The Santa Barbara Symphony, under the baton of Maestro Nir Kabaretti, will bring its 2016-17 season to a close with a celebration of Paris featuring Grammy Award-winning cellist Zuill Bailey, at 8 p.m. Saturday, May 13, and 3 p.m. Sunday, May 14, at the Granada Theatre, 1214 State St.
In addition to Saint-Saëns’ first Cello Concerto, the program will include Mozart’s Symphony No. 31 Paris, Liszt’s Les Preludes, and George Gershwin’s An American in Paris.
“We are delighted to highlight these four composers’ storied ties to the City of Lights,” said Kabaretti, now in his 11th season as the Santa Barbara Symphony’s music director.
“Soloist Zuill Bailey has had a long, fruitful relationship with the Santa Barbara Symphony, and we couldn’t be more pleased to have him on hand for these concerts. A fitting conclusion to a spectacular season,” Kabaretti said.
Widely considered one of the world’s premiere cellists, Bailey has been featured with the symphony orchestras of Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Detroit, and Dallas, and has collaborated with musical luminaries such as Leon Fleisher, Jaime Laredo, and the Juilliard String Quartet.
He has appeared at Disney Hall, the Kennedy Center, the United Nations, Alice Tully Hall, the 92nd Street Y, and Carnegie Hall, where he made his concerto debut performing the U.S. premiere of Mikis Theodorakis’ Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra.
Bailey also presented the U.S. premiere of the Nico Muhly Cello Concerto with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
His international appearances have been with the Moscow Chamber Orchestra in its 50th anniversary tour of Russia, and concerts in Australia, France, Spain, South Africa, Hong Kong, Jordan, Mexico, South America and the United Kingdom.
His discography includes recordings on Telarc of the Bach Cello Suites, Brahms’ complete works for cello and piano with pianist Awadagin Pratt, and the complete Beethoven Cello Sonatas with pianist Simone Dinnerstein. The latter earned him Classical Recording Foundation Awards.
He recently received a 2017 Grammy Award (Classical Instrumental Solo category) for his performance of Michael Daugherty’s Tales of Hemingway with the Nashville Symphony.
The May 13-14 concerts are supported by Daniel and Mandy Hochman, Sara Miller McCune, Joan and Geoffrey Rutkowski, and Nancyann and Robert Failing.
Tickets, now available, start at $29 and can be bought at www.granadasb.org or by calling 899-2222. Group sales discounts of up to 20 percent available.
Patrons ages 20-29 can buy $20 tickets; students with valid ID can buy $10 tickets. Seating in both cases is in selected sections of the Granada.
For additional information, visit www.thesymphony.org.
— Tim Dougherty for Santa Barbara Symphony.