Local Musicians Launch New Orchestra; Announces First Concert

The Santa Barbara Chamber Players (SBCP) announces its formation with its first concert to be held in January 28, 2023. Created by local musicians during the pandemic, SBCP seeks to fill the gap in the local community between professional and educational music events with affordable high quality live performance musical experiences. All performances will be presented with local musicians, taking advantage of the deep pool of talent in the Santa Barbara area.
Sherylle Mills Englander, Co-Founder and principal flutist notes, “The pandemic showed us that, as musicians, the need to perform our craft for others can go beyond the traditional symphonies and chamber groups. With a bit of innovative thinking, we can create the space and inspire our community and the next generation of musicians. And with the talent pool available right here in Santa Barbara, we can provide a way for these great musicians to perform and give back to a community that we call home.”
Nancy Mathison, Co-founder and principal clarinetist adds, “As musicians, performing inspires us to hone our craft and develop as musicians. When the pandemic made that impossible, we had to find new ways to respond. You might say that this was the high note we received from our inability to connect with people on stage and in concerts. We instead found that we could perform outdoors and were amazed at the response we received from our friends and neighbors.”
The SBCP first concert on January 28th will be held at the First United Methodist Church, located on the corner of Garden and Anapamu. The concert begins at 7:30 and includes the following program:
•Dvorak’s 7th Symphony, first performed in London in 1885, it ranges from calm and peaceful passages to reflecting his people’s resistance to political oppression.
•Mother Goose Suite by Maurice Ravel tells stories of enchanted gardens, a Chinese empress, and Beauty and the Beast.
•And Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring, a quintessential American orchestral sound, inspiring countless movie and television soundtracks.
Tickets for this event are on sale now through their website: https://sbchamberplayers.org.
Sherylle Mills Englander notes, “The selections for our first concert were important as they set the tone for our group and set a vision for what is to come. We were able to engage with local musicians who are passionate about these selections and will bring great performances.”
Nancy Mathison, adds, “Our first offering is an opportunity to show the community our intention to provide interesting music that will inspire not only the audience, but other musicians to the possibilities that are available.”
The SBCP is dedicated to providing accessible, affordable music to Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley, with reasonably priced tickets and a number of complimentary tickets offered to youth education programs.
From this experience the co-founders came together and formed the Santa Barbara Chamber Players.
The SBCP began by performing customized chamber music concerts to support local nonprofit’s fundraising and will continue to do so. With SBCP’s growth, it is now in a position to launch a locally sourced orchestra dedicated to providing accessible, affordable music to Santa Barbara and the Santa Ynez Valley, with general admission tickets reasonably priced and a generous quantity of complimentary tickets offered to youth education programs. The goal is to inspire the next-generation of musicians and audience, while simultaneously providing unique, professional-level performance opportunities for the young rising stars of tomorrow
Simon Knight, Co-founder and principal bassoonist agrees, “Giving musicians an opportunity to perform benefits them and making attendance affordable benefits our community. Our goal, as we grow and hold more concerts, is to add an even richer program of vibrant classical music that everyone can enjoy.”

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About the Santa Barbara Chamber Players:
SBCP was founded in 2022 by Sherylle Mills Englander, Nancy Mathison and Simon Knight as a way for local musicians share their love for music with the community, inspiring and creating space for the next generation of musicians. SBCP acknowledges the generous support of The Towbes Fund for the Performing Arts, a field of interest fund of the Santa Barbara Foundation, the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation and the Music Academy.

Photos are available upon request.

For more information contact Sherylle Mills Englander (805) 259-9170 email: englander@ucsb.edu and visit https://sbchamberplayers.org/.