The Music Academy in Santa Barbara wants the local community to come for a concert and bring a picnic, too. Their Picnic Series is a less formal way to experience classical music, and an opportunity to hear from the musicians studying at the Academy this summer.
On five Friday evenings this summer, concertgoers are invited to pack a picnic and enjoy the Music Academy’s gardens before heading into the concert hall.
The campus is located on several acres between Butterfly Beach and the 101 with manicured lawns, fountains, and lily ponds. It’s a place where some of the world's most famous classical musicians mentor talented young musicians as they hone their skills.
Jodi Barnard from the Music Academy said the Picnic Series is an opportunity for students of the Academy to perform for the Santa Barbara community.
“We have 137 fellows from 11 countries coming from all over the world to this concert series and summer school,” Barnard said.
Called summer fellows, many are recent graduates of music conservatories, and their average age is about 23. They apply to the Music Academy for additional training as they embark on professional music careers.
Barnard said the summer concerts showcase the up-and-coming artists, and the pre-concert picnic makes for a more casual evening. It’s a time for summer sweaters and sensible shoes.
“We’re really aligning some of this less formal programming to our community who is just kind of curious about the Music Academy, or they’ve never been to a classical music concert before,” she said.
Hamzah Zaidi is a returning fellow, he studied at the Music Academy last summer, too. He plays the cello and is a recent graduate of the Eastman School of Music in New York.
Zaidi is currently at work with his peers to prepare for their picnic series concert scheduled later this summer.
“It’s entirely student-led in terms of what the repertoire is going to be for each picnic concert,” he said.
Zaidi said it’s important to introduce more people to classical music and potentially grow the audience, especially among young people. He thinks the Picnic Series is a way to do that.
“It’s a little more casual, a little more laid back, not for the performers, but just in general. It’s a great idea,” he said.
For Paul Williamson, this is his first summer at the Academy. He plays piano and said he was drawn to the Music Academy for the many opportunities to perform throughout the summer.
“Certainly, the more I perform something, the more comfortable I am with it. The first time you play something tends to be the scariest,” he said.
Williamson earned his diploma at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles.
He regularly competes in solo piano competitions, and since it’s all done from memory without sheet music, he spends most days in the practice studio.
Williamson said his group is scheduled to perform music by contemporary composer Samuel Carl Adams for a picnic concert later this month. It’s music that can be enjoyed by everyone, he said, regardless of experience with classical music.
“These are very accessible pieces – the audience, anyone coming to hear these pieces played, will see the whole metamorphosis of all these seven pieces together,” he said.
The Picnic Series supports scholarship programs at the Music Academy. Tickets are available online and youth ages 7-17 are free.
You can find more information on the Music Academy website.
The KCBX Arts Beat is made possible by a grant from the Shanbrom Family Foundation.
