TARGET® SYMPHONY IN THE CITIES

It's the perfect way to end a lazy summer day: Pacific Symphony's 2010 Target Symphony in the Cities free concerts, which soon head out to three Orange County communities for "An Evening of Song and Dance"—full of joyful tunes and toe-tapping favorites!

For the sixth year in a row, Target returns as the title sponsor for this popular event, which attracts thousands of people each summer, many of whom arrive with picnics and lawn chairs and make it a thoroughly enjoyable and memorable summer experience.

Featuring high-quality family entertainment in the great outdoors, this year's program features special guest artists: soprano Joni Fukada-Prado and baritone Sean Ghazi, and much-loved classical and pops music by Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Dvorak, Strauss Jr., Bizet, Berlin, Loewe and Porter—plus a few favorite patriotic tunes!

"The first thing that came into my mind when planning this year's Target Symphony in the Cities concerts were the words: 'I could have danced all night,'" says Maestro St.Clair. "The program then began to take shape and to include famous songs and, of course, music about dance-every kind of dance that makes people's toes tap!"

This year's first free concert of the series takes place in Mission Viejo on July 31, 7 p.m., at the Village Green in Oso Viejo Park; (with the city's Prelude in the Park activities beginning at 4 p.m., during which a community mural featuring musicians is to be unveiled). The final two concerts are scheduled for Irvine's Heritage Park on Aug. 1 and Lake Forest's Pittsford Park on Aug.15, both starting at 7 p.m.

As always, a "Musical Playground," with many interactive and hands-on activities for children, begins at 5:30 p.m. in all three cities, and includes making an instrument, playing a drum, meeting a musician and a conducting clinic with Maestro St.Clair.

CONCERT DATES AND LOCATIONS

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MISSION VIEJO • Saturday • July 31
"The Village Green" at Oso Viejo Community Park
24932 Veterans Way, Mission Viejo, CA
(La Paz Road at Veterans Way)
Oso Viejo Park is located next to the Norman P. Murray Community Center

"Prelude in the Park" begins at 4PM
Pacific Symphony concert begins at 7PM

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IRVINE • Sunday • August 1
Heritage Park: 14301 Yale Ave, Irvine, CA
Heritage Park is located at the meeting of Yale Ave. and Walnut Ave.

Family activities and local music acts begin at 5:30PM
Pacific Symphony concert begins at 7PM

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LAKE FOREST • Sunday • August 15
Pittsford Park: 21701 Pittsford Drive, Lake Forest, CA
Pittsford Park is located on Pittsford Drive, between Lake Forest Drive and El Toro Road

Family activities and local music acts begin at 5:30PM
Pacific Symphony concert begins at 7PM

In Irvine and Lake Forest, pre-concert entertainment will be provided from 5:30-6:30pm by The Alley Cats. Read more about this fun a cappella doo-wop group at http://thealleycats.com.

Click here to download the program book.

 

AN EVENING OF SONG AND DANCE

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Pacific Symphony - Carl St.Clair, conductor Sean Ghazi & Joni Fukuda-Prado, vocalists
Antonin Dvorak	Slavonic Dance No. 8
Johannes Brahms	Hungarian Dances Nos. 5 & 6
Jacques Offenbach	Can Can from "Orpheus in the Underworld"
Frederick Loewe	I Could Have Danced All Night from "My Fair Lady"
Georges Bizet	Habanera & Gypsy Song from "Carmen"
Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky	Waltz of the Flowers from "The Nutcracker"
Johann Strauss, Jr.	On the Beautiful Blue Danube
	Thunder and Lightening Polka
Cole Porter	Begin the Beguine
Irving Berlin	They Say Falling in Love is Wonderful & Anything You Can Do from "Annie Get Your Gun"
Various	Patriotic Sing-Along

"This concert includes well-known classical favorites combined with unforgettable pops tunes," says Maestro St.Clair. Everyone will leave our concert feeling great and filled with music…hopefully singing and dancing for days afterward. Bringing music to families—children, grandchildren, parents and grandparents—gives such joy to those of us on the stage. It is a connection we don't get to enjoy in the same way in our great concert hall, where everyone is in a seat."

This concert also provides the opportunity for children to serve as guest conductors for "Thunder and Lightning Polka" by Strauss Jr., and a traditional patriotic sing-a-long is also part of the program. "It's music we all know and love," adds St.Clair.

"At Target, our local grants are making a difference in the communities we serve," said Laysha Ward, Target's president of community relations. "We're proud to partner with Pacific Symphony for Target Symphony in the Cities as part of our ongoing commitment to give back to the communities where our guests and team members live and work."

"We are very grateful to Target for their continued support and interest in our community-and for helping make these concerts such a huge success each year," says Symphony President John Forsyte. "Because of Target, we are able to offer high-quality music in beautiful outdoor settings to people who might not otherwise have the opportunity to hear these very talented musicians. We also truly appreciate the cities that work so hard to make each concert a memorable experience."

Minneapolis-based Target serves guests at more than 1,600 stores in 47 states nationwide by delivering today's best retail trends at affordable prices. Target is committed to providing guests with great design through innovative products, in-store experiences and community partnerships. Target (NYSE:TGT) gives more than $3 million a week to its local communities through grants and special programs.

Since opening its first store in 1962, Target has partnered with nonprofit organizations, guests and team members to help meet community needs.

For more information about these free community concerts, call (714) 755-5788.