Anikka Abbott, from left, Deborah Bertling, Vivian Vega-Rangel.
SANTA BARBARA — Three operatically trained singers, each with successful individual careers, will join forces for a performance of Broadway music, operetta and more on Nov. 24 at the SOhO Restaurant and Music Club in downtown Santa Barbara.
This will be the second collaborative performance by Anikka Abbott, Deborah Bertling, Vivian Vega-Rangel, who together call themselves The Three Santa Barbara Sopranos. The group’s first performance was at the Old Spanish Days Fiesta in August.
The show, titled A Night with The Three Santa Barbara Sopranos, will begin at 7pm. Doors open at 6pm. The event will be hosted by theater and voiceover actor Edward Giron.
All three singers are Santa Barbara community members with lengthy careers in vocal performance and the performing arts. Abbott is a trained opera singer whose credits include Papagena in Mozart’s Magic Flute, Morgana in Handel’s Alcina, Tytania in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Mary in Kyr’s Christmas Oratorio. Her musical theatre credits include Sarah Brown in Guys and Dolls, Sandy in Grease, Lilli Vanessi (Kate) in Kiss Me, Kate, and Cinderella in Into The Woods. Abbot graduated summa cum laude from Pacific Lutheran University in 2015 with a Bachelor of Music in vocal performance.
Bertling is a classically trained singer, actress, and community volunteer. She has performed in dozens of operas, plays, musicals, and concerts throughout California and on the East Coast. Bertling sang with Opera Santa Barbara for over 20 years and spearheaded their education outreach programs for many years. She has taught music appreciation through Community Arts Music Association’s docent-led “Music Matters” program in local schools and is currently serving as the organization’s board chair. She is president of Performing Arts Scholarship Foundation, a nonprofit that provides financial aid to deserving vocal and instrumental students in Santa Barbara and provides grants for music education. Bertling earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Vocal Performance from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina.
Also classically trained, Vega-Rangel has performed as a vocal soloist for over 40 years in the Santa Barbara and Ventura County areas. Some of the groups she’s performed in include Opera Santa Barbara, the Santa Barbara Master Chorale, the KDB Messiah Sing Along, Santa Barbara Opera Theater, SBCC Opera Workshop and The Santa Barbara Prime Time Band. She holds a Music degree in Vocal Performance from UCSB. After graduating, she studied voice with several renowned teachers at the Music Academy of the West and participated in the academy’s Summer Music Program.
Giron, the event’s host, previously served as MC for Bertling’s sold-out Broadway Night at Soho performance. In January, he will play the character Heisenberg in the U.S. premiere of the acclaimed British play Farm Hall in Los Angeles. He is the author of a children’s book, Gwen the Racehorse, to be released in December.
A Night with The Three Santa Barbara Sopranos will take place Sunday, Nov. 24 at the SOhO Restaurant & Music Club, located at 1221 State St STE 205, Santa Barbara. Doors open at 6pm and the performance starts at 7pm. Admission is $20. For tickets and dinner reservations visit www.sohosb.com or call 805-962-7776.