Pacific Chorale Sets 2014-15 Season

Pacific Chorale, the resident choir of Segerstrom Center for the Arts (SCFTA), has announced its 47th season under the banner "A Season of Exploration." Six concerts are offered in a variety of subscription packages.

August 22-24; free concert on August 24 at 5 p.m. - Community-wide Choral Festival sponsored by Pacific Chorale and Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Community members join members of Pacific Chorale onstage at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in a concert celebrating works by Bach and Handel. (Slots are still open to bass and tenor singers in Southern California who would like to sing with the choir at the Concert Hall; attendance at the rehearsals is mandatory ... space-limited). Jung-A Lee on organ; John Alexander conducting. Concert is Sunday, August 24 at 5 p.m. Call: 714-662-2345 to register to sing.

November 2, 2014 (5:30 p.m. Concert/4:30 Preview) The full 140-member choir will be present for the majestic Chorale opening concert entitled "PIPES: VOICES, BRASS & ORGAN." Music for choir, organ, brass and percussion will be featured with selections ranging from lyric to tragic. Jung-A Lee on organ, John Alexander conducting. Those who have never heard the beautiful William J. Gillespie Concert Organ in the Concert Hall will not want to miss this opportunity.

Holiday Season Offerings:

Saturday, December 6 (8:00 p.m.) - "Carols by Candlelight" - Attendees will delight in the magical candlelit setting and audience sing-alongs with the John Alexander Singers at this intimate launch to the holiday season at Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Newport Beach. Mindy Ball, Harp; Patricia Lamb, Organ; John Alexander conducting.

Sunday, December 21 (5:30 p.m.) - Monday, December 22 (8:00 p.m.) - "Tis the Season!" - One of Southern California's most popular Christmas traditions, conductor John Alexander delights all with a holiday extravaganza at the SCFTA Concert Hall, featuring the full choir, organ, and members of Pacific Symphony Orchestra playing brass and strings. The Southern California Children's Concert Chorus and a visitor from the North Pole add to the magic of the evening. (The organization's famous Dickens Feast fundraising dinner at the Center Club follows the concert on Sunday.) Craig Williams, Organ; John Alexander conducting.

Saturday, March 7 (8:00 p.m. Concert/7:00 Preview) - "Let's Dance!" - Continuing its season of exploration, the John Alexander Singers will pay tribute to dancing with American and Norwegian folk dances and Brahms' Neue Liebeslieder Waltzes. The second half of the concert will "wow" when these professional singers perform with with Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist and arranger Bill Cunliffe, in songs made popular by artists as diverse as Frank Sinatra, Henry Mancini, Stevie Wonder and Daft Punk! John Alexander conducting.

Sunday, May 17 (5:30 p.m. Concert/4:30 Preview) - Verdi, Howells & Poulenc - Assistant Conductor Robert Istad takes the podium to lead the full Pacific Chorale and Pacific Symphony for the first time in Herbert Howells' ethereal, deeply moving Hymnus Paradisi. Fans of last fall's performance of Verdi's Requiem will rejoice in a rare opportunity to hear John Alexander conduct his dramatic, passionate Te Deum. The concert - and the season - concludes with Francis Poulenc's exuberant and irresistible Gloria.

Subscriptions are available in packages ranging from two to five concerts, including a custom "Flex Series" option, at prices suited to every budget. Subscriptions may be purchased online by visiting www.pacificchorale.org/concerts_and_events/season_subscriptions.php or by calling (714) 662-2345. Single tickets will go on sale August 1, 2014.