The Santa Barbara Symphony invites the community to discover a reimagined 2020-21 performance season, one that will be remembered as historic. The symphony will present seven programs this season, with plans that begin with a new streaming format and add socially distanced, in-person options for audiences when that becomes possible.
Curated by music and artistic director Nir Kabaretti, the 2020-21 season shines a spotlight onto the Santa Barbara Symphony symphony musicians and local artistic treasures.
It will includes masterpieces by Gershwin, Beethoven, Chopin, Bach, Mozart, Copland, as well as composers’ pieces the symphony has not performed before, such as African American composers George Walker and Joseph Boulogne Chevalier de Saint-Georges; and genres ranging from Baroque to orchestral arrangements of Bluegrass.
Tickets are on sale for the virtual season, in addition to subscriptions offering savings and new benefits all season long at https://thesymphony.org/concerts-events/subscriptions-tickets/; or call 805-898-9386
The 2020-21 season opens with Cabaret with Kabaretti, 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17 via livestream from the Granada Theatre. Opening Night features Kabaretti conducting and Broadway star Lisa Vroman singing from the Great American Songbook. Viewers can hum along to Gershwin, Berlin, Lloyd-Webber, and be entertained by host and actress/singer Leslie Zemeckis.
The symphony will showcase the new livestream format featuring performances, interviews, and 360-degree access to our musicians, both onstage and backstage at the Granada Theatre.
The event is a joint fundraiser for the symphony and the Granada Theatre. The symphony has partnered with DUO Catering to prepare a cabaret-inspired dinner and a signature cocktail, available for takeout, for guests to enjoy that evening from home while viewing the opening night festivities.
Tickets available at https://thesymphony.org/concerts-events/subscriptions-tickets/ starting at $43 per household for season subscriptions.
“With everything going on in the world right now, we need music more than ever to safely bring us back together,” Kabaretti said. “This season you will experience the symphony like never before.
“It’s a true celebration of our phenomenal local artists along with brilliant shining stars in our performing arts world that will join us to inspire you, and take you on musical experiences none of us could have imagined before a pandemic. We are rising to the occasion to continue the music, and bring you a newfound love and appreciation for the symphony, and we cannot wait.”
The symphony is currently planning a return to live performances with limited, socially-distanced audiences at the Granada Theatre in January. This return will be based on public health and safety guidance.
“The safety of our staff, musicians and audience is our top priority,” said Kathryn R. Martin, Santa Barbara Symphony’s interim CEO. “After months of planning, the Santa Barbara Symphony will bring audiences together in a new way to experience live music.
“From state-of-the art-camera work, backstage interviews, live interactions and even special dinners with local restaurant partners, everything has been designed to enhance our audiences’ experience. As orchestras around the country have gone dark, we are grateful to our supporters and community partners for making this unprecedented season possible.”
Digital subscribers will enjoy enhanced concert experiences such as a Season Sneak Peek with Nir Kabaretti, pre-concert Behind the Music events, and dinner packages.
For more about the Santa Barbara Symphony, visit www.thesymphony.org.