Pink Martini will join Pacific Symphony musicians onstage for the third time since 2010, in the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall as Richard Kaufman conducts! Pink Martini is part big band, part classical ensemble, part salsa troupe and all fun! The energetic and enthusiastic 'little orchestra' finds its musical inspiration from cultures around the world, easily jumping from genres like pop, jazz and classical to establish its own unique blend of music. Formed in Portland, Ore., the 12-member ensemble has been a popular favorite in many countries for more than a decade with its revitalization of vintage Big Band sound, in combination with 1940s jazz, cross-cultural rhythms and much more!
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale announces its 2018/19 season---Transcendence. In its 38th year, PBO will continue to take its signature brand of historically-informed performance to the next level with its subscription season, alternative concert series PBO SESSIONS, Juilliard partnership and its national tour schedule.
Innovator, music pioneer, composer and pianist Chick Corea pairs with the incomparable king of American jazz orchestras, Jazz at Lincoln Center Or chestra in the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall for a powerhouse concert on March 25, 2018. Since embarking on a solo career in 1966, Corea has been at the forefront of jazz, both as a renowned pianist forging new ground as an innovative electric ke yboardist with his acoustic jazz bands Return to Forever, the Elektric Band, and now, the electro / acoustic Vigil.
Pacific Symphony, led by Music Director Carl St.Clair, once again presents semi-staged opera-this season featuring one of Mozart's most beloved, popular and captivating operas, "The Magic Flute." This fairy tale about love is told through the characters Tamino, a prince, and Papageno, a bird catcher, who are tasked by the Queen of the Night to rescue her daughter Pamina from the captivity of a mysterious high priest. Mozart's seductive and irresistible tunes bring this humorous, enchanting tale vividly to life, as the orchestra shares the stage with world-class opera stars and Pacific Chorale. Together they fill the concert hall with astonishing voices as Mozart's dreamlike fantasy unfolds and the unforgettable score with its intoxicating melodies are highlighted by some of opera's finest arias and best-loved moments.
For the third year in a row, Pacific Symphony and South Coast Chinese Cultural Center (SCCCC)/Irvine Chinese School (ICS) join hands to present a free, fun, family-friendly Lantern Festival, commemorating the end of the Lunar New Year celebration. The festival, spread throughout the concert hall and the Julianne and George Argyros Plaza, features Chinese and Vietnamese culture, music and arts, including a variety of colorful performances showcasing local music and dance groups. Open to all, attendees have the opportunity to decorate their own lantern, try their hands at solving a riddle, take a Chinese folk-dance lesson and much more! Entire families are encouraged to come and celebrate the Year of the Dog with numerous activities traditionally associated with the Lunar New Year! Make sure to stay updated on our social media channels, as we broadcast live some of the event's highlights on Facebook and Instagram, and keep you updated on line wait times on Twitter.
It's not every Valentine's Day weekend that an audience sails away on the winds of a romantic, nostalgic, feel-good concert headlined by iconic soft-rock singer-songwriter, Christopher Cross-but that's exactly what Pacific Symphony Pops has planned! It's an evening of yacht rock, ideal for Docker dads and their sweeties or anyone who lived through the '80s, not to mention a whole new generation swept away by the retro-nirvana of Cross. Many people have a soft spot for soft rock-it sets a dreamy mood that sends listeners back to happy times and glowing memories. It's a genre that Cross nailed decades ago, when he shot to the top of the charts with hits such as "Ride Like the Wind," "Sailing," which garnered five Grammys, and "Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)," which won him the Oscar for "Best Original Song."
Pacific Symphony's Chinese New Year: A Love Feast, an evening of rich, colorful and festive music and dance, welcomes the Lunar New Year with a special, inspiring concert performance. Ushering in the Year of the Dog (according to the Chinese zodiac), Music Director Carl St.Clair leads the orchestra as it is joined by a range of talented dancers and singers for a program that is both a visual and aural spectacle. Intertwining Eastern and Western cultures for a celebration unlike any other in Orange County, this virtual love feast offers a program of considerable breadth, covering a wide spectrum of entertainment, all in celebration of the Chinese New Year, which this year falls on Feb. 16.
A classic story gets a real twist by Pacific Symphony when an abundance of pranks, tricks, dancing and singing take place during the annual Superheroes' masked costume ball! Based (loosely) on the lighthearted comic operetta, 'The Bat' (Die Fledermaus), written by the 'Waltz King' Johann Strauss, Jr., this concert event, designed for children, sparkles with fun and lively music, all wrapped around a story that features the mysterious Bat-Man, the biggest prankster of them all. Dating back to 1874, the original 'Die Fledermaus' is considered by most critics to be the greatest of all Viennese operettas-and in the hands of the Symphony, led by Assistant Conductor Roger Kalia, the story enjoys a local spin to bring the tale vividly home for children and adults alike. In-between are some of the irresistible waltzes and arias made famous by Strauss II.
Segerstrom Center for the Arts announces the return of popular musical ensemble Postmodern Jukebox on Sunday, April 15, 2018 in the Ren e and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. Postmodern Jukebox originally blew up online, with new videos added weekly that keep finding creative new ways to put creator Scott Bradlee's trademark vintage twist on modern pop hits. But it's onstage that the project has really come to shine, playing hundreds of shows to sold-out houses across the globe, from intimate standing-room gigs to large-scale, theatrical extravaganzas.
One of Russia's most formidable pianists, Alexander Romanovsky, makes his Pacific Symphony debut in a thrilling performance of Prokofiev's Second Piano Concerto, one of the most technically demanding piano concertos in the repertoire. Declared the latest pianist to be hailed as the true heir to the great Russian tradition by The Guardian, Romanovsky, according to Gramophone, can produce the thunderous sound and sharp-edged, ringing bass that sends a tingle down the spine. Rounding out the program is Brahms' Third Symphony, its tranquil beauty contrasting with Prokofiev's tour de force, plus, a newer, uplifting work makes its West Coast premiere Wild Wood, by living composer Paul Chihara.
Pacific Symphony today announced the details of its first-ever tour to China and first international tour since the Symphony toured European capitals in 2006. The five-city tour launches May 9, 2018 with a concert at the Shanghai Poly Grand Theatre, followed by performances in Hefei (capital of Anhui province), Wuxi (Jiangsu province), Chongqing (a major city in southwest China) and Beijing. The final concert takes place at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, colloquially known as The Giant Egg due to its distinctive dome-shaped, titanium and glass architecture. The Symphony's tour will include works by Leonard Bernstein in celebration of his centennial, as well as Ravel's Daphnis and Chloe, Suite No. 2; Pictures at an Exhibition by Mussorgsky (arranged by Ravel); and Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 3, featuring soloist Pinchas Zukerman. The visit to China follows another important tour this season to New York City for the Orchestra's Carnegie Hall debut on April 21, 2018.
Celebrate the arrival of 2018 in spectacular style with Salute to Vienna New Year's Concert at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. You'll be enchanted by the spirited romance of operetta, the glamour of ballroom dance and the delicate beauty of ballet. Inspired by the tradition of Vienna's beloved New Year's Concert, this frothy celebration blends acclaimed European singers and dancers with a full orchestra for a rich cultural experience that will leave you longing to join them on the dance floor.
It's a new, heartwarming, humorous and delightful way to celebrate the holidays when 'Family Guy' creator and highly talented vocalist, Seth MacFarlane, makes his Pacific Symphony debut.
Celebrate the season with the king of instruments! Bringing joy to the world is premier organist Todd Wilson, who returns to Pacific Symphony for a heart-warming night of holiday music featuring the resplendent William J. Gillespie Concert Organ. For this year's annual endeavor, Holiday Organ Spectacular, the color, beauty and versatility of the organ, performed by Wilson, unites with Symphony musicians Ben Smolen, flute; Elliott Moreau, bassoon; Barry Perkins, trumpet; Mindy Ball, harp; Robert Slack, percussion; and Timothy Landauer, cello to spotlight a stirring mix of classical and popular Christmas carols. The thrilling sonorities of the pipe organ, along with superb instrumentalists playing a wide variety of holiday music, makes this a festive holiday event for listeners of all ages.
The awe-inspiring forces of the William J. Gillespie concert organ combine with the extraordinary talent of Grammy Award-winning organist Paul Jacobs called a brilliant young organist and evangelist for the instrument by The New York Times for a one-night-only concert. The program of virtuosic organ music includes works by Johann Sebastian Bach including his ever-popular Toccata and Fugue in D Minor and Franz Liszt, whose mighty Fantasy and Fugue on Ad nos, ad salutarem undam is sure to thrill. After a recent concert by Jacobs, The New Yorker's Alex Ross wrote: An obliterating performance by one of the major musicians of our time. The Economist calls him America's leading organ performer.
Remarkably, Ludwig van Beethoven wrote but one violin concerto in his prodigious lifetime. While this alone makes the concerto special, it also has become one of the most widely played and popular works for the instrument. Under the spotlight for Pacific Symphony's first concert of 2018, the concerto is famous for its highly spirited final movement.
Casting for American Ballet Theatre's The Nutcracker, co-presented by Segerstrom Center for the Arts and ABT, was announced today by Kevin McKenzie, ABT Artistic Director and Terry Dwyer, Segerstrom Center President. Choreographed by ABT Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky, The Nutcracker will be given 13 performances at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, December 7-17, 2017. Misty Copeland and Daniil Simkin will lead the opening night cast on December 7 dancing the roles of Clara, the Princess and Nutcracker, the Prince, respectively. Subsequent casts include Sarah Lane and Herman Cornejo, Gillian Murphy and James Whiteside, Stella Abrera and Alexandre Hammoudi, and Hee Seo and Cory Stearns in the leading roles.
Celebrate the arrival of 2018 in spectacular style with Salute to Vienna New Year's Concert at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. You'll be enchanted by the spirited romance of operetta, the glamour of ballroom dance and the delicate beauty of ballet. Inspired by the tradition of Vienna's beloved New Year's Concert, this frothy celebration blends acclaimed European singers and dancers with a full orchestra for a rich cultural experience that will leave you longing to join them on the dance floor.
Casting for American Ballet Theatre's The Nutcracker, co-presented by Segerstrom Center for the Arts and ABT, was announced today by Kevin McKenzie, ABT Artistic Director and Terry Dwyer, Segerstrom Center President. Choreographed by ABT Artist in Residence Alexei Ratmansky, The Nutcracker will be given 13 performances at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, December 7-17, 2017. Misty Copeland and Daniil Simkin will lead the opening night cast on December 7 dancing the roles of Clara, the Princess and Nutcracker, the Prince, respectively. Subsequent casts include Sarah Lane and Herman Cornejo, Gillian Murphy and James Whiteside, Stella Abrera and Alexandre Hammoudi, and Hee Seo and Cory Stearns in the leading roles.
