Erin Graffy Strolling Chorus Launches August 5 at Old Spanish Days Fiesta

In a lovely and fitting tribute to the late Erin Graffy de Garcia, who adored Fiesta and the performing arts, this year, Mrs. Liam O’Sullivan’s Children’s Strolling Chorus of Fiesta has been renamed and revived in honor of Erin as the Erin Graffy Strolling Chorus at Old Spanish Days Fiesta. 

“Growing up, our family experienced the enchantment of Fiesta through Mrs. O’Sullivan’s Children’s Strolling Chorus,” said Colleen Graffy, Erin’s sister. “That is where Erin first fell in love with Old Spanish Days. Bringing this tradition back in Erin’s name isn’t just about preserving history; it’s about passing that same magic, joy, and deep love for Santa Barbara’s heritage on to a whole new generation of children.”

As my Santa Barbara Independent colleague Nick Welsh said when Erin passed away: “Erin was such a force of nature, delight, wit, caring, and smarts that it is impossible to imagine her not being here. Santa Barbara will be a duller, stupider, flatter place. Its fun IQ just dropped one billion points.”

The Erin Graffy Legacy Endowment is bringing back the strolling chorus in collaboration with the Music Academy of the West’s Sing! program under the direction of Erin (aptly named!) McKibben, shared Colleen. 

Sing! is the Music Academy of the West’s free, after-school youth choral program serving nearly 300 Santa Barbara County students grades 1 to 10 from more than 40 area schools. 

Performing as the Erin Graffy Strolling Chorus at Old Spanish Days Fiesta, the young singers will move throughout downtown, on Wednesday, August 5, filling the air with music while bringing back a beloved custom first established in 1929. 

Performance stops include 10:15 a.m. at the Paseo Nuevo Amphitheatre; 10:45 a.m. at Old Spanish Days Mercado, De La Guerra Plaza; and 11:30 a.m. at Santa Barbara Historical Museum, followed by a reception and talk by author and historian Neal Graffy (who is also Colleen and Erin’s brother).

All performances are free and open to the public. For more information about the late Erin Graffy and the Erin Graffy Legacy Endowment click here. For more information about the Music Academy of the West’s Sing! click here.