toi toi toi An expression of encouragement backstage before an opera. (Synonym in theatre: break a leg.)
Enjoy a stylish cocktail hour on the terrace, followed by a musical toast in the “La Traviata” ballroom. Indulge in a delectable hors d’oeuvres buffet while our chorus members and guest soloists serenade you. The evening will crescendo with an exhilarating live auction.
Our gala event will be dedicated to the late Eduardo Villa, internationally-known Metropolitan Opera tenor and long-time friend of The Choral Society.
The Choral Society gala supports our mission to celebrate the joy of live choral music by performing exceptional classical masterpieces and diverse,
modern works for the widest possible audience.
Venue
Santa Barbara Woman’s Club (“Rockwood”), 670 Mission Canyon Road, Santa Barbara
Date
Saturday, Apr. 27, 5:30 to 9:00 p.m.
Attire
Get your “Tosca” on! Cocktail attire or opera-themed costumes are suggested.
Tickets
VIP Patron table for eight – $1,500
Single ticket – $150
I will not attend, but wish to support The Choral Society with a donation .
RSVP
Kindly RSVP no later than April 12, 2024.
For additional information call The Choral Society at 805-965-6577.
You will be contacted for your guest list. The Santa Barbara Choral Society is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization. $75 of the individual ticket price and $900 of the VP Patron Table price is tax deductible.
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.