C.J. Gish
Barbara Padilla will return to Santa Fe College on Sept. 15 to perform at Jackson N. Sasser Fine Arts Hall and raise money for the Climb for Cancer Foundation.
Padilla, a Mexican-American soprano, earned the runner-up spot on “America’s Got Talent” in 2009, with a judge calling her show “the greatest single vocal performance we’ve ever had.”
While at Santa Fe, Padilla will coach vocal students and select a few to join her show on Sept. 15.
“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,” Ron Farb, co-founder of the Climb for Cancer Foundation, said in a press release.
Padilla herself battled cancer in college. Doctors advised that she may not sing following treatments, but Padilla kept on and earned her master’s degree in music from the University of Houston.
In her repertoire, Padilla includes Celine Dion’s “The Prayer” along with “Pie Jesu” from “Requiem.” She also has several arias from operas like “La Boheme,” Tosca” and “Madame Butterfly.”
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. Tickets are available from the SF Box Office at 352-395-4181 or online at showpass.com/barbara-padilla.
For $150 at the VIP level, ticketholders can attend a pre-show reception and a post-show meet and greet.