Opera at the Symphony
The Ride of the Valkyries: Opera at the Symphony!
Featuring Opera Santa Barbara Soloists
Saturday, January 20, 2024 | 7:30pm
Sunday, January 21, 2024 | 3:00pm
Concert Duration: Approximately 90 minutes
The Granada Theatre
Dive Deeper, Read:
Coming Soon: Digital Program
Coming Soon: Program Notes
Soloists from Opera Santa Barbara join The Symphony! The most thrilling moments from Grand Opera. By Verdi, Rossini, Puccini, Wagner, and others, including Madame Butterfly, Cavalleria Rusticana, and Tosca. Plus, Wagner’s roaring The Ride of the Valkyries. With local TV personality Anikka Abbott, a concert program of deception, romance, and drama unfolds!
The Artists
Nir Kabaretti, Conductor
Karin Wolverton, Soprano
Deborah Nansteel, Mezzo-Soprano
Harold Meers, Tenor
Timothy Mix, Baritone
Anikka Abbott, Emcee
Karin Wolverton has enjoyed a successful career on both the concert and opera stage. As a frequent guest of Opera Santa Barbara, she has sung the roles of Magda in La Rondine, and Tatyana in Eugene Onegin and will appear as Leonora in the upcoming production of Il Trovatore. She also performs throughout the United States with such companies as Minnesota, Utah, Arizona, Omaha, Austin, Pittsburgh, Tulsa, Santa Barbara, Madison, Mill City Opera, Opera San Antonio, and Des Moines. A champion of new works, Ms. Wolverton has enjoyed collaborating on many world premieres, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Silent Night, a role she revived with MN Opera and the recording of which has recently been released by Naxos. She made her Carnegie Hall debut with MN Orchestra and has enjoyed performances with symphonies in Arizona, Jacksonville, Eugene, Sioux Falls, Dayton, Rochester, Pennsylvania, Seattle, and New Hampshire.
Timothy Mix’s recent successes include his debut as Alberich at Opera Santa Barbara in Das Rheingold, his return to the role of Joseph de Rocher Dead Man Walking at Opera Idaho, and as Dr. Bartolo Il Barbiere di Siviglia at Opera Delaware. Other engagements in 2022-23 include Count Capulet Romeo et Juliette at Opera San Antonio, Tutor Le Comte Ory at Opera Southwest, and the title role in Sweeny Todd at Opera Tampa.
The artist often appears at Santa Fe Opera, where he sang the role of Tsar Dodon in Paul Cullen’s Le Coq d’Or, and the role of Jack Hubbard in a new production of Dr. Atomic. San Francisco Opera appearances include Le Bret Cyrano de Bergerac in 2010, Elder Ott/Blitch (c) Susannah in 2014 and Brétigny Manon in 2017. International engagements include Escamillo Carmen at Finnish National Opera, and in Norway he appeared at Bergen National Opera as Albert Werther.
Since his professional debut with the Opera Theater of St. Louis, Harold Meers has established himself as one of the outstanding American tenors of his generation. He has garnered both critical and popular praise for his work at the most important venues in North America including the Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, San Diego Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Opera Company of Philadelphia, Minnesota Opera, Madison Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Opera Omaha, Des Moines Metro Opera, New Orleans Opera and Baltimore Opera, among others. Internationally, Mr. Meers has performed recently as Riccardo in Verdi’s Un Ballo in Maschera at the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden (Germany), Boris in Katya Kabanova with Opera North (United Kingdom), Cassio in Otello with the Filharmonica de Jalisco in Mexico at the historic Teatro Degollado (Mexico), the title role of Hoffmann in Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Boris in Katya Kabanova and Rodolfo in La Bohème with Theater Freiburg (Germany). This season he traveled to the Czech Republic at the National Theater in Brno Czechia as the title character Verdi’s Otello and reprised the role at the Thurnund Taxis Schlossfestspiele in Regensburg, Germany. Mr. Meers is currently the Founder and Executive Artistic Director of Charleston Opera Theater, a professional performing arts organization located in Charleston, South Carolina.
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!
Sponsors
Principal Concert Sponsor
-- Todd & Allyson Aldrich--
Artist Sponsor
-- Duncan & Suzanne Mellichamp --
Selection Sponsors
-- Barbara Burger & Paul E. Munch --
-- Libby & Stephen Erickson --
-- Janet A. Garufis --
-- Frederic & Nancy Golden --
--Jean Rogers--
2023/24 Concert Season Sponsor
Sarah & Roger Chrisman
Corporate Season Sponsor
Grand Venue Sponsor
