The Santa Barbara Symphony concludes its 2023/24 Season with Rhapsody in Blue @ 100: Jazz Comes to The Symphony, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18 and 3 p.m. Sunday, May 19 at 3 p.m. at The Granada Theatre.

This centennial celebration of George Gershwin’s defining contribution to the Jazz Age features The Marcus Roberts Trio and is part of an artist residency collaboration with the Lobero Theatre.

Marcus Roberts will also perform his Gershwin-inspired composition for piano and orchestra “Rhapsody in D.” Nir Kabaretti, symphony music and artistic director, will conduct Charles Ives’ “Symphony No. 2,” melding America’s folk tunes, hymns, and patriotic marches into its raucous finale.

“Audiences will be humming, clapping and in awe as the Marcus Roberts Trio & The Symphony join forces for the final concerts of the 2023/2024 season,” said Kathryn R Martin, president/CEO of The Santa Barbara Symphony.

The Marcus Roberts Trio is a musical partnership between pianist Marcus Roberts, drummer Jason Marsalis, and bassist Rodney Jordan. The Marcus Roberts Trio is known for its virtuosic style and new approach to jazz trio performance.

While most jazz trios have the piano front and center, all members of the Marcus Roberts Trio share equally in shaping the direction of the music by changing its tempo, mood, texture, or form at any time.

“Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue became an iconic and familiar masterpiece but was billed as an ‘Experiment in Modern Music’ when it was premiered back in 1924,” said Kabaretti. “Today, Marcus Roberts continues this experiment, playing his own version of the Rhapsody in Blue with additional Jazz Combo and improvisations in different jazz styles.

“I am also thrilled to perform Marcus Roberts’ exciting Rhapsody in D, written by him as a homage to Gershwin’s work.”

The Artist Residency with the Marcus Roberts Trio, created in partnership with the Lobero Theatre, includes Rhythm in Blue, a Jazz at the Lobero series performance, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 16, and a masterclass for local high school students with the trio.

Tickets for this 2023/24 season finale performances are on sale now and can be purchased in-person, online, or by calling the Granada Theatre box office, 805-899-2222 or by visiting TheSymphony.org.

Subscriptions are now available for the 2024/25 Season and if purchased on or before May 18, patrons will receive a pair of free tickets for Rhapsody in Blue @ 100: Jazz Comes to The Symphony.