Return of live performance to kick off with musical ‘Kismet’
Staff Report
The Santa Barbara Symphony has unveiled its 2021/22 season and looks forward to having audiences back in person to hear it, feel it, live it … live!
This season Maestro Nir Kabaretti, the symphony’s music and artistic director, takes audiences on a musical journey from October through May, anchoring each program with works performed by artists from around the globe, and making significant artistic connections within the Santa Barbara community. All performances are held at The Granada Theatre
“From Baroque to present day, from Beethoven to Broadway, and from Bach to Jeff Beal (House of Cards), this is the most unique and diverse season I’ve curated, and I couldn’t be more excited for the community to experience the sound of the Santa Barbara Symphony reverberating through the audience,” Kabaretti said.
Building upon the up-close-and-personal connection created through the symphony’s groundbreaking broadcasts throughout the pandemic, concert-goers can expect new ways to enhance the musical experience, including a screen friendly-digital zone inside the theater, musician interviews, pre-concert activities, and innovative ways to interact and connect with musicians, patrons and music fans.
“During our pandemic season, the programming designed for the home viewer brought audiences and musicians closer together than ever,” Kabaretti said. “To me, there could be no better way to emerge from the darkness of last year than to present a vibrant and dynamic new season that continues to shine a spotlight on our creative forces and engage our audiences even more.”
Showcasing the multi-faceted power of symphonic music and the collaborative opportunities it makes possible, the 2021-22 season opens with “Kismet,” a fully staged musical directed by Broadway legend and Emmy Award-winning director Lonny Price. The show features the Santa Barbara Symphony, State Street Ballet and an international cast.
New artistic partnerships with Jazz at the Lobero, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden and Santa Barbara Museum of Art offer audiences opportunities for deeper context and insights to the music and musicians — whether enjoying classical masterpieces by Bach, Beethoven, Handel, Gershwin, Mendelssohn, or discovering new works of living composers.
“The pandemic revealed and solidified our identity as an organization,” said Kathryn R Martin, symphony president/CEO. “Our mission is to create joy, connection, and impact through the unique ways only a symphony orchestra of our size and artistic caliber can.
“Our investment in music education programs, offering extended stays for our guest artists, and our shared commitment and curiosity in doing things for and with the community, all make it possible for greater impact to occur in Santa Barbara that would otherwise not have been possible,” she said.
Season subscriptions are on sale now with packages starting at $100 for a Four-Concert Season Package and $158 for a full, Seven-Concert Subscription Package, and may be ordered through www.thesymphony.org and by calling 805-898-9386. Single tickets go on sale Sept. 1.
For complete listings of the 2021-22 season offerings, visit The Santa Barbara Symphony 2021/22 Season.
