Opera Santa Barbara will mark its silver anniversary with a 25th Anniversary Gala Concert at 6 p.m. Jan. 26 at the Lobero Theatre and featuring some of the most captivating performers of the company’s history.
Former Artistic Director Valéry Ryvkin will join OSB’s current artistic and general director, Kostis Protopapas, at the podium, conducting the Opera Santa Barbara Orchestra in a program representing a nonstop “hit parade” of opera arias, duets and ensemble pieces, including “Nessun Dorma” from Turandot, the “Flower Duet” from Madama Butterfly and the “Song to the Moon” from Rusalka.
The concert will honor Marilyn Gilbert, who co-founded the opera company with her late husband, Nathan Rundlett.
Following a champagne reception for all ticket holders at 5 p.m., the 90-minute concert will feature sopranos Isabel Bayrakdarian and Karin Wolverton; mezzo-sopranos Audrey Babcock and Nina Yoshida Nelsen; tenors Adam Diegel and Nathan Granner; baritones Lee Poulis and Todd Thomas; and bass Kevin Thompson. Chrisman Studio Artists Ashley Armstrong, Jennifer Lindsay, Michael Kollmorgen and Yazid Gray also will perform.
Holding the concert at the Lobero Theatre marks a return to Opera Santa Barbara’s roots. The company staged productions there for many years in the past and will be performing both Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin (March 1 and March 3) and Robert Ward’s The Crucible (April 26 or April 28) at the Lobero.
After the concert, an anniversary party will be held at El Paseo, where guests will enjoy light entertainment, food and beverages to fuel late-night dancing to an eclectic mix of music by a local DJ.
Call the opera office at 805.898.3890 for all-inclusive tickets to the concert and after-party. Tickets are $300 per person. A limited number of VIP sponsorships are also available at various levels. Twenty-five tickets to the concert and party will be made available to patrons ages 21 to 29 for only $25.
For concert-only tickets may be purchased by calling the Lobero at 805.963.0761 or online by clicking here. Tickets range from $75 to $125; $49 for seniors and persons under 40.
— Marylove Thralls is the marketing director for Opera Santa Barbara.