With a late-afternoon Gala Concert and two opera matinees, it is easy for area seniors to enjoy Opera Santa Barbara’s 2010-11 Season productions.

Convenient Start Times: Opera Santa Barbara’s season opener, An Evening with Patricia Racette, is on Sunday, Nov. 21 at The Granada at 5 p.m. Patricia Racette is a Metropolitan Opera regular and is most known for her performance in the title role of Madam Butterfly, which was a featured HD Live broadcast worldwide. She will arrive in Santa Barbara directly from the Met stage, where she will be seen in a production of Il Trovatore. She will delight audiences with some of the most beloved arias from Tosca, Madam Butterfly, and La Traviata among others.


There will be a matinee performance of Verdi’s beloved opera, La Traviata, on Sunday, March 6 at 2:30 p.m., at The Granada, and a matinee for La Serva Padrona/Trouble in Tahiti, on Sunday, April 10 at 2:30 p.m. at The Lobero Theatre. La Traviata is one of the best-known and most accessible operas whose heart-rending love story has appealed to audiences since 1854. This will be a grand opera with beautiful sets and costumes, an excellent cast and orchestra led by Maestro Valery Ryvkin. Trouble in Tahiti was the great contemporary composer, Leonard Bernstein’s first opera, and features a jazzy musical style. The opera examines domestic life in suburban America of the 1950s.  Along with Trouble in Tahiti is La Serva Padrona, a comic opera written in 1733 also dealing with domesticity.

All three productions will end early enough to meet most senior ticket-buyer’s needs.

Simultaneous Opera Translations: Each opera will display highly-visible English subtitles on a screen above the stage, so that no one need worry about understanding a foreign, or even English, language opera.  Free Opera Revealed lectures beginning 45 minutes prior to each show also provide exceptional insight about the composers and background of each opera.

Aficionado Club: For those who will be attending OSB productions alone, Opera Santa Barbara has inaugurated an Aficionado Club. There is no cost to join, and members will enjoy the opportunity to get acquainted with other solo opera goers at a wine and cheese reception in late October. There will be pre-arranged meals in nearby restaurants prior to each opera performance for Aficionado Club members, and a special seating section will be reserved for the pre-opera talks.

Senior Group Discounts: A generous discount of 15 percent on the cost of a ticket is available for groups of 15 or more.

For information about the 2010-11 Season, call Opera Santa Barbara at 805.898.3890 or visit the web site at www.OperaSB.com.