Edhat Staff
UC Santa Barbara Arts & Lectures announced their new lineup for the 2017-2018 season at the Coral Casino last Tuesday.
The oceanfront ballroom was overflowing with sponsors, community supporters, and university representatives excited to hear the bevy of talented people slated to swing by our seaside town.
After much anticipation, the Arts & Lectures staff handed out catalogs to many “ooo’s” and “ahh’s” from the crowd. With this year’s theme of “Bold Moves and Big Ideas,” the 60+ event lineup with 14 Santa Barbara debuts two new series and two co-commissioned performances, do not disappoint.
Some of the better-known events include actor Bill Murray, former Vice President Joe Biden, The Daily Show host Trevor Noah, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, comedian and Full Frontal host Samantha Bee, opera singer Joyce DiDonato, pianist Lang Lang, Israel Philharmonic Orchestra with renowned conductor Zubin Mehta; and Mexican-American balladeer Lila Downs.
“This season, you’ll find old Friends and new faces. We are always eager to see favorites like Cirque Éloize, Pink Martini, and Audra McDonald – but we also look forward to meeting pop culture dynamos Trevor Noah and Samantha Bee, along with former Vice President Joe Biden and other leading thinkers and change-makers. And, we are so thrilled to be able to present former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, whose lecture was confirmed just after the brochure went to print,” said Miller McCune Executive Director Celesta M. Billeci.
“New this year is the Speaking with Pico series, conversations between our beloved Pico Iyer and four innovative thinkers who represent some of the best creative minds of today. We are also proud to include a new Theater series featuring the brilliant and surprising Belgian production Kiss & Cry. I’d be remiss if I didn’t call out these phenomenal artists whom we are deeply grateful for the opportunity to host: the incomparable Israel Philharmonic Orchestra with the great Zubin Mehta, superstar mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato and Spain’s Compañía Nacional de Danza in an irresistible Carmen. To have artists of this caliber on our season is an honor and a delight,” said Billeci.The season kicks off on Wednesday, September 27, with a concert by Lila Downs and her opera-trained superhuman three-octave range, colorful outfits inspired by indigenous Mexican textiles, and inventive set decorations.
Series subscriptions are on sale now and can be purchased by phone at (805) 893-3535, online or in person at the Arts & Lectures Ticket Office in Building 402 (parking lot 12 off Mesa Road) on the UCSB campus. For a season brochure, an order form or more information, call or visit the A&L Ticket Office or visit www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu. Single tickets go on sale Sat., Aug. 5 at 10 a.m.
