Climb for Cancer & SF College present Barbara Padilla

Soprano Barbara Padilla Performs in Concert at Santa Fe College on Sept. 15, 2022

Barbara Padilla, the Mexican-American soprano who was runner-up on “America’s Got Talent” in 2009, will perform in concert at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15, 2022, in the Jackson N. Sasser Fine Arts Hall at the Northwest Campus of Santa Fe College (SF), 3000 NW 83^rd Street, Gainesville. Padilla’s concert is a fundraising event for the Climb for Cancer Foundation and part of SF’s Master Artist Series that brings performing arts professionals to campus to mentor students.

For $150 at the VIP level, ticketholders can attend a pre-show reception and a post-show meet and greet. The pre-concert VIP reception will feature delicious sweet and savory treats and wine. Barbara will be available for photos and autographs for all VIP ticket holders after the concert. Your VIP ticket of $150 per person entitles you to priority seating in the Jackson N. Sasser Fine Arts Hall, as well as admission to the pre-concert VIP reception which begins at 6 pm and post-concert meet and greet.

Orchestra section tickets are $50 for adults and $45 for seniors. Mezzanine section tickets are $40 for adults and $35 for seniors.

Balcony tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and $15 for students. Please call the Box Office for Balcony tickets.

Tickets are available from the SF Box Office at 352-395-4181 or online at: https://www.showpass.com/barbara-padilla/

Padilla’s repertoire includes Celine Dion’s “The Prayer” and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Pie Jesu” from “Requiem” as well as popular arias from operas such as “La Boheme,” “Turandot,” “Tosca,” “Madame Butterfly” and “La Traviata.” Her performance of Charles Gounod’s “Ave Maria” prompted judge Piers Morgan to declare, “It was the greatest single vocal performance we’ve ever had on ‘America’s Got Talent.’”

Padilla was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma while in college and told that she might never be able to sing again after undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment. She refused to abandon her dream and completed her master’s degree in music on a full scholarship at the University of Houston while she battled her cancer. Now in remission, Padilla lives in Texas with her husband and daughter.

Money raised from the concert will support the work of Gainesville’s Climb for Cancer Foundation, which funds enrichment programs involving arts, nature, sports and medicine for cancer patients, their families and caregivers. “We don’t concentrate on cancer, we concentrate on the cancer family by providing patient-centered support,” explained Ron Farb, who runs Climb for Cancer with his wife, Dianne. “We are delighted that Barbara Padilla is returning to Gainesville because she’s so very kind and generous and when she visits, she wants to do everything she can to help.”

As a visiting Master Artist at SF, Padilla will audition and coach vocal students in the Fine Arts and Entertainment Technology Department’s Music program. She will select several students who will perform with her or as soloists during the concert.

Padilla’s concert is organized and sponsored by the Climb for Cancer Foundation and sponsored in part by Santa Fe College. For more information, call Ron Farb at 352-333-9663 or SF Fine Arts and Entertainment Technology Department Chairperson Alora Haynes at 352-395-5296. For ticket information, call the SF Box Office at 352-395-4181.

 

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