Venetian Splendor

Monday, Feb. 17, 7:30 PM
Hahn Hall
Music Academy of the West
Pre-Concert Reception at 6:30 PM
 

---

As part of a Santa Barbara winter residency, LSO musicians collaborate with celebrated Music Academy alums to create an unforgettable evening of chamber music works by Mozart and Ravel.
 

LSO MUSICIANS
CLARE DUCKWORTH & THOMAS NORRIS violins,
MALCOLM JOHNSTON viola, SALVADOR BOLÓN cello
 

MUSIC ACADEMY ALUMS
ELISSA BROWN flute, KAITLIN MILLER harp,
KATELYN WAFFER POETKER clarinet
 

JUST ADDED!
VIOLIN MASTERCLASS
led by LSO principal second violin
Julián Gil Rodríguez

Monday, Feb. 17, 1:00 PM
Lehmann Hall
Music Academy of the West

---

Three Music Academy violin alums will participate in this special masterclass followed by a rare Q&A. Join us!

The Mariposa Concert Series initiative is generously sponsored by
Kandy Budgor; Luria/Budgor Family Foundation,
with additional support from the Gainey Foundation.

$10 * Community Access Tickets are available!
* A $3 service fee per ticket is added at checkout.

Ages 7–17 are FREE with a ticketed adult.

Purchase Tickets

CLICK TO READ THE PROGRAM BOOK

“Chineke! is not only an exciting idea but a profoundly necessary one. The kind of idea which is so obvious that you wonder why it is not already in place. The kind of idea which could deepen and enrich classical music in the UK for generations. What a thrilling prospect!”
–Sir Simon Rattle

LONDON’S GROUND­BREAKING CHINEKE! ORCHES­TRA TO MAKE ITS U.S. WEST COAST DEBUT APRIL 3, 2025, AT THE GRANADA THEATRE!

 
Join CAMA for a memorable evening celebrating diversity and the trans­formative power of music across eras and cultures.
 

Community Arts Music Association (CAMA) of Santa Barbara continues its 106th concert season at The Granada Theatre on Thursday, April 3, 2025, with the highly anticipated U.S. West Coast debut of the pioneering, CHINEKE! ORCHESTRA, a Resident Orchestra at London's Southbank Centre. This groun­dbreaking symphony orchestra is dedicated to championing diversity and expanding professional opportunities for Black and ethnically diverse classical musicians and composers in the UK and Europe.

The Chineke! Orchestra has blazed a singular artistic trail since its founding. It serves as the flagship ensemble of the Chineke! Foundation, which was established in 2015 by Chi-chi Nwanoku, CBE, to provide under­represented Black and ethnically diverse musicians in the UK and Europe with performance opportunities and visibility at the highest pro­fession­al level. Chineke! performs a wide-ranging repertoire, from standard orchestral masterworks to often-overlooked compositions by historically marginalized composers.

The orchestra’s journey began with a landmark debut concert at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall in September 2015. Since then, Chineke! has garnered inter­national acclaim, performing at prestigious venues and festivals, including the BBC Proms at Royal Albert Hall, the Lucerne Festival, and the Edinburgh International Festival. Its commitment to expanding the classical music canon is further reflected in an impressive discography, which includes critically acclaimed recordings of works by composers such as Florence B. Price, the trailblazing African American composer whose symphonies and concertos were largely neglected during her lifetime.

The organization takes its name from the Igbo exclamation “Chineke!”, which evokes the name of the creator to express wonder, awe, or surprise. This reflects the orchestra's mission to celebrate and inspire new possibilities in classical music.

Santa Barbara Debut Program

For its Santa Barbara debut, Chineke! presents an evening featuring compelling works by noted Black composers, including historic pieces by father-daughter composers SAMUEL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR and AVRIL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR, contemporary compositions by VALERIE COLEMAN and BRIAN RAPHAEL NABORS—as well as FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN’s grand Trumpet Concerto in E‑flat Major, performed by Nigerian-Scottish trumpeter AARON AZUNDA AKUGBO—all under the baton of Zimbabwean-​born conductor VIMBAYI KAZIBONI.

Valerie Coleman: Seven O’Clock Shout

The concert opens with Coleman’s vibrant tribute to frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Composed in 2020, the work was inspired by the global ritual of nightly applause for healthcare professionals.

Avril Coleridge-Taylor: A Sussex Landscape

A Sussex Landscape, a picturesque orchestral tone poem inspired by the English countryside where the composer spent much of her life.

Franz Joseph Haydn: Trumpet Concerto in E‑flat Major

The first half concludes with Haydn’s beloved Trumpet Concerto, showcasing Aaron Azunda Akugbo, a founding member of Connaught Brass.

Brian Raphael Nabors: Pulse for Orchestra

Following intermission, Nabors’ Pulse takes the audience on an exhilarating rhythmic journey.

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Symphony in A Minor

The evening culminates with Coleridge-Taylor’s monumental work of late-Romantic grandeur.

Join CAMA for this historic occasion as Chineke! Orchestra brings its trailblazing artistry and commitment to diversity to Santa Barbara for the first time. •

---

ESA-PEKKA SALONEN
© Benjamin Ealovega

 PURCHASE SINGLE TICKETS 

 CLICK TO READ THE PROGRAM BOOK 

PROGRAM:
 

CLAUDE DEBUSSY:
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun)
 

BÉLA BARTÓK:
Piano Concerto No. 3, Sz. 119, BB 127 (1945)
 

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN:
Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 55, “Eroica”