Opera Santa Barbara’s Advocacy & Operation Eurydice
Whether it’s in person or online, traditional or contemporary, in a historic theatre or in a drive-in, Opera Santa Barbara remains determined to share our passion for music and theater with you in 2021. This past year has been a time to break through new frontiers, connect with new audiences, and establish new relationships as we worked to make opera more accessible to communities throughout the central coast. From compelling digital programming to productions at the drive-in, Opera Santa Barbara got creative and thought outside the traditional pathways to our art form. Now, we are carrying over this innovation and creativity towards the rest of our 2021 season and we hope you will join us.
We will soon announce the relaunch of our 2021 season with a dynamic trio of live productions designed to bring you exciting live performances safely. We are again going out of our comfort zone and reimagining the ways we can stage new and familiar works. What remains unchanged is our commitment to supporting regional artists and our community’s need for live music.
In addition to producing opera in new ways, last year we shifted our focus to support local artists and advocate for all the performing arts and musicians in Santa Barbara. We named this initiative Operation Eurydice after the Greek nymph whom the famed musician and poet Orpheus braved the underworld to bring back to life with the sound of his music. Our goal was to contribute to the recovery of Santa Barbara’s vibrant performing arts scene by making live performances of diverse content available throughout our community while directly supporting local musicians. Now that Santa Barbara County has introduced permissions for live music in its health orders, we will continue Operation Eurydice as we:
- Bring live music back to as many places and neighborhoods in our community as we safely and affordably can
- Champion and employ creative talent from our region
- Continue to lead advocacy efforts for the safe reopening of the performing arts locally and statewide
Thank you for your commitment to Opera Santa Barbara in 2020. While we all agree that opera is best presented in state-of-the-art theaters designed to showcase the glory of the unamplified human voice combined with the splendor of the symphonic orchestra, we also know that our art can thrive beyond the walls of traditional theatres. We look forward to sharing the details of our exciting new season offerings with you soon.
Looking for ways to be a part of OSB’s new programs?
Looking for ways to be a part of OSB’s new programs?
- Save the date: Our live return to the stage is on April 10th!
- Attend our Balcony Jam Sessions on Friday evenings, and other free Operation Eurydice community performances. See our Live Music Calendar for more upcoming events.
- Stream our Noontime at Home concerts and view our library of past concert performances featuring our 2021 Chrisman Studio Artists. We hope to be back to our library sites in person as soon as restrictions are lifted!
- Donate to OSB’s Return to Live Performances Fund and help support artists’ fees and other expenses for community performances in and around Santa Barbara.
