Internationally acclaimed mezzo-soprano Xeni Tziouvaras will return to her hometown of Santa Barbara this holiday season to perform at the annual Sounds and Stories of Greek Christmas benefit concert, 3 p.m. Saturday, Dec 13 at St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church, 205 San Antonio Creek Road.
The fundraiser concert is presented by the Santa Barbara chapter of American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA) and Opera Santa Barbara.
Tziouvaras, who attended Dos Pueblos High School and grew up in the parish, has enjoyed a global career in music. After earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Manhattan School of Music, she established herself in Florence, Italy, where she continues to perform with leading orchestras and opera companies worldwide.
Tziouvaras’ resume includes performances in Venice, Florence, Halifax, and Mallorca, as well as throughout the U.S., from Palm Springs to Carnegie Hall.
She has shared the stage with such legends as Plácido Domingo and worked under the batons of James Conlon and Zubin Mehta.
Earlier this year, Tziouvaras won first prize in Santa Barbara’s Performing Arts Scholarship Foundation Awards, underscoring her continued connection to the community that first nurtured her love of music, local concert organizers said.
This marks the fourth year of the Sounds and Stories of Greek Christmas benefit concert, co-sponsored by Opera Santa Barbara and the Santa Barbara chapter of AHEPA.
The concert benefits community support efforts that include providing college scholarships and sponsoring community cultural events.
The program will feature a blend of traditional Christmas music, rarely performed Byzantine hymns, and Greek holiday carols.
“I’m thrilled to return home and share this beautiful tradition with the Santa Barbara community that raised me,” Tziouvaras said. “Performing here is always deeply meaningful, it’s where my musical journey began.”
For more about the artist, visit www.xenitziouvaras.com.
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