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SANTA BARBARA, CA, November 20, 2025 – For Irene Fredricey, music has always been more than just notes on a page. It has been a source of confidence and community. Growing up in Santa Barbara, Irene remembers riding her bike to Peabody School with her violin in tow, eager to help set up the orchestra pit before class. ” I felt involved in something special,” she recalls. “I met new friends and became more focused in school.”
Today, Irene is passing that love of music on to the next generation. Alongside her husband and keyboardist Jim Thomas, she has organized a series of benefit concerts for Keep the Beat, a program of the Santa Barbara Education Foundation (SBEF) that provides instruments and funding for music education in local public schools. What started as a Valentine’s Day Sweethearts Concert evolved into a Summer of Love Couples Concert, both of which sold out quickly. This new tradition now continues with A Gift of Music: Giving Tuesday Concert on Tuesday, December 2.
“Programs such as Keep the Beat are so important and can have lifelong benefits,” Irene explains. “I see programs like this as building blocks to growth in self-confidence, self-discipline, self-expression, communication, and organization. I feel these are fundamental to working towards any passion in life.”
SBEF Interim Executive Director Katie Szopa says Irene’s commitment shows the power of community in sustaining music education. “When local musicians like Irene step forward to give back, it strengthens the foundation our students rely on,” Szopa shares. “Her generosity helps ensure that every student, regardless of background, has access to the growth and joy that music brings.”
The concert will feature a lineup of local musicians, including Irene Fredricey and Jim Thomas, as well as other musician couples: Jessica Bortman & Michael Andrews, Kimberly Ford & Stan Krome, Donna Greene & Greg Loeb, Jan Ingram & Henry Garrett, and Misha Osborne & Scott Branch. Students from BRAVO!, an after-school music program also supported by SBEF, will take the stage to share their talents.
A Gift of Music: Giving Tuesday Concert will take place on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM, with doors opening at 5:00 PM, at SOhO Restaurant & Music Club. This all-ages event promises an evening of heartfelt performances in support of music education across Santa Barbara’s public schools.
The Santa Barbara Education Foundation works to generate private support for Santa Barbara’s public schools, impacting almost 12,000 students. For more information, visit santabarbaraeducation.org.
