The Santa Barbara Symphony will ring in 2020 in style with New Year’s Eve Pops – Women Rock, 8:30 p.m. Dec. 31 at the Granada Theatre.

Guest pops conductor Bob Bernhardt returns for this New Year’s Eve tradition, alongside Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Cassidy Catanzaro, Brie Cassil and Tamika Lawrence. The audience will enjoy a champagne toast and party favors while listening to a program of hits from some of the most famous female rock vocalists including Carole King, Tina Turner and Aretha Franklin.

Designed to showcase some of the most talented women in rock-and-roll, the program includes such favorites as “Piece of My Heart,” “Proud Mary” and “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.”

New Year’s Eve Pops is sponsored by Santa Barbara Symphony Artist Sponsors Dave and Chris Chernof and the Santa Barbara Symphony Board of Directors, with additional support from Cabana Homes and Village Properties.

Single tickets for New Year’s Eve Pops currently start at $81 and can be purchased online at thesymphony.org, granadasb.org or by calling the Granada Theatre Box Office, 805-899-2222.

With 31 years of experience as a music director, 35 years as a stage conductor, and 33 years in the opera pit, Bernhardt brings a unique perspective to the stage. In 2015, he was named principal pops conductor of the Grand Rapids Symphony, and this season is his 21st year as principal pops conductor of the Louisville Orchestra, as well as his 36th consecutive year with the company.

This also is Bernhardt’s sixth season as music director emeritus and principal pops conductor of the Chattanooga Symphony and Opera (where he was music director for 19 seasons). He has worked with scores of stars from Broadway, Rock & Roll, and the American Songbook, from Brian Stokes Mitchell and Kelli O’Hara, to the Beach Boys and Wynonna and Jason Alexander.

Catanzaro is a 2017 Grammy-nominated songwriter. She has toured with The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith, and has sung with rock icons from Greg Allman to Steve Perry of Journey. As the lead singer and songwriter of the all-female rock band Antigone Rising, Catanzaro toured the U.S. following a landmark record deal signed with both Starbucks, Hear Music Label, and Atlantic Records.

Catanzaro has sold close to 2 million songwriting credits, including tracks for popstar, Demi Lovato, Max Martin, Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20, Mount Holly Band, and Swedish recording artist Tommy Burr.

Cassil is a singer, actress and composer based out of New York City. Travelling worldwide for her art, she has led musical theater workshops in Brazil, as well as opened for Adler (the original drummer for Guns & Roses band) with her original band, Rebel.

Cassil has sung a variety of genres from opera to rock. In the theater world she has been seen playing Belle in “Beauty and the Beast,” Little Sally in “Urinetown,” Mimi in “RENT,” Suzy in “The Marvelous Wonderettes,” and Blast in the new rock musical “Chix 6.”

Hailing from the Mount Hope neighborhood of the Bronx, Lawrence began her musical career on Broadway almost 10 years ago, with roles in “The Wiz Live!” on NBC, “Book of Mormon,” “Come From Away” and “RENT.” Lawrence has lent her alt-rock vocals to movie soundtracks and sung backgrounds for artists including Hugh Jackman and Idina Menzel.

In 2018, Lawrence won a Grammy for her work on the “Dear Evan Hansen” album. Her debut solo “EP Two Faced” is scheduled for release in 2020. Her debut solo single “Barabbas” is out now.

A portion of proceeds from artist and production fees for the Holiday Pops performance will be donated by the management company to the Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls (WMRC), a nonprofit music and mentoring organization that empowers girls and women through music education, volunteerism, and other community-related activities.

WMRC is a year-round, nonprofit music education and mentoring program dedicated to empowering girls, women and gender-expansive people through arts and activism.

The Santa Barbara Symphony was founded in 1953. Its award-winning Music Education Center serves some 10,000 students annually in Santa Barbara County and recently announced an historic partnership with Carnegie Hall as Concerts For Young People Program will be combined with Link Up, a national program of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, during the 2019/20 season.

For more information, visit www.thesymphony.org.

— Jennifer Zacharias for The Santa Barbara Symphony.