An Opera Gala tour put on jointly by the UCSB Department of Music and Department of Theater and Dance along with the Ventura College of Performing Arts will take place on three consecutive evenings in May.

The show schedule is:

May 15, 4 p.m. at Casa Dorinda in Montecito (abridged performance)
May 16, 7:30 p.m. at Helen Yunker Auditorium, Ventura College of Performing Arts
May 17, 7:30 p.m. at Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall, UC Santa Barbara

Under the artistic direction of UCSB’s Isabel Bayrakdarian, the gala offers an evening of opera, featuring familiar arias and ensembles performed by young opera stars.

Dance performances choreographed by Christina McCarthy of UCSB; and a contemporary multimedia piece by João Pedro Oliviera (UCSB), will be accompanied by a live orchestra from Ventura College Performing Arts VCPA, directed by Brent Wilson (UCSB, VCPA).

Opening the Opera Gala to several venues throughout the community unveils the creativity of the producers and the versatility of the performers.

“We are thrilled to extend the Opera Gala to various venues, allowing access to diverse audiences, fostering collaboration among our talented students, faculty, guest performers and creative teams, enhancing our community outreach, and strengthening relationships within our community to foster engagement with our supporters and to attract and recruit new talent to UCSB.” Bayrakdarian said.

The UCSB and Ventura College performances will include UCSB’s Theater and Dance performers, as well as a collaborative live orchestra of faculty and guest artists from both campuses in a performance of works by Bologne, Gluck, Handel, Mozart, and UCSB
Corwin Chair and 2023 Guggenheim Fellow, João Pedro Oliviera.

Oliviera’s unique piece “Daniel’s Prayer” will feature UCSB dancers, UCSB Alumna April Amante, and visual multimedia. “Daniel’s Prayer” is an excerpt from Oliviera’s award-winning multimedia opera “The 70th Week,” based on the Book of Daniel in the Bible in which he asks God to protect the city and the temple.

The Casa Dorinda performance will be an abridged version featuring UCSB’s Department of Music and UCSB’s Department of Theater and Dance, in a performance of works by Gluck, Handel, and Mozart, with piano accompaniment.

For ticketing and information, visit music.ucsb.edu/events/calendar or
ventura.vbotickets.com/events.