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SANTA BARBARA SYMPHONY DELIGHTS AUDIENCE WITH PASSIONATE RUSSIAN FAVORITES AT 2026-27 SEASON OPENING

The opening evening of Santa Barbara Symphony season kick-off performance attracted a full house of symphony lovers devoted to the beloved melodies written by passionate Russian composers including Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor and the Shostakovich Symphony No. 5 in D minor, conducted by Maestro Nir Kabaretti with a spectacular performance by Grammy Award-winning pianist Michelle Cann.

Michelle Cann, a recipient of the Sphinx Medal of Excellence, and lauded as "exquisite" by the Philadelphia Inquirer as well as "a pianist of sterling artistry" by Gramophone, is also a 2023 Grammy Award winner for Price's Piano Concerto in One Movement, and a second Grammy winner in 2025 for Beyond the Years: Unpublished Songs of Florence Price. Her performance was astounding in strength and passion, earning a huge standing ovation from the entire audience.

In pairing the two concertos, Music and Artistic Director Kabaretti shared "I find it fascinating to hear these two distinct musical voices side by side and discover not only the contrasts, but the connections between them. In both works, despite their very diferent circumstances and musical languages, there is a profound sense of humanity and an extraordinary ability to communicate emotion directly to the listener."

The program also showcased the extraordinary talent of the orchestra and guest solo pianist Michelle Cann, whose performance overflowed with expressive depth that was highly moving, exciting and greatly appreciated by an enthusiastic audience. The complexity of these concertos created amazing emotional response, making it a deeply human and powerful musical experience for all. Cann's piano performance was astounding in strength and passion, earning a double standing ovation from the entire audience.

A pre-concert talk by on-air personality Jennifer Miller Hammil was offered to pre-concert guests providing pre-concert guests an opportuntiy to delve deeper into the evening performances prior to curtain time.

Five Santa Barbara mucicians from Westmont and UCSB performing in the 2026-27 opening program included Daniel Munoz, Violin, UCSB, Lewis Ma, Violin, UCSB, Alexandra Wagner, Violin, Westmont, Christian Dos Santos, Viola, UCSB, Mia Paul, Cello, UCSB, Mathew Tran, Cello, UCSB.

Invited guests gathered to celebrate the Season Kick-off in the Founders Lounge to celebrate yet another outstanding symphony performance and toast the the success of the beginning of a new season.

For Rachmaninoff lovers this was a beyond outstanding and exciting evening, that opened with the United States National Anthym being sung by the audience to a huge American flag displayed above the Granada Theatre stage. For upcoming season event information visit: TheSymphony.Org or call (805) 899-2222.