‘Why Not?’ Leads yMusic to Contemporary Pinnacle 
By Steven Libowitz   |   March 11, 2025

CJ Camerieri has done pretty well for himself since spending a single summer as a trumpet fellow at the Music Academy of the West in 2002. The Juilliard grad who also plays French horn, arranges, produces and composes, not only co-founded the contemporary classical ensemble yMusic in 2008, but is perhaps even better known as […]

A Match Made in Mozart
By Steven Libowitz   |   February 18, 2025

The London Symphony Orchestra’s initial partnership with the Music Academy of the West officially came to its pandemic-paused close a couple of summers ago. But the relationship between the two classical music institutions continues with a three-event, two-day residency starting on February 17. President’s Day kicks off at 1 pm with a violin master class […]

 

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Annual NAMM Show Roundup
By Joanne A Calitri   |   February 11, 2025

Let’s start my annual NAMM report right with this statement from John Mlynczak, NAMM President & CEO, “The 2025 NAMM Show will unite our global industry in support of those impacted in Los Angeles. We are coordinating relief efforts with our partners and are communicating with our members in L.A. on their needs. The NAMM […]

Pop pick of the week
By Steven Libowitz   |   February 11, 2025

Tales from the Tavern – the Santa Ynez singer-songwriter series that has now outlasted the late, lamented Lobero trend-setter Sings Like Hell by almost seven years – has announced its schedule for spring, which begins February 12 with Steve Poltz, who, ironically, played Hell in the last series in 2018. All of the other series […]

Exclusive Interview with Tom Sumner
By Joanne A Calitri   |   February 11, 2025

During NAMM 2025, I had the privilege to interview Tom Sumner the President of Yamaha and the Chair of the NAMM Board of Directors. We conversed in person at the Yamaha Dealer meeting rooms, and I took a photo of him with the Yamaha grand piano for Alicia Keys’ 2023 tour that hallmarked their display […]

Chamber Players Highlight Arias with Amante 
By Steven Libowitz   |   February 4, 2025

April Amante hasn’t had a whole lot of opportunities to sing in Santa Barbara since earning her Doctor of Musical Arts at UCSB in June 2023. There was the concert in May 2024, where the soprano returned to campus for the UCSB Opera Gala, directed by her mentor Isabel Bayrakdarian, the soprano who heads the […]

Fêting Fruin and Rockin’ Responders 
By Steven Libowitz   |   February 4, 2025

SOhO serves as host of a celebration of life and musical tribute to Gary Fruin, the longtime K-LITE Morning Show co-host who passed away in January. The event, at 1 pm on February 2, is an opportunity for listeners, fans, community members and all those whose lives were brightened by Fruin to remember and celebrate […]

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  • Teen Stars Shine On
    By Steven Libowitz   |   January 28, 2025

    Teen Star Santa Barbara started as a small event meant to employ the American Idol model to highlight the vocal talents of local students in the wake of arts budget cuts in the schools, but it quickly outgrew its original home at San Marcos High’s auditorium. A few years at the Granada turned into an […]

    Miró Makes Its Way to Mary Craig 
    By Steven Libowitz   |   January 21, 2025

    The Austin-based Miró Quartet, long considered one of America’s most celebrated and dedicated string quartets, marks its 30th anniversary with a return to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art’s laudable chamber music series on January 19. The Miró, which in 2005 became the first ensemble ever to be awarded the coveted Avery Fisher Career Grant, […]

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    Chopin for (Not) a Change 
    By Steven Libowitz   |   January 21, 2025

    Closing out a crowded week in classical music, Garrick Ohlsson returns to CAMA Masterseries at the Lobero in a full-circle concert. The highly praised pianist, whose early triumph at the 1970 Chopin Piano Competition launched his career, will play an all-Chopin program on January 23. Ohlsson, whose half-century-plus of performing has put him at the […]

    Dance Dimensions: ‘Palermo!’ Premieres
    By Steven Libowitz   |   January 21, 2025

    Meredith Ventura’s Selah Dance Collective is performing the world premiere of Palermo! (Sure Shot Comedy! Bang Up Fun!) over three shows at Center Stage Theater January 17-18. The piece continues Ventura’s choreographic exploration of early 20th-century performance, building on her acclaimed research project Sound and Smoke, which examines the aesthetics and social undercurrents of 1920s […]

    Symphony’s Mid-month Mozart Marathon
    By Steven Libowitz   |   January 14, 2025

    The Santa Barbara Symphony launches into 2025 with yet another first for the increasingly adventurous 72-year-old ensemble: a pair of weekend performances January 18-19 where the program is entirely different on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. The prolific classical composer Mozart is the focus of affection for the weekend of wonder, which highlights four concertos […]

    Classical Corner
    By Steven Libowitz   |   January 14, 2025

    This week’s entries include another intriguing entry in the Santa Barbara Music Club’s 55th season of free community concerts at 3 pm on Saturday, January 11, at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Hope Ranch Annex. Composer Eric Valinsky will be joined by piano compatriot Pascal Salomon for the world premiere of Valinsky’s four-handversion of Wisperfal, […]

    Time Out of Mind
    By Steven Libowitz   |   January 14, 2025

    Lucinda Lane, Santa Barbara’s self-described “IndieBossaJazzTwang” band formed as a duo a dozen years ago by songwriter-guitarist-singer Josef Woodard and jazz-pop vocalist Nicole Lvoff, has finally released its long-awaited debut album. The title Summer is Over is indicative of the delays in completing the recording, which features guest shots from the likes of local heroes […]

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