Music Academy of the West — Announcing the Mariposa Concert Series 2026-27

SERIES TICKETS NOW ON SALE

SANTA BARBARA — The Music Academy of the West proudly announces the 2026-2027 Mariposa Concert Series, a collection of intimate musical experiences held in Hahn Hall on the Academy’s Miraflores campus in Montecito. The series furthers the Academy’s mission to bring exceptional music to the community throughout the year by showcasing the artistry of esteemed Music Academy alums and world-renowned musicians.

The Mariposa Concert Series initiative is generously supported by Kandy Budgor; Luria/Budgor Family Foundation.

The series continues in 2027 with Chasing the Sun: Maple Quartet & the Albers Sisters on January 14, featuring the Music Academy’s 2026 Emerging Artists String Quartet joined by sisters and Music Academy alums Julie Albers (cello) and RebeccaAlbers (viola). The series concludes on February 12 with flutist alum and creative storyteller Annie Wu and alum pianist Markus Kaitila in Not Too Sweet, an intimate performance blending music, memory, personal storytelling, and curated chocolate pairings by Santa Barbara chocolatier Chocolate Maya, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

2026–2027 MARIPOSA CONCERT SERIES
All performances held in Hahn Hall at 7:30 PM
Pre-concert receptions begin at 6:30 PM

Beloved folk songs. A world premiere. A secret melody revealed.

Acclaimed violist Richard O’Neill and pianist-composer August Baik open the Mariposa Series with a vivid, deeply personal program about heritage, memory, and the music that lives beneath the surface. Baik’s new work draws on Korean folk songs, while Britten’s haunting Lachrymae slowly reveals a hidden song by John Dowland. Rzewski’s “Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues” transforms a folk song made famous by Pete Seeger and transforms it into a virtuosic tour de force.

The evening culminates in Sergei Rachmaninoff’s sweeping Sonata in G Minor, arranged for viola by Music Academy teaching artist and Distinguished Alumni Awardee Richard O’Neill — a passionate, cinematic work that has shaped both artists’ lives. For Baik, it was the first major duo sonata he studied; for O’Neill, it has remained a lifelong companion since learning it during a formative and deeply emotional summer at the Music Academy under legendary mentor Donald McInnes. Returning to the sonata over the years has revealed new layers of meaning and connection, reminding both musicians that while life changes, great music evolves alongside us.

Together, O’Neill and Baik create a powerful journey of discovery and transformation, where old songs become new again.

PROGRAM

FREDERIC RZEWSKI “Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues” from North American Ballads
JOHN DOWLAND “If my complaints could passions move”
BENJAMIN BRITTEN Lachrymae, Op. 48
AUGUST BAIK [New Work] — World Premiere
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF arr. O’NEILL Sonata for Cello and Piano in G Minor, Op. 19

Classical music with a comic twist.

Cellist, filmmaker, and Music Academy alum Nicholas Canellakis(’01) joins pianist-composer Michael Stephen Brown for an unforgettable evening that seamlessly blends chamber music, comedy, and film, including Canellakis’ short film My New Cello.

Expect moments of genuine laughter as best friends Nicholas and Michael captivate audiences with their signature comedic timing and wit. Their massively popular short films, along with their onstage rapport, are seamlessly woven into a thrilling program that includes Chopin, Gershwin, Saint-Saëns, Brahms, and their own original compositions and folk arrangements — all with the quick wit and creative spark that have made their comedy films an online sensation.

PROGRAM

Musical program to be interspersed with comical sketches

FRÉDÉRIC CHOPIN Introduction and Polonaise Brillante in C Major, Op. 3
JOHANNES BRAHMS Sonata No. 2 for Cello and Piano in F Major, Op. 99
MICHAEL STEPHEN BROWN Spinning Song
BROWN Blue Whale
CAMILLE SAINT-SAËNS “The Swan” from Carnival of the Animals
GEORGE GERSHWIN arr. CANELLAKIS Preludes
DON ELLIS arr. CANELLAKIS Bulgarian Bulge

Journey through the changing light of a single day in a program that moves from sunrise to moonlit night.

The Maple Quartet, the Music Academy’s 2026 Emerging Artists String Quartet, joins sisters and Music Academy alums Julie Albers and Rebecca Albers for a luminous evening shaped by nature, time, and transformation. Following a successful summer 2026 residency under the guidance of The Takács Quartet, the Maple Quartet brings together four rising artists celebrated for their artistry, dedication, and shared vision of chamber music as a deeply collaborative art form.

One of Haydn’s radiant “Sun” quartets, Op. 20, No. 6, opens the program with warmth and brilliance. A world premiere by Maple Quartet’s John Crowley draws listeners into the shifting phases of the moon. The Albers sisters will join the Quartet for Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht — a lush, romantic masterpiece glowing with longing, intimacy, and breathtaking beauty.

PROGRAM

JOSEPH HAYDN String Quartet in A Major, Op. 20, No. 6, Hob. III:36, “Sun”
JOHN CROWLEY [New Work] — World Premiere
ARNOLD SCHOENBERG Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night), Op. 4

Flutist and creative storyteller Annie Wu invites audiences into Not Too Sweet, an intimate hour-long evening where music, memory, and personal storytelling meet.

Inspired by the cheeky Chinese phrase for the perfect dessert, Not Too Sweet blends exquisite works by Fauré, Sibelius, Dvo?ák, and more with reflections on childhood, nostalgia, and life’s bittersweet turning points. The result is a delicate, deeply personal program that lingers like a favorite memory.

Featuring special chocolate pairings by Santa Barbara chocolatier Chocolate Maya, this one-of-a-kind performance combines music, stories, and just the right amount of sweetness.

PROGRAM

PHILIPPE GAUBERT Nocturne
GAUBERT Madrigal for Flute and Piano
JULES MOUQUET “Pan et les Oiseaux” from La flûte de Pan, Op. 15
FRANCIS POULENC “Les Chemins de l’amour”
JEAN SIBELIUS “War es ein Traum?” Op. 37, No. 4
DARIO MARIANELLI arr. MARQUEZ “Liz on Top of the World”
JOE HISAISHI “Merry-Go-Round of Life” from Howl’s Moving Castle
J.S. BACH “Andante” from Flute Sonata in E Minor, BWV 1034
ANTONÍN DVO?ÁK “Songs My Mother Taught Me,” Op. 55, No. 4
GABRIEL FAURÉ Fantasie for Flute and Piano, Op. 79

TICKET INFORMATION

Tickets for the Mariposa Concert Series range from $65-$80 per single event, and $208-$256 (20% discount) when subscribing to the four-concert series package.

Tickets are on sale online at musicacademy.org and by phone at 805-969-8787, Monday-Friday, 10 am to 5 pm. The Music Academy is committed to ensuring the Santa Barbara community has access to music through $10 Community Access Tickets, subject to availability. Plus, young people ages 7-17 can receive a ticket free of charge when accompanied by a ticketed adult.

THE VENUE

Known as Miraflores, the Music Academy of the West’s 10-acre campus was originally the estate of John Percival Jefferson. Its spectacular grounds and gardens are a serene space to gather before performances in the intimate Hahn Hall, which The Santa Barbara Independent calls an “ultra-luxurious jewel-box venue,” and the Los Angeles Times says “nothing gets between music and the ear.” Free, ample parking is available on campus.

Each concert will include a pre-concert wine reception at 6:30 pm.
For more information, visit musicacademy.org/mariposa.

ABOUT THE MUSIC ACADEMY OF THE WEST

Located in Santa Barbara, the Music Academy of the West provides classically trained musicians and diverse audiences with transformative educational and performance experiences. As part of its annual Summer Music Festival & School, the Academy presents the Fellowship Institute, which trains up to 150 fellows ages 18–34, alongside the High School Intensive, a two-week program for 80 gifted musicians ages 14–18. The Music Festival showcases more than 100 performances and events, including masterclasses and a fully staged opera. The 2026 Summer Music Festival & School will run June 17–August 8. Year-round Music Academy programs include Sing!, a free, after-school youth choral program and the Mariposa Concert Series, featuring Academy-affiliated artists and alums. In 2028, the Academy will open its Music Education Center in downtown Santa Barbara, expanding access to music education, rehearsal, and performance opportunities for the community. Learn more at musicacademy.org.