ON the Beat | Lofty Prospects in the Land of the Ampersand

By Josef Woodard Fri Jul 11, 2025 | 10:00am

As is one of the eagerly awaited cultural “wait for it” moments in Santa Barbara, a large gathering of patrons, VIP, media types, and others convened in the swanky and view-endowed Montecito Club a few weeks back. Vittles, high anticipatory spirits, and imbibables were in tow. The occasion: The big “Reveal Party” for the upcoming season of the irreplaceable UCSB Arts & Lectures. Good news flowed during a preview of what’s to come, and you heard it here second or third — the 2025-26 roster offers up another rich and diverse pageantry of temptations for us to anticipate and mark our calendars for.

Meghan Bush | Photo: UCSB Arts & Lectures

It’s impossible to underestimate the degree to which Arts & Lectures amps up and smartens up the local cultural landscape, with some of the finer music, dance, and lecture events well worth getting out of the house for. In part, the general strength and hipness of the complex program — a gem among similar Universities of California offerings — exists thanks to the efforts of visionary exec director Celesta Billeci over the past quarter century. She became a retiree this year, and the leadership torch was just recently passed to her longtime assistant director Meghan Bush (see story here).

As a warm-up, the event featured justifiable hooplah celebrating Billeci’s inspired and game-changing tenure, including Congressman Salud Carabajal presenting her with a Congressional Award and plate from the House of Representatives (a dubious ruling body at the moment, although Carbajal is one of the good guys). Then came the anxiously awaited Presentation of the Brochures, speedily passed around the room to our hot hands and data-seeking eyes.

One opinionated arts reporter/omnivore’s top dozen list would look something like this, in chronological order: Poetic piano Prometheus Daniil Trifonov (September 30); super-charged jazz chanteuse Samara Joy (October 2); the power trio of Sarah Watkins, Aoife O’Donovan, and Sarah Jarosz, aptly known as I’m with Her (October 3); Molly Tuttle (December 7); Ravi Coltrane and Terrence Blanchard (January 27); Ruckus and Davóne Tines (February 3); Yo-Yo Ma in Recital (playing newly commissioned music!) (February 22), Chucho Valdéz and Arturo Sandoval Legacy Quintet (March 7); Danish String Quartet with the Danish National Girl’s Choir (the A&L/DSQ love affair continues) (April 10); Emmet Cohen Quintet, Miles and Coltrane at 100 (April 12); Yuja Wang & Mahler Chamber Orchestra (April 23); and Kronos Quartet (May 2).

But that’s just the tip of the iceberg that is A&L’s goods in store. Among other strong first impressions is the wealth of important artists folded into the jazz series this year, beyond more crowd-pleasing fodder in recent years.

Presently, we are in the dog days of the season — a k a “The Dogs of Summer” — as the tradition of free screenings in the Courthouse Sunken Gardens brings out hordes of moviegoers. Dogs are welcome to show pride of species, in such canine-oriented cinema as this Friday’s 101 Dalmatians and the chewy fine artier fare of Best in Show (July 25) and Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs (August 15). Come September and the coveted return of the great Trifonov at Campbell Hall, the games gamely begin.

ON the Music Academy Notes Beat

Daniela Candillari | Photo: Jennifer Taylor

In an admitted reach of a segue, this week finds the return of genre-leaping, riff-slinging, Bach-loving mandolinist Chris Thile, who has given notable performances in the A&L camp. This time around, though, his more Bach-ish behavior will be on tap when he serves as the performer for the Music Academy of the West’s annual Gala fund-raising evening, Friday (July 11) at the Montecito Club.

Other MAW music well worth checking out this weekend is the appearance of Academy Chamber Orchestra outings at Hahn Hall, on Saturday (July 12). Conductor Daniela Candillari leads a provocative program of P-word heroes, Piazzolla and Poulenc, but also pays tribute to composer-performer Sarah Gibson, who died far too young of cancer, at 38. The MAW alum (2009) who also taught at UCSB and was part of the acclaimed, progressive piano duo Hocket, will be represented by her piece warp & weft.

One of the season’s highlights is the three-night stint of eminent (and eminently quotable) pianist Jeremy Denk, a world class artist and thinker who is among the most charismatic and deep-diving of MAW faculty members. He always has something cool up his sleeve, as with last year’s brilliant performance and of Charles Ives’ classic Concord Sonata. This year, he settles into Hahn Hall for three nights (Tuesday to Thursday, July 15-17) to present and talk about three powerful late Beethoven Sonatas — the Op. 31 “Tempest,” Op. 110, and Beethoven’s final sonata, Op. 111. The programs are spiced with assorted and tangentially related musical treats, from the varied likes of Nina Simone, György Ligeti, and Wagner. It promises to be a triple dose of a doozy.

To-Doings:

California Guitar Trio + String Revolution | Photo: Courtesy

Guitar, Cadillacs, hillbilly music, and other matters of music and Americana will be seizing the Santa Barbara Bowl stage on Saturday, when dyed-in-the-wool, alt-retro country hero Dwight Yoakum ponies up to the Bowl Stage. Don’t be late: The opener is no less an American than The Mavericks.

Up and over at SOhO, the week ahead promises tasty goods from California Guitar Trio tonight (July 10) (see story) and Mason Jennings (July 13). Sunday afternoon sports this month’s congregation of the Santa Barbara Jazz Society, featuring Tom Gastineau and Friends. Gastineau has a shiny résumé, including a long stint performing in Clint Eastwood’s Carmel hang zone, the Mission Ranch Restaurant and Resort. Get offa ‘yer lawn and head over to SOhO.