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 the orchestra – the longest tenure of an American-born conductor among the nation’s major orchestras. St.Clair has made many programming choices that epitomize his approach: significant world premieres, classics from the 19th century, opera and collaborations with notable artists. Several of St.Clair’s programs hold special meaning for him and the orchestra.
The transition, of course, is to a post-St.Clair era. A succession of “guest” conductors, which began this season and continues in 2024-25, are presumably vying for St.Clair’s job. Next season will probably be St.Clair’s last as music director, although he will continue his association with the orchestra.
Pacific Symphony president John Forsyte said that St.Clair’s likely final season with the ensemble he has conducted since 1990 was carefully designed by the conductor as a fond farewell that touches upon some of his favorite works and the musicians’ strengths.
“It’s a little hard to predict, but I’m hopeful we would know who Carl’s successor is for (the) 2025-26 (season). Carl planned this year to be a signature season. It’s a season he thinks of as his opportunity to say thank you to the musicians, the patrons and the audience that has supported him all these years.”
Forsyte said St.Clair has chosen works that are meaningful to him as well as his colleagues and longtime fans.
“He’s built this wonderful rapport and synergy with the Pacific Chorale. Carl’s Carmina Burana is one of the most viscerally exciting (interpretations) you’ve ever heard. And it’s poignant that he finishes with Bruckner’s Seventh (symphony) and Verdi’s Requiem.”
St.Clair will also celebrate his European career as an opera conductor with the first-ever Pacific Symphony ring cycle performance: Wagner’s Das Rheingold. “I’m incredibly excited to hear Rheingold with our orchestra, that hall and some great singers,” Forsyte said. “And he’s picked an interesting director who did it in Seattle.”
Two newly commissioned works will receive their world premieres next season: a piano concerto by African American composer Adolphus Hailstork and an orchestral work by the orchestra’s current composer-in-residence, Viet Cuong.
“I’m excited (we’ve) commissioned two American composers whose work I admire,” Forsyte said. “Hailstork is (a) venerable composer who has written many great works. We’re honored to be presenting that world premiere.”
Woven into the season will be a few works that are near and dear to St.Clair and some evenings that will showcase individual musicians from the ranks, Forsyte said. “He has certain favorites – Pines of Rome, Strauss’ Alpine Symphony. And he wants to showcase musicians from the orchestra in a playful Halloween-inspired program and The Four Seasons, which will feature (concertmaster) Dennis Kim.”
The parade of guest conductors continues next season with Rune Bergmann, Paolo Bortolameolli, Valentina Peleggi, Eduardo Strausser and Christopher Warren-Green.
Forsyte wouldn’t say which of the visiting conductors is being considered for St.Clair’s position. “Rune we’ve worked with already and the musicians wanted to bring him back. Valentina has a great reputation as a relatively new music director.” (Peleggi has been music director of the Richmond Symphony since the 2020-21 season and recently renewed her contract through mid-2028.) “She’s done a terrific job developing that orchestra and building its reputation.”
Forsyte is also looking forward to a visit from Chilean-Italian conductor Bortolameolli, currently associate conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. “Paolo is very in demand right now. And Strausser was somebody who was very well liked by musicians and has been strongly recommended.”
After the next music director takes up the baton, St.Clair will be given the title of music director laureate. Forsyte said the details of the position are up to St.Clair and the new conductor.
“(Carl) has said he wants to make this as seamless as possible. He’ll definitely be appearing on the classical seasons at least several times and conducting some special projects. A lot depends on the interests of the new music director. Carl has said, ‘I want to be supportive of this person’s vision and help them succeed.’”
Pacific Symphony’s 2024-25 season
All concerts will be held at Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.
* Indicates Pacific Symphony debut
** Indicates first performance by Pacific Symphony
Opening Night Celebration: Rachmaninoff and Beethoven
Thursday through Saturday, Sept. 26-28, 8 p.m.
Carl St.Clair, conductor
Claire Huangci, piano
Ticheli: Shooting Stars
Ravel: Alborada del gracioso
Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Beethoven: Symphony No. 7
Classical Spooktacular
Thursday through Saturday, Oct. 17-19, 8 p.m.
Carl St.Clair, conductor
Meredith Crawford, viola
Williams: “Devil’s Dance” from Witches of Eastwick**
Bunch: The Devil’s Box**
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
Gluzman Plays Brahms
Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 14-16, 8 p.m.
Valentina Peleggi, conductor*
Vadim Gluzman, violin
Barber: Symphony No. 1
Tchaikovsky: Francesca da Rimini
Brahms: Violin Concerto
Art of the Spanish Guitar
Thursday through Saturday, Dec. 5-7, 8 p.m.
Rune Bergmann, conductor
Mak Grgić, guitar*
Fung: Prayer**
Rodrigo: Fantasy for a Gentleman
Dvorak: Symphony No. 8
Four Seasons and Strauss
Thursday through Friday, Jan. 9-11, 2025, 8 p.m.
Carl St.Clair, conductor
Dennis Kim, violin and leader
Tobias Melle, visuals
Vivaldi: The Four Seasons
Strauss: Alpine Symphony (with visuals)
Pines of Rome
Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 6-8, 2025, 8 p.m.
Carl St.Clair, conductor
Jeffrey Biegel, piano
Bernstein: Slava!
Hailstork: Piano Concerto (world premiere)**
Cuong: World Premiere**
Respighi: Pines of Rome
Carmina Burana and Bach
Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 27-28, March 1, 2025, 8 p.m.
Carl St.Clair, conductor
Pacific Chorale
Robert Istad, artistic director
Southern California Children’s Choir
Lori Loftus, founding director
Benjamin Pasternack, piano
Alisa Jordheim, soprano
Nicholas Phan, tenor
Hugh Russell, baritone
Lauridsen: O Magnum Mysterium
Bach: Keyboard Concerto in D minor, BWV 1052
Orff: Carmina Burana
Koh Plays Mendelssohn
Thursday through Saturday, March 20-22, 2025, 8 p.m.
Paolo Bortolameolli, conductor*
Jennifer Koh, violin
Mendelssohn: Scherzo from A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 10
Curse of the Ring
Thursday, Saturday, and Tuesday, April 10, 12, and 15, 2025
Carl St. Clair, conductor
Brian Staufenbiel, stage director
Vocal soloists to be announced
Wagner: Das Rheingold**
Beethoven’s Emperor
May 1-3, 2025
Eduardo Strausser, conductor
George Li, piano
Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5, “Emperor”
Mahler: Symphony No. 1
Cathedrals of Sound
Thursday through Saturday, May 8-10, 2025, 8 p.m.
Carl St.Clair, conductor
Paul Jacobs, organ
Norbertine Fathers of St. Michael’s Abbey
Traditional: Gregorian Chant
Bach: Sinfonia in D minor
Guilmont: Symphony No. 1**
Bruckner: Symphony No. 7
Verdi’s Requiem
June 5-7, 2025
Carl St.Clair, conductor
Pacific Chorale
Robert Istad, artistic director
Vocal soloists to be announced
Verdi: Requiem
Sunday Matinees
Fantastic Symphony
Oct. 20, 2024
Carl St.Clair, conductor
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
A Day in the Alps
January 12, 2025
Carl St.Clair, conductor
Tobias Melle, visuals
Strauss: An Alpine Symphony (with visuals)
Carmina Burana
March 2, 2025
Carl St.Clair, conductor
Pacific Chorale
Robert Istad, artistic director
Southern California Children’s Choir
Lori Loftus, founding director
Vocal soloists to be announced
Orff: Carmina Burana
Re-discover Verdi’s Requiem
June 8, 2025
Carl St.Clair, conductor
Pacific Chorale
Robert Istad, artistic director
Vocal soloists to be announced
Verdi: Requiem
SPECIAL EVENTS
Handel’s Glorious Messiah
Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, 3 p.m.
Christopher Warren-Green, conductor
Pacific Chorale,
Robert Istad, artistic director
Vocal soloists to be announced
Handel: Messiah
LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION
Saturday, Feb. 1, 2025, 8 p.m.
Carl St.Clair, conductor
Voice and the Violin
Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025, 8 p.m.
Carl St.Clair, conductor
Joshua Bell, violin
Larissa Martinez, soprano
Nowruz: Iranian New Year
Saturday, March 23, 2025, 8 p.m.
Carl St.Clair, conductor
John Forsyte, who is quoted in this story, is a member of the Advisory Board for Culture OC.
Classical music coverage at Culture OC is supported in part by a grant from the Rubin Institute for Music Criticism. Culture OC makes all editorial decisions.
