We are nearly at the end of 2024, and it’s been a memorable year. As we prepare for the rare occasion when Christmas and the start Hanukkah fall on the same day, and Kwanzaa kicks off the day after, let’s take a moment to reflect on the best in arts and culture this past year in Orange County – and a few miles beyond the northern border.
Here we present our arts writers’ top five shows or moments in classical music, dance and theater. From notable guest conductors for Pacific Symphony, to innovative and boundary-pushing dance performances, to new venues coming in the theater scene, our writers have been there to document and capture all the unforgettable moments.
On Friday, we’ll look at the top five in culture, visual arts and popular music. Our food columnist will reveal her favorites on Monday.
Happy holidays and new year everybody! From all of us at Culture OC.
GO TO: Classical Music | Dance | Theater
Classical Music
Orange County’s year in classical music had an unusual flavor to it. The main guy, Carl St.Clair, music director of the Pacific Symphony for more than 30 years, had made it known that he’d be leaving his post. The orchestra brought in a series of guest conductors for more or less public tryouts on its subscription series. The British conductor Alexander Shelley was eventually announced (in November) as the winner, but until then we didn’t know, and every conductor stepping onto the podium was scrutinized as the possible successor. It was exciting to watch and hear.
A particularly interesting aspect was the standard of the candidates, which was extremely high. St.Clair had built up the quality and reputation of this orchestra during his tenure so that many of the best and brightest, some well known, others not, were vying for his job. It didn’t hurt that the orchestra’s home is Segerstrom Concert Hall, a splendid acoustical space. Each of the candidates seemed to bring their best stuff to these musical interviews, and the Pacific musicians, invigorated by the process, played like gangbusters. Each concert seemed better than the last. (Note: Shelley does not appear on the following Top Five list for the simple reason that his concerts were at the end of 2023.) – Timothy Mangan
Tianyi Liu conducts Pacific Symphony (May 16)
Tianyi Liu, a Chinese-born New Zealander, the youngest of the auditioning guests (34), proved wise beyond her years. Possessed with a fluid yet commanding baton technique – her arms moved like fresh tree branches in the wind – she coaxed wonderfully lyrical playing from the orchestra. Her account of Sibelius’ Second Symphony, wholehearted and carefully thought through, brought new insights to this old warhorse. She’s a talent to watch and I hope she’ll be back. Read the review.
Matthew Halls conducts Pacific Symphony (Jan. 11)
The British conductor brought us some British music (which isn’t always the case), namely, the bleak, complex and violent Symphony No. 6 by Ralph Vaughan Williams, in a first performance by this orchestra. Conducting without a baton, Matthew Halls slashed, chopped and coaxed his way through it, delineating the convoluted way. He opened with Sibelius’ “En Saga” (also a first for the group), juicing its rhythms while probing its colors. Read the review.
London Philharmonic with Patricia Kopatchinskaja (Oct. 13)
Edward Gardner led the venerable orchestra in a well manicured, luxury account of Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4, but it was the soloist, violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja, who stole the evening. She laid into Shostakovich’s dour and agonized Violin Concerto as if lives (hers and ours) depended on it, in a stagey, operatic and singeing performance. Read the review.
Carl St.Clair conducts Pacific Symphony (Sept. 26)
St.Clair decided to launch his last season with the same program he started his first with, in 1990. It proved a nostalgic trip through music by Frank Ticheli, Ravel, Rachmaninoff and Beethoven but also a kind of progress report. The orchestra has come a long way, it now has this music readily under its fingers, and the silver-haired maestro has as well. Underneath it all, though, he’s still the same man, urging his players ever forward to greater heights. Read the review.
Zubin Mehta conducts Los Angeles Philharmonic (Dec. 7)
Now 88, walking unsteadily to the Disney Concert Hall podium and taking a seat there, Zubin Mehta conducted the orchestra he first headed as a young firebrand in the early ‘60s. With tiny but communicative movements, he led the orchestra in an all-Brahms program (the Violin Concerto with Leonidas Kavakos, the Second Symphony, both without score) with audible wisdom. The music unfurled without fuss, warmly, lyrically and cogently, as if in a single breath.
GO TO: Classical Music | Dance | Theater
Dance
Dance in 2024 proved to be as dynamic and multifaceted as ever, with Orange County at the center of thrilling artistic moments that captured our imagination. From intimate site-specific works that brought the community together to global spectacles redefining the classics, this year reminded us how boundless the art of dance can be. Local stages celebrated both homegrown creativity and international brilliance, offering performances that spanned continents and perspectives – whether it was reimagining ballet through the lens of technology or honoring tradition with breathtaking cultural collaborations.
As we look back, these moments stood out as defining highlights of a year that moved us in every sense of the word. – Kaitlin Wright
ABT’s ‘Woolf Works’ (April 11-13)
Orange County had the honor of hosting the North American premiere of “Woolf Works,” choreographed by Wayne McGregor and originally commissioned by the Royal Ballet in London. Presented by American Ballet Theatre at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the production reimagined the writings of Virginia Woolf through a fusion of movement, music and visuals. A standout of the evening was Catherine Hurlin’s electrifying performance in the second act, “Becomings,” which left audiences captivated by her precision and energy. Premieres like this continue to cement Orange County’s reputation as a destination for world-class dance. Read the preview.
Clips from Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo's “Coppélia.” Video from Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo
Les Ballets de Monte Carlo’s ‘Coppél-i.A.’ (March 7-10)
Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo brought a bold, futuristic reimagining of “Coppélia” to Segerstrom Center for the Arts in 2024, infusing the classic ballet with themes of artificial intelligence and technology. Choreographed by Jean-Christophe Maillot, this avant-garde production explored the boundary between humanity and machinery, delivering a visually striking and thought-provoking performance. Read the preview.
Backhausdance ‘Glow/Brillo’ (June 9)
Backhausdance continued to enrich the Orange County arts scene in 2024 with its thoughtful and community-centered programming. Their site-specific performance at Bowers Museum offered a fresh and inviting way to experience dance, while their stage show at the Irvine Barclay Theatre earlier in the year highlighted the company’s creativity and artistic range. Together, these performances showcased the company’s enduring commitment to connecting with audiences in meaningful ways. Read the preview.
SoCal Ballet Scene Festival (Sept. 14)
The SoCal Ballet Scene Festival continued to gain momentum in 2024, solidifying its place as a key event for Southern California’s ballet community. The festival featured local professional companies like Anaheim Ballet, as well as individual choreographers presenting classical experts like “Don Quixote” and new works. The festival also included a guest performance of Balanchine’s “Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux” by well-known ballerina Kathryn Morgan. By bringing dancers and audiences together, SoCal Ballet Scene is working to create a vital platform for connection, collaboration and a shared appreciation of ballet in all its forms.
Pina Bausch’s ‘Rite of Spring’ (Feb. 8-11)
Although staged outside Orange County at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion Los Angeles, Pina Bausch’s iconic “Rite of Spring” was a must-see event for local dance enthusiasts in 2024. Featuring a specially assembled company of 30 dancers from 14 African countries, this powerful production brought Bausch’s raw, visceral choreography to life with breathtaking intensity. The juxtaposition of Stravinsky’s legendary score and the emotive dancing on a peat-covered stage reminds audiences why Bausch’s work remains a towering achievement in modern dance.
GO TO: Classical Music | Dance | Theater
Theater
New and proposed performing arts centers were prominent in the headlines. An 800-seat venue at the Great Park in Irvine breaks ground in January, and discussions began in April during Mission Viejo city council meetings. The largely Los Angeles-based Festival of Tabla returned to Orange County for only the second time in its existence. Irvine Theater Company produced and staged a rom-com that had been floating around since the pandemic, linking it to Paul Zak and his ongoing relationship research, and South Coast Repertory unveiled yet another significant world premiere.
Here, in no particular order, are five highlights of Orange County theater from this past year. – Eric Marchese
A New Home for OC Music and Dance and the Asian Hall of Fame
In spring of 2024, a seemingly unlikely partnership developed between Irvine-based O.C. Music and Dance, which had acquired land at the Great Park in Irvine for a 800-seat performing arts center, and Pasadena-based Asian Hall of Fame, which had financial capital but needed a venue – preferably one with a substantial Asian population. The two entities teamed up, fast-tracking the project, whose groundbreaking is set for January of the coming year. The venue will be the first of its kind in the U.S. Read about this project.
'Joan' at South Coast Repertory (Nov. 2-24)
South Coast Repertory staged the unpublished, unproduced world premiere of “Joan” by playwright David Goldstein, peeling back the curtain on Rivers’ life. Under David Ivers’ direction, Tessa Auberjonois delivered a tour-de-force as the Joan Rivers – sharp-tongued, ironic, sarcastic, profane, all with no fear of reprisal. Not simply doing an impression, Auberjonois got inside the skin of the public Rivers persona, the script and staging realizing the tension, drama and laughs of a real person’s life and career. Read the review.
Festival of Tabla (July 27-28)
The Festival of Tabla, while not traditional theater, it was an interesting performing arts presentation this season. The festival is the brainchild of Rupesh Kotecha who plays the Indian percussion instrument and felt it was poorly represented and underappreciated in the music world. He created, developed and produced the first festival focusing on the tabla in Pomona 2017, with a Tustin venue in 2018. This year, the event, which continues to broaden and grow in both scope and attendance, returned to Orange County – this time at Soka University’s Soka Performing Arts Center. Read the preview.
'My (unauthorized) Hallmark Movie Musical' (July 26-Aug. 10)
Irvine Theater Company combined the Orange County premiere of “My (unauthorized) Hallmark Movie Musical,” created in 2022 by Eloise Coopersmith and with music by Roxanna Ward, with “Dr. Love’s Rom-Com Experience,” to create an out-of-the-ordinary, immersive, evening-long event. The creator of the evening’s second segment is Paul Zak, who gained the “Dr. Love” handle from the popular reality TV series “The Bachelor.” His research into relationships has led to the bestsellers like his latest, “Immersion: The Science of the Extraordinary and Source of Happiness.” Cementing its singular nature: The event unfolded at Canvas, a space in an Irvine industrial complex primarily used on Sundays for religious services. Read the preview.
Mission Viejo Explores Building a Performing Arts Center
The city of Mission Viejo is exploring plans to create, design and build its own performing arts center, announcing potential sites at a March city council meeting. The plan became an agenda item in early 2023, when current Mayor Pro Tem and councilmember Bob Ruesch proposed a feasibility study. Since the size and price tag – 600 seats costing $117 million – are beyond the city’s current means, Ruesch said that a “starter” – a less costly, more feasible 200- to 300-seat studio theater converted from an existing structure, will bridge the gap until funds for a more ambitious ultimate venue can be raised. Read more about this project.
