Bonnie Carroll's Life Bites

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BOOKBITES . . .

ART NEWS . . .

AN AFTERNOON DELIGHT FOR EVERY MONET & MATISSE FAN

Families & Friends Welcomed to Savor Unique Collection of French Impressionist & More at SBMA

By Bonnie Carroll

Credit: Claude Monet, The Water Lily Pond (Clouds), 1903. Oil on canvas. Dallas Museum of Art, The Eugene and Margaret McDermott Art Fund, Inc., bequest of Mrs. Eugene McDermott in honor of Nancy Hamon, 2019.67.13.McD.

Visitors to The Santa Barbara Museum of Art are glowing with excitement experiencing two major exhibitions of coveted Impressionist and 19th-Century art, considered among the most popular and beautiful ever created.

The Impressionist Revolution: Monet to Matisse from the Dallas Museum of Art explores the rebellious origins of the independent artist collective known as Impressionists and the revolutionary course they charted for modern art. The exhibition features a rich array of paintings, including exquisite examples of Monet, Van Gogh, Gauguin, Matisse, Mondrian and others. It was delightful to see the exhibition filled with guests, especially families with little art loving people, during my visit on a very rainy day.

It is always a delight to see Monet Water Lillies, and it was also a pleasure to see several Eduard Manet paintings that I had never seen before in this special collection. Several spectacular Matisse works are on display as well as a tandem exhibition.

Encore: 19th-Century French Art from SBMA has more than 40 art works on view, using paintings and photographs to take you on a virtual tour of Paris, Normandy, the French countryside and beyond. Drawn entirely from the Museum’s superb collection, Encore offers the first-ever opportunity to view all four of its Monet landscapes in a single exhibition.

The new front entry check-in design provided a quick and cordial start to the museum exhibition, where visitors were given a brochure with map, a safe place to put their umbrella, and helpful answers to any questions. I love the entrance gallery and was both surprised and pleased with the softly psychedelic display of familiar SBMA sculptures and displays leading into the Impressionist Revolution Monet & Matisse exhibition area.

Guests may learn more about the artwork on view at SBMA with a docent-led gallery tour. Tours take place daily and are free with the price of admission. Guests are requested to meet in Ludington Court near the State Street entrance at the times listed on their website; times vary for holidays and special events.

Following my tour, I so enjoyed doing some early gift shopping in the exhibition gift shoppe center, were I found wonderful art puzzles and painting materials for the little people in the family, writing journals that I loved, and some lovely Monet socks for my daughter. The display is filled with so many attractive gift items that any family member or friend would love, including boxed cards, playing cards, scarves, carry bags, T-shirts and more.

Santa Barbara Museum of Art Learning Lab, Photo: B.Carroll

The Art Learning Lab (ALL) (entrance off State) was welcoming families and visitors to enjoy free art making opportunities and the area was filled with enthusiastic visitors. I enjoyed watching the instructor’s helping families with color blending and material options. I have attended a few of these SBMA community hands on art opportunities in the past and truly enjoyed making an art keepsake to gift a friend. ALL drop-in space is available Saturdays & Sundays: 12-4 pm and 1^st Thursdays: 5-7 pm.

The exhibitions will be on display through January 25, 2026. Visit SBMA.net for tickets and additional information.

Santa Barbara Museum of Art - 1130 State Street – Santa Barbara, California

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MOZART’S SANTA BARBARA SYMPHONY PRESENTS A MATINEE MASTERPIECE

Mozart's Requiem a Musical Journey of Heaven and Earth

By Bonnie Carroll

During an extraordinary Santa Barbara Symphony matinee program on Sunday, November 16th, the audience found themselves spanning centuries and styles, while experiencing a unique opportunity to travel on a moving Mozart journey of heaven and earth that was truly breathtaking.

From the first note, Aaron Jay Kernis’ Musica Celestis transported guests to the heavens where violin strings shimmered like angelic voices. In an imaginative new work, everyone experienced the timbral interplay between Swedish brass virtuoso Christian Lindberg and The Symphony’s own principal trombonist Dillon MacIntyre on Andrea Tarrodi’s Double Trombone Concerto. According to Conductor Kabaretti, “Mozart originally wrote the Requiem for trombones, however, that interpretation was never included.” This combination of timbral and trombones Nir Kabaretti included in this concert was fascinating and delightfully unique orchestrated with the coral and symphony elements.

Maestro Nir Kabaretti, Music & Artistic Director

It was an unforgettable experience of the co-mingling of amazing musical sounds and voices as Maestro Nir Kabaretti skillfully lead nearly 200 performers, the Santa Barbara Symphony, Santa Barbara Symphony Chorus, and a stellar cast of talented soloists who took the audience on a deeply moving Requiem journey, a final testament to the masterpiece Mozart sadly would never live to complete. A presentation masterpiece that was mesmerizing, hopeful, soulful and uplifting all at once.

The standing ovation finale, where everyone celebrated the greatness of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and the greatness of the exceptional collection of talent on the Granada stage, as well as the conducting skill of Maestro Nir Kabaretti was simply stunning.

Nir Kabaretti, Conductor, Christian Lindberg (voted the greatest brass player in history by the world’s largest classical radio station Classic-FM) & Dillon MacIntire, Trombones, Anastasia Malliaras, soprano, Christina Pezzarossi, mezzo-soprano, Andrew Gilstrap, bass-baritone, Brad Bickhardt, Tenor and Santa Barbara Symphony Chorus gave magical performances that enabled the audience to feel every note and emotion of this presentation made possible through Aaron Jay Kernis, Musica Celestis, Andrea Tarrodi, Double Trombone Concerto (co-commissioned by The Symphony and Tonhalle Dusseldorf. Dedicated to Christian Lindberg, Daniel Tellez Gutierrez, Dillon Macintyre).

Huge kudos to the sponsors for this unforgettable afternoon performance who included principal sponsor Sarah & Roger Chrisman, Choral sponsors Anonymous, Marilyn & Richard Mazess, Selection sponsors Eve Bernstein, Davis & Bobsey Fansler, Chris Lanchahire, Jean Rogers, Howard Jay Smith & Tricia Bivans Dixon. Corporate Sponsor 2025/26 Season Sarah & Roger Chrisman, Corporate Sponsor 2025/26 Season Montecito Bank & Trust, Grand Venue Sponsor 2025/26 The Granada Theatre.

For upcoming Santa Barbara schedule or ticket purchase contact Granada Box Office 805-899-2222 or www.thesymphony.org.

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