Local Luminaries to Be Honored at 3rd Annual Granada Theatre Legends Gala

The Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts (SBCPA) will host its 3rd Annual Granada Theatre Legends Gala on Friday, September 15, 2017.

This signature event is one of Santa Barbara's most impressive productions and features inspiring honorees, extraordinary talent, and dedicated patrons of the arts all in one place to support Santa Barbara's cultural community.

The Legends Gala honors individuals and organizations that have had a significant impact on the performing arts and this year SBCPA is proud to recognize Michael* Anne and Michael* Towbes, the Music Academy of the West and Marilyn Horne as its 2017 Legends (*in memoriam).

Anne and Michael Towbes have been -generous visionary supporters of The Granada Theatre, devoted to making it a gift to their beloved Santa Barbara community. Michael served on The Granada Theatre's Board of Directors, and early on became a driving force behind The Granada Theatre renovation endeavor. Anne is a past president of the Lobero Theater Foundation and has been active with countless local cultural organizations including UCSB's Arts & Lectures and the State Street Ballet. Anne and Michael were married in 2005 and spent over a decade sharing a special love for the performing arts by attending hundreds of local performances of music, theater and dance. With Michael's untimely passing on April 13, 2017, his family, The Granada Theatre Board of Directors and the entire community take joy in knowing that "The show will go on!" in Michael's memory.

Music Academy of the West is committed to making a unique and enduring contribution to the world of music by providing gifted young classically-trained musicians the opportunity for advanced study and performance under the guidance of internationally renowned faculty artists, guest conductors, and soloists. The Academy cultivates discerning, appreciative, and adventurous audiences, presenting more than 200 public events annually for the Santa Barbara community. These include performances by faculty, visiting artists, and fellows; master classes; orchestra and chamber music concerts; and a fully staged opera. At their ocean-side Montecito campus, Music Academy of the West is dedicated to giving musicians the tools to have vibrant careers, as well as providing unparalleled access for the community to make classical music part of daily life.

Marilyn Horne's five-decade career in opera, concert, and recital has been celebrated around the world for the power and artistry of her unique and dazzling mezzo-soprano coloratura, and for her revival of many forgotten Rossini, Handel, Vivaldi, and Bellini operas. She is Vocal Program Director at the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, where she has been responsible for reviving full length staged opera performances at the Academy, including recent productions of Rossini's Barber of Seville in 2011, Stravinsky's interpretative The Rake's Progress in 2012, a return of Die Zauberflöte in 2013, and a production of Carmen in 2014. Horne launched the Marilyn Horne Foundation in 1994 to support young singers and the art of the song.

The Legends Gala is an exceptional black-tie affair set in the stunning Granada Theatre, where guests enjoy an exclusive on stage experience. A gourmet dinner by Duo Events will complement a night of spectacular entertainment by many of the theater's resident companies.

The Legends Gala is chaired by local luminary Gretchen Lieff, along with co-chair Stephanie Sokolove and honorary chair Anne Towbes, supported by a dynamic Legends Gala Committee including Meg Burnham, Annette Caleel, Belle Hahn Cohen, Mary Tonetti Dorra, Kate Firestone, Brooks Firestone, Audrey Hillman Fisher, Erin Graffey, Patricia Gregory, Roberta Griffin, Susan Gulbransen, Pamela Dillman Haskell, Melissa Ianelli, Nina Phillips, Joan Rutkowski, Anne Sides, Kirsten Springer, Carol Wilburn and Irma Jurkowitz.

The Granada Theatre has been a prominent landmark in Santa Barbara's thriving music and performing arts landscape for more than 90 years. All proceeds from the Legends Gala will help to ensure that this state-of-the-art venue continues to actively engage the community through diverse live performance and filmed entertainment programming. In addition, funds raised from the gala will assist the SBCPA in its effort to provide best-practices business and marketing support services for The Granada Theatre's eight resident companies and its Historic Theatre District partners.

For more information about tables and additional sponsorship opportunities for this exciting event, contact Hayley Firestone Jessup, Vice President for Advancement, at 805-899-3000 or hjessup@granadasb.org. For more information, visit www.granadasb.org.

The Santa Barbara Center for the Performing Arts (SBCPA), a privately-funded 501(c)(3) corporation established in 1983, is dedicated to providing best-in-class production, sales and administrative support to arts organizations from throughout the Santa Barbara region, including its Historic Theatre District partners (Lobero Theatre and the New Vic Theatre) as well as its eight resident companies (CAMA, Music Academy of the West, Opera Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara Choral Society, Santa Barbara Symphony, State Street Ballet, Theater League and UCSB Arts & Lectures).

The SBCPA's most visible service is operation of The Granada Theatre. Purchased by the SBCPA in 2003, restored and reopened in 2008, The Granada Theatre has state-of-the-art electrical, sound, lighting and fly systems, large and up-to-date dressing rooms, as well as contemporary audience amenities. By providing a world-class venue with skilled house management staff, production staff, marketing and ticketing services staff, the SBCPA is making it possible for many of Santa Barbara's finest performing arts organizations to present their programs with the highest level of contemporary production support and audience comfort.

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