many years of service to the community and will be a great asset to our organization,” says Kostis Protopapas, artistic and general director. Barbara has a lengthy career in public relations and marketing primarily in […]

It was a case of high cees on the high seas when Roger and Sarah Chrisman hosted a nautical bash on their new 78-ft cruiser, Polaris II. The tony twosome, who took delivery of the Taiwanese-built vessel in February, welcomed 45 guests, who splashed out $1,000 a ducat, to raise funds for Opera Santa Barbara, […]

Rising young opera directing star Alison Moritz makes her Santa Barbara debut with Opera Santa Barbara’s (OSB) double bill of centennial celebrating Leonard Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti and Douglas Moore’s backstage farce Gallantry, slotting the two-day run of one-acts at Center Stage on Friday and Saturday, April 21-22, between productions of Madama Butterfly with Syracuse […]

Opera Santa Barbara’s (OSB) latest production, Gioachino Rossini’s romantic comedy The Barber of Seville at the Granada, was definitely on the cutting edge. The work, which premiered in Rome in 1816 to much hissing and jeering, is now one of the world’s most endearing operas – and it was easy to see why with a […]

Santa Barbara Natural History Museum’s 31st annual Wine and Food Festival on June 30 is going to be the biggest and best yet, raising around $110,000, predicts president Luke Swetland. The popular tourist attraction hosted a pre-fest bash for 60 guests at the Grassini Wine tasting room in El Paseo to promote the event. “There […]

Santa Barbara’s musical youth shone at the First United Methodist Church when the youth opera and youth symphony under Opera SB artistic director Kostis Protpapas performed a creative production of Benjamin Britten’s Noah’s Flood. The 1958 work, based on a 15th-century Chester mystery play, featured bass-baritone Vincent Grana and mezzo soprano Chelsea Melamed as his […]