Grammy-winner Ted Nash to lead SBCC composers in concert at Museum of Art

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. (June 29, 2022) - Grammy Award-winning musician and composer Ted Nash will lead a group of musicians from the Santa Barbara City College Summer Jazz Seminar in a concert of original music on the front terrace of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art (SBMA), Sunday, July 10 at 3 p.m. The pieces are all inspired by or are musical interpretations of works of art from the museum’s exhibit, “Going Global - Abstract Art at Mid-Century.”

The concert, “Ted Nash: The Sound of Art,” will share the creative accomplishments made by the students during a two-week workshop held June 27 to July 8. In his fourth summer as a SBMA artist-in-residence, Nash led the group through a unique composition process using works of art as inspirations for new musical compositions.

The SBCC Summer Jazz Seminar is led by returning director Andrew Martinez. “Having a theme like a work of art can make the process of creating music less daunting. It also helps that Ted can communicate complex ideas and concepts to everyone and have them understand it! We are very fortunate to have him here with us,” said Martinez.

The workshop started over Zoom with Nash guiding students through the compositional process he has used in the past when inspired by specific paintings. The next day students took a tour of the SBMA galleries to choose a work of art as the subject of their composition. Taking photos and detailed notes, they stayed at the museum long after the tour had concluded.

“It is wonderful to continue our long-time collaboration with the incomparable Ted Nash for a fifth year and our second year of partnering with SBCC on ‘The Sound of Art,’ said Patsy Hicks, Director of Education for the museum. “As always, it is exciting to see the students connect with original works of art — this year with the global language of abstract expressionism in the exhibition Going Global. Most exciting of all is the creative compositions that emerge from this exploration and expression of one art form in another.”

The first week of the workshop continued via Zoom as Nash joined the class virtually, offering feedback and suggestions to the students as they composed new music for their jazz ensemble.

The public will have the chance to hear the results of this creative undertaking Sunday, July 10 at 3 p.m. on the front terrace of the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State Street. Admission is free.

The Ted Nash Workshop is supported by the SBCC Music Jazz Program Fund through the Santa Barbara City College Foundation. The Museum funding comes from a grant from the Robert and Mercedes Eicholz Foundation.

For more information about its exhibits, events, collections and more, visit the Santa Barbara Museum of Art website.