Anonymous donors have made a major gift of $375,000 to support the Santa Barbara City College Music Department’s Jazz and Symphony programs, the SBCC Foundation has announced. The funds will be available for broad use, providing music department faculty and staff with resources to initiate and fund special projects and intermittent critical needs of the programs.

“Personal enjoyment of numerous Santa Barbara City College Music Department classes inspired this donation,” said the donors, who wish to remain anonymous. “The faculty’s teaching excellence and personal musicianship is world class. We are honored to support the SBCC Music Department’s goal of educating music students in our community.”

“This generous gift is a manifestation of the immense appreciation our community has for SBCC Music and its renowned jazz and symphony programs,” said Geoff Green, SBCC Foundation CEO. “We are grateful for the vision inherent in this support that will make it possible for students to benefit for years to come.”

SBCC Music programs are known internationally for their innovation and excellence, as they prepare students for entry into a four-year music school and professional careers. Students have continued their studies at such universities as USC, UCLA, Chapman University, and NYU.

In 2020, the SBCC Summer Jazz program was the only such program to be fully realized amid the COVID-19 pandemic, thanks to quick thinking and cutting-edge technology. SBCC Music faculty pursued this remote rehearsal and performance model using Jamulus, a groundbreaking platform enabling musicians to play synchronously from dozens of remote locations.

SBCC Music’s three jazz bands were the first in the world at an academic institution to successfully present a live concert of a large ensemble with each member participating synchronously, and safely, from their homes.

“We are very excited about this gift and the ongoing support it will provide for our jazz and symphony programs,” said Nathan Kreitzer, chair of the SBCC Music Department.

For more about SBCC Music, visit sbccmusic.com. For more about the SBCC Foundation, visit http://www.sbccfoundation.org.