Prieto and Pacific Take the Fifth (Mahler’s, That Is)
REVIEW: In an impressive reading of the composer’s symphony, Carlos Miguel Prieto makes his case for the orchestra’s directorship. We’ve had a number of Fifths this season at the Pacific...
March 15, 2024
Andrew Litton Throws His Hat in Pacific Symphony Ring
REVIEW: The American conductor leads an authoritative Shostakovich; Alessio Bax plays Beethoven. Candidate number five for the position of the Pacific Symphony’s music directorship showed up Thursday night at Segerstrom...
February 23, 2024
Pacific Symphony Announces 2024-25 Season, Probably Conductor St.Clair’s Last
Pacific Symphony’s 2024-25 season, announced today, will be a year of tribute and transition. The tribute is to music director Carl St.Clair, who will be marking his 35th year with...
February 22, 2024
Pacific Symphony’s New Pops Conductor is Ready to Make a Splash
Instead of waving a conductor’s baton, he wielded a lightsaber. Instead of wearing a tuxedo, he donned a black tunic from a galaxy far, far way. These are the creative...
February 9, 2024
One Teen’s Vision Culminates in a Concert at Soka University for Maui Wildfire Victims
The recent Maui wildfires hit close to home for one Orange County teen. Sydney Malone, 15, of Laguna Niguel discovered her cousin and ukulele teacher in the Lahaina region of...
February 2, 2024
Pacific Symphony in Transition, Part 2: Growth, Turmoil, Tragedy and Triumph
PREVIOUSLY Pacific Symphony in Transition, Part 1: An Ambitious Young Orchestra Survives Some Growing Pains NEXT Pacific Symphony in Transition, Part 3: Finding a New Conductor for Changing Times When...
January 26, 2024
Philharmonic Society’s 2024-25 Season Represents a Return to Normalcy
The line-up includes seven orchestras, top-tier soloists, Grammy-winning composer. The Philharmonic Society of Orange County announced its 2024-25 season today – a lineup designed, as usual, to attract fans of...
January 24, 2024
What’s Happening in Arts & Culture in Orange County in 2024
World premieres, the reopening of a growing museum, and cultural events galore are on the schedule for the Orange County arts and culture calendar during winter/spring 2024. The new year...
January 17, 2024
Matthew Halls Leads Pacific Symphony in Challenging Vaughan Williams
REVIEW: The British conductor makes a strong case for the composer’s neglected Sixth Symphony in an impressive tryout for the orchestra. The fourth candidate (out of eight this season) vying...
January 12, 2024
‘Music of the March’ Performance Celebrates Motown and the Life of Martin Luther King Jr.
Debora Wondercheck’s mother grew up in Chicago in a predominantly white suburb during the Jim Crow era. Iola King had a strong dream as a child to play string instruments,...
January 10, 2024
2023’s Top 5 Moments in Theater, Dance and Classical Music
The year 2023 is rapidly coming to an end. But while we box up assorted gifts and prepare for 2024, let’s take a moment to reflect on the best in...
December 27, 2023
Pacific Symphony in Transition, Part 1: An Ambitious Young Orchestra Survives Some Growing Pains
NEXT Pacific Symphony in Transition, Part 2: Growth, Turmoil, Tragedy and Triumph Pacific Symphony in Transition, Part 3: Finding a New Conductor for Changing Times Back in the mid-1980s, the...
December 18, 2023
