Tag archives: Orchestra

Bach, Busoni, Grieg
By Steven Libowitz   |   January 2, 2020

Violinist Benjamin Beilman was slated to make his debut with the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra in the 2017-18 season, but then the venerable ensemble closed operations after nearly 40 years. Now, barely more than two years later, Beilman has been booked for an even bigger role in the Lobero Theatre Chamber Music Project, a new collaboration with […]

Sold-Out Christmas Festival Adds Concert
By Scott Craig   |   December 12, 2019

The Westmont Music Department added a Saturday matinee to its 15th annual Christmas Festival schedule after tickets to the first three performances sold out in about a week. Tickets are available for the concert on Saturday, December 14, at 2 pm in First Presbyterian Church at westmont.edu/christmasfestival. The festival, which retells the Christmas story by […]

Behind the Concert
By Lynda Millner   |   December 12, 2019

Montecito Bank & Trusts’ MClub spent an evening with Santa Barbara Symphony music and artistic director Nir Kabaretti. It began in the Founders room of the Granada for light bites and wine and a chance to meet and greet Janet Garufis, who is the Symphony board chair and CEO of MB&T, and Kevin Marvin, president […]

Government Inspector Delivers Laughs
By Scott Craig   |   October 24, 2019

Westmont’s performance of Nikolai Gogol‘s The Government Inspector delivers heavy doses of hilarity and introspection. Award-winning director Mitchell Thomas brings the play back to Porter Theatre for three final performances Octpber 24-26, all at 7:30 pm in Westmont’s Porter Theatre. General admission is $15; and $10 for seniors and students. Purchase tickets at westmont.edu/boxoffice. For […]

Warriors Dedicate New Putting Green
By Scott Craig   |   October 3, 2019

Westmont President Gayle D. Beebe and alumnus Stan Anderson cut the ribbon to the new Stan Anderson Golf Complex at a public dedication ceremony September 10 on Westmont’s lower campus. Anderson then sank a ceremonial first putt surrounded by hundreds of cheering Westmont student-athletes and supporters. The new facility features an 8,000-square-foot artificial putting green, […]

Madame Maestro
By Richard Mineards   |   August 15, 2019

The Music Academy of the West concluded its 72nd annual summer festival on a high note when the Academy Festival Orchestra, under conductor Marin Alsop, performed Dvorak’s Symphony No. 7 at the Granada. The entertaining program also comprised of Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Jennifer Higdon‘s 13-minute piece blue cathedral, just a week after her well received […]

Alsop Conducts AFO at Granada
By Steven Libowitz   |   August 8, 2019

Marin Alsop is a serious classical musician, perhaps even more so than the average conductor, given what she had to go through to accomplish what she has over a 35-year career. Along with her many other achievements, Alsop became the first woman ever to lead a major American orchestra when she was appointed music director […]

Art Hacks
By Richard Mineards   |   March 28, 2019

Montecito attorney David Gersh has just published his sixth book, How to Collect Great Art on a Shoestring. David, who studied at UCLA and Harvard, says his latest work talks about how to acquire paintings by artists who are in the Guggenheim, the Whitney, and MoMA for just a few thousand dollars, not tens or […]

Research Aims to End Alzheimer’s
By Scott Craig   |   October 4, 2018

Westmont researchers are using a new high-tech tool to understand human neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease. As part of a summer research project, Yi-Fan Lu, Westmont assistant professor of biology, and senior Heidi Pullmann used the new microelectrode array, purchased through the Westmont Provost’s Office, to detect and record the response of neurons to […]

Music Academy Season 71: Lassoing the LSO, Corralling Composers, Challenging Faculty with Chamber Music, and Focusing on Fellows
By Steven Libowitz   |   June 21, 2018

How do you top a 70th anniversary season that featured the culmination of a four-year partnership with the venerable New York Philharmonic featuring music director Alan Gilbert leading the orchestra for the final time in a monumental concert at La Playa Stadium, in what was Santa Barbara biggest single classical musical event in its history? […]

Orchestra, Choir Host Messiah Tour
By Scott Craig   |   April 5, 2018

The Westmont College Choir and Orchestra will host its Masterworks Concert tour performing Handel’s Messiah (parts 2 and 3) beginning in Santa Barbara on Friday, April 6, at 7 pm at First United Methodist Church, 305 E. Anapamu St. Admission is $10, students are free. For more information, contact the music department at (805) 565-6040. […]

Book Offers Help in Reframing Life
By Scott Craig   |   March 22, 2018

Greg Spencer, Westmont professor of communication studies, hopes that his new book, Reframing the Soul: How Words Transform Our Faith, will help members of the local community as they remember the challenging events of this past winter. On the night after the massive January 9 debris flow, Spencer said his last thought before going to […]

Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
By Lynda Millner   |   November 16, 2017

This was a long-awaited occasion when the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra (IPO) appeared on the Arlington Theatre stage. The orchestra was so large, there was barely room to get the conductor Zubin Mehta on stage and onto his platform. The theatre was filled as well. UCSB Miller McCune executive director Celesta M. Billeci had many sponsors […]