The Box Brothers Bring the Beat to Segerstrom Center Tonight

Once upon a time there were four brothers who lived in a box, together with their best friend Big Drum. Their names were Oldest, Middlemost, Youngest and Simpleton. One day they set out on a quest for happiness and embarked on an exciting musical adventure.

A musical production for children ages 4 and older, The Box Brothers is an energetic, acrobatic and funny music performance with lots of percussion performed by the four percussionists of Percossa. Percossa combines Japanese percussion, African rhythms, various musical styles, dance and humor into a huge, rhythmic dance party. The four boxes that make up the set are used not only to represent different objects and locations throughout the show, but also as percussion instruments themselves.

Tickets are $20 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 savings of 10 or more, call the Group Services office at (714) 755-0236. The 1 p.m. performance on Sunday, April 24 will be ASL interpreted.

Audiences are encouraged to arrive an hour before the performance for free creative activities. The Center's Education Department offers these enriching experiences to provide young people and their families more opportunities to play together creatively. Studies show that this is critical in helping to develop the ability to think and problem solve.

The Box Brothers by Oorkaan Productions - Oorkaan Productions is the only organization in The Netherlands that has dedicated itself exclusively to the creation of high quality music productions for young audiences. The company aims to give every child the opportunity to experience the power of live music performed by outstanding musicians. These productions are for ages 4 - 12 and focus on all types of live music: classical, early music, new music, jazz, improvised music, vocal music and world music. The organization is comprised of three departments: Oorkaan Productions, Workshop Oorproeven and the education department Oorspring.

For each new production, Oorkaan brings together musicians and artists from a variety of disciplines. Taking music as the starting point, the group works in close cooperation on creating the productions. These productions are often without words, making them suitable for international tours. Oorkaan Productions presents about 12 new and existing music productions per season and organizes roughly 250 performances a year in The Netherlands and abroad.

Percossa: Four men for whom rhythm has no secrets. They breathe rhythm. Each brings his own specialty, and thus they form a group that stands out for its virtuosity and diversity. A performance by Percossa is like a rollercoaster ride. With dizzying speed, Percossa takes its audience from one music style to the next. Exciting rhythms from Africa, but also disarming melodic themes. Impressive Japanese drumming, but also hypnotizing minimal music, jazz, funk and dance. In short; everything that makes percussion so attractive. Percossas musical force explodes to breathtaking proportions by its theatrical setting.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts applauds The Hearst Foundations and The Charles & Mildred Schnurmacher Foundation, Inc. for its support of the Family Series. Kia is the Official Automotive Partner of the Center and United Airlines is the Official Airline of the Center. OC Family is the Media Partner of the Family Series.

Segerstrom Center's Education and Community Programs Department offers a variety of programs to students from elementary school through the university level, teachers, arts administrators and individuals who simply want to broaden their own experiences but not in a structure that is strictly academic. These programs achieve two especially important objectives. First, they develop the audiences of the future. Second, they integrate the arts into the standard curriculum and enhance learning, creative thinking, cognitive and social skills. The Education and Community Programs Department works hand-in-hand with a number of boards of education, providing support and assistance to ensure the success and effectiveness of the Center's programs.

The popular Family Series engages, enchants and inspires youngsters with the magic of live performance. International artists combine music, dance and theater that can be enjoyed by the entire family, creating experiences that instill an appreciation for the arts and create lifelong memories. For more information about the Center's education programs, visit SCFTA.org/education.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is an acclaimed arts institution as well as a beautiful multi-disciplinary cultural campus. It is committed to supporting artistic excellence on all of its stages, offering unsurpassed experiences, and to 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 is Orange County's largest non-profit arts organization. In addition to its six performance venues, Segerstrom Center is also home to the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School, where students ages 3 - 14 are taught by acclaimed teachers utilizing the renowned ABT National Training Curriculum in studios utilized by the world's greatest dancers and choreographers.

The Center presents a broad range of programming for audiences of all ages, 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.

The Center's education programs are designed to inspire young people through the arts and reach hundreds of thousands of students each year. In addition to the presenting and producing institution Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the 14-acre campus also embraces the facilities of two independently 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.