CONCERTS
Handel’s Messiah
Join us at Hahn Hall at the Music Academy of the West where the holiday season will come alive with Handel’s immortal masterwork – the Messiah, Part I (the ‘Christmas Portion’), and selections of Parts II and III.
EVENTS
Veterans Day Ceremony
November 11, 2021 at 10am
Sponsored by Pierre Claeyssens’ Veterans Foundation. Please join us at the Santa Barbara Cemetery on Veterans Day for this moving tribute of music and words honoring the sacrifices of our military personnel. FREE to all, no ticket required.
WHO WE ARE
How Can We Keep From Singing?
Premiered July 22, 2021
Despite wildfires and mudslides, the show has always gone on. The pandemic spurred a mini-documentary and our first ever virtual performance.
DISCOVER CHORAL MUSIC
Whether you are new to choral music, or a seasoned audience member, the experience is equally moving and inspiring. Choral music, sung by multiple voice parts, combines the vocal qualities of many singers seamlessly coming together as one voice and becomes transcendental when a chorus gives everything it can in each precise moment.
MEET THE CONDUCTOR
The 2021-2022 Season marks Jo Anne Wasserman’s 29th year as Artistic Director and Conductor of the Santa Barbara Choral Society. We thought we’d share a few things about her that you might not be aware of.
MEET THE CHORUS
The oldest of Santa Barbara’s community performing arts organizations, the Santa Barbara Choral Society is a semi-professional chorus comprised of about 80 auditioned singers from the Santa Barbara area.
“Something magical happens when some 80 voices come together in song. Socially and emotionally…it’s a fullfilling experience like no other. In a word: uplifting!”
IH, Santa Barbara
THE CHORAL SOCIETY
Individual donations make up more than 50% of our budget. Your generous support keeps the song alive.
SING WITH US!
Auditions are ongoing for our 2021-2022 Season. Join our chorus for performances that will feature music by Duruflé, Handel, Lauridsen, Tin, Vaughan Williams, and the Beatles!
We celebrate the joy of choral music, performing classical masterpieces and exciting modern works. There’s something for everyone.
NEWS & REVIEWS
NEWS | AUG. 22, 2021
The Neuroscience of Group Singing: It’s good for you!
NEWS | APR. 11, 2019
$20,000 in Anniversary Grants Handed Out by Montecito Bank & Trust
REVIEWS | Oct. 12, 2019
Performing Arts Review
State Street Ballet: American Masters
REVIEWS | Oct. 12, 2019
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.
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.
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.