The classical music scene in Orange County continues to improve as newer venues offer more concerts and artists of indisputable stature. The choices have never been so plentiful, with close to 100 professional events crowding the calendar in 2018-19.
Soka University offers a line-up of artists that rivals any mid-size classical season in the country at its acoustically superior Performing Arts Center, which opened in September 2011. The Musco Center at Chapman University, completed in 2016, has shown an affinity for high-profile classical music events under its executive director, former Orange County Performing Arts Center president Richard Bryant; even better news is there’s still room for programmatic expansion. This season, the Musco will bring in Plácido Domingo and the Los Angeles Opera for a bare-bones staging of “Don Carlo,” Verdi’s hugely ambitious and rarely performed masterpiece, on Oct. 1. (They pulled off the same feat last season with “Nabucco”.)
Familiar names abound in the seasonal lists of classical musicians playing in Orange County. Simone Dinnerstein, rapidly ascending to the first rank of concert pianists, brings her unusual brand of artistry to Soka University this month with the Grammy-nominated group A Far Cry. Violinist Itzhak Perlman, a perennial O.C. favorite, will appear on a Philharmonic Society program in January, and veteran pianist Murray Perahia is a guest of the Phil in April.
Pacific Symphony has a few high points of its own: an all-Bernstein program in late October honoring the 100th anniversary of the great American composer-conductor’s birth (see related story) and a semi-staged opera, “Madame Butterfly,” in February. Orange County might not have an opera company any more, but Pacific Symphony and the Musco Center are making sure we get our opera fix at least a couple of times per season.
Orange County has always been treated to the best visiting ensembles, and this season is as good as any in that regard. The Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble is part of the Philharmonic season in October. The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center comes to Segerstrom Center for the Arts in January, and the Juilliard String Quartet visits Musco Center in February. Violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter teams up with principal wind players from the Vienna Philharmonic and Berlin Philharmonic to present Mozart’s violin concertos next spring.
Classical music Top 10
A Far Cry with Simone Dinnerstein: The Grammy-nominated, self-conducted chamber orchestra performs with distinctive American pianist Dinnerstein in a program that includes Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 and Keyboard Concerto in G Minor, as well as two works by Philip Glass, Symphony No. 3 and Piano Concerto No. 3. Sept. 14, Soka Performing Arts Center
Plácido Domingo in ‘Don Carlo’: Opera legend Plácido Domingo, the LA Opera Chorus and Orchestra and a superstar cast join forces at Musco for this concert version of one of Verdi’s most ambitious operas. Oct. 1, Musco Center for the Arts
Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble: Drawn from the principal players of the renowned Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the Academy Chamber Ensemble was created in 1967 to perform larger-scale works from the chamber music repertoire, including octets and various other configurations. Schubert’s Octet is on the program. Oct. 10, Philharmonic Society, Samueli Theater, Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Bernstein @ 100: Conductor Carl St.Clair leads the orchestra through an all-Bernstein program that includes Chichester Psalms and Serenade. Oct. 25-27, Pacific Symphony, Segerstrom Concert Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Itzhak Perlman, ‘In the Fiddler’s House’: Itzhak Perlman released an album of klezmer music, In the Fiddler’s House, in 1995. The collection of traditional klezmer songs also became an Emmy-winning PBS special. Perlman returns to this passion project, bringing along special guests. Jan. 17, Philharmonic Society, Segerstrom Concert Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Los Angeles Philharmonic with Jean-Yves Thibaudet: Susanna Mälkki , LA Phil’s principal guest conductor and Musical America’s 2017 Conductor of the Year, leads the orchestra for its annual Orange County visit, featuring Grammy-nominated pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet. The program is Olivier Messiaen’s massive Turangalîla Symphony. Jan. 20, Philharmonic Society, Segerstrom Concert Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center: With musicians renowned as both soloists and ensemble players, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will perform a program of piano quintets by Suk, Brahms and Dvorák. Jan. 22, Samueli Theater, Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Juilliard String Quartet: Since its founding in 1946, the Juilliard String Quartet has been universally acknowledged as one of the world’s best. Its performances are noted for their ardent energy and uncanny sense of ensemble. The Musco program includes works by Haydn and Dvorak. Feb. 21, Musco Center for the Arts
Madame Butterfly: Puccini’s heartbreaking Madame Butterfly tells the story of a young, naïve Japanese geisha who believes that her love for a handsome American naval officer is eternal. Carl St.Clair leads members of his Pacific Symphony and soloists in a lightly staged production. Feb. 21, 23, 26, Pacific Symphony, Segerstrom Concert Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Anne-Sophie Mutter & Chamber Orchestra Vienna-Berlin: Superstar violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter teams up with principal wind players from two of Europe’s best orchestras, the Vienna Philharmonic and Berlin Philharmonic, for Mozart’s brilliant violin concertos. June 25, Philharmonic Society, Segerstrom Concert Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts
VENUE INFORMATION
Musco Center for the Arts: 1 University Drive, Orange; 844-626-8726; muscocenter.org
Segerstrom Center for the Arts: 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa; 714-556-2787; scfta.org
Soka Performing Arts Center: 1 University Circle, Aliso Viejo; 949-480-4278; soka.edu/pac
