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An Oscar® Celebration

An Oscar® Celebration: Favorite Film Clips with Live Orchestra

In Collaboration with the Granada Synergy Series

Saturday, March 16, 2024 | 7:30pm

Sunday, March 17, 2024 | 3:00pm

Concert Duration: Approximately 100 minutes

The Granada Theatre.

Experience the glamour and nostalgia of Hollywood’s Golden Age of Oscar®! Relive the memories of iconic movies and their indelible symphonic soundtracks. Classic scenes are presented via the Granada’s giant screen with The Symphony on stage playing live. Featuring music from Gone with the Wind, An American in Paris, The Wizard of Oz, and more.

The Artists

Constantine Kitsopoulos, Guest Conductor

Repertoire

Erich Wolfgang Korngold | The Adventures of Robin Hood

Max Steiner | Gone with the Wind

Miklos Rozsa | Ben Hur

Bernard Hermann | Citizen Kane

George Gershwin | An American in Paris

Herbert Stothart | The Wizard of Oz

In the News

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View our mention on KEYT

Constantine Kitsopoulos, Guest Conductor

Constantine Kitsopoulos has established himself as a dynamic conductor known for his ability to work in many different genres and settings. He is equally at home with opera, symphonic repertoire, film with live orchestra, music theatre, and composition. His work has taken him all over the world where he has conducted the major orchestras of North America, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, and the Tokyo Philharmonic.

In addition to Maestro Kitsopoulos’ engagements as guest conductor, he is Music Director of the Festival of the Arts Boca and General Director of Chatham Opera. He is General Director of the New York Grand Opera and is working with the company to bring opera, free and open to the public, back to New York’s Central Park.

During the 2023-2024 season Maestro Kitsopoulos will conduct return engagements with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Pacific, New Jersey, Toronto, Detroit, Chicago, Santa Barbara and San Francisco symphonies.

Highlights of previous seasons include return engagements with the Dallas Symphony, Detroit Symphony, Phoenix Symphony, New Jersey Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Houston Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Vancouver Symphony, and New York Philharmonic. Kitsopoulos also conducted Leonard Bernstein’s Candide at Indiana University Opera Theatre.

Maestro Kitsopoulos’ has developed semi-staged productions of Mozart’s The Magic Flute, for which he has written a new translation, Don Giovanni, and La Bohème. He has conducted IU Opera Theatre’s productions of Mass, Falstaff, Die Fledermaus, A View from the Bridge, H.M.S. Pinafore, The Most Happy Fella, South Pacific, Oklahoma, The Music Man and The Last Savage. He was Assistant Chorus Master at New York City Opera from 1984-1989.

On Broadway Maestro Kitsopoulos has been Music Director of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella, The Gershwin’s Porgy and Bess (cast album on PS Classics), A Catered Affair (cast album on PS Classics), Coram Boy, Baz Luhrmann’s Production of Puccini’s La Bohème (cast album on DreamWorks Records), Swan Lake, and Les Misérables. He was Music Director of ACT’s production of Weill/Brecht’s Happy End and made the only English language recording of the piece for Sh-K-Boom Records.

Maestro Kitsopoulos studied piano with Marienka Michna, Chandler Gregg, Edward Edson, and Sophia Rosoff. He studied conducting with Semyon Bychkov, Sergiu Commissiona, Gustav Meier and his principal teacher Vincent La Selva.

Leslie Zemeckis, Host

Leslie Zemeckis is a best-selling author, actress, and award-winning documentarian. Critically acclaimed films include Behind the Burly Q, the true story of old-time burlesque in America which ran on Showtime; the award-winning Bound by Flesh, Mabel, Mabel, Tiger Trainer and Grandes Horizontales.

She has acted in film and television opposite Steve Carell Tom Hanks, Richard Lawson, Colin Firth and Mickey Rourke.

Zemeckis is the author of three best-sellers, Behind the Burly Q, the definitive oral history of burlesque, Goddess of Love Incarnate; the Life of Stripteuse Lili St. Cyr and Feuding Fan Dancers (an SCIBA finalist for best bio of the year), about Sally Rand, Faith Bacon and the golden age of the showgirl.

She writes a monthly book column in the Montecito Journal. She is also the founder of the program “Stories Matter,” sponsored by Santa Barbara International Film Festival and ENTITY Magazine, with professional female authors mentoring the next generation of female storytellers. Her TEDx talk was “Forgotten to Forever: Immortalizing Women Through Stories.”

She was honored for her work inspiring women, in 2023 with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in part for “sharing and preserving stories of women who were once marginalized and stigmatized . . .” but due to her work “these women are now celebrated for their independence and personal agency.” The Medal is officially recognized by both Houses of Congress and is one of our nation’s most prestigious awards.

Please note: The safety of our patrons, artists, orchestra members, and staff is our top priority.

The Granada Theatre continues to create comprehensive safety protocols that meet changing government guidelines and ensure the comfort of audiences.

Throughout the season, we anticipate evolving guidelines which may impact policies on mask wearing, proof of vaccination, low-touch ticketing, concessions, and more

Read our 2023/24 Subscription and Ticket Policy which offers security to our patrons as you consider returning to join us for live performances, and ensure that as a subscriber you receive priority to reserve the best seats.

Learn more important details about the Granada’s Covid requirements here.

*Program content and concert dates may be subject to change: check our website for regular updates.

Conducted by The Santa Barbara Symphony’s
World Renowned Conductor

Nir Kabaretti

Nir Kabaretti has worked with some of the world’s most sought-after musicians. Some of his most well-known collaborators include Lang Lang, Placido Domingo, Joyce Di Donato, Angel Joy Blue, Vadim Repin, Gilles Apap, Hélène Grimaud, and André Watts.
Conducted by The Santa Barbara Symphony's World Renowned Conductor

Nir Kabaretti

Nir Kabaretti has worked with some of the world’s most sought-after musicians. Some of his most well-known collaborators include Lang Lang, Placido Domingo, Joyce Di Donato, Angel Joy Blue, Vadim Repin, Gilles Apap, Hélène Grimaud, and André Watts.

A very warm and special thank you
to our 2023/24 season donors and the sponsors making
this event possible!

Concert
Sponsors
Principal Concert Sponsor
-- Sarah and Roger Chrisman--
Artist Sponsor
-- Christine A. Green --
Selection Sponsors
-- Isabelle Meyer Stapf & Emmanuel Stapf --
-- Susan & Bruce Worster --

2023/24 Concert Season Sponsor

Sarah & Roger Chrisman

Corporate Season Sponsor

Grand Venue Sponsor

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