Festival of the week

The 1st Annual Santa Barbara Guitar Festival

Worn out from the S.B. Film Festival’s relentless party scene?
Well, brace yourself, because there is now officially a festival
season in Santa Barbara and we are smack in the middle of it.
Beginning on Friday, February 9 and continuing through Sunday,
February 18, the Santa Barbara Symphony will be sponsoring a guitar
festival.

The kickoff events are two concerts by the Westmont College
orchestra with renowned classical guitarist Patrick Anderson, one
on Friday at Victoria Hall Theater (33 W. Victoria St.), and
another on Saturday at El Montecito Presbyterian Church (1455 E.
Valley Rd.). For Valentine’s Day, the festival will present a
champagne and chocolate candlelight concert at the Presidio Chapel
(123 E. Canon Perdido St.) featuring Pablo Sáinz Villegas.

The biggest events planned for the festival are concerts at the
Lobero Theatre on Thursday, February 15 and Friday, February 16;
and at the Arlington on Saturday and Sunday. Thursday’s show is a
recital by the esteemed Los Angeles Guitar Quartet, who will be in
residence throughout the week. Friday brings in jazz legend Jim
Hall with dazzling bassist Dave Holland in a joint production with
the Jazz at the Lobero series. Finally, the S.B. Symphony will play
host to the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet at its Arlington concerts
during the weekend in a program that includes the “Concierto
Andaluz” by Joaquín Rodrigo.

So suck it up, don your best duds once again, and help
inaugurate yet another excellent cultural offering in Santa
Barbara.  — Charles Donelan