Opera Santa Barbara

We know what you're thinking. New opera? Probably weird, hard to listen to, not for me. And honestly — we get it. Most people have been burned by contemporary opera that felt more like a puzzle than a performance.

Elmer Gantry is something else entirely. This Grammy Award-winning American opera is based on Sinclair Lewis's legendary novel and the Oscar-winning film starring Burt Lancaster — and it sounds like nothing you'd expect from a new work. The score is gospel-infused, lively, and genuinely beautiful. It's wickedly funny. It's sung entirely in English. And it tells a story that is as gripping today as it was when Lewis first wrote it in 1927.

Opera Santa Barbara is bringing this remarkable work to the Lobero Theatre for two nights only this spring — and we want you there, especially if you've never thought opera was for you.

We've also built an entire new website dedicated to Elmer Gantry, designed to help you find your way into this story no matter where you're starting from. Whether you're a lifelong opera fan, a film buff, or just opera-curious, there's something in this production for you.

🗓 Friday, May 1 at 7:30 PM · Sunday, May 3 at 2:30 PM
📍 Lobero Theatre

🎟 Get your tickets here: https://bit.ly/OSB_ElmerGantry

🌐 Explore the world of Elmer Gantry: elmergantryosb.manus.space

Musical Excerpts:
Orchestra: Brevard Music Center
Elmer Gantry: Evan Bravos
Sharon Falconer: Christina Pezzarossi

Kostis Protopapas, Conductor calls it "the first day of school". That moment when the entire Elmer Gantry cast and creative team gather for the first time to sing through the music together.

It's got all the nerves, all the excitement, and with this crew, it always feels like a reunion. They jump around musically, see where everyone's at, reacquaint themselves with the score and each other. Then the real work begins—staging, costumes, all of it.

🎭 Elmer Gantry opens May 1 & 3
https://bit.ly/OSB_ElmerGantry

Some operas you can explain in a sentence. Elmer Gantry is not necessarily one of them. So we gave it a website!

Explore the story of the charlatan evangelist who seduced a nation, and the music that brings his rise and fall to life. Then see it live May 1 & 3 at the Lobero Theatre

Dive in: elmergantryosb.manus.space

For tickets: https://bit.ly/OSB_ElmerGantry