Written by Mary Dan Eades on January 22, 2018
Don’t miss this tribute to one of America’s musical giants: Leonard Bernstein. BUY TICKETS
Evening: Saturday, February 17, 2018; 8:00 PM
Matinee: Sunday, February 18, 2018; 3:00 PM
Location: The Granada Theatre
The Santa Barbara Choral Society will join the Santa Barbara Symphony as they get the jump on what promises to be a worldwide centennial celebration, marking the 100th anniversary of Leonard Bernstein’s birth with some of his best-known works, including melodies from the ballet Fancy Free and his timeless West Side Story accompanied by the chorus and the exquisite voice of Lisa Vroman. The program also features works by fellow American composers Aaron Copland and Robin Frost, with exceptional Symphony soloists taking turns in the spotlight.
Nir Kabaretti, Conductor
Lisa Vroman, Soprano
Jon Lewis, Trumpet
Sarah Beck, English Horn
Natasha Kislenko, Piano
with the Santa Barbara Choral Society
Copland: Quiet City
Robin Frost: Piano Concerto
Bernstein: Selections from Fancy Free, Candide, Mass, West Side Story
TICKETS at GRANADA THEATER BOX OFFICE on online here
American baritone, Ralph Cato has travelled the world extensively, telling stories in song with his warm, clarion baritone voice.
Tenor, Benjamin Brecher has performed over fifty operatic roles with many of the world’s most prestigious opera companies, specializing in the high lying lyric tenor repertoire. He has performed 16 roles with New York City Opera alone. Career highlights include performances with Opera Orchestra of New York, L’Opera de Nice, Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, L’Opera de Montreal, Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, among many others. His orchestral solo repertoire includes Mozart, Handel, Orff, Bach, Haydn, as well as many performances of Britten. In 2000 he began performing the great Irish Tenor songs in a concert produced for him entitled A Celtic Celebration, Twenty years later, the show has become a North American hit with performances with 45 Symphonies in North America. Ben continues his discography having added his twelfth recording in 2016 Forgotten Liszt, with pianist Robert Koenig, and will record a new release in 2022 entitled “Three Centuries of Thomas Moore” including the music of Britten, Berlioz, and Sarah Gibson on MSR Classics. He is a Professor of Voice at University of California Santa Barbara, where he has served as the Head of Voice.
Tracy Van Fleet is pleased to return to the Santa Barbara Choral Society. As a soloist, she has performed with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, Lüneburg Symphony in Germany, Orquesta Filarmónica de Boca del Río in Mexico, Pasadena Symphony, Naples Philharmonic, Los Angeles Bach Festival, San Diego Chamber Orchestra, Colorado Philharmonic, USC Symphony and Chorus, and others. She has had many appearances with the Los Angeles Opera, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Pacific Symphony, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Opera Pacific, San Diego Opera and Opera Colorado.
Born and raised in Southern California, April Amante is a versatile soprano with expertise and facility in repertoire spanning from early music to contemporary musical theater.