How a visionary leader transformed Segerstrom Center into an international destination for world-class performances.
Judy Morr has never sought the limelight, yet her influence has quietly but profoundly influenced the cultural identity of Southern California. Over the course of four decades, Morr shaped Segerstrom Center for the Arts into a global hub for dance, transforming Orange County into an internationally recognized destination for world-class performances.
As she officially retires from her role as executive vice president, members of the arts community are pausing to reflect on the monumental legacy she leaves behind. Morr’s career has been marked by her ability to forge relationships with renowned artists, champion innovative programming, and inspire loyalty among colleagues and audiences alike. From pioneering Segerstrom’s International Dance Series to building a decades-long partnership with American Ballet Theatre, she has been the driving force behind a cultural awakening in Southern California.
The Foundation of a Vision
Before Orange County became a destination for the arts, it was a cultural blank slate. When Judy Morr arrived in 1985, the newly envisioned Orange County Performing Arts Center (OCPAC) – now Segerstrom Center for the Arts – was little more than an ambitious blueprint surrounded by farmland. Morr, however, saw the potential to create something extraordinary.
“We wanted to get the place off on the right foot,” said interim VP of programming Aaron Egigian. Egigian is a longtime colleague who programmed music for the Center while Morr focused on Broadway and dance. “Live performance is exhilarating. It can be dangerous. It can be all kinds of things. But what it does is it brings us together, and it makes a community. So that was the driving philosophy, and that's what Judy instilled, not just in me, but in everybody that was a part of the team at that time. We had a very clear sense that we were building something important for Orange County.”
Tasked with programming for the center’s 1986 debut, Morr drew from her experience at Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center, one of the world’s premiere cultural institutions. She recognized that Southern California’s identity as an arts destination could not (at first) compete with nearby Los Angeles in symphony or opera, so she turned to dance – a discipline underserved in the region but brimming with global potential.
“Judy decided to do something nobody else was doing in Southern California, which was to bring major international dance companies to Orange County,” said Jerry Mandel, former president of Segerstrom Center. “That’s how it all started. Dance became the way to establish the Center’s reputation nationally and internationally.”
This vision became the foundation for what would later blossom into the International Dance Series, a program that has featured over 70 companies and elevated Orange County’s profile in the global dance community. From the start, Morr’s determination to fill a cultural void with something daring set the tone for the Center’s future.
Central to Judy Morr’s success was her ability to forge relationships with some of the most prestigious dance companies in the world. Chief among these was American Ballet Theatre (ABT), which became an essential partner in establishing Segerstrom Center’s reputation.
“From the beginning, Judy recognized ABT’s unique place in the dance world as a touring company with global renown,” Mandel said. “She built a relationship based on trust and collaboration that ensured Segerstrom became a natural home for their performances.”
Kevin McKenzie, ABT’s longtime former artistic director, echoed this sentiment, noting that the relationship with Segerstrom was unlike any other. “I stand in huge admiration of Judy,” McKenzie said. “She is inventive, sympathetic, and a really good businesswoman and she cared deeply about the health of ABT. And I found that amazing because she was running her own not-for-profit which is nearly impossible to do, and she still had the extra reserves to care.”
Morr’s approach went beyond presenting well-known companies. She sought to expose audiences to a diverse range of styles and artists. She balanced iconic story ballets like “Romeo and Juliet” with contemporary works, ensuring audiences experienced the breadth of what dance could offer.
“I think a good programmer is always walking that fine line. You don't want to alienate your audience. You want to understand who they are and give them work that you think will excite them and satisfy them, but at the same time, you don't want to bore them with the same old,” said Segerstrom’s current president and CEO Casey Reitz. “And I think that's what Judy was masterful at. And that's what I think people are always trying to kind of learn from her, what that secret sauce was that she knew so well.”
Morr’s efforts to elevate Segerstrom’s profile were not confined to the main stage. Her programming decisions also fostered local partnerships, such as involving the Pacific Symphony as an orchestra for visiting ballet companies. This collaboration allowed the symphony to grow alongside the Center, creating a symbiotic relationship that strengthened both institutions.
Through her deep knowledge of the field and her connections, Morr not only built Segerstrom’s dance series but also positioned the Center as an indispensable part of the global dance circuit.
A Champion for Artists
Morr’s work was defined by an unusual duality: a deep respect for artistry paired with an unflinching eye on the financial realities of running a performing arts center.
“The deal I had with Judy was simple: You can lose as much money on ballet as you can make on Broadway,” Mandel said.
Similarly, Egigian reflected on a philosophy that Judy screened all decisions by.
“She always reminded us that we're in the business of the arts. And so every choice and decision had to be both artistic and financial.”
This pragmatic yet aspirational approach allowed the team to push artistic boundaries while ensuring the Center’s overall stability.
A clear example of this balance was Morr’s collaboration with choreographer Trey McIntyre. In 2009, Segerstrom commissioned McIntyre to create “The More I See You,” a piece that epitomized her commitment to supporting innovative dance while engaging audiences in unexpected ways. McIntyre recalled how Morr approached him about using both inside Segerstrom Hall and outside on the Center’s plaza for the production to create an experimental immersive performance.
“After our first official meeting about this, she kind of gave carte blanche and really trusted me as an artist,” McIntyre said. “She didn’t micromanage it. She just wanted it to be great. And that's maybe the biggest gift that anyone in her position could give to an artist is that level of trust.”
“And my favorite memory from all of it was our first dress rehearsal … I was doing my improvisation, and I remember Judy walking by, and you could just see the light radiating from her. You know, she really authentically delighted in this being something that was going to benefit her audience and that her bet had paid off.”
Another defining moment in Morr’s programming achievements came in 2006 with the Mariinsky Festival, a 17-day residency featuring the Kirov opera, ballet and orchestra in an unprecedented engagement that brought nearly 570 St. Petersburg dancers, musicians, singers and theater personnel to Segerstrom.
It marked the first time these three legendary companies from the Mariinsky Theatre performed in North America during a single engagement. The festival featured the North American premiere of the Kirov Opera’s production of Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen (“The Ring Cycle”), with tenor Plácido Domingo as Siegmund in Die Walküre.
This monumental undertaking showcased Morr’s ambition and ability to coordinate multidisciplinary projects at the highest level. It was a bold statement of Segerstrom’s status as a leading cultural institution and a testament to her vision of uniting artistic excellence with audience engagement.
“Judy was central to building those relationships where people wanted to come to the Center. The companies knew that they would look good. They knew they would get good audiences. And they knew they could trust Judy,” said former Segerstrom president Terry Dwyer. “The red carpet would be rolled out, and they would be taken great care of whenever they came to Segerstrom.”
Transforming Orange County’s Cultural Landscape
When Morr arrived in Orange County, the region was known more for suburban sprawl than cultural sophistication. It lacked the infrastructure or identity to compete with neighboring Los Angeles. But Morr saw opportunity where others saw obstacles, and over the decades, her work at Segerstrom Center redefined the area’s cultural landscape.
“We knew we had to expose audiences to the great glories and pleasures of these art forms,” Egigian said. “It was a process of building the audience as we went along. Broadway was always there, but with other art forms, Judy made sure the Center embraced everything.”
Through her leadership, the Center became a beacon for world-class dance, but Morr’s impact extended beyond performances. She helped cultivate a sense of pride and ownership in the arts among Orange County residents. Programs like Studio D, which provided inclusive dance classes for individuals with disabilities, and school outreach initiatives demonstrated her commitment to making the arts accessible to all.
Her efforts also fostered a ripple effect throughout the community. The partnerships she established, such as collaborations with Pacific Symphony and ABT, elevated not only Segerstrom’s profile but also that of the surrounding region.
“Judy didn’t just bring great performances to Orange County,” Dwyer said. “She brought the world to Orange County, and in doing so, she changed how people viewed this place – both inside and outside the community.”
Under Morr’s guidance, Segerstrom became a cultural anchor for the region, spurring the growth of neighboring arts organizations and inspiring other venues to expand their programming. Her legacy is visible not only in Segerstrom’s offerings but in the flourishing arts ecosystem she helped create.
“The word ‘legendary’ frequently comes before Judy's name,” Reitz said. “The number of times I've heard ‘the legendary Judy Morr,’ I can't even begin to count. But I think that's a very, very important thing because the donors, the artists, the peer organizations across the country, they all kind of think of her the same way and talk about her the same way.
“Judy’s influence is woven into the fabric of this community,” Reitz continued. “She had the ability to make Orange County not just a place where people live but a place where culture thrives.”
