Santa Barbara Music Club

Welcome to our 45th Season!

The Music Club Board has elected me as your new President, a role I promise to fulfill to the best of my ability. This is our 45th season, and we are one of the longest-lived cultural organizations in our county, an achievement we can all be proud of.

The October 11 opening concert features a world premiere by renowned local composer, Emma Lou Diemer, with Philip Ficsor, violinist. It will be a great event.

At the beginning of our new season I wish to remind everyone that Board members are all unpaid volunteers. Each has an assigned set of tasks. The Club also relies heavily on the talents of members who make up volunteer committees to do much of the work of special events. In these ways we keep our member dues very affordable. So please volunteer to help ensure the Club continues to provide so much to so many.

Your Board has worked hard to prepare another exciting concert season, coordinated by our Concert Committee, Christopher Davis, Chair, and as always, free to the public. Per Elmfors carries on as organizer of our Community Concerts, bringing great music to retirement home residents and providing a preview by Club musicians of their Faulkner Concerts.

By now you have received an invitation to the October 18th luncheon honoring Betty Oberacker, UCSB Professor Emeritus, and former Chair of both our Concert and Scholarship Committees. For more information, please call Mary Jo Hartle at 969-7634.

The Club is designing an experimental program to bring fine music to the students of La Cumbre Junior High School. This will require new funding, and if the project is successful could be extended to other schools in underserved communities. Please consider a donation earmarked to help launch this initiative.

We are extremely gratified that our membership continues to grow, but due to increasing costs we must increase revenue from all sources. Please consider increasing your support for our operating costs, and especially our Scholarship program. Our continued success depends heavily on a loyal and generous membership. Membership renewals can also be made through the Club website, which will soon be re-designed to provide closer and easier connections with members. Please also tell your friends about the Club. It’s a great community resource!

— William (Bill) Berry, President