Pacific Symphony Presents Special Celebration Concert Commemorating The 100th Anniversary Of The Founding Of Czechoslovakia

During Pacific Symphony's 40th Anniversary Season, the orchestra will celebrate cultural, scientific and historic bridges between old and new worlds. Through the performance and exploration of Antonín Dvo?ák's Symphony No. 9, "From the New World," Pacific Symphony and Music Director Carl St.Clair will reveal extraordinary artistic and historic links between United States and Czechoslovakia. The highlight of the concert will be a commemoration of the founding of Czechoslovakia 100 years ago. Dignitaries from the Czech Republic as well as from southern California will join the audience for this unique celebration. Featuring multimedia elements, this special concert entitled, "Bridges of Awakenings: From Czech Lands to America and Beyond," will take place on Sunday, Oct. 28 at 3 p.m. in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa.

The program opens with Music Director Carl St.Clair conducting Pacific Symphony in the American and Czech national anthems, followed by introductory comments by the Consul General of the Czech Republic and Dr. Hana Ayala, president of Irvine-based Pangea World, which is sponsoring the concert. A specially commissioned film produced by the Baruch/Gayton Entertainment Group in collaboration with Pangea World explores globally transformative links between the American and Czech people. Then, St.Clair provides insights about Dvo?ák's "New World" Symphony before the orchestra performs the entire work.

Music Director Carl St.Clair said, "As part of the orchestra's 40th-anniversary celebration, we are extending our hearts and our hands to different aspects of our community. This special celebration concert was conceived to connect us to the Czech people and to recognize a distinguished Czech-born leader, Dr. Ayala, who is forging new bridges between old and new worlds. We thank every audience member of Czech descent for four decades of support."

In his two and one-half years in America, Dvo?ák profoundly influenced subsequent generations of American composers by drawing vivid attention to the rich musical landscape of music originating in America. In his Symphony No. 9, Dvo?ák drew from African-American spirituals and Native American dance to create a work fusing "old" and "new" worlds that resonates just as powerfully today as it did a century ago. Just as Dvo?ák's remarkable journey to the United States helped to identify a unique American voice, some 25 years later, America played a central role in the creation of a democratic Czechoslovakia, when the visionary Czech leader and founding president Tomáš Masaryk proclaimed the country's independence on the steps of Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

"On October 28, 1918, the sovereign state of Czechoslovakia was officially born when the nation declared independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire following World War I," commented Pacific Symphony president John Forsyte. "Today, a new Orange County institution, Pangea World, was founded by Dr. Hana Ayala. Their bold mission is to explore and expand the wealth of knowledge held in our natural environments, bridging new and old worlds."

Forsyte added, "We are pleased to mark that historic event with an historic concert, linking UNESCO World Heritage sites and Pangea World's mission to awaken the value of earth's raw material of knowledge. We are grateful to Pacific Symphony supporter Dr. Hana Ayala for her sponsorship of this special event."

Tickets start at $25. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (714) 755-5799 or visit www.PacificSymphony.org. This concert is sponsored by Pangea World (Dr. Hana Ayala) with additional support from the Westin South Coast Plaza and KPCC 89.3 Southern California Public Radio.