Spring Arts Preview – Classical
With what once seemed solid now melting into air, it is pleasing to remember that great music still offers access to timeless truths. For instance, on March 26, CAMA (camasb.org) will bring the Estonian National Symphony to the Granada in a concert that will include two works by the thrillingly innovative and sensual contemporary Estonian composer Arvo P¤rt. For an entirely different but equally adventurous evening, try the final concert in CAMA’s Masterseries at the Lobero, which features the Australian Chamber Orchestra with acclaimed countertenor Andreas Scholl on April 22. For the final concert of its season at the Granada, CAMA has the Los Angeles Philharmonic on Saturday, May 2, for what is always one of the highlights of the musical year.
Not to be outdone, UCSB’s Arts & Lectures is presenting a stellar lineup of internationally known musicians, including Gil Shaham with the ensemble Sejong on Sunday, April 5, at Campbell Hall. Just three days later, on Wednesday, April 8, 21-year-old piano sensation Yuja Wang will be at Hahn Hall, also courtesy of Arts & Lectures, which will round out its spring classical dance card on April 16 at Campbell Hall with perennial favorites the Emerson String Quartet.
Camerata Pacifica will be joined by master oboist Nicholas Daniel for its Friday, April 17, concerts at Hahn Hall, and on May 15, CamPac will get together with everyone’s favorite pianist, Warren Jones, for a program of Beethoven and Brahms with a piece by Rebecca Clark thrown in for good measure. The Santa Barbara Music Club (sbmusicclub.org) has a concert this Saturday, March 21, at 3 p.m. in the Faulkner Gallery, and the Santa Barbara Youth Symphony (sbys.org) will perform on Sunday, March 22, at the Lobero.
The Santa Barbara Symphony (thesymphony.org) has perhaps the most ambitious and certainly the most elaborate plans for the spring, with a Guitar Festival running from March 21 through March 29 (see full preview on page here) and three major concerts of their own. On March 28 and 29, the symphony will perform at the Granada with special guests the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet. On April 18 and 19, the orchestras will be augmented by the Santa Barbara Choral Society (sbchoral.org) for works by Mozart and Puccini. And for their final concert of the season, the symphony will welcome pianist Sergio Tiempo to the Granada on May 9 and 10 for Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1.
