PACIFIC SYMPHONY

Tchaikovsky's First
9/23/2010 - 9/25/2010

Pacific Symphony opens the 2010-2011 season with Tchaikovsky’s First, the epitome of the romantic piano concerto, featuring pianist Jon Kimura Parker. Also on the program: Weber’s vibrant "Euryanthe" Overture and Brahms rich, ingenious Symphony No. 2. Music Director Carl St.Clair conducts.

Pictures at an Exhibition
10/14/2010 - 10/16/2010

The program begins in a Russian forest with Prokofiev’s beloved “Peter and the Wolf” (featuring the 2008 Academy Award-winning film). Then, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet explores the sunny, exuberant landscape of Ravel’s Piano Concerto. Finally, Music Director Carl St.Clair leads Pacific Symphony back to Russia and Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition.”

Halloween Goes Hollywood
10/16/2010 - 10/16/2010

Celebrate Halloween with a concert featuring frightfully fun movie music, designed especially for kids 5-11! Enjoy selections from “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Star Wars,” “Harry Potter” and more, performed by Pacific Symphony. Don’t forget to wear your costume for this wonderful celebration!

Organ Recital: Christoph Bull
10/24/2010 - 10/24/2010

By popular demand, UCLA organist and organ professor Christoph Bull returns to headline the first concert in Pacific Symphony’s new organ series “Pedals & Pipes.” In addition to selections from Bach and Barber, Bull will improvise on themes selected by the audience.

Three Phantoms in Concert
10/28/2010 - 10/30/2010

Just in time for Halloween, Pacific Symphony presents an evening of Broadway magic that that combines the cachet of “The Phantom of the Opera” with three extraordinary performers who have played that title role. The concert also includes blockbusters from “Les Miserables,” “Miss Saigon,” “Guys and Dolls,” “Nine” and more!

Chopin & Schumann
10/31/2010 - 10/31/2010

A delightful chamber music concert celebrating the bicentennial of two Romantic era giants, featuring pianist and host Orli Shaham and members of Pacific Symphony. Chopin’s works link poetically expressive melody and restless harmony to high technical demands. Schumann’s works are the embodiment of musical Romanticism.

Mozart & Beethoven
11/18/2010 - 11/20/2010

Beethoven’s charming and joyous “Choral Fantasy” is surrounded by the fanfares and flourishes of two Mozart symphonies (Nos. 34 and 35) and the world premiere of Bolcom’s “Prometheus,” featuring pianist Jeffrey Biegel and Pacific Chorale. Music Director Carl St.Clair conducts Pacific Symphony.

Rachmaninoff's Second
12/9/2010 - 12/11/2010

One of the world’s most lyrical piano concertos — Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, interpreted here by Russian virtuoso Kirill Gerstein — stands in sharp contrast to the simplicity of Michael Torke’s “Javelin.” Then, Dvorak’s beloved Symphony “From the New World.” Mei-Ann Chen guest conducts Pacific Symphony.

Nutcracker for Kids
12/11/2010 - 12/11/2010

Visions of sugarplums will dance in your head after seeing Tchaikovsky’s delightful Christmas ballet — performed in a condensed version created just for kids. This seasonal favorite, featuring Pacific Symphony and the Festival Ballet Theater, finishes with a grand holiday finale and is sure to sell out!

Handel's Glorious Messiah
12/12/2010 - 12/12/2010

A timeless masterwork that transcends fads and fashions, Handel's "Messiah" is an event of joy, reflection and renewal. Thrill to blazing trumpets, thundering timpani and the electrifying, uplifting "Hallelujah" chorus at Orange County's most popular rendition of this cherished holiday tradition, performed by Pacific Symphony and Pacific Chorale.

The Andy Williams Christmas Show
12/16/2010 - 12/18/2010

Still thrilling audiences more than 40 years after his debut, Andy Williams has crooned his way into the hearts of generations. His quintessential interpretation of “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” highlights Pacific Symphony’s Pops Christmas special, which also features other Williams hits including his iconic “Moon River.”

Holiday Organ
12/21/2010 - 12/21/2010

Pacific Symphony’s holiday spectacular captures the spirit of the season with a delightful mix of sacred and holiday music, including a Christmas carol sing-along and traditional organ works by Bach and Handel, featuring Todd Wilson, curator of the E.M. Skinner pipe organ at Cleveland’s Severance Hall.

Zukerman Plays Beethoven
1/13/2011 - 1/15/2011

World-renowned violinist and conductor Pinchas Zukerman joins Pacific Symphony to give concert-goers a double treat with Haydn’s “The Hen,” followed by the heart-stopping beauty of Beethoven’s only violin concerto, in which the maestro both plays and conducts.

Beethoven, Beethoven!
1/16/2011 - 1/16/2011

Beethoven’s chamber music evolved along with his orchestral works. His early, charming compositions — which paid homage to Haydn and Mozart — led inexorably to the trios, quartets and septets with flashes of his coming revolutionary brilliance, performed here by pianist Orli Shaham and members of Pacific Symphony.

Lang Lang
1/25/2011 - 1/25/2011

Heralded as the "hottest artist on the classical music planet" by The New York Times, 27-year-old Lang Lang has played sold-out concerts around the world! He joins Pacific Symphony for Prokofiev’s Third Piano Concerto on a program that also includes Tchaikovsky’s delightful “Swan Lake.”

Beethoven Piano A
2/3/2011 - 2/3/2011

Pianist Arnaldo Cohen joins Pacific Symphony to interpret all five Beethoven piano concertos during this set of three concerts, with a different program each night. Cohen dazzled OC audiences in 2002, when he performed Liszt’s Piano Concerto. Music Director Carl St.Clair conducts.

Beethoven Piano B
2/4/2011 - 2/4/2011

Peter and the Wolf
2/5/2011 - 2/5/2011

Prokofiev’s exhilarating musical tale springs to life, putting your kids on the edge of their seats, when the Magic Circle Mime Company joins Pacific Symphony for “Peter and the Wolf.” See how three musicians and a conductor’s assistant outwit a fearsome wolf that threatens orchestra and audience alike!

Beethoven Piano C
2/5/2011 - 2/5/2011

Valentine's Day with Natalie Cole
2/10/2011 - 2/12/2011

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, an “Unforgettable” concert featuring the incredible Natalie Cole, backed by Pacific Symphony. Warm, tender and heartfelt, her singing preserves the treasured standards made famous by her father, while adding her own touches of jazz, swing, soul and pop.

Cathedrals of Sound
2/24/2011 - 2/26/2011

Bruckner’s Symphony No. 9 reveals the composer’s creative genius and sweeping symphonic sound. Then to an earlier time and the rich, sonorous voices of Gregorian chant, with the Norbertine Fathers of St. Michael’s Abbey. Plus, solos by virtuoso organist Paul Jacobs. Carl St.Clair conducts Pacific Symphony.

The Passion of Philip Glass
3/10/2011 - 3/12/2011

Mixing Eastern and Western traditions, an homage to a simple Hindu holy man paints an exquisite symphonic and choral picture of India emerging from centuries of foreign domination. Carl St.Clair leads Pacific Chorale and Pacific Symphony on this south Asian odyssey of works by Glass and Ravi Shankar.

Beethoven's Blockbusters
3/12/2011 - 3/12/2011

Introduce the young people in your life to what makes Beethoven’s music so exciting! This fast-paced concert by Pacific Symphony features excerpts from his best-known compositions set in an engaging way just for kids!

Katharine McPhee
3/17/2011 - 3/19/2011

The “American Idol” runner up who amazed audiences with her heart-stirring rendition of “Over the Rainbow,” Katharine McPhee continues her evolution into a pop music superstar! McPhee effortlessly crosses boundaries to deliver songbook standards, powerful ballads and musical theater favorites, backed here by the sumptuous sound of Pacific Symphony.

Mahler & Liszt
3/31/2011 - 4/2/2011

Berlioz’ ode to the sea is sometimes serene, sometimes swashbuckling — an apt prelude to Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, which transforms initial despair to a glorious, triumphal finale. Justin Brown guest conducts Pacific Symphony.

The Wizard of Oz
4/7/2011 - 4/9/2011

A symphonic night at the movies! One of the most beloved films of all time comes to our big screen, lovingly restored. On stage, the gifted musicians of Pacific Symphony perform the timeless soundtrack live to Judy Garland’s original 1939 studio recordings.

Organ Recital: Ken Cowan
4/10/2011 - 4/10/2011

“Sounds shifted, swelled and diminished in apparently limitless variety,” said the Dallas Morning News, “all while Ken Cowan dispatched dizzying arrays of notes.” Hear why the critics are raving as Cowan, assistant professor of organ at Princeton’s Westminster Choir College, performs in Pacific Symphony’s organ series “Pedals & Pipes.”

Bolero!
5/5/2011 - 5/7/2011

Guest conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto leads Pacific Symphony on a trip to the Iberian Peninsula, beginning with Albéniz’ four-part guided tour and ending with the most famous 11 minutes in classical music, Ravel’s mesmerizing “Bolero.”

Sleeping Beauty
5/7/2011 - 5/7/2011

Get swept off your feet as Pacific Symphony tells the classic story of “Sleeping Beauty,” featuring dancers and music from Tchaikovsky’s ballet. This condensed version is sure to be a favorite for kids 5-11 — who may recognize the music that was adapted for Walt Disney’s film.

Music and Art
5/8/2011 - 5/8/2011

Pianist and host Orli Shaham joins Pacific Symphony musicians for an afternoon of intimate chamber music, including Ravel’s Mother Goose Suite for Two Pianos and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition in the original version for solo piano.

Jim Brickman
5/12/2011 - 5/14/2011

“America’s romantic piano sensation,” Jim Brickman has become the best-selling solo piano artist of our time with his catchy, heart-tugging love songs. He brings to Pacific Symphony the signature style of playing and songwriting that has brought him two Grammy nods and six Gold and Platinum albums.

Yuja Wang Plays Rachmaninof
6/2/2011 - 6/4/2011

A young Chinese virtuoso’s performance of Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini is the peaceful center of a program showcasing music as protest: Martinu’s outraged answer to wartime atrocities and Shostakovich’s brilliant, ill-disguised response to artistic censorship. Carl St.Clair conducts Pacific Symphony.

Rhapsody in Blue
6/9/2011 - 6/11/2011

Gershwin married classical structure to jazz, that most American of musical forms, in his famous Rhapsody in Blue, featuring pianist Orion Weiss. And Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 2 beautifully belies his statement that it was not in his nature to compose symphonies. James Gaffigan guest conducts Pacific Symphony.

Music of Bond. James Bond
6/16/2011 - 6/18/2011

A night of intrigue, espionage and glamour. Come dressed as your favorite Bond character while Pacific Symphony explores the cool soundtracks that accompany the cool gadgets in the iconic “007” films, including “Goldfinger,” “From Russia with Love,” “Thunderball,” “Casino Royale,” “Diamonds Are Forever” “Live and Let Die” and others.