VOCAL FEST! Pianist Betty Oberacker will accompany three outstand singers on Sat. March 9th. Tenor Gabriel Silva will present three works: the beautiful La caravane (The Caravan), by French composer Ernest Chausson, then "È la solita storia del pastore" (The Old Tale of the Shepherd), from the opera L'arlesiana by Francesco Cilea, and the classically lyrical Adelaide, by Beethoven. Bass-baritone Emil Cristescu conclude with three arias: Mozart's humorous and sarcastic "Madamina" (The Catalog Aria) from Don Giovanni, Tchaikovky's poignant aria by Prince Gremin from Eugene Onegin, and Giuseppe Verdi's striking "Infin che un brando vindice" from Ernani. Baritone Andre Shillo will conclude the concert with three dramatic and stunningly powerful operatic arias: "O vin, dissipe la tristesse" (Oh Wine, Dissipate the Sadness) from Hamlet by Ambroise Thomas, "Were I a Man Whom Fate Intended" (Onegin's Aria) from Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky, and "Votre toast, je peux cous le rendre" (Toreador Song) from Carmen by Georges Bizet. Venue: Faulkner Gallery, Central Library.  Email   Website

On SATURDAY,March 9 at 3 p.m. the SANTA BARBARA MUSIC CLUB will present another FREE program in its popular series of concerts of beautiful music. Tenor Gabriel Silva and pianist Betty Oberacker will present three works: the beautiful La caravane (The Caravan), by French composer Ernest Chausson, then "È la solita storia del pastore" (The Old Tale of the Shepherd), from the opera L'arlesiana by Francesco Cilea, and the classically lyrical Adelaide, by Beethoven. Pianist Neil Di Maggio will interpret Beethoven's Sonata in E-flat major, Op. 27, No. 1, and Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 7 in D minor. The Beethoven Sonata, subtitled "Quasi una fantasia" (Almost a Fantasy), is a masterpiece from the composer's early period. Liszt"s "Rhapsody" weaves folk music elements into a composition of pianistic inventiveness. Bass-baritone Emil Cristescu and pianist Betty Oberacker conclude with three arias: Mozart's humorous and sarcastic "Madamina" (The Catalog Aria) from Don Giovanni, Tchaikovky's poignant aria by Prince Gremin from Eugene Onegin, and Giuseppe Verdi's striking "Infin che un brando vindice" from Ernani. Venue: Faulkner Gallery, Central Library.  Email   Website

On SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9 at 3 p.m. the SANTA BARBARA MUSIC CLUB will present another program in its popular series of concerts of beautiful music. A valued cultural resource in the community since 1969, these concerts feature outstanding performances by instrumental and vocal soloists and chamber music ensembles, and are free to the public. The program opens with pianist Donna Massello-Chiacos performing selections from Ten Pieces from the Ballet Romeo and Juliet, Op. 75, by Sergei Prokofiev. The movements are entitled "Scene," "The Young Juliet," "Montagues and Capulets," "Mercutio," and "Dance of the Girls with Lilies," and the precision of Prokofiev's piano writing perfectly captures the drama and enchantment of the original ballet. A masterpiece from the Baroque era will follow: the Suite No. 3 in C major of Johann Sebastian Bach. This magnificent tour-de-force for solo cello will be interpreted by Rebecca Shasberger, a Santa Barbara Music Club scholarship awardee and experienced soloist and chamber musician who has been featured concerto soloist with the Westmont Orchestra. Next, Nancy Mathison, clarinet, and Donna Massello-Chiacos, piano, will present Dance Preludes, an attractive five-movement work by the Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski. Clearly inspired by Polish folk music, both harmonically and melodically, the dances evidence rich atmospheric textures. The concert will conclude with flutist Tracy Harris and pianist Svetlana Harris performing two vivldly contrasting and beautifully melodic compositions: The Swan, by Camille Saint-Saëns, and Carnival of Venice, by Giulio Briccialdi. The former is a transcription of the languid characterization from the composer's Carnival of the Animals, and the latter is a brilliantly virtuosic theme and variations. Venue: Faulkner Gallery, Central Library.  Email   Website