The Santa Barbara Symphony’s innovative season of presenting live music together safely on stage continues with Violins Around the World: From Classical to Bluegrass, 7 p.m. Saturday, March 20 (with encore matinee, 3 p.m. Sunday, March 21) recorded live from the Granada Theatre stage, with no audience.
This season’s Spotlight on Santa Barbara program features the virtuoso violinist Gilles Apap, who returns home to Santa Barbara to play with the symphony, where he served as concertmaster for a decade.
“To me, Gilles Apap represents the ultimate violinist of the 21st century,” said Maestro Nir Kabaretti. “While his roots may be in the classical tradition, with direct connections to the greatest masters of the violin, from Yehudi Menuhin to Gideon Kremer, Gilles’s ability to play and innovate across so many different musical genres is absolutely unique in the world.”
Apap joins Kabaretti for a globetrotting program that travels across musical genres; from classical to Apap’s orchestral arrangements with French, Irish, Balkan, Bluegrass and popular music themes.
Home audiences will be treated to the music and untold story of Joseph Boulogne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, a prolific 18th-century Black composer, violin virtuoso (and master fencer) whose name has long been neglected in Western classical music tradition.
Of Senegalese and Caribbean descent, Chevalier was a contemporary of Mozart and Haydn. He wrote countless symphonies, sonatas, concertos, opera, and string quartets. He reached the height of his fame within Marie Antoinette’s court, where he was one of her music teachers.
The program also features Mozart’s famed Violin Concerto No. 5, “The Turkish,” with a unique interpretation performed by Apap.
Listeners can tune at 6:30 p.m. Saturday (2:30 p.m. Sunday) for the pre-show featuring behind-the-scenes interviews.
The symphony has partnered with DUO Catering who will offer a symphony-inspired dinner menu and Signature Symphony cocktail, available for delivery and takeout.
Virtual tickets to Violins Around the World start at $43 per household with a series subscription and includes a one-time link that provides access to both the livestream and on-demand access for 30 days after the premiere broadcast. Click here for details and to purchase tickets.
As the symphony continues on its path forward during these unprecedented times, part of its pledge is to continue employing the orchestra musicians. Bringing the orchestra together for seven live recorded concerts this season presents significant obstacles as well as expenses that cannot be offset through ticket revenue.
To continue to fulfill its pledge, the symphony is launching Musical Chairs, a fundraising campaign to support this effort.
“Our orchestra musicians are the heart of our organization,” said Kathryn R. Martin, president/CEO of the Santa Barbara Symphony. “Their courage to continue playing music together under circumstances that we could never have ever imagined has been truly inspiring.
“More than ever before, the support from our community makes our impact possible, and through the Musical Chairs campaign, donors are able to connect with the musicians in a very personal way.”
For more about the Musical Chairs campaign and to make a donation, click here. For full details about the Santa Barbara Symphony’s 2020-21 season, with all concerts available on demand, click here.