VENTURA : City Launches Series of Chamber Concerts

Years of planning will pay off beginning Wednesday night as the city of Ventura hosts its inaugural Chamber Music Festival, a series of nine concerts over five days and nights.

Since 1992, organizers have sought an event to showcase the city as an enclave of art and culture. A committee finally settled on a classical series that boosters predict will become a popular yearly attraction for residents and tourists.

“The idea is to make people realize there is a cultural scene here in Ventura,” said Elena Brokaw of the Ventura cultural affairs office, which is sponsoring the series.

“We are not a stop between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles,” she said. “We’re very active and we have a lot to offer.”

The opening event will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. at Ventura Harbor, where the Nicoletti String Quartet and a South American harpist will entertain during a gourmet reception and wine tasting.

Most of the other venues are historical sites throughout the downtown area, including the Victorian Rose Wedding Chapel and the San Buenaventura City Hall. The event concludes Sunday with a lawn party at the Pierpont Inn.

Brokaw said that tickets, which range from $18 to $100 for individual events and up to $245 for series passes, have been selling fast. She predicted that within a few years the Ventura Chamber Music Festival will become a fixture among regional concert series. “We know there’s a market for it because we’re selling out our concerts,” Brokaw said.

“It’s going to take a few years, as any successful arts event does to get up and running,” she said. “But we’re well on the way to making it a signature event for our city.” For ticket information, call (805) 648-3146.