Friday, April 5, 2019, 8:00pm
Presented by CAMA
Thomas Søndergård, Conductor
Olga Kern, Piano

Since its founding in 1891, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra has played an integral role in the musical life of its namesake country, including performing at the opening ceremony of the Scottish Parliament building in 2004. Known originally as the Scottish Orchestra, the ensemble was awarded Royal Patronage in 1977. Today the orchestra is led by the brilliant Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård serving his first season as music director. The RSNO program will feature symphonies by Sibelius and Prokofiev and also will celebrate Rachmaninoff’s 100th Anniversary in the US with a performance of his Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini with Russian-American piano soloist Olga Kern, the first woman to receive the Gold Medal at the prestigious Van Cliburn Piano Competition, back in 2001.

Saturday, April 13, 2019, 8:00pm
Sunday, April 14, 2019, 3:00pm
Presented by Santa Barbara Symphony

The Messa da Requiem has been described as Giuseppe Verdi’s only masterpiece not intended for the stage. Though perhaps best known for his operas Aida, Rigoletto, and La Traviata, among others, Verdi was prompted to take up the Catholic funeral mass form by the passing of revered Italian poet and novelist Alessandro Manzoni, whom the composer admired greatly. His powerful Requiem combines the drama of opera, the thrill of outstanding symphonic writing, and an abundance of virtuosic solo moments. In the words of Johannes Brahms, “Only a genius could have written such a work.”

Tuesday, May 7, 2019, 7:00pm
Presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures

In a joint performance by a standout trio of virtuosic performers, three longtime friends and collaborators come together to offer an unparalleled evening of music. Violinist Joshua Bell, British cellist Steven Isserlis and pianist Jeremy Denk are not only among today’s most notable musicians, but also compelling ambassadors who have defined what it means to be a classical musician in the 21st century. Together, these masters at the top of their crafts bring bravura, beauty and “magical intimacy” (The Strad, U.K.) to a program rich in Romantic melody and color.

Tickets may also be purchased directly through the UCSB Arts & Lectures website.

Saturday, May 11, 2019, 8:00pm
Sunday, May 12, 2019, 3:00pm
Presented by Santa Barbara Symphony

William Shakespeare’s immortal tragedy Romeo and Juliet has inspired masterful scores by the likes of Berlioz, Prokofiev, and even Leonard Bernstein. Tchaikovsky’s Overture-Fantasy is perhaps the most emotionally resonant of them all. The Bard himself would doubtless approve of its remarkable economy and depth. Next up: Elmer Bernstein’s eclectic, post-Romantic Songs of Love and Loathing, which the Santa Barbara Symphony premiered in 1989. The season concludes in high style – with Antonín Dvorák’s euphoric Symphony No. 8.

Saturday, October 19, 2019, 8:00pm
Sunday, October 20, 2019, 3:00pm
Presented by Santa Barbara Symphony

The Santa Barbara Symphony opens its 66th season with a burst of energy courtesy of the great Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi. The overture to his mid-career masterpiece La Forza del Destino covers a range of emotion, but is ultimately propulsive and exhilarating. Critically acclaimed violinist Francesca Dego next performs Niccolò Paganini’s demanding Violin Concerto No. 1. Written during a three-month sojourn in Rome in 1880, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s fantasy Capriccio Italien offers a richly descriptive portrait of Italy. This delightful Italian-themed program concludes with Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4, which radiates irresistible joy and affection.

Saturday, November 16, 2019, 8:00pm
Sunday, November 17, 2019, 3:00pm
Presented by Santa Barbara Symphony

Croatian soprano Lana Kos is increasingly in demand at top opera houses worldwide. Making her Santa Barbara debut, she will lend her powerful voice to a performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s joyous religious motet Exsultate Jubilate. The recipient of several prestigious honors, including a Pulitzer Prize, contemporary composer Julia Wolfe draws inspiration from folk, classical, and rock genres. Her virtuosic Fuel was inspired by the renowned chamber orchestra Ensemble Resonanz, as well as the sounds of transport and harbors. Gustav Mahler’s wondrous Symphony No. 4 is the most accessible of his works. Warm and lyrical, it combines deliberate simplicity with a wealth of invention.

Saturday, Dececmber 7, 2019, 8:00pm
Presented by Santa Barbara Symphony

(Special Holiday Add-On)

In the spirit of the season, prepare to be delighted by your favorite holiday classics in a program led by guest conductor Andy Einhorn featuring Broadway star and singer Christiane Noll.

Tuesday, Dececmber 31, 2019, 8:30pm
Presented by Santa Barbara Symphony

(Special Holiday Add-On)

Celebrating the music of Carole King, Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin and More.

Saturday, January 18, 2020, 8:00pm
Sunday, January 19, 2020, 3:00pm
Presented by Santa Barbara Symphony

Israeli pianists Sivan Silver and Gil Garburg have thrilled audiences and critics alike on five continents. This performance will see them perform a new concerto based on Johannes Brahms’ G Minor Piano Quartet Op. 25. Created expressly for the duo, this remarkable piece of music is the work of contemporary Austrian composer Richard Dünser, who combined Brahms’ two original versions of the quartet. Honoring Beethoven’s 250th birthday, the symphony will close the evening with the intensely emotional Symphony No. 3 “Eroica”. This piece stands as a landmark achievement and one of the composers most celebrated works. In the words of the late American composer William Flanagan, “The appearance of no single work has so completely and irretrievably altered the face of art.”

Saturday, Februay 15, 2020, 8:00pm
Sunday, February 16, 2020, 3:00pm
Presented by Santa Barbara Symphony

Hailed as one of his generation’s most promising conducting talents, German-born Christian Reif has impressed critics with his phenomenal poise and interpretive prowess. He will lead a program that opens with a work by another musical Wunderkind, Pulitzer Prize-nominated composer Michael Gilbertson. Continuing in a youthful vein, rising cellist Thomas Mesa will perform Tchaikovsky’s stunningly brilliant Variations on a Rococo Theme. Composed at the end of his life, La Clemenza di Tito reveals the full flower of Mozart’s mature genius. There is no mistaking the program’s concluding work – the Viennese master’s timeless and captivating Symphony No. 39

Saturday, March 21, 2020, 8:00pm
Sunday, March 22, 2020, 3:00pm
Presented by Santa Barbara Symphony

The iconic musical An American in Paris was inspired by George Gershwin’s jazz-infused orchestral treasure of the same name, and the Santa Barbara Symphony has combined the two for an unforgettable program of music and film! Gershwin’s evocative and vivid An American in Paris is arguably the finest musical love letter ever penned to a city, while director Vincente Minnelli’s Academy Award-winning motion picture starring Gene Kelly has lost none of its insouciant charm. Come hear the Symphony, under the baton of guest conductor Constantine Kitsopoulos, provide live accompaniment to a screening of one of the world’s greatest movie musicals.

Saturday, April 18, 2020, 8:00pm
Sunday, April 19, 2020, 3:00pm
Presented by Santa Barbara Symphony

Cameron Carpenter is an organist like no other. A former child prodigy, he has made an unlikely career of re-imagining the instrument while methodically dismantling the musty stereotypes that have long attended it. Known for his musical brilliance and flamboyant performances, he continues to push the boundaries of organ technique to breathtaking heights. Among other distinctions, Mr. Carpenter is the first solo organist ever nominated for a Grammy Award. For this program, he will perform Francis Poulenc’s Concerto for Organ, Strings, and Timpani, as well as Camille Saint-Säens’ Symphony No. 3. Additionally, prepare to be delighted by the first two movements of Claude Debussy’s mesmerizing Nocturnes.

Saturday, May 16, 2020, 8:00pm
Sunday, May 17, 2020, 3:00pm
Presented by Santa Barbara Symphony

The Symphony closes the season with a celebratory tribute to Ludwig van Beethoven, an artist who is arguably the defining figure in the history of Western music. Inspired by Beethoven’s epic benefit concert of December 1808, which saw premieres of his Fourth Piano Concerto and Choral Fantasy, this program will also include his C major Mass in all its glory. Join Maestro Kabaretti and the Santa Barbara Symphony as they combine forces with pianist Alessio Bax, four talented vocal soloists, the Santa Barbara Choral Society and Quire of Voyces for an unforgettable 250th.