Boasting a cultural line-up that's hard to top, Santa Barbara kicks into cultural season 2003/2004 with an alluring roster of world-class performing arts. Matching the cultural advantages of a major metropolitan city, the American Riviera� serves up some 200+ live performances annually. Add to the mix more than 50 museums and galleries, children's theater and 100+ eclectic events and festivals-from the annual Parade of Lights to legendary Old Spanish Days-and this city sizzles.

LEGENDARY VENUES The fall/winter season pops the cork with a rousing line up of performances showcasing the city's legendary venues. The historic 680-seat Lobero Theatre is California's oldest continuously operating theater. Built in 1924 in traditional Spanish Colonial style by renowned architect George Washington Smith, this classic stage hosts productions by State Street Ballet, Santa Barbara Dance Theatre, Opera Santa Barbara, Camerata Pacifica and The Music Academy of the West.

The 2,018-seat Arlington Theatre is another landmark venue. Built in 1931, the Arlington is noted for its trompe l'oeil interior featuring a vaulted star-studded ceiling creating an illusory night sky. On tap at the Arlington this season is the Santa Barbara Symphony as well as a variety of concerts, ballet performances and operas. Across the street from the Arlington Theatre is the Granada Theatre, built during the city's "Golden Age of Entertainment" in the 1930s. This stately venue is currently undergoing major renovation.

Other classic city venues include Mission Santa Barbara, St. Anthony's Seminary, the Mediterranean-style Music Academy of the West, historic Presidio Chapel, Our Lady of Sorrows Church, Peppers Ballroom and University of California Santa Barbara's (UCSB) Campbell Hall whose Arts & Lectures series has won acclaim for its eclectic blend of classical music, jazz, dance, world music and the spoken word.

New this year is the debut of the Marjorie Luke Theater, following a $3.7 million renovation. Built in 1931 during the Great Depression by WPA workers (as part of Santa Barbara Junior High School), the theater has been carefully restored including its proscenium stage, ornate plaster relief of cherubs and florets over the stage, wood vaulted ceiling and wrought iron chandeliers. This season's line-up includes an ongoing mentoring series entitled "Meeting The Masters" featuring world-class stage and film actors, writers, choreographers, dancers, vocal and instrumental musicians.

Also new to Santa Barbara for the 2003/2004 season is the newly-formed Victoria Hall Theater Company which will roll out plays and concert readings focusing on recent drama and comedy performed by local talent.

HITTING THE HIGHNOTES Noted as one of the finest chamber music operations on the West Coast, Camerata Pacifica unleashes its fall through summer program with all the right notes. Set in the legendary Lobero Theatre, this season's line up runs the gamut from the Prague Chamber Orchestra and Erotica Trio to the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. For its 85th season, CAMA also hits the stage running with its MasterSeries at the Lobero.

To commemorate Santa Barbara Symphony's 51st season and Gisele Ben-Dor's 10th year as music director, this season heats up with a classic series including Mahler, Mozart and Ravel. Also on tap this season is the new Tango and Malambo Festival, set for February 7-15th, with two concerts celebrating the vibrant works of Piazzola, Bacalov and Ginastera. Top picks also include the annual 4th of July concert and New Year's Eves Pops.

USCB's Chamber Music in Historic Sites� is a must for enthusiasts who enjoy the venue as much as the performance. For a rare treat, tap into St. Petersburg State Academic Capella Choir-the pride of Russian choral music since 1479, this powerful 60-person ensemble will sing Rachmaninoff's Vespers at the Gothic Our Lady of Sorrows Church. Other great venues include The Peppers Ballroom (1914), a Georgian-style Montecito mansion designed by renowned Hearst Castle architect Julia Morgan, and the astonishing Mural Room at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse (1925-1929). For those into the world beat, UCSB's Arts & Lecture series pumps up with performances by the Buena Vista Social Club and Latin diva Omara Portuondo, Cubanismo! and the Irish folk group Solas.

Marking its 25th anniversary season, the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra lights up with Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, Haydn's Concerto for Pianoforte and Wagner's Siegfried Idyll under the masterful direction of Music Director Heiichiro Ohyama.

For those who prefer a little foot play, a variety of dance troupes grace Santa Barbara's shoreline annually. Check out the Santa Barbara Dance Theatre, Santa Barbara Festival Ballet, Santa Barbara Dance Alliance and UCSB's Dramatic Art/Division of Dance department performances. This year also marks the 40th anniversary of the PCPA Theaterfest, with dual stages in Solvang and Santa Maria. Expect a world-class line-up of drama, comedy and musicals from Fiddler on the Roof to Hamlet.

For Latin lovers, the annual Flamenco Arts Festival kicks off each June through November. This year, world-renowned Ballet Christina Hoyas, direct from Spain, kicks off performances at the Lobero Theatre October 31st and November 1st.

Film buffs will want to run the celluloid circuit this January as the 10-day Santa Barbara International Film Festival unfolds under new Artistic Director Roger Durling. This year, the focus will be on Spanish and Latin films with an estimated 140+ screenings, events and awards presentations open to the public. Last season, Jeff Bridges took top honors.

TOP PICKS

November

Oct. 31 & Nov. 1 Flamenco Arts Festival presents Ballet Christina Hoyas. Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/963-0761 Oct. 24 - Nov. 8 Santa Barbara City College presents Wit. Garvin Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/965-5935 Nov. - Dec. 31 Karpeles Manuscript Museum & Library, "Wright Brothers." Santa Barbara; 805/962-5322 Nov. 2 Cielo Foundation presents "Mozart by Candlelight." Presidio Chapel, Santa Barbara; 805/965-0093 Nov. 2 "Dia de los Muertos" celebration. Santa Barbara Museum of Art, Santa Barbara; 805/963-4364 Nov. 3 UCSB Arts & Lectures presents "Omara Portuondo & the Buena Vista Social Club." Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/893-3535 Nov. 6 - Dec. 21 PCPA's Christmas Is. Marian Theatre, Santa Maria; 805/922-8313 Nov. 7-15 UCSB Arts & Lectures presents "Stop Kiss." Humanities & Social Science Building/UCSB, Isla Vista; 805/893-3535 Nov. 8-9 State Street Ballet presents "Seasons." Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/963-0761 Nov. 8-9 Santa Barbara Symphony presents Arturo Sandoval. Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/898-9386 Nov. 16 UCSB Arts & Letters presents an evening with Savion Glover. Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/963-0761 Nov. 18 UCSB Arts & Lectures presents St. Petersburg State Academic Capella Choir. Our Lady of Sorrows Church, Santa Barbara; 805/893-3535 Nov. 21 Camerata Pacifica presents "Concert C" chamber music series. Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/963-0761 Nov. 21 UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Bela Fleck & the Flecktones. Campbell Hall, Isla Vista; 805/893-3535 Nov. 22 - Feb. 15 Santa Barbara Museum of Art "Worshipping the Ancestors: Chinese Commemorative Portraits." Santa Barbara; 805/884-6430 Nov. 25 Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra Chamber Players Series Concert. Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara; 805/966-2441

December

Dec. 2 Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra presents Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/963-0761 Dec. 3 UCSB Arts & Lectures and Sings Like Hell present Alison Krauss & Union Station. Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/963-4408 Dec. 8 Speaking of Stories presents "Holiday Chestnuts." Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/963-0761 Dec. 12-14 Santa Barbara City College presents "Holiday Concert of the Quire of Voyces." St. Anthony's Seminary, Santa Barbara; 805/965-5935 Dec. 13-14 Santa Barbara Festival Ballet's Nutcracker. Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/966-0711 Dec. 13-14 State Street Ballet presents Nutcracker. Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/963-0761 Dec. 31 Santa Barbara Symphony presents "New Year's Pops Concert." Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/963-4408

January

Jan. 8-25 PCPA presents InterPlay: The Stage Between. Severson Theatre, Santa Maria; 805/922-8313 Jan. 15-18 Santa Barbara Dance Theatre presents the 13th Annual Dance Concert. Hatlen Theatre, Isla Vista; 805/893-3535 Jan. 21-22 UCSB Arts & Lectures presents "Culture Clash." Campbell Hall, Isla Vista; 805/893-3535 Jan. 23 Jazz at the Lobero presents McCoy Tyner. Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/963-0761 Jan. 23-24 New Works: Santa Barbara Choreographers. Center Stage Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/963-0408 Jan. 24-25 Santa Barbara Symphony presents Arnaldo Cohen in "Mythic Beethoven." Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/966-4324 Jan. 26 Speaking of Stories opens its 10th season with an evening of short story readings. Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/963-0761 Jan. 30 CAMA presents the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/966-4324 Jan. 30 Dramatic Women presents The Space Between the Stars. Center Stage Theater, Santa Barbara; 805/963-0408 Jan. 30 - Feb. 8 Santa Barbara International Film Festival. Citywide, Santa Barbara; 805/963-0023

February

Feb. 1 The Cielo Foundation and West Coast Symphony present Peter and the Wolf. Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/963-0761 Feb. 3 UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Habib Koite & Hassan Hakmoun. Campbell Hall, Isla Vista; 805/893-3535 Feb. 7 State Street Ballet Tango and Malambo Festival performance. Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/963-0761 Feb. 7-15 Santa Barbara Symphony, Tango & Malambo Festival. Santa Barbara, city-wide; 805/898-9386 Feb. 13 Camerata Pacifica presents Erich Korngold's Opus 23 Suite for Piano. Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/884-8410 Feb. 14-15 Santa Barbara Symphony presents "The Soul of Tango." Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/966-4324 Feb. 14 PCPA presents Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Marian Theatre, Santa Maria; 805/922-8313 Feb. 18-19 UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Paco Pena Flamenco Dance Company. Campbell Hall, Isla Vista; 805/893-3535 Feb. 20-21 Flying Leap Storytelling Festival. Solvang. 805/688-9533 Feb. 21 Boxtales' Jambo Watoto and Santa Barbara Dance Theatre present "The Ocean of Motion: Dancing Human Emotions." Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/963-0761 Feb. 28 - Mar. 5/7 Opera Santa Barbara presents Cosi fan Tutte. Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/963-0761

March

Mar. 2 UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/963-0761 Mar. 5-20 Santa Barbara City College presents Fortinbas. Garvin Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/965-5935 Mar. 11 - Apr. 4 PCPA presents Fiddler on the Roof. Marian & Severson Theatres, Santa Maria; 805/922-8313 Mar. 13-14 Santa Barbara Symphony presents Mozart's Divertimento in F Major. Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/963-4408 Mar. 18 Jazz at the Lobero presents "Newport Jazz Festival 50th Anniversary Tour." Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/963-0761 Mar. 22 - 27 Lobero Family Series presents Romeo & Juliet. Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/963-0761 Mar. 23 Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra presents Andre-Michel Schub in Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 24. Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara; 805/963-0761 Mar. 31 - May 16 UCSB University Arts Museum presents "Chinese Calligraphy Couplets from the Lok Tsai Hsien Collection." University Arts Museum, Isla Vista; Santa Barbara; 805/893-7564

FREE ARTS & CULTURE GUIDES For a seasonal copy of the Santa Barbara Performing Arts Guide, the public can contact the Santa Barbara Performing Arts League at 805/563-8068 or visit www.sbperformingartsleague.org. For a free copy of the seasonal Santa Barbara Visual Arts Guide, the public can contact the Santa Barbara Visual Arts Coalition at 805/564-6828 or visit www.sbva.org. For a complete listing of Santa Barbara County cultural events visit the Santa Barbara Conference & Visitors Bureau and Film Commission's website, www.santabarbaraCA.com.

KEY WEBSITES www.artsandlectures.ucsb.edu/calendar.asp www.cameratapacifica.org www.centerstagetheater.org www.circlebarb.com www.dancecalifornia.net www.dramadance.ucsb.edu www.fivefootfeat.com www.litmoon.com www.lobero.com www.operasb.com www.sbdancealliance.org www.sbfilmfestival.org www.statestreetballet.com www.summerdance.com www.thesymphony.org

Media Contact: Koleen Hamblin, KOLI COMMUNICATIONS (805) 899-4193; Link2koli@aol.com