Written by Mary Dan Eades on November 22, 2014
Santa Barbara Choral Society and Orchestra will welcome actress Stephanie Zimbalist to the Lobero stage on December 13 and 14 as special guest celebrity narrator for our fun-filled holiday concert, the Hallelujah Project 2014.
Ms. Zimbalist, the daughter of late beloved iconic television actor, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr (and granddaughter of famed opera singer Alma Gluck and violin virtuoso Efrem Zimbalist) is, herself, a veteran of stage, movies, and television. She is well-known to Santa Barbara theater audiences for her tour-de-force performance in the role of Katherine Hepburn in Jenny Sullivan’s acclaimed production of ‘Tea at Five’ and more recently as Desiree in ‘A Little Night Music’ at the Ensemble Theatre’s inaugural season at the New Vic Theatre. Television viewers will remember her role as Laura Holt, opposite Pierce Brosnan, in the popular 80s detective series, Remington Steele, as well as in starring roles in over 30 movies, including ‘In the Matter of Karen Quinlan’, ‘Centenial’, and ‘Caroline?’ which earned her a Golden Globe nomination.
In this year’s Hallelujah Project, Ms. Zimbalist will delight both young and old as narrator of an enchantingly orchestrated version of perhaps the most-beloved children’s holiday bed-time story ever: ‘A Visit from St. Nicholas’, or as it is better known, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas’! It’s a performance you won’t want to miss and one sure to make fond holiday memories for children and parents alike.
Bring the whole family and kick off the season with an afternoon or evening of great music, from JS Bach and John Rutter to traditional holiday favorites, arranged by Stephen Paulus, Mack Wilberg, and more, performed under the baton of Conductor JoAnne Wasserman by the 100-voice Santa Barbara Choral Society and Orchestra. The angelic young voices of the Santa Barbara Children’s Chorus, Paul Freeman, Director, will be featured in several selections.
Saturday December 13 at 8 pm
Sunday December 14 at 3 pm
The Historic Lobero Theatre
Tickets: $46.50, $36.50, $26.50, and $14 for children with parents (same section) or students with ID.
Available in person at the Lobero Box Office, by calling 805-963-0761, or online.
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.
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.
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.