UP NEXT:
April 3, 2025
The Granada Theatre, 7:30 PM
CAMA's International Series presents
CHINEKE! ORCHESTRA
“Championing Change and Celebrating Diversity in Classical Music”
CLICK TO READ THE PROGRAM BOOK
Vimbayi Kaziboni (Photo Courtesy of Ensemble Intercontemporain)
Aaron Azunda Akugbo (Photo © Olivia Da Costa)
CLICK TO READ THE PROGRAM BOOK
“Chineke! is not only an exciting idea but a profoundly necessary one. The kind of idea which is so obvious that you
wonder why it is not already in place. The kind of idea which could deepen and enrich classical music in the UK for
generations. What a thrilling prospect!”
–Sir Simon Rattle
THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 2025, 7:30PM
Chineke! Orchestra
Chi-chi Nwanoku CBE,
Founder and Artistic Director
Vimbayi Kaziboni, conductor
Samuel Aguirre, assistant conductor
Aaron Azunda Akugbo, trumpet
PROGRAM:
COLEMAN: 7 o’clock Shout
A. COLERIDGE-TAYLOR: A Sussex Landscape
HAYDN: Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra in E-flat Major, Hob.VIIe:1
NABORS: Pulse for Orchestra
S. COLERIDGE-TAYLOR: Symphony in A Minor
LONDON’S GROUNDBREAKING CHINEKE! ORCHESTRA TO MAKE ITS U.S. WEST COAST DEBUT APRIL 3, 2025, AT THE GRANADA THEATRE!
Join CAMA for a memorable evening celebrating diversity and the transformative power of music across eras and cultures.
Community Arts Music Association (CAMA) of Santa Barbara continues its 106th concert season at The Granada Theatre on Thursday, April 3, 2025, with the highly anticipated U.S. West Coast debut of the pioneering, CHINEKE! ORCHESTRA, a Resident Orchestra at London's Southbank Centre. This groundbreaking symphony orchestra is dedicated to championing diversity and expanding professional opportunities for Black and ethnically diverse classical musicians and composers in the UK and Europe.
The Chineke! Orchestra has blazed a singular artistic trail since its founding. It serves as the flagship ensemble of the Chineke! Foundation, which was established in 2015 by Chi-chi Nwanoku, CBE, to provide underrepresented Black and ethnically diverse musicians in the UK and Europe with performance opportunities and visibility at the highest professional level. Chineke! performs a wide-ranging repertoire, from standard orchestral masterworks to often-overlooked compositions by historically marginalized composers.
The orchestra’s journey began with a landmark debut concert at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall in September 2015. Since then, Chineke! has garnered international acclaim, performing at prestigious venues and festivals, including the BBC Proms at Royal Albert Hall, the Lucerne Festival, and the Edinburgh International Festival. Its commitment to expanding the classical music canon is further reflected in an impressive discography, which includes critically acclaimed recordings of works by composers such as Florence B. Price, the trailblazing African American composer whose symphonies and concertos were largely neglected during her lifetime.
The organization takes its name from the Igbo exclamation “Chineke!”, which evokes the name of the creator to express wonder, awe, or surprise. This reflects the orchestra's mission to celebrate and inspire new possibilities in classical music.
Santa Barbara Debut Program
For its Santa Barbara debut, Chineke! presents an evening featuring compelling works by noted Black composers, including historic pieces by father-daughter composers SAMUEL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR and AVRIL COLERIDGE-TAYLOR, contemporary compositions by VALERIE COLEMAN and BRIAN RAPHAEL NABORS—as well as FRANZ JOSEPH HAYDN’s grand Trumpet Concerto in E‑flat Major, performed by Nigerian-Scottish trumpeter AARON AZUNDA AKUGBO—all under the baton of Zimbabwean-born conductor VIMBAYI KAZIBONI.
Valerie Coleman: Seven O’Clock Shout
The concert opens with Coleman’s vibrant tribute to frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Composed in 2020, the work was inspired by the global ritual of nightly applause for healthcare professionals.
Avril Coleridge-Taylor: A Sussex Landscape
A Sussex Landscape, a picturesque orchestral tone poem inspired by the English countryside where the composer spent much of her life.
Franz Joseph Haydn: Trumpet Concerto in E‑flat Major
The first half concludes with Haydn’s beloved Trumpet Concerto, showcasing Aaron Azunda Akugbo, a founding member of Connaught Brass.
Brian Raphael Nabors: Pulse for Orchestra
Following intermission, Nabors’ Pulse takes the audience on an exhilarating rhythmic journey.
Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Symphony in A Minor
The evening culminates with Coleridge-Taylor’s monumental work of late-Romantic grandeur.
Join CAMA for this historic occasion as Chineke! Orchestra brings its trailblazing artistry and commitment to diversity to Santa Barbara for the first time. •
Sponsors:
Edward S. DeLoreto
Mahri Kerley
The Shanbrom Family Foundation
Co-Sponsors:
Deborah & Peter Bertling
Elizabeth & Andrew Butcher
Stephen Cloud
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 9, 2025, 7:30PM
Yefim Bronfman
piano
Celebrated pianist YEFIM BRONFMAN returns to CAMA’s Masterseries at the Lobero Theatre for the first time in over 25 years with a program of pianistic fireworks! Renowned for his technical brilliance and profound musicality, he is an international keyboard legend and considered one of the greatest pianists of his generation. The opportunity to hear him in recital doesn’t come around very often, so his performances attract an eager crowd of dedicated keyboard fans. Born in 1958 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Yefim Bronfman immigrated from the Soviet Union to Israel in 1973 and later to the United States, where he honed his musical skills at prestigious institutions such as The Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute of Music (where he is now a faculty member). Over the past five decades, he has built a distinguished international career featuring collaborations with the world’s premier orchestras and conductors. His artistry has been recognized with prestigious awards, including the Avery Fisher Prize and a Grammy® for his recording of Bartók’s three piano concertos with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.
PROGRAM:
MOZART: Sonata No. 12 in F Major, K. 332
SCHUMANN: Arabeske in C Major, Op.13
DEBUSSY: Images, Book II
TCHAIKOVSKY: Grand Sonata in G Major, Op. 37
Sponsors:
Alison & Jan Bowlus
Michele Neely Saltoun
Co-Sponsors:
Beth Gates Warren & Bob Boghosian
Nancy Wood, in honor of the CAMA Women’s Board
ESA-PEKKA SALONEN
© Benjamin Suomela
FRIDAY, MAY 9, 2025, 7:30PM
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Esa-Pekka Salonen, Conductor Laureate
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, piano
The Los Angeles Philharmonic, under the baton of their esteemed Conductor Laureate Esa-Pekka Salonen, return for an evening of grand musical exploration with celebrated pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard. The concert marks Maestro Salonen’s sixteenth appearance conducting for CAMA over the past three decades—twelve with the LA Phil and three with London’s Philharmonia Orchestra.
NEW PROGRAM:
CLAUDE DEBUSSY:
Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun)
BÉLA BARTÓK:
Piano Concerto No. 3, Sz. 119, BB 127 (1945)
LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN:
Symphony No. 3 in E-flat Major, Op. 55, “Eroica”
Principal Sponsor:
Bitsy & Denny Bacon and The Becton Family Foundation
Mosher Foundation
Sponsors:
Towbes Fund for the Performing Arts, a field of interest fund of the Santa Barbara Foundation
Co-Sponsors:
Rosalind Amorteguy-Fendon & Ronald Fendon
Beth Gates Warren & Bob Boghosian
Christine & Robert Emmons
Sally & George Messerlian
John & Ellen Pillsbury
Beth & George Wood
Nancy & Byron K. Wood
CAMA’s 106th Concert Season invites you on a journey of musical discovery, where the world’s finest artists forge bridges across boundaries.
Experience the global reach of music at The Granada Theatre’s International Series, featuring renowned ensembles like the London Symphony Orchestra (co-presented with the Music Academy of the West), the Los Angeles Philharmonic with Conductor Laureate Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra featuring Avi Avital and Estelí Gomez, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra with new Music Director Jaime Martín, and the not-to-be-missed Santa Barbara debut of the Chineke! Orchestra, whose mission is to celebrate diversity and champion change. Celebrate timeless masterpieces and vibrant contemporary works that traverse musical times and traditions.
At the intimate Lobero Theatre, CAMA’s Masterseries spotlights great living masters including pianists Yefim Bronfman and Garrick Ohlsson, and violinists Anne Akiko Meyers and Gilles Apap. Their performances transcend mere concerts, becoming immersive dialogues that connect the musical past with an innovative present.
Join CAMA for a season where music builds bridges forged with the power of sound. This is music that unites continents, celebrates diverse cultures, and inspires generations.
Photo of Esa-Pekka Salonen by Andrew Eccles.
Architectural Digest conferred an immense honor on the Lobero Theatre in an article showcasing “The 11 Most Beautiful Theaters in the World,” placing it among top distinguished venues such as Walt Disney Concert Hall (Los Angeles, California), Opéra Garnier (Paris, France), Sydney Opera House (Sydney, Australia), The Vienna State Opera (Vienna, Austria), and other standout theaters. Celebrating its 150th anniversary, the current Lobero Theatre opened in 1924 as the home of the Community Arts Association’s Drama Branch, and was the venue for the recital and chamber music programming of the CAA Music Branch (today’s CAMA). CAMA’s Masterseries continues this tradition right where it started—on the Lobero stage.
