Pacific Symphony's newest recording of a three-part oratorio crafted by one of the most sought-after composers of his generation, Richard Danielpour, is set to be released by Naxos today, March 25.
Award-winning musical theater superstar, Patti LuPone, who has portrayed some of Broadway's most memorable roles, returns to Segerstrom Center for the Arts for a special one-night-only performance of her latest concert, Far Away Places tonight, March 22 at 8 p.m. in the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.
Music soars to stunning new heights along with aerial fliers and acrobats, when they (plus contortionists, dancers, jugglers and strongmen) perform their death- and gravity-defying Cirque feats to popular classical masterpieces—all live, on stage and dramatically backed by a full orchestra for Pacific Symphony Pops. This jaw-dropping fusion of two art forms wows Symphony audiences of all ages for a third time, as the internationally recognized and award-winning artists of “Cirque de la Symphonie” take to the air and push themselves to the limit in a “spectacular event” that couples the “magical musical styling of Pacific Symphony” with the “playfulness of acrobats sharing the same stage,” according to A Taste of Dawn Magazine in a review that followed a performance in April 2012.
Segerstrom Center has announced that Shirley MacLaine, originally announced for Friday, September 19, will now appear on Saturday, September 20, 2014.
Nine-time Grammy Award winning artist John Legend has announced dates for his 2014 North American tour titled 'An Evening with John Legend: The All of Me Tour.' The tour which begins tonight, March 20th in Temecula, CA and goes through early June will feature John in an intimate and acoustic setting, highlighted by guitar/vocal accompaniment as well as a string quartet. Other stops on the tour will include a night at the prestigious Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, CA on March 26th as well the Brooklyn Academy of Music in Brooklyn, NY on May 31st.
Following their recent breakout success on America's Got Talent, receiving great accolades from the judges and audiences, Lightwire Theater brings its unique method of storytelling to light at Segerstrom Center for the Arts May 17 at 1:00pm and May 18 at 1:00pm and 3:30pm in Samueli Theater. The timeless tales of Hans Christian Andersen's The Ugly Duckling and Aesop's fable The Tortoise and the Hare meet modern day cutting-edge technology as a dark stage illuminates, bringing these beloved characters to life with the use of electroluminescent wire. Audiences will marvel at the stunning imagery, compelling choreography and stirring music.
Gleaming with glamour and virtuosity, Sarah Chang, one of the world's foremost violinists, returns to Pacific Symphony to perform Jean Sibelius' Violin Concerto, which takes full advantage of the violin's expressive range, from the rippling high chords to the growling alto notes. With an international career that spans more than two decades, Chang enthralls once again-this time alongside guest conductor Tito Muñoz, who recently served as music director of two esteemed organizations in Lorraine, France. Muñoz leads the orchestra in Dvo?ak's Symphony No. 8, optimistic and bright, filled with folk music and Bohemian dances. Opening the concert and having its West Coast premiere is a sensuous work by Adam Schoenberg, "Finding Rothko" (2006). Inspired by four bold paintings by American Abstract Impressionist painter Mark Rothko, the work is a musical depiction of the emotions Schoenberg felt embodied in each of the paintings.
Segerstrom Center for the Arts welcomes the national tour of I LOVE LUCY® LIVE ON STAGE, the brand new hit stage show adapted from the most beloved program in television history, today, March 18 - 23 in Segerstrom Hall.
Gleaming with glamour and virtuosity, Sarah Chang, one of the world's foremost violinists, returns to Pacific Symphony to perform Jean Sibelius' Violin Concerto, which takes full advantage of the violin's expressive range, from the rippling high chords to the growling alto notes. With an international career that spans more than two decades, Chang, the “thrill seeker” who made Mendelssohn “sizzle” (Orange County Register) when she opened the Symphony's 2011-12 season enthralls once again—this time alongside guest conductor Tito Muñoz, who recently served as music director of two esteemed organizations in Lorraine, France. Muñoz leads the orchestra in Dvo?ák's Symphony No. 8, optimistic and bright, filled with folk music and Bohemian dances. Opening the concert and having its West Coast premiere is a sensuous work by Adam Schoenberg, “Finding Rothko” (2006). Inspired by four bold paintings by American Abstract Impressionist painter Mark Rothko, the work is a musical depiction of the emotions Schoenberg felt embodied in each of the paintings.
The internationally-acclaimed Pacific Chorale in Orange County, CA will be presenting a new work created by American opera composer Jake Heggie, and the versatilelibrettist Gene Scheer entitled 'THE RADIO HOUR'. The choral opera will be conducted by Pacific Chorale's Artistic Director, John Alexander, and stage-directed by James R. Taulli.
The world-renowned Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis arrives at Segerstrom Center for the Arts tonight, March 14 at 7:30 p.m. in Segerstrom Hall.
Five-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and keyboardist Michael McDonald lends his husky, soulful baritone to Pacific Symphony Pops for a concert featuring hits from his chart-topping career spanning more than four decades. From his 1970s beginnings singing back-up vocals with American rock band Steely Dan on songs including 'Black Friday,' to enhancing the funky R&B sound of The Doobie Brothers, to his award-winning solo career, McDonald has established himself as a timeless yet distinctive artist in pops music. One of the most popular vocalists to emerge from the '70s rock scene, McDonald commands the stage with his distinctive interpretations of classics like 'What a Fool Believes,' 'On My Own,' 'Sweet Freedom,' 'I Keep Forgettin',' 'Minute by Minute' and 'Yah Mo B There.' His more recent album, 'Soul Speak,' has been acclaimed as an 'impeccable' crossover by BBC Radio since its release in 2008, when it also hit three different charts simultaneously.
Pacific Symphony's newest recording of a three-part oratorio crafted by one of the most sought-after composers of his generation, Richard Danielpour, is set to be released by Naxos on March 25. Written for the Persian holiday of Nowruz in 2012, "Toward a Season a Peace" was premiered by Pacific Symphony, conducted by Music Director Carl St.Clair, in the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Orange County, Calif. The work features Pacific Chorale (Artistic Director John Alexander) and Grammy-winning soprano Hila Plitmann. By weaving together sacred passages with texts by the great Sufi poet Rumi, Danielpour explores violence and war in the name of religion, using the season of spring as a metaphor for change and transformation. The work was commissioned for the Symphony's 2012 American Composers Festival, "Nowruz-Celebrating Spring," presented in collaboration with the Farhang Foundation.
Pacific Symphony's newest recording of a three-part oratorio crafted by one of the most sought-after composers of his generation, Richard Danielpour, is set to be released by Naxos on March 25. Written for the Persian holiday of Nowruz in 2012, “Toward a Season a Peace” was premiered by Pacific Symphony, conducted by Music Director Carl St.Clair, in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Orange County, Calif. The work features Pacific Chorale (Artistic Director John Alexander) and Grammy-winning soprano Hila Plitmann. By weaving together sacred passages with texts by the great Sufi poet Rumi, Danielpour explores violence and war in the name of religion, using the season of spring as a metaphor for change and transformation. The work was commissioned for the Symphony's 2012 American Composers Festival, “Nowruz—Celebrating Spring,” presented in collaboration with the Farhang Foundation.
Shades of Jurassic Park! Big booming sounds from the William J. Gillespie Concert Organ and dino-mite music performed by Pacific Symphony combine with authentic footage from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM) to create a family-fun musical expedition into the prehistoric world of 'Dinosaurs!' Presented by Farmers and Merchants Bank, this Family Musical Mornings concert features a 66-pound dinosaur puppet, plus videos and still images of dinosaurs, fossils and paleontologists at work, provided by the NHM. Filled with dinosaur-inspired music, children and families are guided by paleontologist Dr. Olivia Mattis (Bree Burgess Rosen) and her young assistant Sammy (Coleton Ray) in a hunt for clues in the music to reveal the identity of a mystery dinosaur. An imaginative spectacle, 'Dinosaurs!' sets the mood for the little T-Rex or Stegosaurus hoping to uncover the mysteries of natural history.
Segerstrom Center for the Arts welcomes the return of Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo tonight, March 7 - 9, 2014 under the Presidency of H.R.H. the Princess of Hanover. The company will perform the American premiere of LAC, a new and brilliantly re-imagined telling of the Swan Lake story by Jean- Christophe Maillot, the company's choreographer and director.
Surging with energy, spontaneity and diversity, Pacific Symphony's upcoming concert-'Ravel's Piano Concerto'-is devoted to music from 19th-century France. Guest conductor Thierry Fischer leads the orchestra in an evening of impressionist and romantic music that includes Debussy's dreamy 'Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun' and Berlioz's theatrical Suite from 'Romeo and Juliet.' Maestro Fischer generates a tangible excitement during his concerts. Playing Ravel's masterful Piano Concerto in G Major is French pianist Alexandre Tharaud. Tharaud's individuality shines with stimulating, poised pianism.
Sweet, singing lines stem from the fingertips of Russian pianist Yulianna Avdeeva as she joins Pacific Symphony to perform the compelling melodies of Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1, led by Music Director Carl St.Clair. Winner of the First Prize at the International Frédéric Chopin Competition in 2010, Avdeeva has been praised especially for her Chopin interpretations: “Her pacing is born of intelligent feeling and clarity of thought, and her ability to finesse Chopin's inner voices puts many to shame” (The Guardian). Chopin himself was a prodigy and wrote with glittering aesthetics for piano like no other composer ever would. Following this expressive piano solo, St.Clair takes the orchestra on the courageous journey created by Richard Strauss in his tone poem, “Ein Heldenleben” (A Hero's Life). The work is held dear by St.Clair and the orchestra, who performed it on the European tour in 2006 to glowing reviews, and it features Concertmaster Raymond Kobler playing the solo violin representative of Strauss' wife, Pauline.
Pacific Symphony and Segerstrom Center for the Arts are coming together to present rock star of the pipe organ, Cameron Carpenter. Still only in his early 30s, Carpenter is creating quite a stir in the press. The maverick musician who is causing the music world to sit up and take notice is also the first organist ever nominated for a Grammy Award for a solo album.
Segerstrom Center for the Arts will present LA Opera Off Grand with a special concert performance of Jules Massenet's lyric masterpiece Thais on Tuesday, May 27 at 7:30 p.m. in the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. The opera tells the story of Thais, a courtesan in Alexandria, Egypt during the Byzantine period whom men find irresistible in the hedonistic way she celebrates life and its most sensual pleasures. The monk Athanael vows to save her soul, but loses his own when his unholy obsession for her overpowers him. The incomparable Georgian soprano Nino Machaidze will sing the title Role alongside LA Opera General Director Placido Domingo in the baritone role as her conflicted savior, Athanael. Patrick Fournillier will conduct the same cast as well as the LA Opera Orchestra and Chorus that will appear in the company's fully-staged production from May 17 - June 7 at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. The opera is filled with intoxicating melodies, including the well known violin concert piece, Meditation. There will also be a free Preview Talk prior to the Segerstrom Center performance in the Studio Performance Space from 6:30 - 7:15 p.m. Thais will be performed in French with English supertitles.
