Category: Entertainment

Feb. 25 — Santa Paula Art Museum to hold 13th Anniversary Party

Don’t miss our biggest party of the year! On Saturday, February 25, join us at the Museum for an exciting evening of art, live music, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, a silent auction, and much more. All proceeds from the event benefit the Santa Paula Art Museum, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Tickets to the event are $100 per person and include two complimentary drink tickets. Advance ticket purchase is recommended.

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March 1 — UCSB Arts & Lectures presents the Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour

UCSB Arts & Lectures (A&L) presents Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour on Tuesday, Feb. 28 and Wednesday, March 1 at 7:30 p.m. at the Arlington Theatre. A Santa Barbara institution, the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour is a perennial fan favorite. Featuring the world’s best films and videos on mountain subjects, the tour awes viewers with thrills and grandeur captured in exotic locations the world over. The show’s wide variety of film subjects – from extreme sports to mountain culture and environment – will amaze audiences. An entirely different program of films screens each night.

March 2 — Santa Barbara Museum of Art to present Miró Quartet Chamber Music Concert

Santa Barbara Museum of Art to present Miró Quartet Chamber Music Concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 2 at SBMA’s Mary Craig Auditorium, 1130 State St., Santa Barbara.

Formed in 1995, the Austin, Texas-based Miró Quartet, is one of America’s most celebrated string quartets, having performed throughout the world on the most prestigious concert stages. They won first prizes at the Banff International String Quartet Competition and Naumburg Chamber Music Competition, and in 2005, became the first ensemble ever to be awarded an Avery Fisher Career Grant. The Miró is quartet-in-residence at Chamber Music Northwest in Portland, OR and Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival in Washington State.

Through March 6 — Wildling Museum of Art and Nature explores urban wildlife in new exhibition featuring artist Hilary Baker, ‘Wildlife on the Edge’

The Wildling Museum of Art and Nature is pleased to announce its upcoming 2022 fall exhibition, Wildlife on the Edge: Hilary Baker, on view from October 8, 2022 – March 6, 2023. The public is invited to attend an opening reception on Sunday, October 9 from 3 – 5 p.m. at the Wildling Museum. 

Hilary Baker, Burrowing Owl, LAX, 2019, Acrylic on canvas, 24 x 24 inches, Courtesy the Artist.
Wildlife on the Edge features new and recent acrylic paintings from Hilary Baker’s Predators series alongside a new series of animal portraits on birch wood. From a group of common pigeons to an elusive cougar, Baker’s subjects make themselves at home in urban locales inspired by Los Angeles landmarks past and present. Coupled with Baker’s alternatingly bright and moody color palette, viewers are provided a fanciful peek into the secret lives of their wild neighbors, often hidden in plain view. 

March 12 — Antonio Pichillá Quiacaín opens at the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara

Sunday, March 12, 12pm – 4pm
Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara
653 Paseo Nuevo, Upper Arts Terrace
Santa Barbara

Join us at the museum for the opening of Guatemala based artist Antonio Pichillá Quiacaín’s video installation Tejiendo El Paisaje (Weaving The Landscape). Pichillá Quiacaín (Maya Tz ?utujil) explores Western traditions of abstraction combined with textile traditions from his Mayan family history.

March 14 — UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Tracy Kidder in conversation with Pico Iyer at the New Vic (limited availability)

UCSB Arts & Lectures (A&L) presents Tracy Kidder in conversation with Pico Iyer Tuesday, March 14 at 7:30 p.m at The New Vic. Pulitzer Prize-winner Tracy Kidder stands at the forefront of American letters as a champion of the heroism of everyday life. With a reputation for faultless prose and profound insights, his mesmerizing profiles include Mountains Beyond Mountains, which brought the world’s attention to Dr. Paul Farmer, and the Pulitzer Prize-winner The Soul of a New Machine. In his newest work, Rough Sleepers: Dr. Jim O’Connell’s Urgent Mission to Bring Healing to Homeless People, Kidder continues to amplify the efforts of unique individuals who transcend cynicism and create hope. 

March 16 — OC LIVE presents: Climate Change: It’s Personal with OC Prof. Jim Danza

Our changing climate is more than droughts and melting ice – it’s something that impacts our lives in many surprising ways. In this lively talk-show style presentation, we hear from climate scientists, environmental activists, and people living the crisis on the ground. Hosted by our very own Prof. Jim Danza, this event will open your eyes to the personal impact of our changing climate.

March 23 — OC LIVE — The exceptional Hermanos Herrera perform a diverse set of Mexican musical styles like Son Huasteco, Son Jarocho, and Musica Norteña

United by blood and through music, Hermanos Herrera is a musical group consisting of five brothers and their younger sister. The group plays various styles of traditional Mexican music such as Son Huasteco, Son Jarocho, and Musica Norteña. They perform with an aggressive and energetic style that is both passionate and exhilarating.

Through March 24 — Channel Islands Maritime Museum to Present Exhibition Neil Brooks & The California Seascape

Beginning January 3, 2023, the Channel Islands Maritime Museum (CIMM) will be presenting its latest exhibition, Neil Brooks & The California Seascape in its Brenda and Gary Farr Gallery.

As a self-taught artist, Brooks captures the cultural ritual of the California beach day using a striking variety of mediums. Charcoal, watercolor, oil, and collage blend together in loose brushwork and rich color, inspired heavily by the Masters of the 20th century like Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Cezanne. These works of fluctuating movement reflect the distinctive light and emotion of atmosphere in Southern California, delivering a contemporary and regional take on iconic, historic styles.

Through March 25 — ‘The Tempest’ Makes Landfall at Moorpark College Theatre Arts

Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” arrives March 16 on the Moorpark College Performing Arts Center main stage, filled with comedy, magic, love and treachery. The student production runs through March 25 with evening performances and weekend matinees.

This comedic fantasy will honor the 10-year anniversary of the Elizabethan-style set theatre arts instructor Brian Koehler designed for the productions of “Henry IV, Part I” and “Part II” in 2013. 

“The base design of our Shakespearean set takes inspiration from the Globe Theatre in England,” said Koehler, scenic designer of “The Tempest.” 

“This style of stage becomes a classic theatrical component in and of itself, with show-specific elements that largely rely on the dialogue of the production to delineate space and detail. It provides a multi-layered production experience for our students, both technicians and performers. Even with something as crazy as ‘The Tempest,’ it is about embracing the traditional structure versus hiding it,” he explained.

March 30 — Santa Barbara Art Museum lecture Explores the Work of Artists Ed & Nancy Kienholz

Santa Barbara Art Museum lecture Explores the Work of Artists Ed & Nancy Kienholz at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 30 at SBMA’s Mary Craig Auditorium, 1130 State Street, Santa Barbara.

A lecture given by James Glisson, SBMA Curator of Contemporary Art, in conjunction with the exhibition Scenes from a Marriage: Ed & Nancy Kienholz

March 10, 11 — CSUCI students show off their comedic skills in ‘Puffs’

The parody “Puffs or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic” was chosen for the CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) spring production because the Performing Arts program currently includes several students with a gift for making people laugh.

“We have some student actors with amazing comedy chops and wanted to give them a play where they would get a chance to shine,” said Performing Arts Lecturer Laura Covault, who teaches theater. “This play is fast-paced and hilarious.”

Performances start at 8 p.m. on March 10 and at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. on March 11 in Malibu Hall Room 140.

April 4 — UCSB Arts & Lectures presents the Wynton Marsalis Septet

UCSB Arts & Lectures (A&L) presents the Wynton Marsalis Septet Tuesday, April 4 at 7 p.m at the Granada Theatre. In this intimate performance, Wynton Marsalis will lead an exciting new edition of the Wynton Marsalis Septet as they present his latest original compositions as well as standards spanning the vast historical landscape of jazz music. Originally formed in the spring of 1989, the Wynton Marsalis Septet has featured such acclaimed musicians as Wycliffe Gordon and Wess “Warmdaddy” Anderson. 34 years later, this special group has taken new form, garnering some of jazz’s biggest rising stars. As Douglas Hall of Glide Magazine describes it, the Wynton Marsalis Septet “combines familiar musical friendships and his passion for discovering new talent.”

April 11 — Carsey-Wolf Center at UCSB to present ‘Listening to Cumbia’ documentaries

The Carsey-Wolf Center at UCSB will present “Listening to Cumbia,” a program of two short documentaries that examine the vibrant culture of cumbia and cumbia sonidera in Los Angeles and Mexico City, at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 11 at the the Pollock Theater on the UCSB campus.

We will be screening Joyce García’s Yo No Soy Guapo (US premiere), and Alvaro Parra’s “Sonidero Metropolis” (premiere). Following the films, García and Parra will join us for a discussion and Q&A about their films. This event is free to attend and open to the public, so your community of readers is warmly invited to join us. 

April 13 — UCSB Arts & Lectures presents the Danish String Quartet at Campbell Hall

UCSB Arts & Lectures (A&L) presents the Danish String Quartet on Thursday, April 13 at 7 p.m. at Campbell Hall. “One of the best quartets before the public today” (The Washington Post), the Danish returns with the third concert in its Doppelgänger Project, pairing Schubert’s “Rosamunde” and “Quartettsatz” quartets with a newly commissioned work by Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdóttir. One of the most original voices of her generation, Thorvaldsdóttir wields a “seemingly boundless textural imagination” (The New York Times) to create captivating musical landscapes at once grand and personal.

April 13 — CSUCI, Oxnard College present free dance concert by Ballet Nepantla

Dancers conveying the stories and identities of Mexican Americans through a combination of ballet and folklorico will present a free public performance in Oxnard and a master class for CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI) and Oxnard College students. 

Ballet Nepantla will perform “Valentina” on Thursday, April 13, at 6 p.m. in the Oxnard College Performing Arts Building (PAB). The master class for Dance Studies majors at CSUCI and Oxnard College students will be held the morning of April 13 at the University in Camarillo. 

“Too often, art produced and performed by people of color is invisible, and the opportunity to offer this folklorico ballet performance to the community pushes back against that trend,” said CSUCI Vice Provost Jessica Lavariega Monforti. 

April 14, 15, 16 — Bilingual report — ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! Presents Three Free Performances of Tres Souls

SANTA BARBARA — ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! (Viva) is back with its next free community event. Relive the vintage sounds of the Golden Era of Mexican Cinema with three free performances by the musical trio, Tres Souls. Viva is a collaboration…

April 15 — Mission Life Days At La Purisima Mission

There’s always something exciting, engaging, and new to discover and experience. Join costumed docents and staff for an opportunity to observe and participate in the craft activities that supplied the needs of the mission residents  on April 15, 2023 from 11 AM…

April 21 — UCSB Arts & Lectures presents So Percussion with Caroline Shaw at Campbell Hall

UCSB Arts & Lectures (A&L) presents S? Percussion with Caroline Shaw on Friday, April 21 at 8 p.m. at Campbell Hall. Pulitzer Prize-winner Caroline Shaw joins S? Percussion as vocalist for ten songs she co-composed with the quartet members. Let the Soil Play Its Simple Part explores soil cultivation as a metaphor for creativity and collaboration. Shaw’s remarkable ear for melody and harmony and S?’s playful sense of rhythmic invention come together in this strikingly original music. Taking inspiration from James Joyce, ABBA, American roots music, plainchant, Christian hymns and stories from the Old Testament, S? Percussion and Caroline Shaw dissolve the boundaries between classical and pop. In the first half of the program, S? Percussion will perform works in its repertoire from a trio of young composers including ensemble member Eric Cha-Beach, Angélica Negrón and Nathalie Joachim.

April 22 — Studio Channel Islands presents Gypsy Interlude — Concert in the Gallery

Studio Channel Islands Art Center (SCIART) Presents long-time friends Armen Guzelimian and Gilles Apap are performing together for the first time ever at Studio Channel Islands.

Armen Guzelimian is celebrated for his versatility as a top-notch collaborative artist, a brilliant soloist and first-rate chamber musician not only in Southern California, but all over the world. He has received national and international critical acclaim for his appearances in many of the major concert halls in the U.S.A and Europe.

As a chamber musician, Mr. Guzelimian’s has appeared with the Rossetti String Quartet, the Los Angeles String Quartet, Camerata Pacifica, the Dilijan Chamber Music Series, Chamber Music in Historic Sites, the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, and the Aspen Festival. He made his Disney Hall debut in March of 2014 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Chamber Music Society and returned to the delight of audiences in November 2016.

April 22, 23 — CSUCI University Chorus and four high school choirs will sing in Choral Spectacular 2023

Five choruses totaling more than 100 singers will perform together April 22 and 23 in CSU Channel Islands (CSUCI)’s Choral Spectacular 2023.

The CSU Channel Islands University Chorus will be joined by the Pleasant Valley School District Chorus, Santa Paula High School Cardinal Concert Choir, Ventura High School Chorale and Rancho Campana High School Concert Choir as they sing a variety of musical pieces in several languages. The performance will also feature the Channel Islands Chamber Orchestra (CHICO).

April 23 — UCSB Arts & Lectures presents ARTEMIS at Campbell Hall

UCSB Arts & Lectures (A&L) presents ARTEMIS on Sunday, April 23 at 7 p.m. at Campbell Hall. ARTEMIS is an international ensemble of modern jazz masters named for the ancient Greek goddess of the hunt. Founded in 2017 under the banner of International Women’s Day, it made a memorable splash at the 2018 Newport Jazz Festival, followed by a debut recording on Blue Note in 2020. Each member is a composer and bandleader in their own right, and the collective’s repertoire draws from new compositions written expressly for them, to classics by Lee Morgan, Thelonious Monk and Wayne Shorter.

April 23 — UCSB Arts & Lectures  presents Artemis at UCSB Campbell Hall

ARTEMIS is an international ensemble of modern jazz masters named for the ancient Greek goddess of the hunt. Founded in 2017 under the banner of International Women’s Day, it made a memorable splash at the 2018 Newport Jazz Festival, followed by a debut recording on Blue Note in 2020. Each member is a composer and bandleader in their own right, and the collective’s repertoire draws from new compositions written expressly for them, to classics by Lee Morgan, Thelonious Monk and Wayne Shorter.

April 25 — UCSB Arts & Lectures presents 24th U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón at Campbell Hall

UCSB Arts & Lectures (A&L) presents Ada Limón on Tuesday, April 25 at 7:30 p.m. at Campbell Hall. For Ada Limón, poetry is elemental, necessary and deeply human. Known for “clear storytelling, vivid visuals, and a final turn that snaps you like a twig” (Guernica Magazine), Limón is the author of six books of poetry. The Carrying won the National Book Critics Circle Award. Bright Dead Thingswas nominated for the National Book Award. Her newest book of poetry, The Hurting Kind, was named one of The New York Times’ 100 Notable Books of 2022. The first woman of Mexican ancestry to be named U.S. poet laureate, Limón views identity – and poetry – as an avenue to greater possibilities.

April 27 — UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Isabella Rossellini in Conversation with Pico Iyer at The New Vic

A storied model and movie star, Isabella Rossellini represents a startling example of self reinvention. Born into European film royalty as the daughter of director Roberto Rossellini and actor Ingrid Bergman, her own performances are some of the definitive images in film. After a successful career in acting and modeling, she earned a master’s degree in animal behavior and now creates unique and humorous works of performance art based on her research. Known for her philanthropic efforts in animal conservation among other areas, Rossellini runs an organic farm in Bellport, New York. As former muse and partner to artists like David Lynch, Martin Scorsese and Gary Oldman, Rossellini has stories to share and ideas of her own about the trials and tribulations of a life lived almost entirely in the public eye. 

April 28, 29, 30 — Ventura College to present ‘These Shining Lives’ by Melanie Marnich at the Ventura College Theatre

It’s the roaring 20s and gender norms have started to shift. Four young women celebrate their new-found freedoms as employees of the Radium Dial Company, decorating watches and clockfaces with a new invention, glow-in-the-dark paint. As decades pass and a toxic truth begins to emerge, the women struggle to hold the company accountable for stealing their health by valuing profit over safety. Based on the true story of the Radium Girls, Melanie Marnich’s “These Shining Lives” illuminates the spirits of these ordinary women whose courageous battle for social justice continues to resonate in the laws that protect today’s worker.

April 29 — Santa Barbara Maritime Museum & Anchor Rose Restaurant to present book signing with author Will Sofrin

The Santa Barbara Maritime Museum and the Anchor Rose Restauran will present a book signing with author Will Sofrin of the memoir “All Hands on Deck: A Modern-Day High Seas Adventure to the Far Side of the World” from 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, April 28 at 113 Harbor Way, Santa Barbara.

The event will include an outdoor screening of the feature film Master and Commander.

Through April 30 — Channel Islands Maritime Museum to Present Annual Oxnard Union High School District Student Art Show

The Channel Islands Maritime Museum (CIMM) will be presenting its latest exhibition, The Oxnard Union High School District Student Art Show, in its Brenda and Gary Farr Gallery through April 30.

Art is a strong, unifying element within the community and students will be showcasing their talents in a variety of two-dimensional and three-dimensional mediums.

“We are proud to host a show where students can share their creative expressions and lived experiences,” said CIMM’s Collections and Exhibitions Manager Olivia Williamson. “We invite you to come and witness the next generation of great artists.”

April 30 — Santa Barbara Museum of Art to present acclaimed poet and art critic John Yau in conversation with artist Joan Tanner

Artist Joan Tanner joins acclaimed poet and art critic, John Yau, Professor of Critical Studies at Rutgers University, for a conversation. Tanner is currently the subject of a solo SBMA exhibition, Out of Joint: Joan Tanner (through May 14). Yau has edited the Brooklyn Rail and Hyperallergic Weekend, and has authored some 50 books of poetry.

May 3 — UCSB Arts & Letters to present Laura Dern & Diane Ladd in ‘Honey, Baby, Mine: A Mother and Daughter Talk Life and Love’

During the global pandemic, acclaimed actor Laura Dern (Big Little Lies, Twin Peaks, Jurassic Park) and legendary talent Diane Ladd (Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Chinatown) began taking long walks together. The mother and daughter had appeared alongside one another in Rambling Rose and David Lynch’s Wild at Heart, and their relationship deepened as they were able to break down the traditional barriers between parent and child, speaking honestly about moments that profoundly impacted them.

May 6 — Studio Channel Islands Art Center (SCIART) presents a night of magic with Shawn McMaster

Studio Channel Islands Art Center (SCIART) presents a night of magic with Shawn McMaster. Shawn’s unequaled blend of sophisticated magic and hilarious comedy has made him a highly sought-after act all over the world.

May 6 — UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Mark Morris Dance Group at The Granada Theatre

Mark Morris Dance Group’s evening-length work, The Look of Love, is the newest collaboration from choreographer Mark Morris and arranger Ethan Iverson. An homage to the chart-topping songs of Burt Bacharach – including popular compositions for Dionne Warwick such as “Walk on By” and “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again” – the piece features original choreography, a live musical ensemble and lush new arrangements of more than a dozen legendary hits by the multi-award-winning composer.

May 7 — Oxnard College to Host Second Annual Family Festival

Oxnard College will host its second annual Family Festival on Sunday, May 7, 2023 from 12-4 p.m. This family-friendly event is free and open to the community; it will take place in front of the college’s Performing Arts Building and in tandem with the Oxnard College Foundation’s weekly Community Market.

“We’re proud to continue growing this tradition here in Oxnard,” shared Dr. Oscar Cobian, interim president of Oxnard College. “Our annual festival invites friends of Oxnard College to visit our beautiful campus for a day of fun and to learn about our award-winning programs. We hope young children attending the event will also begin thinking about their dreams and goals for attending college.”