Opera SB Celebrates World Opera Day With Week Of Free Opera Events

Opera SB celebrates World Opera Day, October 25, 2019 with a week of free opera events for the Santa Barbara community. All events are free and open to the public. This includes the popular noontime concert at the downtown SB Public Library, short performances at Pianos on State Street by the Chrisman Studio Artists, and the key event of the week: a Free Open Rehearsal of Madama Butterfly at the SB Courthouse Sunken Gardens on October 27, from 3-5PM.

World Opera Day is an international collaboration between OPERA America, Opera Europa and Ópera Latinoamérica that will showcase the many ways that opera companies and artists enrich the livelihood and civic fabric of communities around the world. Built on the legacy of National Opera Week, this is an opportunity for those in the industry to share with new audiences how local opera companies through their personal practices and the art form itself contribute to making a better society.

As part of Opera SB's ongoing commitment to civic practice and creating more opportunities for the Santa Barbara community to access and experience opera, the company will be presenting a week of family-friendly free events. Opera SB's Chrisman Studio Artists will be singing at various locations for SB favorite, Pianos on State, a collaborative and interactive musical experience taking place on State Street from October 21 through November 7. A key event will be Opera SB's first-ever Free Open Rehearsal at the SB Courthouse Sunken Gardens. Featuring the Opera SB Orchestra, the artistic team, and cast of Madama Butterfly, this open rehearsal will give many Santa Barbarans their first look at the magic behind opera.

The week of events will include:

Friday, 10/25: World Opera Day

Saturday, 10/26: Pianos on State at 12:30pm, Paseo Nuevo Mall (in front of the old Chipotle)

Sunday, 10/27: Free Open Rehearsal at SB Courthouse Sunken Gardens 3-5PM (Key Event!)

Monday, 10/28: Pianos on State at 3pm, in front of Marshall's

Tuesday, 10/29: Pianos on State at 12pm, State & Victoria (in front of Starbucks)

Wednesday, 10/30: Halloween Noontime Concert at downtown SB Public Library

Saturday, 11/2: Pianos on State, time and location TBD

"World Opera Day offers the opportunity to affirm that 400 years after its development in Italy, opera is still relevant to the world today. By taking opera out of the dark, structured walls of the theatre and into the community-at-large, Opera Santa Barbara invites all to enjoy opera's universal stories of love and loss. Our organization seeks to bring awareness of the art form to the next generation through free, family-friendly programming that offers audiences of all ages a deeper understanding of humanity through the power of music," says Lex Benes, Education and Community Engagement Manager for Opera SB.

Opera Santa Barbara's 26th season opens with Puccini's classic, Madama Butterfly, at the Granada Theatre, Friday, November 1 at 7:30pm and Sunday, November 3, at 2:30pm. In addition to its mainstage productions, Opera SB's community and education efforts include The Opera Lab, a free interactive program for elementary school students, the Santa Barbara Youth Opera, the popular season-long free Noontime Concert Series, and the recent launch of its young professionals social club, Operacurious.