On Thursday, Nov. 16, renowned British pianist Stephen Hough came to Santa Barbara to give a piano concert at the Lobero Theatre. The audience at the Lobero left in awe as they stood up to applaud after a stellar performance.

Sir Hough is a knight, a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) and holds numerous awards and honors accumulated through a career of more than just musical excellence. Sir Hough has composed music, written books and published articles for influential newspapers such as the New York Times. 

Tickets for his concert were made available at the library by Westmont in the Arts (WITA) for pickup. Some students (including orchestra musicians) took advantage of this opportunity and enjoyed a nice evening listening to this musical genius.

WITA regularly has opportunities like this for students to be part of. Student and avid enjoyer-of-music, Sophia Chan, the co-concertmaster violinist for the Westmont orchestra, attended this event. She was more than happy to express what this experience meant for her and could mean for the rest of the community. She said, “It was such an amazing experience getting to hear Sir Stephen Hough live at the Lobero. He expressed so many different colors, moods, textures and themes throughout his program.” Chan mentioned her clean impression of the variety of styles he expressed, such as impressionistic classics, intense sonatas and a British Partita. Chan shares, “I am incredibly grateful to WITA for providing tickets to concerts at the Lobero and the Granada. Sir Stephen Hough’s concert is just one highlight of the many magical musical experiences I have had in Santa Barbara!”

As Chan said, Hough’s performance was absolutely genius, filled with feeling and perfect piano technique in incredibly difficult songs. Westmont’s students have the chance to get to see incredible, world-class artists like Sir Hough. Attending such events can be fruitful for this liberal arts community, besides being an enjoyable and enriching experience.