The Santa Maria Philharmonic Society presents the sixth annual Youth Showcase event on Jan. 14 this year. The event is an audition-only recital featuring local youth who’ve exhibit laudable skill in classical music. The concert will feature musicians of several instruments between the ages of 8 and 18. Past recitals have included solos and duets […]
Joe Payne
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
Ecology classes offered at Sedgwick Reserve
The Sedgwick Reserve will host a series of monthly ecology classes in 2018. Beginning Jan. 13, the classes will continue on the second Saturday of each month between December and August. The classes will focus on the ecology of the Sedgwick Reserve, including seasonal ecology, geology, birds, and native plants. The series of hikes and […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
County’s call for artists extended
The Santa Barbara County Office of Arts and Culture began a call for artists last year for a series of sculptures to be installed on Santa Barbara’s State Street. Due to fallout from the Thomas Fire, the deadline to submit to the call has been extended to Jan. 15. The project is open to all […]
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The Nature Conservancy acquires 24,000 acres near Vandenberg
The Nature Conservancy announced the purchase of 24,000 acres of coastal habitat along Santa Barbara County’s coast surrounding Point Conception and bordering Vandenberg Air Force Base on Dec. 22. The historic purchase was made thanks to a donation of $165 million from Jack and Laura Dangermond, conservationists and co-founders of Esri, based out of Redlands, […]
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Songs across seasons: Local musicians played loud and proud during 2017
For many, music is more than background enjoyement, it’s a way of life. And plenty of those diehards call the Central Coast home. That’s why 2017 saw numerous concerts to attend every week, from orchestras to bar bands. Local music lovers filled seats with open ears, and talented homegrown musicians helped pack venues as successfully […]
Posted inNews
The Nature Conservancy acquires 24,000 acres near Vandenberg
The Nature Conservancy announced the purchase of 24,000 acres of coastal habitat along Santa Barbara County’s coast surrounding Point Conception and bordering Vandenberg Air Force Base on Dec. 22. The historic purchase was made thanks to a donation of $165 million from Jack and Laura Dangermond, conservationists and co-founders of Esri, based out of Redlands, […]
Posted inMusic, Arts & Culture
LOCAL NOTES: Lompoc Theatre Project holds benefit concert with Sgt. Pepper
Half a century ago, a band of four 20-somethings from Liverpool, England, got tired of constantly touring the world to perform their billboard-topping rock ‘n’ roll songs, and so composed a studio album that would change rock history. The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band was an incredible new sound in 1967 when it […]
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LOCAL NOTES: Ron Helman plays jazz trumpet at The Bear and Star in Los Olivos
The world of wine and jazz music are intertwined, and it’s easy to see why—they make a perfect pairing. That’s why trumpeter and jazz musician Ron Helman was surprised when he moved to the Santa Ynez Valley, the heart of the Central Coast’s wine country, and found a lack of jazz music in local venues. […]
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Spotlight on: Shaun Boyd Made This
Shaun Boyd, owner
Local woodworker Shaun Boyd didn’t come to the age-old craft directly. He was an economics major at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo before working in businesses, and then went back to school to study film. But after trying different jobs and traveling, he turned to a skill that was “more creative, doing something with my […]
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LOCAL NOTES: The Santa Ynez Valley Master Chorale prepare program of holiday favorites
Tradition is the red thread that ties centuries of Christmastimes together, and music is the bow that fastens it all up. The Santa Ynez Valley Master Chorale’s upcoming concert, Festival of Carols, pays vocal tribute to those traditions. The festival happens the weekend of Dec. 16 and 17 and includes classical through contemporary holiday music, […]
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LOCAL NOTES: Local singer/songwriter Michael Shelton
Anyone involved in the music scene on the Central Coast in the early 2000s will remember the bespectacled, curly-haired figure and clear voice of Michael Shelton, a regular fixture at open mics and concerts in Lompoc, Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo, and everywhere between. Originally from Texas, Shelton came to the Central Coast while serving […]
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LOCAL NOTES: Santa Maria Philharmonic Orchestra and Allan Hancock College Singers join forces to Rejoice!
Maestro Michael Nowak’s baton swished back and forth, leading the music with a brisk rhythm. But he wasn’t directing the violins and cellos of the Santa Maria Philharmonic Orchestra, but rather a four-part chorus, the Allan Hancock College Singers. His arms dropped, ending the polyphonic passages of “And He Shall Purify the Sons of Levi” […]