Listen along with Team OSB this summer with our Sounds of Santa Barbara Summer Playlist! Just in time for Santa Barbara’s Summer Solstice Celebration… we’ve got your ultimate summer playlist!…

Director Octavio Cardenas Hello everyone! Octavio Cardenas here, Stage Director for Pagliacci. This is my fourth  collaboration with Opera SB, and the fourth time directing the opera.  However, this the first time I set the story outside its…

Peter Van Bredael (1629-1719) Commedia Dell’Arte Scene in Italian LandscapeCommedia dell’arte ('Professional comedy') is an Italian theatrical form that flourished throughout Europe from the 16th through the 18th century.  It relied on…

Opera Santa Barbara’s Season Leaps into the Contemporary, Accessible World of ‘Zorro,’ at the Lobero Theatre From Josef Woodward of the Santa Barbara Independent "The hardy cultural force that is…

Stage Director Fenlon Lamb talks about the inspiration and design of Carmen ahead of the opera opening the 23-24 Season. This new production of Carmen was inspired by the vibrant…

Kostis sits with Voice Mag to introduce our Spanish-themed 30th Anniversary Season “Our favorite festival here in Santa Barbara is Old Spanish Days, so clearly the Spanish heritage and theme…

Bandits, swashbucklers, and star-crossed lovers populate a lineup of pageantry and high drama inspired by the music and history of Spain in Opera Santa Barbara’s 30th Anniversary Season. The company…

The Lobero Theatre is among great company on Architectural Digests' 11 Most Beautiful Theatres in the World List. Opera Santa Barbara is honored to call the Lobero Theatre one of…

Costume Designer Azucena Dominguez highlights her design process for The Valkyrie. The concept of the Valkyries came from the first conversation I had with Crystal. Our inspiration was Game of…

Stage Director Crystal Manich returns to Opera Santa Barbara for the second installment of Wagner's Ring Cycle after directing Das Rheingold in 2021. She gives us her vision for The…

This week we begin rehearsals for Richard Wagner’s The Valkyrie. Small opera companies like ours don’t often get a chance to perform Wagner. When produced on full scale, his operas place…

For Nina Yoshida Nelsen, An American Dream marks her tenth production with Opera Santa Barbara, and the twentieth anniversary of her company debut as Kate Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly. Born…

Ahead of Opera Santa Barbara’s California premiere of An American Dream, the production’s Stage Director, Richard Gammon, and Set and Projection Designer, Yuki Izumihara, give a sneak peak at the…

Opera Santa Barbara is pleased to announce it has been approved by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to receive a Grants for Arts Projects award of $10,000. This…

Nina Yoshida Nelsen, mezzo soprano is an avid advocate for equity in the arts. She is perhaps most well known for her countless performances of Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with…

Director Josh Shaw talks about our next opera in the 22|23 season, La scala di seta. There is nothing that gives me more joy than directing a silly bel canto comedy. And…

Opera Santa Barbara Costume Manager Stacie Logue gives us the background on costuming our next opera in the 22|23 season, La scala di seta. Opera Santa Barbara’s next main stage…

OSB TICKET FAQs Over the last year we have made some changes to our ticket pricing and policies.  Some of our new practices differ from those of other arts organizations,…

Painting Tosca with Light Opera Santa Barbara’s Director of Production is also veteran Lighting Designer, Helena Kuukka. Helena recently did the lighting design for last season’s Semele, As One, and…

OPERA AMBASSADORS GET A BEHIND-THE-CURTAIN TOUR AND LEARN ABOUT LIGHTWALKING   On September 14, a dozen Opera Ambassadors (aka OSB volunteers) quite literally enjoyed a rare peek behind the curtain, into…