Opera Star Nathan Gunn Makes Debut at Segerstrom Center

Nathan Gunn is one of today's most sought after opera stars whose spectacular voice is matched by movie star good looks. He will share another side of his multifaceted passion for music during his debut at Segerstrom Center for Arts on March 24 - 27 in Samueli Theater.

For his appearance in Segerstrom Center's popular Cabaret Series, Gunn has selected ballads and romantic tunes that are featured on his CD, Just Before Sunrise, which includes favorites from the Great American Songbook along with songs by contemporary composers.

Opera News says Gunn is a "singer with unmistakable star power" and The New York Times calls him "triumphant." As one of the most exciting and in-demand baritones in the world, Gunn has appeared at the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, San Francisco Opera, Royal Opera House and the Paris Opera, to name just a few. He is also a distinguished concert performer and recitalist and has earned rave reviews for his performances in concert versions of Show Boat and Camelot.

Tickets to see Nathan Gunn are $72 and are available online at SCFTA.org, at the Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa or by calling (714) 556-2787. For inquiries about group ticket discounts for 15 or more, call the Group Services office at (714) 755-0236. The TTY number is (714) 556-2746.

Throughout his career, Gunn has been praised for his superb combination of vocal and acting talents.

Companies have tapped him to create roles in many world premieres including Paul in Daron Hagen's Amelia at Seattle Opera, Alec Harvey in André Previn's Brief Encounter at the Houston Grand Opera, Father Delura in Peter Eötvös' Love and Other Demons at the Glyndebourne Opera Festival and Clyde Griffiths in Tobias Picker's An American Tragedy at the Metropolitan Opera.
Gunn's ventures outside the operatic repertoire include performances of Camelot with the New York Philharmonic (broadcast live on PBS's Great Performances) and Show Boat at Carnegie Hall.

He participated in the New York Philharmonic's 80th birthday gala celebration for Stephen Sondheim and appeared with Sting and Trudie Styler in the Allen Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center in TwinSpirits, a work that explores the relationship between Clara and Robert Schumann.
As a recitalist, Gunn has been presented by Lincoln Center's Art of the Song Series and the Lincoln

Center Chamber Music Society, Carnegie Hall, Roy Thompson Hall, Cal Performances, the Schubert
Club, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, the Vocal Arts Society in Washington, D.C., the University of Chicago, the Krannert Center, the Wigmore Hall and the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie. In addition to Just Before Sunrise, Gunn's other recordings consist of the title role in Billy Budd with Daniel Harding and the London Symphony Orchestra, which won the 2010 Grammy® Award; the first complete recording of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Allegro; Peter Grimes with Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra, which was nominated for a 2005 Grammy Award; IL Barbiere di Siviglia; Kullervo with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and American Anthem. He also starred as Buzz Aldrin in Man on the Moon, an opera written specifically for television and broadcast on the BBC in the UK. The program was awarded the Golden Rose Award for Opera at the Montreux Festival in Lucerne.

Gunn was the recipient of the first annual Beverly Sills Artist Award, and was recently awarded the Pittsburgh Opera Renaissance Award. He is an alumnus of the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artists Program and was the winner of the 1994 Metropolitan Opera National Council Competition. Gunn is also an alumnus of the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana where he is currently a professor of voice. For more information, please visit www.nathangunn.com

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is unique as both an acclaimed arts institution and as a multidisciplinary cultural campus. It is committed to supporting artistic excellence on all of its stages, offering unsurpassed experiences, and engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through the unique power of live performance and a diverse array of inspiring programs.
Previously called the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Segerstrom Center traces its roots back to the late 1960s when a dedicated group of community leaders decided Orange County should have its own world-class performing arts venue.

As Orange County's largest non-profit arts organization, Segerstrom Center for the Arts owns and
operates the 3,000-seat Segerstrom Hall and intimate 250-seat Founders Hall, which opened in 1986, and the 2,000-seat Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, which opened in 2006 and also houses the 500-seat Samueli Theater, the Lawrence and Kristina Dodge Education Center's studio performance space and Boeing Education Lab. A spacious arts plaza anchors Segerstrom Center for the Arts and is home to numerous free performances throughout the year as part of Segerstrom Center for the Arts' ongoing Free for All series.

The Center presents a broad range of programming each season for audiences of all ages from
throughout Orange County and beyond, including international ballet and dance, national tours of top Broadway shows, intimate performances of jazz and cabaret, contemporary artists, classical music performed by renowned chamber orchestras and ensembles, family-friendly programming, free performances open to the public from outdoor movie screenings to dancing on the plaza and many other special events. It offers many education programs designed to inspire young people through the arts. These programs reach hundreds of thousands of students of all ages with vital arts-in-education programs, enhancing their studies and enriching their lives well into the future.
In addition to the presenting and producing institution Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the 14-acre campus also embraces the facilities of two independent acclaimed organizations: Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory and a site designated as the future home of the Orange County Museum of Art.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is also proud to serve as the artistic home to three of the region's major performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and the Pacific Chorale, who contribute greatly to the artistic life of the region with annual seasons at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.