Endeavoring to make classical music widely accessible to the community, the Music Academy of the West has undertaken a unique new program for its annual summer classical music festival. At the heart of the program are $10 Community Access tickets, which Santa Barbara residents can purchase for all events. These tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis and include some of the best seats at all festival venues. With their reduced price, these tickets help everyone enjoy artists’ recitals, Academy Fellow performances, Academy Festival Orchestra concerts, and a chamber music series featuring faculty and special guests. In addition, the Community Access tickets are available for the Academy’s fully staged production of Cinderella, the Rossini opera.
In addition to the Community Access tickets, the Music Academy of the West also announced its new 7-17s Free initiative, which allows all minors between the ages of 7 and 17 to be admitted to the festival for free when accompanied by a ticketed adult. These free tickets can be obtained at the various venue ticket offices.
This year, the Academy has also vowed to increase live streaming of festival performances and events. Individuals can see more than 25 events streamed for free live at MusicAcademy.org. After the performance, the recordings will be available on demand. The streaming video will also include many of the more than 50 public masterclasses taught by Academy faculty and visiting artists.
Additionally, the Music Academy of the West makes classical music available to the community through its annual open house, an all-day event that is completely free for the public. This year’s open house starts with an Academy Festival Orchestra rehearsal of Ravel’s Boléro at Hahn Hall. In the afternoon, various masterclasses and performance rehearsals will take place at all venues across the campus.
Individuals can learn more about specific summer festival performances scheduled over the coming months at MusicAcademy.org.