Henry Segerstrom News

Aaron Copland once characterized 'The Rite of Spring' as the foremost orchestral achievement of the 20th century, and The New York Times proclaimed the significance of the work to be 'to the 20th century as Beethoven's Ninth is to the 19th.' With the arrival of the centennial of Stravinsky's iconic masterwork, a reverberation of celebration can be heard around the symphonic world and Pacific Symphony is no exception, offering a variety of activities that continue through June 8. In conceiving 'The Rite of Spring,' Stravinsky broke all the rules and defied convention, and it is very much in this spirit that the Symphony approaches its celebration-culminating with a party on the arts plaza, featuring the Symphony's second 'Inside and Out' Plazacast and Community Celebration-a free live simulcast of the concert projected onto the wall of Segerstrom Hall. Arrive early (5 p.m.) and enjoy activity booths and a slate of community ensembles performing on the arts plaza. For more information, call (714) 755-5799 or visit PacificSymphony.org.

Widely proclaimed to be the greatest movie musical of all time, 'Singin' in the Rain,' with its Academy Award-nominated score, lovable characters, priceless dialogue and memorable songs, is the perfect choice for Pacific Symphony Pops' upcoming presentation of 'A Symphonic Night at the Movies.' A beautifully restored version of the 1952 American classic plays above the stage as the orchestra performs Nacio Herb Brown and lyricist Arthur Freed's music live and in synch with the film.

FLASHDANCE - THE MUSICAL, the stage adaptation of the 1983 hit film that defined a generation, will make its Segerstrom Center premiere tonight, May 7 - 19, 2013.

The mighty forces of the William J. Gillespie concert organ pair with fleeting violin passages and an orchestral rhapsody during Pacific Symphony's next classical concert, 'Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony,' featuring music by the French Romantics. The program opens with Emmanuel Chabrier's 'España,' the composer's most famous orchestral composition, inspired by Spanish music and dances. Taking place tonight through Saturday, May 2-4 at 8 p.m. in the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.

Romantic and riveting: Pacific Symphony uncovers the intricate mastery of Johannes Brahms' chamber music during 'The Brilliance of Brahms,' the last Cafe Ludwig concert this season. Pianist Orli Shaham, whose playing the London's Guardian recently called 'perfection'performs and leads Symphony musicians in an array of Brahms' treasured classics for strings and piano with Concertmaster Raymond Kobler and Bridget Dolkas on violin, Robert Becker and Meredith Crawford on viola, and Timothy Landauer and Kevin Plunkett on cello. The program opens with the composer's Sonata No. 1 in E Minor for Cello and Piano, which paved the way for fully orchestrated cello concertos to come. Then, with expressive beauty and unlimited interpretive possibilities, Shaham performs Brahms' 'Six Pieces for Piano,' dedicated to the love of his life, Clara Schumann; the second to last work published during his lifetime, this piano set shows unprecedented fluidity and grace.

Widely proclaimed to be the greatest movie musical of all time, 'Singin' in the Rain,' with its Academy Award-nominated score, lovable characters, priceless dialogue and memorable songs, is the perfect choice for Pacific Symphony Pops' upcoming presentation of 'A Symphonic Night at the Movies.' A beautifully restored version of the 1952 American classic plays above the stage as the orchestra performs Nacio Herb Brown and lyricist Arthur Freed's music live and in synch with the film.

Pacific Symphony announces its exciting 2013-14 Pops series-celebrating the orchestra's 35th anniversary season-in the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. The stars come out for seven spectacular concerts showcasing big names, top talent and a plethora of awe-inspiring music.

Eight-time Grammy winner and film/television sensation Gladys Knight and her famous soulful voice perform for the first time with Pacific Symphony during the orchestra's next Pops concert. For this concert, she'll be singing favorites such as 'Midnight Train to Georgia,' 'Every Beat of My Heart,' her James Bond single 'License to Kill' and 'I Heard it Through the Grapevine,' all backed by the lush sounds of the full symphony orchestra.

Billed as Barbara Cook's Special 85th Birthday Concert, the Tony Award-winning soprano's one-woman concert of musical theatre songs, rare selections, and jazz standards at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa was met with well-earned---and well-deserved---adoring cheers throughout the evening. And if the concert was Cook's master class in musical performance, her latter interview with ASCAP's Michael Kerker was a symposium on how to be the best entertainer one can be.

Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films Old Vic Productions and NETworks Presentations, LLC bring the multi-award-winning Billy Elliot the Musical to Segerstrom Center for the Arts from tonight, April 16 - 28, 2013.

Broadway legend Barbara Cook returns to Segerstrom Center to celebrate her 85th birthday year with a performance in the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall tonight, April 13 at 8 p.m.

Universal Pictures Stage Productions, Working Title Films Old Vic Productions and NETworks Presentations, LLC bring the multi-award-winning Billy Elliot the Musical to Segerstrom Center for the Arts from April 16 - 28, 2013. Based on the international smash-hit film and featuring music by Elton John, book and lyrics by Lee Hall, choreography by Peter Darling and direction by Stephen Daldry, Billy Elliot the Musical has earned critical acclaim around the world and was the winner of ten 2009 Tony Awards including Best Musical.

Full casting has been announced for the Orange County engagement of FLASHDANCE - THE MUSICAL, the stage adaptation of the 1983 hit film that defined a generation. Joining Jillian Mueller as Alex and Matthew Hydzik as Nick are Katie Webber as Tess, Kelly Felthous as Gloria, DeQuina Moore as Kiki, Jo Ann Cunningham as Hannah, David R. Gordon as Jimmy, Matthew Henerson as Harry and Christian Whelan in the role of C.C.

The mighty forces of the William J. Gillespie concert organ pair with fleeting violin passages and an orchestral rhapsody during Pacific Symphony's next classical concert, 'Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony,' featuring music by the French Romantics. The program opens with Emmanuel Chabrier's 'España,' the composer's most famous orchestral composition, inspired by Spanish music and dances. Taking place Thursday through Saturday, May 2-4 at 8 p.m. in the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.

Segerstrom Center's Family Explorer Series opens with the Terrapin Puppet Theatre from Australia performing the moving and poetic play Boats today, April 6 and tomorrow, April 7, in Samueli Theater. Boats is the story about a man named Jof, as told by his friend Nic. These two life-long friends and mariners, who met through bizarre circumstances involving a chicken, a deserted island and a sombrero, escape their past and embrace the unknown future with a great sense of adventure.

Romantic and riveting: Pacific Symphony uncovers the intricate mastery of Johannes Brahms' chamber music during 'The Brilliance of Brahms,' the last Cafe Ludwig concert this season. Pianist Orli Shaham, whose playing the London's Guardian recently called 'perfection'performs and leads Symphony musicians in an array of Brahms' treasured classics for strings and piano with Concertmaster Raymond Kobler and Bridget Dolkas on violin, Robert Becker and Meredith Crawford on viola, and Timothy Landauer and Kevin Plunkett on cello. The program opens with the composer's Sonata No. 1 in E Minor for Cello and Piano, which paved the way for fully orchestrated cello concertos to come. Then, with expressive beauty and unlimited interpretive possibilities, Shaham performs Brahms' 'Six Pieces for Piano,' dedicated to the love of his life, Clara Schumann; the second to last work published during his lifetime, this piano set shows unprecedented fluidity and grace.

Eight-time Grammy winner and film/television sensation Gladys Knight and her famous soulful voice perform for the first time with Pacific Symphony during the orchestra's next Pops concert. For this concert, she'll be singing favorites such as 'Midnight Train to Georgia,' 'Every Beat of My Heart,' her James Bond single 'License to Kill' and 'I Heard it Through the Grapevine,' all backed by the lush sounds of the full symphony orchestra.