Monthly Archives: June 2015

Bach, Broadway & Beyond Features Wicked’s Tiffany Haas

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The Music and Arts Conservatory of Santa Barbara presents Bach, Broadway & Beyond, featuring soprano Tiffany Haas, star of Broadway’s Wicked, and MAC’s Virtuoso Strings conducted by Ernest Richardson, on Sunday, June 14 at 7 p.m. at Marjorie Luke Theatre, 721 E. Cota St.

“When Tiffany sang for us I just put a star by her name, put down my pen and listened,” Richardson recalls about his first encounter with Haas’ incredible voice. “From that point on, she has been such an important artist in my life. I write music for Tiffany and her ability to bring life to the notes I write is incredible. She is classically trained and can go from Bach to Broadway effortlessly which she will demonstrate beautifully while she literally enchants Santa Barbara.”

Haas’ program will include Bach’s Cantata No. 51 Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen; L’Amero saro costante from Mozart’s Il Re Pastore; Glitter and Be Gay from Bernstein’s Candide; and Jeanine Tesori’s The Girl in 14G. Also on the program, which may be subject to change, Vivaldi’s Concerto for Four Violins in B minor and Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48.

Tickets may be purchased online at www.brownpapertickets.com or www.sbmac.org.

In addition,  Haas will offer a musical theater master class and concert preview on Saturday, June 13 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the UCSB Music Department‘s Geiringer Hall. Tickets are $15, $5 for students, at the door. For more information, visit www.sbmac.org.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine on June 9, 2015.

Local Poets on Ray Strong

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Ray Stanford Strong, Lower East Side, New York City, Rainy Day Under the El, 1926-27. Oil on canvas mounted on board. SBMA, Museum purchase with funds provided by Robert and Marlene Veloz.

Ray Stanford Strong, Lower East Side, New York City, Rainy Day Under the El, 1926-27. Oil on canvas mounted on board. SBMA, Museum purchase with funds provided by Robert and Marlene Veloz.

There’s a great, free poetry event coming up on Thursday, June 11, from 5:30 – 7 p.m. at Santa Barbara Museum of Art.

Local poets will follow Ray Strong‘s example in SBMA’s exhibition and write about the world “Beyond Santa Barbara,” while remaining true to their homegrown cultivated poetic visions. The event takes place on the front steps of Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State St.   

The museum also has a related exhibition, Ray Strong: Beyond Santa Barbara, running through June 21. Here’s the scoop:

“This intimate presentation of paintings and drawings by esteemed artist Ray Strong (1905–2006) highlights distinct moments within the artist’s practice over the course of 45 years. Featuring landscapes and cityscapes produced outside of the Santa Barbara area, the selected works from the Museum’s holdings offer a view of Strong’s travels and his lifelong interest in depicting the environment around him.”

Ray Strong: Beyond Santa Barbara is organized in conjunction with The Ray Strong Project, an initiative of Sullivan Goss – An American Gallery. This effort includes a series of events and exhibitions coalescing in June of 2015 at museums and galleries in the Santa Barbara area. This initiative will also produce the first monograph on Ray Strong and an online catalogue raisonné.”

For additional information, visit www.theraystrongproject.com.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine on June 5, 2015.

Reel Cool Movies at the Granada

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The Muppet MovieGet ready for a fun series of family favorite movies at the Granada this summer.  The 2015 Summer Film Series offers audiences an especially rare opportunity to see memorable favorites on the most sophisticated, state-of-the-art digital 4K rear-projection screen at the historic Granada Theatre.

These family friendly films screen on Wednesdays throughout the summer.

June 10,  6 p.m.: The Muppet Movie (1979), G

June 24, 6 p.m.:  Ghostbusters (1984), PG

July 8, 6 p.m.:  E.T. (1982), PG

July 22, 6 p.m.: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe (2005), PGThe Chronicles of Narnia

August 12, 6 p.m.: Surf’s Up (2007), PG

August 26, 6 p.m.: Despicable Me (2010), PG

General Admission tickets are $10 with discounts for multiple series purchases. Click here to purchase tickets for each movie performance, or by calling The Granada Theatre’s Box Office at 805/899-2222. The theater is located at 1214 State St. For more information please visit www.granadasb.org.

—Leslie Dinaberg

Originally published in Santa Barbara Seasons Magazine on June 6, 2015.

Cocktail Corner: SB Passport … to Libations!

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Courtesy Santa Barbara Passport

Courtesy Santa Barbara Passport

A spirited toast to all things alcoholic! By Leslie Dinaberg

As far as I’m concerned, there’s almost nothing better than the buzzy fun of enjoying summertime cocktails with friends—but one thing that does beat that is getting a great DEAL on summertime cocktails with friends.

There’s a new player in town—The Santa Barbara Passport—that offers great deals on drinks this summer at 28 establishments for just 20 bucks. This cleverly illustrated, pocket-sized booklet offers loads of drink deals—you receive a stamp in your booklet upon redemption—and the specials will run all summer through Labor Day (September 7), providing ample time to collect stamps and explore.

It even includes a section on Beer 101 and Wine Labels for Dummies, as well as cocktail fundamentals for making—and ordering—classic libations like Negronis, Manhattans and Old Fashioneds.

Courtesy Santa Barbara Passport

Courtesy Santa Barbara Passport

“The Passport is the friend that helps you decide where to go for happy hour, on a date or a Sunday afternoon,” says Casey Berry, co-founder of the Passport Program, who describes it as “a curated guide to the beverage culture of Santa Barbara.”

Indeed, participating venues include some of my favorites:

Alcazar: Heat of passion for 50% off
American Ale: Coffee house barrel aged bourbon vanilla iced latte for 50% off
Armada Wine & Beer Merchant: Get second glass beer or wine for 40% off
The Black Sheep: A beer for 40% off
Blind Tiger: Delicious Tiger Beer for 50% off
Blush Restaurant + Lounge: Blush Sangria for 50% off
The Brewhouse: House beers for $3
Cebada Vineyard & Winery: Second wine flight for 50% off
Cielo: Cielo signature drink for $1 off
Corks n’ Crowns: Gold or craft brew flight for 50% off
Elsie’s: Firestone PVO, stone IPA, or hefeweizen for 50% off
Figueroa Mountain Brewery: A pint for $3
Courtesy Santa Barbara Passport

Courtesy Santa Barbara Passport

Fox Wine Co.: Second wine tasting for 50% off
Giessinger Winery: Signature wines tasting for 10% off
Killer B’s BBQ and Bar: (Temporarily Closed for Renovations)Jalapeno and citrus martini for 50% off
The Neighborhood: Pineapple mai tai 50% off
Old Town Tavern: Pint of 805 for 50% off
Patxi’s Pizza: Second pint for 50% off
Pure Order Brewing Company: Pint for 50% off
Sama Sama Kitchen: Sama Sama for 40% off
Santa Barbara Wine Collective: Second wine tasting flight for 50% off
Seven Bar & Kitchen: American mule for $7
Soho: Lemon and Lavender infused Moscow mule for 50% off
Telegraph Brewing Company: 21 oz. mug for pint price
Uptown: Any beer on tap for 50% off
The Valley Project: $5  glasses of wine on tap
Whiskey Richards: Santa barbara old fashioned for 50% off
Courtesy Santa Barbara Passport

Courtesy Santa Barbara Passport

“Santa Barbara offers not just a great nightlife, but the drinks culture is so diverse that you won’t be disappointed when sipping a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon in the Funk Zone or a cold White Rascal beer at American Ale,” says Jane Pimcomrie, city manager for the Santa Barbara branch of the Passport Program. “The Santa Barbara Passport features enough wineries for wine-lovers, breweries for after work socializing, and unique bars for cocktail and spirits junkies. Plus it will make the heat of summer that much more enjoyable.”

Can’t argue with that logic. For more information or to purchase a passport, go here.

Cheers! Click here for more cocktail corner columns.

Leslie Dinaberg

When she’s not busy working as the editor of Santa Barbara SEASONS, Cocktail Corner author Leslie Dinaberg writes magazine articles, newspaper columns and grocery lists. When it comes to cocktails, Leslie considers herself a “goal-oriented drinker.”

Originally published in Santa Barbara SEASONS Magazine on June 5, 2015.