performers on stage dancing

On Stage

The powerhouse names of Puccini, Rossini, and Wagner headline Opera Santa Barbara’s 2022-23 season, which will include a work by each composer. In addition, the California premiere of Jack Perla and Jessica Murphy Moo’s An American Dream, and the Santa Barbara premiere of the award-winning Broadway hit The Light in the Piazza.

In a notable departure from prior seasons, Opera Santa Barbara will present a single performance of each work. “For a long time the Santa Barbara performing arts scene has been inundated with more events than a city of 100,000 people can reasonably support”, said Opera SB Artistic and General Director, Kostis Protopapas. “This situation has been greatly exacerbated by the slow return of audiences after the pandemic. Presenting only one performance of each opera will enable us to deploy our resources more effectively, keep our artistic quality high, and better focus on those audiences old and new that most appreciate our work. At the same time, we will be doing our part towards creating a more sustainable arts ecosystem for everyone.”

Sun | Oct 1, 2023

Opera Santa Barbara

Sun | Oct 1, 2023

Georges Bizét, 1875

Georges Bizet’s verismo opera ‘Carmen,’ based on a French novella, is about a fiery young woman who seduces a soldier, ultimately leading to his demise.

Genre: Drama set in Seville, Spain around 1820
Running time: 3 hours
Language: French with English supertitles
Venue: Granada Theatre

Sun | Feb 11, 2024

Giuseppe Verdi, 1853

Verdi’s dark historical melodrama Il Trovatore (“The troubadour”) is a story of superstition, revenge, and ill-fated love set in medieval Spain and contains some of Verdi’s most passionate melodies including the famous “Anvil Chorus”.

 

Genre: Historical drama
Running time: 2 hr 30 minutes
Language: Italian with projected English surtitles
Venue: Lobero Theatre

Sun | Apr 21, 2024

Héctor Armienta, 2022

Hector Armienta’s swashbuckling adventure Zorro is based on the adventures of Johnston McCully’s legendary pulp hero, the dashing masked vigilante who defends the commoners and indigenous peoples of California against tyrannical officials. 

Genre: Adventure Opera
Running time: 2 hours
Language: Sung in English and Spanish with surtitles
Venue: Lobero Theatre

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performers on stage