Puccini Occupies Santa Barbara, via Gotham, at the Granada

Santa Barbara’s opera culture calendar has enjoyed a healthier life than might be expected from a city its size, thanks to the ongoing splendors of Opera Santa Barbara. Another regularly and reliably impressive “opera moment” in town occurs mid-summer, thanks to the fully staged opera production presented as a keynote event on the Music Academy’s roster.

Coming to the Granada Theatre, this year’s Academy opera of choice is one of the sturdiest standard rep favorites, Giacomo Puccini’s La bohème, with performances on the evening of Friday, July 14 and Sunday afternoon, July 16.

This summertime operatic flowering arrives with deep credentials intact, linked to the world-renowned vocal/opera focus of the Academy’s voice department, dating back to the seminal roles of Lotte Lehmann and Martial Singher in the formative period and with a long-lasting tenure of mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne at the helm. Many singers and instrumentalists involved in these summer-in-Santa Barbara opera productions have gone on to illustrious posts and careers. Coveted slots in the Academy’s voice department, selected from close to 700 applicants, go to prized young artists, adding to the high talent bar.