Robert Becker

Areta Zhulla, the new first violinist with Juilliard String Quartet (JSQ) makes her West Coast debut presented by Musco Center for the Arts at Chapman University on February 21 at 7:30pm. Founded in 1946, JSQ returns to the campus several years after their Chapman debut in the 1960s. With the introduction of Zhulla, JSQ's arrival exemplifies the quartet's ongoing impact by performing and educating with unparalleled artistry and enduring vigor.

With its 37th season now behind it, Pacific Symphony bids farewell to three longtime, beloved and distinguished members of the orchestra: Raymond Kobler, concertmaster; Robert Becker, principal viola; and Russell Dicey, fourth horn.

Orange County, Calif.—April 18, 2016—So civilized! Sip coffee or tea and sample sweet treats in a coffeehouse-style setting, while enjoying the aural beauty composed by four masters of classical music—Vivaldi, Bach, Holst and Mozart—during Pacific Symphony's final Café Ludwig chamber concert of the 2015-16 season. “Café Concertos,” hosted by the incomparable pianist Orli Shaham, offers the perfect way to celebrate Mother's Day—with a delightful program of concerted works performed as intimate chamber music. Opening with the great composers Bach and Vivaldi followed by works of Mozart and the 20th-century composer Gustav Holst, who were admirers of the Baroque masters, this program spotlights the talent of an impressive cast of Symphony musicians: Jessica Pearlman-Fields, oboe; Ted Sugata, oboe; Benjamin Smolen, flute; Raymond Kobler, violin; Paul Manaster, violin; Nancy Eldridge, violin; Bridget Dolkas, violin; Robert Becker, viola; Timothy Landauer, cello; and Steven Edelman, bass.

It has been more than four decades since Senator Gaylord Nelson (D-Wis.) founded Earth Day and held its first celebration on April 22, 1970, launching the birth of the modern environmental movement.

It has been more than four decades since Senator Gaylord Nelson (D-Wis.) founded Earth Day and held its first celebration on April 22, 1970, launching the birth of the modern environmental movement.

Orange County, Calif.—Feb. 3, 2016—Pacific Symphony's chamber music series, Café Ludwig, takes its audience on a foray into music inspired by dance for “Dancing with the Stars,” a program of exuberant works by star composers showcasing lively dance rhythms. The program brilliantly reveals connections found in energetic gypsy and Hungarian rhythms, a seductive and languorous habanera and that quintessential dance form—the waltz—as first conceived by Brahms, then reimagined by Schoenberg. For the eighth season, charming and sensational pianist Orli Shaham serves as the series' curator/host, leading this matinee of music on Sunday, Feb. 28, at 3 p.m., in the Samueli Theater at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Attendees are seated at small tables and enjoy sweet treats, coffee and tea, served in a relaxed café setting, while listening to music performed by Symphony musicians: Paul Manaster, violin; Bridget Dolkas, violin; Robert Becker, viola; Timothy Landauer, cello; Benjamin Smolen, flute; David Chang, clarinet; and Barry Perkins, trumpet. Tickets are $65 and $79; for more information or to purchase tickets, call (714) 755-5799 or visit www.PacificSymphony.org.

Pacific Symphony's chamber music series, Cafe Ludwig, takes its audience on a foray into music inspired by dance for 'Dancing with the Stars,' a program of exuberant works by star composers showcasing lively dance rhythms.

Pacific Symphony musicians shine in this intimate musical foray into the minds of some of the world's best composers during the 2015-16 Café Ludwig chamber series led by pianist and host Orli Shaham—kicking off with “Schubert's 'Trout' and More.” An afternoon of music inspired by literature, the program opens with Korngold's joyful Suite from “Much Ado About Nothing” for Violin and Piano, which he adapted from his own score for the 1918 Viennese production of Shakespeare's play. The early German romance “Undine” is expressed in the imaginative interplay between flute and piano as Principal Flutist Benjamin Smolen joins Shaham for this Sonata in E Major, written by Carl Reinecke. The performance concludes with one of the most popular pieces in the chamber music repertoire, Schubert's Piano Quintet in A Major, which offers dramatic storytelling and is inspired by a song he wrote two years earlier, based on a pastoral poem titled “The Trout.” 

Pacific Symphony Music Director Carl St.Clair has spent 25 years championing music in the community, and it shows in Pacific Symphony's commitment to access, willingness to experiment and openness to sharing the stage. The Symphony celebrates Maestro St.Clair's 25th anniversary at the helm by sending its musicians out into the community to perform chamber and full-orchestra concerts throughout Orange County, with the majority of events taking place between February and June. These free or low-cost concerts are collectively called, “Freshly Squeezed Music: Pacific Symphony in Your Orange County Neighborhood.” Concerts highlight Pacific Symphony's extensive and varied reach into the community, and include new partnerships with local community-based arts organizations, as well as highlight artists and students currently involved in Pacific Symphony's education and community engagement programs.

Pacific Symphony recently became the recipient of two new principal chair endowments. The significant and exemplary gifts were received from longtime Symphony supporters Catherine and James Emmi and Elizabeth and John Stahr. The Principal Second Violin Chair has been endowed by the Stahrs, while the Emmis, who have been subscribers and donors of the Symphony since 1987, endowed the orchestra's Principal Cello Chair, held for the past 22 years by Timothy Landauer. Landauer's chair is the second chair endowed by the Emmis, who have also underwritten Symphony musician Robert Becker's Principal Viola Chair with a generous gift in 2001. In speaking to the Emmis, while relaying a sentiment of other principal musicians, Landauer said: “The chair endowment is a trust and honor bestowed on us by wonderfully generous donors. It challenges us to make more beautiful music to show our gratitude and appreciation.”

Discover the evolving genius and unique musical voices of “Beethoven, Debussy and Mendelssohn” during the first concert of Pacific Symphony's 2014-15 Café Ludwig chamber series, which this season explores music written at the early, middle and late periods of a composer's life. As an anchor, the three-concert series features three of Beethoven's cello sonatas, each written at a different stage of his musical development, performed by the Symphony's Principal Cellist Timothy Landauer. For the seventh season, charming and sensational pianist Orli Shaham serves as host, leading this afternoon of music on Sunday, Nov. 2, at 3 p.m. in the intimate Samueli Theater at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Tickets are $56 and $73, and include coffee, tea and desserts. Subscriptions for all three concerts are still available for $168 and $219. For more information or to purchase tickets, call (714) 755-5799 or visit www.PacificSymphony.org.

More than 300 guests dressed in elegant cocktail attire gathered at The Westin South Coast Plaza for Pacific Symphony's Opening Night party on Thursday, Sept. 25, eager to celebrate Music Director Carl St.Clair's milestone 25th anniversary with the orchestra. A festive poolside cocktail reception and gourmet dinner in the Terrace Pavilion featured a bounty of surprises for St.Clair, including performances by Pacific Symphony musicians, the John Alexander Singers and music by the maestro's mentor, Leonard Bernstein. Hosted by the Symphony's Board of Directors, the special event continued through the opening concert of the 2014-15 Hal and Jeanette Segerstrom Family Foundation Classical series, featuring classical superstar Joshua Bell, and included a reception on the Box Circle level of the hall during intermission and a post-concert party back at The Westin. The evening—presented by South Coast Plaza—raised more than $150,000 to support the Symphony's artistic and education programs. Additional sponsors included platinum sponsors Jaguar, Land Rover, Aston Martin Newport Beach and artist sponsors Ellie and Mike Gordon.

Eastern European melodies inspire an evolution of music that ranges from the expansive Gypsy lines of Brahms to the intimate, cosmos-searching details of Ligeti in “Brahms, Bartók and Beyond,” the stirring final concert of Pacific Symphony's 2013-14 Café Ludwig series. Steeped with the charm of traditional folk music, compositions by Bartók and Brahms—two masters of the genre—round out Ligeti's innovative and probing “Six Bagatelles for Wind Quintet,” which explores the very foundations of music theory. Piano sensation Orli Shaham returns in her seventh season to host Symphony principal musicians including Benjamin Smolen on flute, Jessica Pearlman on oboe, Benjamin Lulich on clarinet, Rose Corrigan on bassoon, Keith Popejoy on horn, Raymond Kobler on violin, Robert Becker on viola and Timothy Landauer on cello, in the Samueli Theater on Sunday, May 11 (Mother's Day), at 3 p.m.

Pacific Symphony recently received a generous gift of $2 million from long-time board member James Emmi and his wife, Catherine, providing continued support for orchestral operations and endowment. The philanthropic couple announced the gift during a dinner honoring the Symphony's Crystal Society, held in the Samueli Theater at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, following an announcement of the Symphony's 2014-15 season celebrating Music Director Carl St.Clair's 25th anniversary. Underwritten by Hollywood composer and Symphony board member James Newton Howard, the dinner recognized members of the Symphony's Crystal Society, a group of more than 30 families, foundations and corporations who have been long-standing donors to the Symphony and major contributors to programmatic and endowment-building efforts.

Pacific Symphony recently received a generous gift of $2 million from long-time board member James Emmi and his wife, Catherine, providing continued support for orchestral operations and endowment. The philanthropic couple announced the gift during a dinner honoring the Symphony's Crystal Society, held in the Samueli Theater at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts, following an announcement of the Symphony's 2014-15 season celebrating Music Director Carl St.Clair's 25th anniversary. Underwritten by Hollywood composer and Symphony board member James Newton Howard, the dinner recognized members of the Symphony's Crystal Society, a group of more than 30 families, foundations and corporations who have been long-standing donors to the Symphony and major contributors to programmatic and endowment-building efforts.

Beginning with a single flute line and concluding with lush harmonies created by multiple voices, Pacific Symphony's upcoming Cafe Ludwig chamber music concert, "The Brilliance of Bach," traverses the complex musical landscape created by counterpoint genius, Johannes Sebastian Bach.

Pacific Symphony shares its stage and presents some of the best community talent, while providing an opportunity to be inspired and learn from professionals during three events collectively titled, “OC Front and Center.” Beginning Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014, at 2 p.m., in the Samueli Theater, acclaimed violinist and music educator Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg takes three multi-generational violinists to the next level in a Violin Master Class.

Orange County, Calif.—Dec. 3, 2013—One of Russia's most fascinating and complex composers—Dmitri Shostakovich—goes under the magnifying glass when Pacific Symphony partners with Chapman University's Global Arts Program to present “Decoding Shostakovich,” a festival dedicated to the iconic composer, whose life unfolded under the Soviet system. There are myriad reasons for a festival devoted to this fascinating man, beginning with the tremendous impact he had on classical music in Russia and beyond. Through classical concerts and a wide array of presentations (discussions, film, dance, lecture, piano recital, theater, symposium, book club and master classes), “Decoding Shostakovich” probes deeply into the man to reveal the composer's relationship to his home country, its culture and politics and the effects these had on his music. The festival, which began in November, continues into February 2014. For more information about “Decoding Shostakovich,” visit: http://www.pacificsymphony.org/shostakovich_festival. (See the complete festival schedule below.)

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.

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.