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Music Director Carl St.Clair and President John Forsyte today announced classical programming for Pacific Symphony’s 2023-24 season. The Symphony’s 45th season and opening of the Hal and Jeanette Segerstrom Family Foundation Classical Series begins on Thursday, Sept. 21. Comprising 36 concerts as part of a 12-program subscription series, four Sunday Matinees, and three specials, the 2023-24 classical season presents wide-ranging selections of masterworks, treasured classics, and exciting new discoveries.
Commenting on the 2023-24 season, Music Director Carl St.Clair said, “Pacific Symphony’s 45th season marks an important point in the evolution of the orchestra. It’s been gratifying to lead and experience that transformation—from the earliest days, to our first international tour of Europe in 2006, to playing a sold-out Carnegie Hall debut five years ago, to raves from The New York Times followed by our first tour of China, all the while building and deepening our relationships with the community of Orange County, and building strong educational programs.
“Throughout it all,” St.Clair continued, “We have commissioned or premiered new music and placed composers in a central role in community engagement. Through my relationships with composers, I gain insights both into their art and also historic works. Opening night, we’ll welcome our audiences back with a compelling work by Viet Cuong performed by the highly regarded new music ensemble Eighth Blackbird. That opening night program also features Richard Strauss’s triumphant tone poem, Ein Heldenleben. This is a work I led throughout Germany on the orchestra’s first international tour, and I am particularly excited to feature Pacific Symphony concertmaster Dennis Kim, who has a substantial solo in the piece. The work’s lush orchestration showcases heroic turns for many of the musicians and the orchestra as a whole.”
St.Clair went on to recognize “Symphonic Voices,” the successful opera initiative he initiated that is beginning its second decade this season with a new production of Puccini’s La Bohème. He feels that “opera is now part of Pacific Symphony’s DNA.” The Symphony is a gifted and versatile ensemble that has evolved into a sensitive opera orchestra under St.Clair’s masterful leadership, placing the orchestra and the composer’s magnificent music at center stage. In addition, the Symphony’s commitment to artistic collaborations have expanded the roles of Pacific Chorale through the opera-vocal initiative. “Our musical relationship with Pacific Chorale has always been important to me. The final program of the 45th season is a fitting finale that pairs Morten Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna with Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and its triumphant ‘Ode to Joy.’ You can expect to experience a sense of awe and wonderment when you hear this program.”
John Forsyte said, “Pacific Symphony is at a critical juncture in its journey as an orchestra. Carl has carefully guided, nurtured, and built the orchestra to what it is today: “a major ensemble” according to The New York Times. In Sept. Carl asked that the Board of Directors engage in a search process for his successor, promising a seamless transition. We have a committee comprised of members of the board, orchestra, community, and management that will carry on the search for the next Music Director. After reviewing leading conductors from all over the world in the coming year or two, they will make a recommendation to the Board of Directors. We invite the audience to experience these diverse talents with distinctive artistic approaches. The search, however, has only just begun, and we are very excited that Carl will be leading four exceptional concerts of works on the classics series, that have a special meaning for the orchestra and him. Additionally, he will conduct two specials: Lunar New Year and Nowruz.”
2023-24 Season Highlights at a Glance
OPENING NIGHT
Eighth Blackbird Makes its Symphony Debut in Viet Cuong Work
The 45th season opens (Sept. 21-23) with Music Director Carl St.Clair helming a program featuring an exciting work by the Symphony’s Composer-in-Residence, Viet Cuong. His music has been called “alluring” and “wildly inventive” by The New York Times and “irresistible” by the San Francisco Chronicle. His work has been commissioned and performed on six continents by musicians and ensembles such as the New York Philharmonic, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, , among many others. Cuong’s music has been featured in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Kennedy Center. A native Californian, Cuong teaches at University of Las Vegas and lives in Orange County.
Vital Sines will be performed by Eighth Blackbird, for whom the work was commissioned through the generous support of The U.S. Navy Band. In a composer’s note, Cuong stated: “Vital Sines is dedicated to my father’s memory as the guardian of my musical life, as well as the many moments during my life when I found sanctuary in music. The creation of this particular piece, though challenging, was a way of finding solace when I needed it most. Throughout the piece, I employ several musical sequences and chaconne forms, all of which use repetition as a means of development. The overarching structure of the piece thus bears a resemblance to the visual depiction of the sine wave, rising and falling like the tracing of breaths and heartbeats. There is, of course, comfort in the familiarity of continued repetition.”
The program also holds Richard Strauss’s monumental tone poem Ein Heldenleben (“A Hero’s Life”). The work is a programmatic depiction of the life and struggles of a hero, thought by many to be an autobiographical representation of the composer himself. Strauss was a master of orchestration, and in this piece, he explored the possibilities of the modern orchestra, using a large ensemble of over 100 musicians. The orchestration is rich and colorful, with striking musical effects, making it a brilliant finale for the first classical program of the season.
Pacific Symphony Partnership with California Festival 2023
Pacific Symphony is pleased to participate in the inaugural season of the California Festival: A Celebration of New Music, partnering with other major orchestras including the LA Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, and San Diego Symphony. This two-week (Nov. 3-19, 2023) statewide festival of new music from around the world showcases today’s most compelling and forward-looking voices in performances of works written within the past five years. Pacific Symphony’s Festival offering will feature a program conducted by guest conductor Ludovic Morlot that includes Adam Schoenberg’s Canto and Gabriella Smith’s Bioluminescence Chaconne (Nov. 16-18).
Emmy® Award-winning and GRAMMY®-nominated Adam Schoenberg has twice been named among the top 10 most performed living composers by orchestras in the United States. His works have received performances and premieres at the Library of Congress, Kennedy Center, New York Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, and Hollywood Bowl. Writing about Canto, Schoenberg comments “Canto can mean singing, chant, or song…In many ways, I envision this work as a dream within a dream. A lullaby that emerges from a chant. The music is the slowest music I have ever written, and it’s very atmospheric and textural.”
Described as “the coolest, most exciting, most inventive new voice I’ve heard in ages” (Musical America) and an “outright sensation” (Los Angeles Times), Gabriella Smith’s music comes from a love of play, exploring new sounds on instruments, building compelling musical arcs, and connecting listeners with the natural world in an invitation to find joy in climate action. Many of her works address the climate crisis and participation in climate solutions. She has also written many works inspired by field recordings she has made of terrestrial and underwater soundscapes, including the sounds of dawn choruses, trees, cacti, tide pools, and coral reefs.
Puccini’s La Bohème
Pacific Symphony’s celebrated opera initiative enters its second decade with Music Director Carl St.Clair conducting the orchestra and Pacific Chorale in Puccini’s La Bohème (April 4, 6, & 9, 2024). This beloved opera tells the story of a group of young struggling artists in Paris and their complicated love lives. The opera features some of Puccini’s most memorable music, including the famous aria “Che gelida manina” (“Your tiny hand is frozen”) and the iconic duet “O soave fanciulla” (“Oh sweet girl”). Last performed by the Symphony in 2012, La Bohème will return in a new semi-staged production under the Israeli stage director Omer Ben Seadia. Vocal soloists to be announced.
Season Finale Features Pacific Chorale with Pacific Symphony
The season’s final concert presents two complementary works showcasing the GRAMMY® Award-winning Pacific Chorale (June 6-8, 2024). Morten Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna, an ethereal and affecting choral work with lush harmonies, was written in 1997 as a requiem for the composer’s mother who had died that year. This profoundly moving piece has quickly become one of the most popular choral works of the 21st century. As a fitting ending to the 45th season, St.Clair leads the Symphony and Chorale in Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, one of the greatest masterpieces in the classical music canon. Renowned for its grandeur and emotional power, the “Choral” Symphony has become a symbol of human achievement and the triumph of the human spirit.
Eight Gifted Guest Conductors Share the Podium
In order of appearance, Pacific Symphony’s guest conductors during the 2023-24 season include the following:
*Christian Kluxen (Oct. 19-21)
Now in his sixth season as Music Director of the Victoria Symphony in Canada, and fifth season as Chief Conductor of the Arctic Opera and Philharmonic in Norway, Christian Kluxen is regarded as one of the most exciting conductors to emerge from Scandinavia. In the press he has been described as “a dynamic, charismatic figure” who “forms the music with an impressive vertical power of emotion and a focus on the grand form,” conducting “with exemplary clarity and a heavenly warmth.” With his two positions in Canada and Norway, he is being recognized for his sincere and transparent leadership, innovative programming, and his bold, imaginative, and energetic interpretations.
*Ludovic Morlot (Nov. 16-18)
In Sept. 2022, Ludovic Morlot took over as Music Director of the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra. His élan, elegance, and intensity on stage have endeared him to audiences and orchestras worldwide, from the Berlin Philharmonic to the Boston Symphony. During his eight years as Music Director of the Seattle Symphony, he pushed the boundaries of traditional concert programming, winning several Grammys. Now Conductor Emeritus in Seattle, and in 2019 appointed Associate Artist of the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra with whom he has had a close relationship over many years, he returns to both orchestras every season.
Alexander Shelley (Nov. 30-Dec. 2)
Alexander Shelley is Music Director of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra and Principal Associate Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also Artistic Director of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen’s ECHO and Deutsche Gründerpreis-winning “Zukunftslabor.” In August 2017 Alexander concluded his tenure as Chief Conductor of the Nürnberger Symphoniker, a position he held since September 2009. The partnership was hailed by press and audience alike as a golden era for the orchestra, where he transformed the ensemble’s playing, education work, and international touring activities.
*Kahchun Wong (Jan. 11-13, 2024)
Singaporean conductor Kahchun Wong first came to international attention as the winner of the Gustav Mahler Conducting Competition in 2016, praised by Musical America for the “depth and sincerity of his musicality.” In his final appearance as Chief Conductor of the Nürnberger Symphoniker this past summer, he led the world premiere of his orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition to critical acclaim with an audience of 75,000. Kahchun Wong continues his tenure as the Principal Guest Conductor for Japan Philharmonic Orchestra, before taking up the position of Chief Conductor in the 2023-24 season.
Andrew Litton (Feb. 22-24, 2024)
Andrew Litton is Music Director of the New York City Ballet. He is also Principal Guest Conductor of the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Conductor Laureate of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and Music Director Laureate of Norway’s Bergen Philharmonic. Under his leadership the Bergen Philharmonic gained international recognition through extensive recording and touring, making debuts at the BBC Proms, at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and appearances at Vienna’s Musikverein, Berlin’s Philharmonie, and New York’s Carnegie Hall. For his work with the Bergen Philharmonic, Norway’s King Harald V knighted him with the Norwegian Royal Order of Merit.
Carlos Miguel Prieto (March 14-16, 2024)
Considered the leading Mexican conductor of his generation, Carlos Miguel Prieto is a highly respected cultural leader. He was Musical America’s 2019 Conductor of the Year. Prieto possesses a wide-ranging repertoire, has led over 100 world premieres, and is a champion of American and Latin American composers. He serves as Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Music Director of North Carolina Symphony, and Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería in Mexico, and Music Director of the Orchestra of the Americas. Prieto is a graduate of Princeton University and received his MBA from Harvard Business School.
*Shiyeon Sung (April 25-27, 2024)
South Korean conductor Shiyeon Sung is a real trailblazer of her profession. She is the first female conductor out of South Korea to make the leap to the podium of internationally renowned orchestras, including the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Konzerthaus Orchestra Berlin, and Bamberg Symphony. When she was appointed assistant conductor at the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2007, her reputation as one of the most exciting emerging talents on the international music circuit was already secure: shortly before, Shiyeon Sung had won the Sir Georg Solti International Conductors’ Competition and the Gustav Mahler Conductors’ Competition in Bamberg. She resides in Berlin, but remains a popular guest in her home country and regularly returns to the Korea National Opera and the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra.
*Tianyi Lu (May 16-18, 2024)
Internationally known for her thrilling energy on the podium, her deeply creative approach, and her open-hearted style of leadership, Chinese-born New Zealander Tianyi Lu collaborates with major orchestras and opera houses worldwide. Her work is driven by an ethos of empowerment, creating connection, and compassion across diverse communities through music. After winning First Prize at both the Sir Georg Solti International Conductors’ Competition in Germany and the Guido Cantelli International Conducting Competition in Italy, Lu has been recently appointed Conductor-in-Residence with the Stavanger Symphony Orchestra in Norway. She is also the Female-Conductor-in-Residence with the Welsh National Opera and Principal Conductor of the St. Woolos Sinfonia in Wales.
Guest Soloists
Artists making their Pacific Symphony debuts during the 2023-24 season include the innovative Chicago-based contemporary music sextet Eighth Blackbird who will perform Vital Sines by Composer-in-Residence Viet Cuong (Sept. 21-23); violinist Esther Yoo, who The Strad described as “the model of a violin soloist in the modern age” tackles the Violin Concerto of Sibelius; cellist Sterling Elliott, a 2021 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient and the winner of the Senior Division of the 2019 National Sphinx Competition, solos in Haydn’s First Cello Concerto (Oct. 19-21); and pianist Yeol Eum Son whose Mozart playing was described as exhibiting “light, fine-pointed energy, and agile precision” (Sydney Morning Herald) takes on the composer’s Piano Concerto No. 21 (April 25-27, 2024).
Returning guest soloists during the 2023-24 season will be Ukrainian pianist Vadym Kolodenko, 2013 Van Cliburn Competition gold medal-winner, who performs Rachmaninoff’s powerful Fourth Piano Concerto (Nov. 16-18); described by the German newspaper Die Welt as a “perfect example of a thinking musician” and lauded by the New York Times for his “musically refined and technically elegant performances,” pianist David Fray returns to play Chopin’s Piano Concerto (Nov. 30-Dec. 2); pianist Yulianna Avdeeva, who initially gained worldwide recognition at the 2010 Chopin Competition where she won First Prize, performs Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto (May 16-18, 2024); recipient of the prestigious 2015 Avery Fisher Career Grant and the 2017 Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists, Taiwanese-American violinist Paul Huang will take on Tchaikovsky formidable Violin Concerto (Jan. 11-13, 2024); born into a family of musicians with direct links to Rachmaninoff, pianist Olga Kern will continue to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth with his Third Piano Concerto (Feb. 1-3, 2024); hailed by Gramophone as “among the most remarkable young pianists now before the public,” Alessio Bax appears as soloist in Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 3 (Feb. 22-24, 2024)
Sunday Matinee Series
Carl St.Clair has devoted his tenure at Pacific Symphony to designing festivals and concert series that enable audiences to engage more deeply with both new music and standard orchestral repertoire. The four-concert Sunday Matinee series was launched in 1995. These concerts offer the audience an intimate and lively exploration of the classics. Just 90 minutes long, these informal programs provide a perfect introduction to classical music: Ein Heldenleben (Sept. 23); Rach 3 (Feb. 4, 2024); Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique (April 28, 2024); and Ode to Joy (June 9, 2024). Tchaikovsky’s Pathétique will be led by guest conductor Shiyeon Sung.
Pacific Symphony Special Events
Pacific Symphony presents three special events during the 2023-24 season, beginning with a holiday presentation of Handel’s Glorious Messiah (Dec. 3) featuring Pacific Chorale, led by guest conductor Cosette Justo Valdés; and two concerts that reflect the Orange County community including Lunar New Year (Feb. 10, 2024) and Nowruz: Iranian New Year (Mar. 23, 2024) celebrations conducted by Carl St.Clair.
The soon-to-be-announced SummerFest season includes three concerts beneath the stars. Programming still to be released in coming months includes the Pops series, Family Musical Mornings, Café Ludwig chamber music series, and the Pedals and Pipes organ series. The county-wide Symphony on the Go! concert tour returns after two successful seasons. The tour will include approximately 30 concerts, beginning in late May and continuing through mid-October.
Subscription and Ticket Information
Subscription materials for Pacific Symphony’s 2023-24 Classical series are now available, offering a savings of up to 40% off regular single ticket prices on a wide variety of concert packages from 4 to 12 concerts each. Subscribers save 20% on additional tickets purchased throughout the year, and enjoy easy ticket exchange options and other subscriber-only benefits, including preferential discounts at nearby restaurants.
Tickets for special concerts are currently available for purchase only with subscriptions. Subscriptions may be purchased or renewed by any of four methods: online, by phone, by mail, or in person at the box office. Pacific Symphony provides an easy payment plan option for subscribers: subscription purchases are eligible for the payment plan and will be automatically charged in installments on the first of the month through Sept. 2023.
For more information, call Pacific Symphony Patron Services at (714) 755-5799, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or visit PacificSymphony.org. Groups of 10 or more who are interested in subscribing to the 2022-23 season should call Pacific Symphony’s group sales department at (714) 876-2391.
Patrons may also visit PacificSymphony.org to order tickets, learn about other nearby attractions and restaurants, and make donations. The Symphony’s website provides background on the performances and the performers, along with Spotify playlists of works to be performed.
The Symphony’s blog Pacific Overtures features engaging articles, audio, and video to enhance patrons’ experience before and after performances [PacificSymphony.blog]. Timely content of interest to concertgoers can also be found on Pacific Symphony’s social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and WeChat.
Pacific Symphony performs in the heart of Southern California at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall at 615 Town Center Drive on the Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts campus in Costa Mesa.
The 2023-24 season media sponsors include Classical KUSC, LAist, and PBS SoCal.
Pacific Symphony, under the dynamic leadership of Music Director Carl St.Clair since 1990, has been the resident orchestra of Orange County’s Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall for 15 years. Founded in 1978, the Symphony is the largest orchestra formed in the U.S. in the last 50 years and is not only a fixture of musical life in Southern California, but is also recognized as an outstanding ensemble making strides on both the national and international scenes. The orchestra presents more than 100 concerts and events each year and a rich array of education and community engagement programs, reaching more than 300,000 residents of all ages.
Pacific Symphony made its debut at Carnegie Hall in 2018, where it was invited to perform as part of a yearlong celebration of composer Philip Glass’ 80th birthday. The Symphony made its first-ever tour to China the same year, with performances in five cities, including Shanghai and Beijing. The Symphony has been recognized with multiple ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming and included among the country’s five most innovative orchestras by the League of American Orchestras.
Pacific Symphony’s discography comprises 15 recordings, mostly of 20th- and 21st-century music by such American composers as William Bolcom, John Corigliano and Richard Danielpour. In 2012 for Naxos, St.Clair and the orchestra recorded Philip Glass’s The Passion of Ramakrishna, a Pacific Symphony commission that appeared on the Carnegie Hall program. The Symphony has also recorded for Harmonia Mundi, Koch International Classics, Reference Recordings, and Sony Classical, among other labels.
The Symphony has been recognized with multiple ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming and included among the country’s five most innovative orchestras by the League of American Orchestras. The Symphony’s education and community engagement activities have also been recognized by the League, as well as the National Endowment for the Arts.
The 2023-24 season marks Music Director Carl St.Clair’s 34th year leading Pacific Symphony. He is one of the longest-tenured conductors of the major American orchestras. St. Clair’s lengthy history solidifies the strong relationship he has forged with the musicians and community. His continuing role also lends stability to the organization and continuity to his vision for the symphony’s future. Few orchestras can claim such rapid artistic development as Pacific Symphony—the largest-budgeted orchestra formed in the United States in the last 50 years, due in large part to St.Clair’s leadership.
During his tenure, St.Clair has become widely recognized for his musically distinguished performances, his commitment to building outstanding educational programs and his innovative approaches to programming. In April 2018, St.Clair led Pacific Symphony in its sold-out Carnegie Hall debut, as the finale to the Carnegie’s yearlong celebration of pre-eminent composer Philip Glass’ 80th birthday, ending in a standing ovation, with The New York Times calling the Symphony “a major ensemble!” He led Pacific Symphony on its first tour to China in May 2018, the orchestra’s first international tour since touring Europe in 2006. The orchestra made its national PBS debut in June 2018 on Great Performances with Peter Boyer’s Ellis Island: The Dream of America, conducted by St.Clair. Among St.Clair’s many creative endeavors are the highly acclaimed American Composers Festival, which began in 2000; and the opera initiative, “Symphonic Voices,” which has included concert-opera productions of Madame Butterfly, The Magic Flute, Aida, Turandot, Carmen, La Traviata, Tosca and La Bohéme in previous seasons.
Highlights of his tenure include launching the American Composers Festival, which explores a different aspect of American music each year, and the annual Symphonic Voices performance of an opera in concert. He has also emphasized the regular commissioning and recording of new works, particularly by American composers, and has been a strong advocate for music education, spearheading such programs as the Pacific Symphony Youth Ensembles and Class Act partnerships with Orange County elementary schools.
Mentored by Leonard Bernstein at Tanglewood, St.Clair became a close colleague of the conductor/composer in his later years, and led the premiere of Arias and Barcarolles on Bernstein’s last concert. In addition to leading the Pacific Symphony, he has conducted the Boston Symphony Orchestra (where he served as assistant conductor under Seiji Ozawa), Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra and the Atlanta, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Montreal, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver symphonies, among others.
He conducts internationally for several months each year and has served as general music director for the Komische Oper in Berlin, general music director and chief conductor of the German National Theater and Staatskapelle in Weimar, music director of the National Symphony Orchestra in Costa Rica and principal guest conductor of the Radio Sinfonieorchester Stuttgart.
