Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade Benefit Concert

Pianist Robert Cassidy, courtesy photo.

Posted on May 20 by SEASONS Magazine

The Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade is hosting a benefit concert on Thursday, May 24 at 7 p.m. in Hahn Hall at the Music Academy of the West, 1070 Fairway Rd., Santa Barbara. One-hundred percent of the proceeds will go towards disaster relief for victims of the devastating debris flow that occurred in January 2018.

The program for the concert includes: Solo piano pieces La cathedrale engloutie and L’isle joyeuse, Rhapsody for Saxophone and Piano, Petite Suite for piano four-hands, Sonata for Cello and Piano, and a beautifully-curated program from Santa Barbara-based pianist Robert Cassidy of music from French composer Claude Debussy (1862-1918). Cassidy will be joined in performance by some incredibly talented local musicians: Natasha Kislenko, pianist and a faculty member of the UCSB Department of Music; Jennifer Kloetzel, cello and an instructor at the UCSB Department of Music; Patrick Posey, saxophonist and Vice President of Artistic Planning and Educational Programs at the Music Academy of the West; and Mary Beth Woodruff, violinist and Artistic Director of Santa Barbara Strings.

“We’d like to bring continued awareness to the great volunteer work the Santa Barbara Bucket Brigade is doing for our community. There is still a need for funding and volunteers. We all want to help,” says pianist Robert Cassidy.

Pianist Robert Cassidy is known for his performances and recordings of both solo piano repertoire and chamber music. He was praised by the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s review, as they remarked, “Cassidy demonstrates a keen grasp of varied styles on his new recital disc, which spans three centuries…with delicate and expressive sensitivity, savoring the magical atmospheres.”

Pianist Natasha Kislenko is acclaimed for her vividly expressive” interpretations and “virtuosity that leaves the audience exhilarated.” She is also a prizewinner of many international piano competitions, and has performed many times in Russia, Europe, Asia and across the Americas.

Cellist Jennifer Kloetzel, a graduate of the Juilliard School, a Fulbright Scholar, and a founding member of the San Francisco-based Cypress String Quartet, she has performed throughout the United States, Europe and Asia as a soloist and chamber musician.

Saxophonist Patrick Posey has been praised as a versatile and multi-instrumentalist who has performed as a soloist, recitalist, and orchestral musician in the United States and across the world. He appears regularly with the San Francisco Symphony and Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Violinist Mary Beth Woodruff, Founder and Artistic Director of Santa Barbara Strings, has served on the faculties of Songfest International at the Colburn School, just to name a few. For the past 5 years, she has been a member of the Radian String Quartet.

For more information, visit santabarbarabucketbrigade.org.

—Ashley Killion

This original story was posted at http://sbseasons.com/2018/05/santa-barbara-bucket-brigade-benefit-concert/.