Concert Calendar

Feel the joy and emotion of one of the greatest 20th-century composers — an American treasure and mentor of Music Director Carl St.Clair — through works like Chichester Psalms, combining Broadway-inspired melodies with sacred texts for chorus and orchestra and Serenade, a symbolic, lyrical work scored for solo violin, strings, harp and percussion. The Friday night performance, hosted by Alan Chapman, is part of our new series, Classical KUSC at Pacific Symphony.

This performance is part of a new series, Classical KUSC at Pacific Symphony. Hosted by KUSC radio personality Alan Chapman, the 90-minute concert (without intermission) will explore how Bernstein's music crosses the boundaries between Classical and Jazz, Sacred and Secular, Opera and Broadway. Come early to enjoy live music and a Bernstein-themed cocktail in the lobby while you explore information about Leonard Bernstein.  Later, enjoy a fun afterparty on the Julianne and George Argyros Plaza, where a live jazz band will play as you mingle with new friends, onstage musicians, Alan Chapman and Music Director Carl St.Clair.

Be sure to choose the FRIDAY performance when purchasing tickets.

Hocus pocus, alakazam! Join us for a spellbinding Halloween celebration that includes music from Fantasia and Harry Potter, as well as The Conductor’s Spellbook, an exciting and interactive new work by composer Paul Dooley that teaches about the instruments of the orchestra. Come dressed in costume and don’t forget your wand and broomstick!

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of Czechoslovakia

Carl St.Clair uses Dvořák’s popular symphony to explore three historic links between the United States and the Czech people. First, Dvořák’s remarkable journey to the United States helped to identify a unique American voice. Some 25 years later, America played a central role in the creation of a democratic Czechoslovakia. Today, a new Orange County institution, Pangea World, explores and expands the wealth of knowledge between nations.

Community musicians ages 22 and older play in the Samueli Theater in five chamber ensembles led by Pacific Symphony conductors and musicians: a flute choir led by Principal Flutist Ben Smolen, a clarinet choir led by Principal Clarinetist Joe Morris, a brass choir led by Assistant Conductor Roger Kalia, a percussion ensemble led by Principal Percussionist Rob Slack and a chamber string orchestra led by cellist Ian McKinnell. Friends and interested observers are invited to attend this performance for FREE, but tickets are required. Seating is general admission.

The Wizard of Oz, Wicked, The Wiz and More!

Defy gravity and follow the yellow brick road on a musical journey over the rainbow. L. Frank Baum's classic novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, took the world by storm in 1900 and for over 100 years has inspired storytellers and composers on Broadway (Wicked, The Wiz), in Hollywood (The Wizard of Oz) and on the radio ("Goodbye Yellow Brick Road"). Relive all the Wonderful Music of Oz based on the original tale in one magical concert event.

Danish composer Carl Nielsen described his Symphony No. 4, “The Inextinguishable,” as a metaphor for “the fundamental life-force of music.” Dive into this dynamic tour de force that features an explosive introduction and a dueling timpani finale. Violinist Philippe Quint returns with Tchaikovsky’s delightful Violin Concerto and the overture to one of the most famous operas, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, opens this immersive program.

Fresh from their triumphant 2018 tour to Costa Rica, Pacific Symphony Santiago Strings embarks on their 2018-19 season with a whirlwind tour of musical favorites, including works of Grieg, Glinka, Padilla and more!

Admission is free, but tickets are required. Seating is general admission.

Sundays at Soka: Principal Trumpeter Barry Perkins takes center stage in Haydn's Trumpet Concerto. Then, Pacific Symphony’s new concertmaster, Dennis Kim, and Principal Violist Meredith Crawford are featured soloists in Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante. Considered “one of the most successful concertmasters in the world today,” (Royal Conservatory of Music) Kim was most recently concertmaster of the Buffalo Philharmonic. 

Under the celebrated direction of Dr. Gregory X. Whitmore, Pacific Symphony Youth Wind Ensemble kicks off their 2018-19 season with music of light, color and shadow. Revel in a wide-ranging program that includes works of Leonard Bernstein, Giovanni Santos, Richard Strauss and more. The brilliant musicians of PSYWE, joined by guest speaker Rosalind Britton, are sure to engage and inspire!

Admission is free, but tickets are required. Seating is general admission.

Energized by its many recent artistic achievements, Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra inaugurates its 2018-19 season with a stirring and innovative program that includes Leonard Bernstein’s haunting On the Waterfront Suite and Gustav Holst’s brilliant and ever popular The Planets.

Admission is free, but tickets are required. Seating is general admission.

A dazzling reimagining of the traditional Tchaikovsky classic, Duke Ellington’s interpretation of The Nutcracker will jazz up your holiday! Enjoy reinvented favorites like “Sugar Rum Cherry” and “Dance of the Floreadors,”  along with selections from Tchaikovsky's original ballet. German pianist Markus Groh returns with Brahms’ dramatic Second Piano Concerto and Vaughan Williams’ sacred Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis introduce this festive program.

Visions of sugarplums and beautiful ballerinas will dance in your head after seeing Tchaikovsky’s delightful Christmas ballet, performed in a condensed 45-minute version created just for kids. This annual favorite finishes with a grand finale sing-along and a jolly visit from Santa himself!

Good seats are still available (and you'll save money!) if you purchase a Family Musical Mornings season-ticket package.

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.

Come celebrate the most wonderful time of the year as teenage superstar Jackie Evancho performs some of the most memorable classics of the season including hits from her holiday album and more.

Celebrate the season with the king of instruments! Enjoy a magnitude of musical splendors with world-class organist Todd Wilson and members of Pacific Symphony performing a delightful mix of sacred and holiday music. Favorite Christmas carols share the bill with traditional organ works that highlight the 4,322-pipe, $3.1 million William J. Gillespie Concert Organ.

Technically his second piano concerto (he wrote two in one year during his late teens), Chopin’s Concerto in E minor is a work that takes what the melodic composer did best – compose deeply expressive melodies – and puts it in the hands of a virtuoso soloist and orchestra. Prokofiev’s last symphony and Mussorgsky’s macabre Night on Bald Mountain accompany this unforgettable program. 

Mozart’s musical fairy tale, with its imaginative setting and spectacular music, is brought to life in a special version designed just for you and your family!  Fantastical life-size puppets, talented professional singers and special guests from Chapman University join Pacific Symphony to bring this classic opera to life!

Inspired by the legendary folk stories of “A Thousand and One Nights, “Scheherazade” tells the story of a beautiful young bride who must use her charm as a storyteller to save herself from the wrath of a jealous sultan. Also featured are Bernstein’s “Slava!” and Shostakovich’s high voltage Cello Concerto No. 1 — both written for legendary cellist Mstislav Rostropovich.

Part violin concerto, part symphonic poem, “Scheherazade” tells the story of a beautiful young bride who must use her charm as a storyteller to save herself from the wrath of a jealous sultan. Come and be immersed in the mythical sounds of this sweeping masterpiece.

Join Pacific Symphony for a special fun-filled Lunar New Year concert celebrating the Year of the Pig!  Together we will explore the legends and stories through a musical feast of Eastern and Western music as we celebrate this joyous annual festival observed by many Asian cultures here in Orange County and across the world!

Join us for Pacific Symphony’s annual festivities honoring the Lunar New Year! Celebrating the Year of the Pig, 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.

Sundays at Soka: Maestro Carl St.Clair explores the beauty and complexity of Schubert and Chopin in the first of two concerts, starting with Schubert's Symphony No. 5 and Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 2, featuring Drew Petersen. While both composers were of a similar era (early-nineteenth century), their styles were in stark contrast to each other. 

Sultry, sweet sounds of saxophone superstar Kenny G meld with the full orchestra when Pacific Symphony delivers a romantic Valentine’s evening of music. By grafting elements of R&B, pop and Latin to his smooth jazz foundation, Kenny G is one of the most iconic and best-selling instrumentalists of all time.

Puccini’s Madame Butterfly tells the story of a young naïve Japanese geisha who believes that her love for a handsome American naval officer is eternal. With its lush score and heartbreaking arias, it is a timeless tale that will stir your emotions. 

Bach’s serene Goldberg Variations has been described as both a beautiful keyboard work and a “Rubik’s Cube of invention and architecture.” There are over 300 recordings of the work, many in unusual arrangements. Conductor David Robertson’s striking arrangement for string quartet and piano receives its world premiere at this performance! Enjoy coffee, tea and pastries in the intimate coffee-house atmosphere of the Samueli Theater.

Free Family event! Bring the entire family and join us for Pacific Symphony’s annual Lantern Festival, celebrating the Year of the Pig! The Lantern Festival, which can be traced back 2,000 years, takes place 15 days after the Lunar New Year—on the first full moon night in the lunar calendar—and marks the return of spring, representing the reunion of family. The act of lighting and appreciating lanterns is a way for people to let go of the burdens of their old selves and express their best wishes for themselves and their families for the future.

Tickets can be reserved on our website starting January 7, 2019. 

Pacific Symphony Youth Wind Ensemble continues its 2018-19 season with an exploration of a driving dichotomy of the human experience, that of war and peace. The program will combine profoundly beautiful and probing works with stirring projected imagery, culminating in a performance of Aaron Copland’s masterful Lincoln Portrait, narrated by Rich Capparela.

Admission is free, but tickets are required. Seating is general admission.

Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra dedicates its mid-season concert to two towering masterpieces: Aaron Copland’s Appalachian Spring (originally titled Ballet for Martha in honor of the great American Dancer/Choreographer Martha Graham) and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s magnificent and much loved Symphony No. 2.

Best known for his Tony and Grammy Award-winning performance as Aaron Burr in the original cast of Broadway’s “Hamilton” and his part in the musical TV series, “Smash,” Leslie Odom, Jr. joins the Symphony with a specially curated selection of Broadway and jazz hits including Jerome Kern’s “Look for the Silver Lining” and Nat King Cole’s “I Know That You Know.”

Organist and internationally renowned silent-film accompanist Dennis James provides a chilling soundtrack to the classic 1925 silent film "The Phantom of the Opera," starring Lon Chaney, Sr. as the dreaded Phantom who terrorizes the Paris Opera House in an attempt to make the woman he is infatuated with a celebrity. See this extraordinary film on the big screen while experiencing the overwhelming sounds from the 4,322-pipe organ.

Inspired by his travels to Venice, Rome, Bologna and Florence, Mendelssohn’s symphony evokes imagery of Mediterranean sunshine, famous architecture and the rustic landscapes that make Italy so iconic. And be inspired by an arrangement of the slow movement from Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 16 and Bruch’s profoundly virtuosic Violin Concerto.

Celebrate Nowruz, the Persian 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. Homayoun Shajarian and brothers Sohrab and Tahmoures Pournazeri join the symphony for a concert that unites cultures through the power of music.

Sundays at Soka: A continuation of his exploration of the works of Schubert and Chopin in February, Maestro Carl St.Clair leads Pacific Symphony through another exciting afternoon of music, starting with Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony. Then, audience favorite Conrad Tao joins the orchestra in Chopin's First Piano Concerto. 

Famous as part of the soundtrack to 2001: A Space Odyssey, Strauss’ Also Sprach Zarathustra elicits wonder about our vast universe. Former Composer-in- Residence Michael Daugherty offers a suitable prelude — a new work celebrating the 50th anniversary of the moon landing. Mozart’s cheerful Piano Concerto No. 23, with Finnish pianist Juho Pohjonen, is the sublime centerpiece.

3…2…1…liftoff! Launch into the wonders of outer space as you tour the moon, the planets and beyond with music from Star Wars, Star Trek and 2001: A Space Odyssey. Featuring  NASA space footage, Pacific Symphony is joined by special guests, the Pacific Symphony Youth Orchestra, on this exciting intergalactic adventure!

Defiant Requiem tells the story of the courageous Jewish prisoners in the Terezín Concentration Camp during World War II who performed Verdi’s stunning Requiem Mass, despite experiencing the depths of human degradation. Combining magnificent music with video testimony from survivors, this powerful and dramatic work will move you.

Epic rock riffs and majestic symphonic strings will come together in perfect harmony as Pacific Symphony pays tribute to one of the greatest bands of all time. Joined by high energy band and vocalists Windborne, the Symphony performs hits such as “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Are the Champions,” “Killer Queen,” “Crazy Little Thing Called Love,” “Another One Bites the Dust” and many more!

Be swept away by the romantic charm of the guitar as Pacific Symphony embarks on a special celebration of this popular instrument. A festival curated by the “master of guitar” Pablo Villegas takes you on a journey to Spain with Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez, inspired by the real-life royal Spanish palace.

Pacific Symphony Santiago Strings wraps up their 2018-19 season with a program of rousing and engaging pieces, both old and new! From the intense sonorities of Vivaldi’s Double Cello Concerto to the brilliance of Brian Balmages Urban Concerto, this musical adventure is sure to provide new and exciting vistas for all to enjoy!

Admission is free, but tickets are required. Seating is general admission.

One of today’s most sought-after concert organists, Juilliard-trained Hector Olivera is a passionate musician, whose interpretations of both classical and popular music have amazed and delighted audiences around the world. The Times Reporter describes an evening with Hector Olivera as “an event, a happening, a joyful celebration of the sheer power and pressure that a true virtuoso like Olivera can unleash in a concert hall.” Experience the might of this organ master as he performs a wide-ranging program of the most virtuosic repertoire.

Considered one of Maurice Ravel’s masterpieces, The Child and the Magic Spells (L’enfant et les sortilèges) takes the perspective of a young boy who encounters magical forces. Opening the program is Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf, a symphonic fairy tale for children that illustrates the characterful sounds of the orchestra and features unique visual performers, the Magic Circle Mime Company.

Wrapping up their 2018-19 season, Pacific Symphony Youth Wind Ensemble will present a program of depth and excitement, exploring the enduring musical influence of one of western music’s most towering figures and featuring performances by guest conductor Dr. Jamal Duncan and organist Kristen Lawrence.

Admission is free, but tickets are required. Seating is general admission.

Enjoy this unique theatrical program featuring Alan Ridout’s “Ferdinand the Bull,” a musical narration of Munro Leaf’s enchanting picture book and Igor Stravinsky’s “The Soldier’s Tale,” a parable about a solider who deals with the devil. A lyrical work by Brahms and a poetic Pohádka by Janácek complete this delightful program. Enjoy coffee, tea and pastries in the intimate coffee-house atmosphere of the Samueli Theater.

Pacific Symphony Youth Ensembles wraps up their 2018-19 season with one of the 20th century’s most revolutionary and influential works, Igor Stravinsky’s epic ballet, The Rite of Spring. The concert will also feature a performance by the 1st place winner of PSYO’s annual concerto competition, a much anticipated and truly thrilling event!

Enjoy Lerner and Loewe’s elegant and enchanting musical performed live in a semi-staged concert setting! One of America’s favorite American musicals, “My Fair Lady” tells the romantic story of a young Cockney flower seller and a linguistics professor who is determined to transform her into his idea of a “proper lady.”

Principal Symphony musicans display their artistry in Mozart's charming Sinfonia Concertante for Four Winds. Then, the 40th anniversary season concludes with Mahler's monumental Symphony No. 1.

Pacific Symphony concludes its 40th anniversary season with Mahler's epic Symphony No. 1. Mahler expanded conventional symphonic form in this dramatic work with which the orchestra inaugurated the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in 2006.