Arts & Lectures will host a performance in downtown Santa Barbara’s Arlington Theatre by Pink Martini, a twelve-piece orchestra hailing from Portland, Oregon that blends the modern melodies of jazz and classical music with hints of Latin sound and multilingual vocals, tonight at 8 pm.

The group has performed with over thirty other orchestras around the world, making its European debut at the Cannes Film Festival and performing multiple times at the Hollywood Bowl alongside the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Bandleader and pianist Thomas Lauderdale will head tonight’s performance — the group’s fourth at the renowned venue — which will feature guest vocals by singer Storm Large as band member China Forbes undergoes throat surgery.

A&L Programming Manager Heather Silva said the group’s consistently theatrical presence, with elaborate costumes and beautifully precise musical performance, will be complemented by Large’s soulful voice.

“Our expectations for this show are that they are going to be just as fabulous as always, [but] in a different kind of way because the singer is new,” Silva said.

Due to their one-of-kind sound, Pink Martini provides a performance that listeners of all ages and backgrounds can relate with and enjoy, Silva said.

In addition to its most recent albums A Retrospective and 1969, both released this year, the band has released seven records including 1997’s “Sympathique,” 2004’s “Hang on Little Tomato” and 2009’s “Splendor in the Grass,” which debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s Top 100 Independent Albums.

Erin Putnam, a graduate student studying fusion jazz, said she has high expectations for the performance since the group successfully blends different musical genres in a unique way.

“What I like most is that, from the music of theirs that I’ve heard, they mix loungey jazz with some French and Latin influences, and those are two of my favorite types,” Putnam said. “I’m excited for the concert because seeing music live always adds to the enjoyment you feel listening to it later.”

Tickets for the concert are $23 for UCSB students and range from $38 to $58 for the general public.

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