Henry Segerstrom News

Pacific Symphony commissioned the Emmy Award-winning composer John Christopher Wineglass—along with four California orchestras, Fresno Philharmonic, Monterey Symphony and the San Jose Chamber Orchestra—to write 'Alone Together,' a piece that addresses the social issues we have all been facing during the pandemic, from not being able to perform together to systemic racial disparities.

How do you stage an opera that's a love story without the characters making any physical contact? That was stage director Robert Neu's challenge when Carl St.Clair contacted him last winter about collaborating on a production of Verdi's “La Traviata” that takes into account the complicated covid-19 protocols necessary to perform during this unprecedented time.

So you think you can act? Are you a bit rusty with your communication skills outside of a Zoom meeting? Segerstrom Center for the Arts in association with South Coast Repertory, is introducing a new series: Improv on the Plaza. These improv workshops will help the aspiring actors among us or simply hone lapsed social skills in preparation for your long-awaited re-entry into public situations.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is kicking up the heat on the Julianne and George Argyros Plaza dancefloor with its popular Tuesday Night Dance series featuring Salsa on April 6, 13, 20 and 27, and Bollywood on May 4, 11, 18 and 25.

Pacific Symphony announces the orchestra's return to the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall stage after an absence of nearly one year, due to the uncertainty caused by coronavirus.

Principal Trumpet Barry Perkins has been invited to represent Pacific Symphony in the Hope & Harmony Ensemble, formed by concert tour company Classical Movements in honor of the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris.

Pacific Symphony musicians, represented by Local 7 of the American Federation of Musicians and Pacific Symphony's Board of Directors have ratified a new four-year agreement.

University of California, Irvine public health experts are providing consulting services to Pacific Symphony to enable the Orange County ensemble to once again play music together—which hasn't happened since early March because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Pacific Symphony announced today a broadcast partnership with KCET and PBS SoCal for the upcoming airing of four programs as part of its new weekly arts and culture series a?oeSouthland Sessions.a??

Pacific Symphony's official classical radio station, KUSC 91.5 FM, will broadcast seven of the Symphony's 2019-20 Classical Series concerts to over half a million listeners in Southern and Central California, beginning July 26 at 7 p.m. and continuing on summer Sunday evenings through Sept. 6.

Pacific Symphony announces a?oeSummer Replay,a?? a virtual summer symphonic series, available for streaming online starting Thurs., July 30 at 7 p.m. Carl St.Clair, who conducts all the concerts in the series, enters his fourth decade as Pacific Symphony's music director re-imagining the orchestra's contribution to the community and pivoting to an online presence on the worldwide web.

PBS's Great Performances and Pacific Symphony, led by Music Director Carl St.Clair, pay tribute to America's history and celebrate the historic American immigrant experience with a special Independence Day weekend program of composer Peter Boyer's Grammy-nominated contemporary classical work a?oeEllis Island: The Dream of America,a?? broadcast nationally on PBS on Friday, July 3 at 9 p.m. (PDT).

In an effort to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered Thursday that all gatherings of more than 250 people be suspended until March 31. Pacific Symphony has canceled or postponed concerts listed below to assure the well-being of our artists, patrons and staff.

Pacific Symphony, in its ongoing quest to present a broad array of musical genres for diverse audiences, will again celebrate the Iranian New Year festival of Nowruz, which marks the arrival of spring and has been celebrated for 3,000 years. Presented in collaboration with the Farhang Foundation, this special concert led by Music Director Carl St.Clair will take place on March 28 at 8 p.m. The program is sponsored by Alan and Anoosheh Oskouian and J.P. Morgan Private Bank. The cultural sponsor for the event is the Farhang Foundation

Tony Award winner Jason Alexander and Broadway actress Kerry O'Malley join the cast of Broadway Legends: An All-Star Tribute to Harold Prince, a one-night-only exclusive engagement celebrating the legacy of the late producer and director Harold Prince and the renowned shows and music that he shaped into many of the greatest hits in Broadway history.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts and the Los Angeles International Dance Festival (LAIDF) will present Ailey II - The Next Generation of Dance on April 11, 2020 at 7:30 p.m. in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall as part of the festival's inaugural year. Ailey II, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater's junior company that serves as a bridge between The Ailey School and the professional dance world, is universally renowned for merging the spirit and energy of the country's best young dance talent with the passion and creative vision of today's most promising emerging choreographers. The acclaimed 12-member ensemble makes its first appearance at the Center performing three works from the company's rich repertory including Road to One (2017) by Darrell Grand Moultrie, Where There Are Tongues (2018) by Ailey School alum and former Ailey II dancer Bradley Shelver as well as Breaking Point (2017) by Renee McDonald.

Music Director Carl St.Clair and President John Forsyte today announced the Hal and Jeanette Segerstrom Family Foundation Classical Series, inaugurating St.Clair's fourth decade as music director. Comprised of 44 concerts, the 2020-21 classical season reflects the orchestra's diverse repertoirea?"from core symphonic works, new commissions, full-length opera and cross-disciplinary collaborations.

Today, Segerstrom Center for the Arts is pleased to announce its 2020 FREE Disney Musicals in Schools student share performance, hosted by Kayla Cyphers, who stars as Nala in The North American Tour of Disney's The Lion King. On Wednesday, March 11 at 5:00pm, 200 elementary school students from Arthur F. Corey Elementary (Buena Park), Garfield Elementary (Santa Ana), Frank Vessels Elementary (Cypress), and Sycamore Elementary (Orange) will sing and dance their way through scenes from Disney's The Jungle Book KIDS and Aladdin KIDS in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. Disney Musicals in Schools is designed to help Orange County public elementary schools create sustainable musical theater programs.

With three nights of Beethoven (March 19-21), Pacific Symphony presents a?oeBeethoven's Piano Concertos'a?"a weekend-long extravaganza celebrating the beloved composer's 250th birthday. Boasting a different Beethoven-only program every night, the weekend features all five of the composer's piano concertos, performed by the spectacular returning guest pianist Alexander Romanovsky.