In the last several years, Santa Barbara composer and artist Grace Fisher has accumulated a number of admirable accomplishments. She’s written music for symphonies and scores for short films, the latter claiming awards at film festivals. She also created a few animation shorts as well as several paintings, been a part of two locally-created documentaries, […]
The Arlington Theatre, our town’s largest indoor venue, hosts Santa Barbara’s first-ever Mariachi holiday concert produced by a local organization, in this case UCSB Arts & Lectures. The incomparable José Hernández will lead Mariachi Sol de México in a festive musical tribute to Mexico’s Christmas traditions, offering holiday favorites in a December 7 performance that […]
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Santa Barbara’s regular traditional holiday shows such as The Nutcracker and Christmas Revels will be arriving next month, along with sing-along Messiahs and holiday parties. But the highlight of the season just might be taking place even before the calendar flips to December as American Theatre Guild’s Broadway in Santa Barbara series presents A Magical […]
The first time Sean and Sara Watkins brought the Watkins Family Hour (WFH) to Santa Barbara was back in March of 2014 in a Sings Like Hell show at the Lobero. The monthly gig at L.A.’s famed Largo anchored by the brother and sister (guitar and fiddle, respectively), who represented two-thirds of the Grammy-winning bluegrass […]
The threat of imminent development of the western parcel of the San Marcos Foothills Preserve 18 months ago not only triggered an astonishingly speedy and successful campaign to purchase the land as a nature preserve in perpetuity, it also synchronistically spawned a sensational new piece of music from a Santa Barbara native: Cody Westheimer’s Wisdom […]
Reggae on the Mountain (ROTM) was a charming hometown festival for its Topanga Canyon co-founders before relocating to an expansive site in the Malibu hills for its 10th anniversary. After a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, ROTM is on the move again, taking up residency at Live Oak Camp at the top of San […]
If all you know about the Doublewide Kings is their name, you might think the band is all about trailer park tailgating. That idea goes out the window, though, in favor of thinking this might be a vanity band when you realize the Kings were formed by Palmer Jackson, Jr., whose famous family members are […]
Otto Layman’s celebrated tenure at the helm of Santa Barbara High School’s Theater department spanned more than a quarter of a century and ushered in an era of big musical performances that rivaledprofessional productions. His replacement, Justin Baldridge, started in fall 2020, and suffered from terrible timing, of course. A veteran of multiple Off-Broadway productions […]
The 18th annual Westmont Christmas Festival, The Prince of Peace, returns to Santa Barbara’s famed Granada Theatre Saturday, December 3, at 7 pm and Sunday, December 4, at 3 pm. Tickets, which cost $22 each, go on sale Thursday, November 3, at 5 pm at westmont.edu/festival. For ticket information or to purchase tickets by phone, […]
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Palo Alto-raised, Boston-trained, Nashville-based guitarist/singer-songwriter Molly Tuttle inspires critics to manufacture metaphors to describe her dexterity on an acoustic six-string guitar – “her fingers are like 10 Olympic athletes” or “she could pick your pocket without breaking stride.” That’s not surprising since after years of participating in bluegrass jams all over Northern California, Tuttle broke […]
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s In the Heights, the 2008 multiple Tony Award-winning musical that presaged Miranda’s even more astounding success with Hamilton, has been seen in town several times, including a PCPA production in 2016, Santa Barbara High two years later, and, in the 2021 film adaptation, just two months ago at the Sunken Gardens. But never […]
High school choirs from across the Southern California region join the Westmont College Choir and Choral Union to share an off-campus concert of vocal music from an array of different musical traditions. The high school choirs, who have received coaching from Westmont’s music faculty, get a chance to shine individually as well as part of […]
Music Academy (they lopped off “of the West” from the name this summer) doesn’t just have a new moniker, they’ve also created a brand-new series to continue the celebration of its milestone 75th year. Think of the new Mariposa Series as “homecoming” recitals held on campus to showcase what Academy alumni and faculty are up […]
As the saying goes, Ruth Lin has some big shoes to fill as she steps into the dual role of chair of the Westmont music department and conductor of its orchestra. Her predecessor, Michael Shasberger, who retired this summer, not only served as the department’s first chair but also created both the orchestra and the […]
