VIRTUAL EVENTS
Presents
Intimate, interactive online events you won’t find anywhere else
Sep 2020Jan 2021
VIRTUAL EVENTS
Welcome to House Calls. Stay home this fall, and let A&L come to you. This September through January we’re sharing hope, ideas and fun in a series of interactive digital events spanning the globe. From Nottingham to Nashville, Denmark to Denver, Ireland to Hawai'i and from New York to right here in California, House Calls delivers performance, conversation, thoughtful analysis and witty commentary streaming right to your living room. Featuring the creative thinkers and doers that you’ve come to expect on the A&L stage, each hour-long program with musicians, novelists, comedians, economists and more combines what our guest excels at with an informal talk back session and other elements that don’t normally happen on stage.
This is better than front row seats!
$140 All Access Pass includes 15 events Advance tickets start at $10 Buy early, events will sell out.
UCSB students: FREE!
You must register for each event using your umail.ucsb.edu email address and perm number.
How to Order
(805) 893-3535 www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu Prices are subject to change. Capacity is limited.
We’re All In This Together, Apart Take your House Call to the next level by supporting these and other Santa Barbara businesses
Acme Hospitality brings custom-crafted meals to your House Calls experience, featuring menus curated by The Lark Executive Chef Jason Paluska and Loquita Executive Chef Nikolas Ramirez, and innovative artisanal fare from Lucky Penny. Restaurant links will be available on the A&L website. Order early! Dinner options only available while supplies last. Chaucer’s Books is your one-stop local shop for books by House Calls authors. “We’re committed to providing our community with an impressive depth and breadth in any and all subjects as well as excellent customer service.” With gratitude to our local media partners: Santa Barbara Independent, Voice Magazine, KCRW and Noozhawk
Bluegrass Guitar Hero
Billy Strings
Thu, Sep 24 / 5 PM Pacific
“Billy Strings is the bluegrass star you don’t want to miss.” Rolling Stone Nashville-based bluegrass phenom Billy Strings is rewiring the genre with elements of punk, country, folk rock and psychedelic exploration to fashion something altogether his own. Strings’ must-see act for fans of both bluegrass and rock alike will be followed by a Q&A with the future of bluegrass himself.
Event sponsored in part by Russell Steiner
Order dinn
er from
The La
rk
Nashville-based Singer-songwriter
Jason Isbell
Thu, Oct 1 / 5 PM Pacific “An artist who sets an imposingly high bar, then routinely clears it again and again.” Variety Four-time Grammy Award-winner Jason Isbell’s songs are master classes in narrative – whether solo, with his former band the Drive-By Truckers or fronting The 400 Unit – showing his Alabama soul as he drifts between rock, country and roots. This up-close solo show and Q&A will reveal a portrait of “an artist eternally searching deeper within himself ” (Rolling Stone).
Americana Music Star
Nathaniel Rateliff, solo Wed, Oct 14 / 5 PM Pacific “[Rateliff’s] generosity onstage makes the music business seem like the service industry.” NPR After much acclaim with his band The Night Sweats, Nathaniel Rateliff returns to his unguarded, revealing solo work that passionately and urgently speaks to finding hope through dark times and staying strong through struggle. This intimate House Calls salon illuminates Rateliff ’s skillful artistry and rich baritone, and includes a Q&A.
Financial Times U.S. Editor-at-Large
Gillian Tett
Thu, Oct 8 / 5 PM Pacific “A first-rate journalist and a good storyteller.” The New York Times When it comes to economics, Gillian Tett is on the money. She has an unparalleled track record at predicting important trends that impact the world, such as the 2008 financial crisis, the rise of populism and the electoral success of President Trump. In this timely House Call followed by an audience Q&A, Tett will address some of the most pressing economic, financial, political and social issues the market faces today.
Comedian, Storyteller, Director and Actor
Mike Birbiglia
Thu, Oct 29 / 5 PM Pacific “We don’t have the answers but we do have jokes.” – Mike Birbiglia Get up close and personal with comic Mike Birbiglia as he explores his love affair with pizza, managing work and family and unexpectedly coming to terms with fatherhood. With his “genius blend of confessional and observational comedy” (The New York Times), Mike will read from his new memoir, The New One: Painfully True Stories from a Reluctant Dad, followed by an off-the-cuff Q&A with the audience.
An Intimate Conversation with the 19th United States Surgeon General
Vivek H. Murthy, MD Fri, Oct 23 / 5 PM Pacific Co-presented with
“Together stands with Atul Gawande's classic, Being Mortal.” – Malcolm Gladwell As the 19th Surgeon General of the U.S. (2014-17), Vivek H. Murthy, MD created initiatives to tackle our country’s most urgent public health issues. In this timely fireside chat followed by a Q&A, the author of Together will talk about his work on loneliness and the current state of public health and take questions on these critical topics for our time.
Presented in association with Ridley-Tree Cancer Center, Sansum Clinic, Cottage Health, and Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics
2020-2021 Book Selection As part of A&L’s Thematic Learning Initiative, FREE copies of Together by Vivek H. Murthy, MD will be distributed to the Santa Barbara community in advance of his lecture. Pick-up dates and locations will be posted on Thematic-Learning.org.
Celebrated Novelist, Essayist and Poet
Barbara Kingsolver
in Conversation with Pico Iyer Fri, Oct 16 / 5 PM Pacific (Note new date) “A gifted magician of words.” Time The award-winning author of compulsively readable books including The Poisonwood Bible, The Bean Trees and more than a dozen others, Barbara Kingsolver offers poems of transcendence with her new collection, How to Fly. Enjoy a fascinating conversation with the author who consistently explores human resilience in trying times, followed by a Q&A.
Speaking with Pico Series Sponsors: Martha Gabbert, Dori Pierson Carter & Chris Carter, and Laura Shelburne & Kevin O’Connor
Bestselling Author
Cheryl Strayed
in Conversation with Pico Iyer Thu, Dec 3 / 5 PM Pacific “Strayed reminds us of what it means to be fully alive.” – Author Mira Bartók Author of the bestselling memoir Wild and the unorthodox advice column “Dear Sugar” and host of the New York Times podcast Sugar Calling, Cheryl Strayed encourages her audience to live large, love hard and be brave enough to break their own hearts. This conversation and Q&A with Strayed will remind us how we keep walking even when it seems impossible to stand.
Special Gratitude Concert
Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cello & Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano Rising stars of Britain’s Classical Scene
Sun, Nov 22 / 5 PM Pacific (available to stream for seven days) FREE for all House Calls ticket buyers
“They played with such ease and accuracy... Call it sibling harmony.” The Guardian (U.K.) Sheku Kanneh-Mason’s performance for more than 35 million people worldwide at the wedding of Prince Harry and Megan Markle moved the audience to tears, making the 21-year-old one of the most sought-after cellists. His 24-year-old sister Isata is a chart-topping classical pianist. In this special recital from their home in Nottingham, England, the astounding duo will bring their tight-knit communication, exuberance and humility to a performance of chamber music at its most intimate. Followed by a conversation with Sheku and Isata.
Sunday Brunch Concert with Musician, Historian, Writer and Podcaster
Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi there is no Other
Sun, Nov 15 / 11 AM Pacific “An electrifying artist” (Smithsonian Magazine), 2017 MacArthur “genius” Rhiannon Giddens has reclaimed American musical traditions for our time. Showcasing her spectacular banjo and fiddle playing, passionate vocals and perceptive songwriting, Giddens will perform a special matinee concert from her home in Ireland, followed by a Q&A. Joining Giddens will be multi-instrumentalist Francesco Turrisi, her collaborator on there is no Other, her recent album that blends Arabic, European and African American musical influences.
Order brun
ch from
The La
rk
A Pink Martini Cabaret China Forbes & Thomas Lauderdale
Thu, Dec 10 / 5 PM Pacific
“Pink Martini is a rollicking around-the-world musical adventure… If the United Nations had a house band in 1962, hopefully we’d be that band.” – Thomas Lauderdale, Pink Martini bandleader/pianist Santa Barbara favorite Pink Martini is adored for their retro arrangements of timeless classics and rarely heard gems, crossing genres of classical, jazz and oldfashioned pop. In this cabaret performance, China Forbes’ songs will “swoosh past like fabulous gowns in a vintage fashion parade” (The Telegraph) while pianist Thomas Lauderdale er from “pulls out numbers from around the world like Order dinn ta trinkets from his jacket lining” (JazzTimes). Lo q u i Followed by a Q&A with China & Thomas.
Musical America’s 2020 Ensemble of the Year
Danish String Quartet Thu, Nov 12 / 5 PM Pacific “The Danish are remarkable, as ever.” Gramophone (U.K.) A Santa Barbara favorite, the Danish String Quartet stands out among today’s many exceptional chamber music groups. For House Calls, the “truly fab four” (Los Angeles Times) will play an elegant program featuring Shostakovich String Quartet No. 10 in A-flat Major, and a short selection of folk tunes from their homeland, followed by a conversation with the musicians from Copenhagen.
Co-sponsored by Dr. Bob Weinman, and NancyBell Coe & Bill Burke
Hawai'i’s Ukulele Rockstar
Jake Shimabukuro Tue, Jan 19 / 5 PM Pacific “Amazing uke playing to be relished… Exquisite.” – Brian May, guitarist for Queen Ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro takes the fourstring, two-octave instrument to places no one has gone before, drawing comparisons to Miles Davis and Jimi Hendrix with his out-of-the-box blend of stunning virtuosity and deep musicality. In this intimate night of genre-crossing music followed by a Q&A, Shimabukuro will forge a deep emotional connection that is open, magical and transcendent.
Bestselling Author
Anne Lamott
Notes on Hope
Thu, Jan 14 / 5 PM Pacific “Anne Lamott is our wickedly funny, self-deprecating, insightful guardian angel, and she's given us the gift of hope.” Pasadena Star News Treasured author Anne Lamott’s newest book, Almost Everything: Notes on Hope, reminds us that even when we are “doomed, stunned, exhausted, and over-caffeinated,” rejuvenation is at hand. In this candid, caring, insightful and hilarious program and Q&A, she will help us rediscover the nuggets of hope that are buried within.
New York Times Crossword Editor and NPR Puzzlemaster
Puzzles & Ping Pong with Will Shortz Thu, Jan 28 / 5 PM Pacific “A philosopher of puzzles.” New York Magazine Will Shortz has been crossword editor for The New York Times since 1993, where his solving skill is unrivaled. Also an avid table tennis player, Shortz is the owner and director of the largest table tennis facility in the U.S. He’ll answer your puzzle-related puzzlements from the tables of his famed Westchester Table Tennis Center.
Event sponsored by Siri & Bob Marshall
Order dinn
er from
nny Lucky Pe
Announcement on Sep 30
Bryan Stevenson
Brittany K. Barnett
Dr. Ibram X. Kendi
Leading activists, creatives and thinkers confront racism in America, guiding us towards racial equality. “I believe that you see something that you want to get done, you cannot give up, and you cannot give in.” – Civil rights leader and U.S. Congressman the late John Lewis A year-long series produced by Arts & Lectures and UC Santa Barbara for the campus and community – watch for the announcement Sep 30.
(805) 893-3535 | www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu