All Concerts

THIS CONCERT HAS BEEN POSTPONED.

Recognized as one of the most celebrated violinists of his generation, Stefan Milenkovich enjoys a prolific career as an internationally sought-after soloist and recitalist. The program includes Ticheli’s piece of fragile beauty and quiet dignity, and Beethoven’s only concerto for one of the most popular instruments of his day: the violin. 
  

THIS CONCERT HAS BEEN CANCELED.

What’s interesting about this concert:

• Love, betrayal and jealousy – all trademarks of great tragic opera – “Otello” embraces these themes to the fullest.
• Verdi’s interpretation of Shakespeare’s tale takes you on a journey through a passionate romance destroyed by one of opera’s most loathsome villains.
• The three leading roles are among Verdi's most demanding, both vocally and dramatically. They are inhabited here by a troika of world-class opera singers: Metropolitan Opera stars tenor Carl Tanner (Otello) and bass-baritone Greer Grimsley (Iago) along with Kelebogile Besong (Desdemona).
• The South-African soprano is familiar to Orange County audiences from her starring role in Pacific Symphony’s 2017 production of “Aida”

What’s interesting about this concert:

• Like his fellow countryman Gustavo Dudamel, José Luis Gómez spent formative years in El Sistema, where he performed the concert’s opening work by Carreño over 100 times. You’ll smell the sea air and feel the rhythms of Margarita, the captivating Caribbean island off the Venezuelan coast where the composer was born.
• The Van Cliburn medalist and Grammy-nominated pianist Joyce Yang will show off her justly praised “dazzling fingerwork” in the daredevil variations on a theme by Paganini. It’s such a difficult work that it drove Rachmaninoff to drink: before playing the world premiere, he broke his usual rule against drinking before concerts and had a glass of crème de menthe to steady his nerves!
• Schumann’s lush Fourth Symphony takes you on a musical journey through one gorgeous melody after another, all without pause.
• Enjoy image magnification on the big screens for a closer look at the musicians!

Pacific Symphony Santiago Strings wraps up their 2019-20 season with a program of rousing and engaging works, both old and new! From the ethereal beauty of Ravel’s "Mother Goose Suite" to the brilliance and drama of Rimsky-Korsakov’s "Scheherazade," this musical adventure is sure to provide new and exciting musical vistas for all to enjoy!
  
Admission is free, but tickets are required. Seating is general admission.

The first in a series of three string quartets commissioned by the Russian ambassador in Vienna, Count Razumovsky, Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 7 is notorious for its technical demands. The concert opens with Leshnoff’s “Radiance” for Piano Quintet and Beethoven’s Trio for Piano, Flute and Bassoon. Enjoy coffee, tea and pastries in the intimate Samueli Theater as host and Orli Shaham guides you through the program.

Organist Dennis James provides a chilling soundtrack for the silent-film classic, "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." The 1923 film, based on Victor Hugo's 1831 novel of the same name, is known for the grand sets that recall 15th century Paris as well as for Lon Chaney's performance and make-up as the tortured hunchback Quasimodo, the deaf, half-blind, hunchbacked bell-ringer of the famous Cathedral of Notre Dame.

Wrapping up their 2019-20 season, Pacific Symphony Youth Wind Ensemble will present a program of both rousing military themes and soaring sacred and regional themes, including works of Holst, Sousa, Gounod and Boyer.
  
Admission is free, but tickets are required. Seating is general admission.

Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra wraps up its 2019-20 season with one of the 20th century’s most thrilling works, Ottorino Respighi’s "Pines of Rome." The concert will also feature a performance by the 1st place winner(s) of PSYO’s annual concerto auditions, a much anticipated and truly thrilling event!
  
Admission is free, but tickets are required. Seating is general admission.

What’s interesting about this concert:

• Frank Ticheli has written a new piece that uses the audience as an instrument. Ticheli was Pacific Symphony’s composer-in-residence from 1991 to 1998. 
• Mozart’s popular piano concerto is dramatic and impassioned — hinting, as did Beethoven’s music, at the changes that would come to music during the Romantic era.
• Filled with nods to Bach and Beethoven, Brahms’ Fourth Symphony is gripping and energetic. Musicologist Donald Francis Tovey says the end of the first movement “bears comparison with the greatest climaxes in classical music, not excluding Beethoven.”
• Enjoy image magnification on the big screens for a closer look at the musicians!

Lights, camera, action! Celebrate the treasured film music of John Williams in an exhilarating performance featuring your favorite themes from “Harry Potter,” “Star Wars,” “Jurassic Park,” and more!

A fun and fascinating 45-minute concert designed especially for children 5-11.

Pianists from the Orange County community will be selected to perform in a masterclass with pianist Conrad Tao. He will listen to them play a selection of their choice and then offer feedback and coaching on technique, musicianship and other performance factors. General admission tickets to watch the masterclass are just $10.

Masterclass OVERVIEW. 
Applicants must be 14 years of age or older. Adults are also encouraged to apply. Applications must be received by April 27, 2020.
Masterclass APPLICATION. 

Filled with deep emotion, profound complexity and beautiful melancholy, Brahms’ 4th symphony finishes with a finale that will leave you speechless. The concert opens with a new work by former composer-in-residence Frank Ticheli in honor of Carl's 30th anniversary.

William Shatner narrates an intergalactic musical showdown featuring the acclaimed and unforgettable music of your favorite films. From John Williams’ iconic “Star Wars” main theme and “Imperial March” to music from “The Wrath of Khan” to the newest “Star Trek” films.

What’s interesting about this concert:

• Because of the huge number of musicians and vocalists required, vastly more than were needed for any other symphony to that time, Mahler’s Eighth earned the nickname “Symphony of a Thousand” (though there will be only about 350 people on stage).
• The Symphony has been compared to Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 for its soaring blend of voices and orchestra, and for its spirit of optimism and humanity.
• The second part of the symphony follows the journey of Faust’s soul, rescued from the clutches of Mephistopheles, on its final ascent to heaven.
• Grand and celebratory, this symphony serves as a fitting, triumphal finale to Music Director Carl St.Clair’s 30th anniversary season.

This concert has been rescheduled from March 13-14. 
Fri., March 13 tickets are valid on Wed., June 17.
Sat., March 14 tickets are valid on Thu., June 18. 

After standing ovations and shouts of “Bravo!” during their last visit, Pacific Symphony has invited this popular band to return with their rollicking, around-the-world musical adventure. Pink Martini is part big band, part classical ensemble, part salsa troupe and all fun!

This concert has been rescheduled from May 1-2. 
Fri., May 1 tickets are valid on Fri., June 19.
Sat., May 2 tickets are valid on Sat., June 20. 

Pacific Symphony and Richard Kaufman perform Windborne’s The Music Of The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger and Keith Richards 1969 to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of The Rolling Stones iconic albums, “Beggar’s Banquet” and “Let It Bleed.”

“Your Song.” “Rocket Man.” “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.” The hit singles of mega pop star Elton John are endless. Starring Craig A. Meyer as “Almost Elton John,” this spectacular musical journey celebrates the decades of chart-topping hits of Sir Elton John.

Plus, enjoy patriotic favorites, our traditional salute to the U.S. armed forces and a brilliant fireworks finale!

Spend a special evening with the original Jersey Boy, backed by the Hollywood sound of Pacific Symphony. Frankie Valli, who came to fame in 1962 as the lead singer of the Four Seasons, is hotter than ever in the 21st century. Thanks to the volcanic success of the Tony-winning musical Jersey Boys, which chronicles the life and times of Frankie and his legendary group, such classic songs as “Big Girls Don’t Cry,” “Walk Like a Man,” “Rag Doll,” and “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” are all the rage all over again. 

World Premiere Live-to-Film Event!

Two rival toys — a lanky, likable cowboy named Woody and Buzz Lightyear, the fearless space ranger — vie for a place in the heart of their owner, Andy. The toys plot against each other, but when they’re separated from their human, they find a way to work together as friends to be reunited with Andy again. Considered by many to be one of the best animated films ever made, Toy Story received three Academy Award nominations, including one for “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” by Randy Newman.
 
Presentation licensed by Disney Concerts. © All rights reserved.

As the fifth Star Wars episode opens, Imperial Forces launch an all-out attack on the Rebel Alliance. Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) flee to Cloud City where they are captured. The Jedi Master Yoda schools the young Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) in the mysteries of the Force. Little does Luke know that he’ll need all his Jedi training in the revelatory life-or-death duel with the evil Darth Vader. As Yoda would say, “Enjoy you will — there is no try — John Williams’ classic soundtrack.”

© 2020 & TM LUCASFILM LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © DISNEY.

No SummerFest is complete without Pacific Symphony performing Tchaikovsky’s thrilling “1812” Overture, complete with live cannons and brilliant fireworks. Enjoy the spectacle as you also listen to the greatest hits of some of Russia’s greatest Romantic composers.

Celebrate opening weekend with twin piano phenoms, Christina Naughton and Michelle Naughton, as they take Mozart’s rarely performed Concerto for Two Pianos to the stage. Maestro St.Clair concludes the evening with Tchaikovsky’ s moving Fifth Symphony.

Behind his beautifully melodic Fifth Symphony was Tchaikovsky — one of the most beloved of Romantic composers. Join Maestro St.Clair in an in-depth exploration of this great artist along with the symphonic world premiere of Wayne Oquin’s "Tower Ascending," a work with a serene opening that builds to a thrilling conclusion.

“The ebullient Lang Lang is maturing as an artist… his playing is refined, almost severe. He has an intelligent way of shaping phrases, controlling dynamics, varying articulations... a captivating performance, the kind that you remember as much for its quiet stretches as for its wow factor.” — The New Yorker

Tickets to “Lang Lang Plays Beethoven” are available exclusively to 2020-21 subscribers. Click here to explore season ticket options or call (714) 755-5799 and let us help you with your order.

Experience Beethoven’s thrilling “Eroica” symphony—a work so innovative and influential it changed the course of music history. Longtime collaborators Jaimie Laredo and Sharon Robinson also join the evening with a West Coast premiere of Chris Brubeck’s jazz-infused double concerto.

Learn about the magical, mystical powers of the orchestra through the eyes of a wizard’s young assistant. You’ll hear selections from “A Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra,” “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” and music from “Harry Potter” movies. Don’t forget to wear your Halloween costume and be sure to check out the fun, magical activities in the lobby.

Maestro St. Clair leads you on a discovery as to why Beethoven’s “Eroica” Symphony was a work so innovative and influential that it changed the course of music history.

Back by popular demand, 16-time Grammy Award winner David Foster returns to Pacific Symphony to perform songs from his unparalleled catalog. Popular hits — written for artists including Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, Olivia Newton-John, Barbra Streisand and many others — include “You’re the Inspiration,” “The Prayer,” “The Glory of Love” and “St. Elmo’s Fire.”

Bomsori Kim, “internationally recognized as one of the most dynamic and exciting violinists of today” (NDR), joins Pacific Symphony with Tchaikovsky’s delightful Violin Concerto. Completing the evening is Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, a masterpiece showcasing each section of the orchestra.

Moscow-born concert pianist Andrey Gugnin visits Orange County with Rachmaninoff’s luxuriant Piano Concerto No. 2. Meanwhile, guest conductor Markus Stenz guides listeners through a gallery of musical styles: from the French-Baroque color of Rebel, a journey into the romantic dream-like world of Debussy and Scriabin’s cosmically charged “Poem of Ecstasy.”

Visions of sugarplums and beautiful ballerinas will dance in your head after seeing Tchaikovsky’s delightful Christmas ballet, performed in a condensed version created just for kids. This annual favorite finishes with a festive finale holiday sing-along and a jolly visit from Santa Claus himself!

A beloved holiday tradition, Handel’s celebrated oratorio — with its blazing trumpets, thundering timpani and spectacular “Hallelujah!” chorus — provides a moment during the busy season to experience reflection, renewal and joy.

From The Four Seasons to the Holiday Season! The Midtown Men, reuniting stars from the Broadway smash hit "Jersey Boys," deck the hall with festive cheer, timeless tunes, top-shelf choreography and incredible vocal performances! Featuring iconic yuletide classics such as "Winter Wonderland," "Let It Snow" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," as well as their signature renditions of the greatest rock-and-roll hits of the 1960s.

"His greatness, his overwhelming authority as musician, technician and probing intellect emerges quickly as he plays. Within minutes, we are totally captured by his intensity and pianistic achievement." —Los Angeles Times

This enchanting rags-to-riches fairy-tale opera adapts Rossini’s sparkling work especially for young audiences. From start to finish, you’ll be swept away by show-stopping vocal fireworks, toe-tapping tunes, high-spirited comedy and colorful costumes — all leading up to a happily-ever-after grand finale! As a bonus, there will be live vocal performances to enjoy in the lobby.

Revel in the majestic power of the William J. Gillespie Concert Organ in Saint-Saëns‘ most popular symphony featuring a melody that was later adapted for film and the 1977 hit song “If I Had Words.” And delight in Mozart’s charming Clarinet Concerto as Principal Clarinetist Joseph Morris puts his skills on full display.

Join us for Pacific Symphony’s annual festivities honoring the Lunar New Year! Celebrating the Year of the Ox, this performance is sure to sell out once again as audiences from across our communities come together to feast on a colorful presentation of Eastern and Western music and dance.

Treat your date to an evening with Britain’s exciting crossover pop star, Katherine Jenkins. She has performed all over the world — for the pope, for presidents and for the Royal Family. Featured on “Dancing with the Stars,” she has also embarked upon numerous sold-out tours and duetted with such names as Andrea Bocelli, Il Divo and many more.

Hailed by The Times as a “violinist in a class of his own,” James Ehnes returns to Pacific Symphony with Sibelius’ only violin concerto; a work that perfectly blends drama with technical virtuosity. Brahms’ pastoral second symphony transports you away from the darkness and into the Austrian countryside.

You won’t want to miss the continuing adventures of Captain Symphony! Pacific Symphony is joined by special guests, the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra for this side-by-side concert of music celebrating inspiring superheroes from Marvel and DC comic book movies including “Superman.” Come dressed up as your favorite superhero!

In an acclaimed career spanning nearly five decades, singer, songwriter and guitarist Boz Scaggs has explored the realms of soft rock, blues, R&B and jazz to produce instantly recognizable hits such as “Lowdown,” “Lido Shuffle” and “Look What You’ve Done to Me.”

The New York Times calls Scottish composer Sir James MacMillan as “ceaselessly inventive, evocative and penetrating.” He joins Pacific Symphony on a spiritual journey with his major commission Fiat Lux (“Let There Be Light”); a perfect pairing to Strauss’ eternal tone poem Death and Transfiguration.

Celebrate Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, with Pacific Symphony! A traditional festival that marks the beginning of spring, Nowruz is a time to celebrate the “rebirth of nature” and wash away the past.

Beauty, thrills and majesty! This popular troupe returns with a show featuring a jaw-dropping fusion of fliers, acrobats, contortionists, dancers, jugglers and strongmen who perform their cirque acts while Pacific Symphony provides a soundtrack of classical masterpieces and contemporary favorites.

Verdi’s immortal story about naïve love, betrayal and a vengeance gone horribly wrong features some of opera’s greatest arias including the instantly recognizable “La donna è mobile” and the beautiful “Caro nome.”

“Prodigious talent with obvious personality and a clear-eyed vision, her technical skills can make the jaw drop. [Rachel Barton Pine] has a full, singing sweet tone and plays with a confidence and elan that make an audience’s heart soar.” — Chicago Sun-Times

Symphony + Circus = a spectacular show, created especially for kids! Experience a jaw-dropping fusion of fliers, acrobats, contortionists, dancers, jugglers and strongmen who perform their cirque acts while Pacific Symphony provides a soundtrack of classical masterpieces and contemporary favorites.

The world’s top ABBA tribute joins Pacific Symphony to perform some of the most iconic songs ever written. “Dancing Queen,” “Mamma Mia,” “Waterloo,” “S.O.S.,” “Gimme, Gimme, Gimme” and so many more will have you dancing in the aisles and singing along.

An evening of greatness begins with world-class pianist Haochen Zhang who has been described by The Washington Post as having an “imagination that keeps you on the edge of your seat and breathless to hear what comes next”—a worthy challenger to Rachmaninoff’s intense Rhapsody. Following is Schubert’s ninth symphony nicknamed “The Great” for its pure grand majesty and awe-inspiring scale.

Be amazed by Schubert’s Ninth Symphony nicknamed “The Great” for its pure grand majesty and awe-inspiring scale.

It’s a show-tune song and dance extravaganza! Celebrate “Hamilton,” “Wicked,” “The Lion King,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Jersey Boys” and more in one thrilling crowd-pleasing performance. The only thing better than spending an evening at a hit Broadway show is spending an evening with ALL of them.

Wolfgang comes to life in this all-Mozart evening!  Maestro St.Clair conducts the legendary composer’s charming overture to Don Giovanni and the gloriously dark and transcendent Requiem, interspersed with a portrayal of his greatest rival, Antonio Salieri, performed by SCR Artistic Director David Ivers.

In this all-Mozart program, Maestro St.Clair forges an artistic partnership with South Coast Repertory’s artistic director David Ivers. Together, they bring this legendary composer to life with some of his most well-known works including the gloriously dark and transcendent Requiem.
  
Presented in collaboration with South Coast Repertory.