Kurt Elling Sings Christmas at Segerstrom Center for the Arts 12/15

Segerstrom Center for the arts presents Grammy® Award-winning vocalist Kurt Elling in a special holiday set "The Beautiful Day" - Kurt Elling Sings Christmas for two performances on December 15 at 7 pm and 9 pm. Declared by The New York Times as "the standout male jazz vocalist of our time," Kurt Elling returns to the Center with a special program that will feature a repertoire of songs from his holiday album, The Beautiful Day. Elling says, "I knew I didn't want to make a 'religious' record, just as I knew I didn't want to make a standard, swingin' jazzy Christmas. I'm trying to expand my consciousness and embrace the goodness of the season, and I want to include everybody. For me, Christmas is a time of consideration, of pondering mysteries." Inventive and fresh, this very special program reimagines the sounds of Christmas, mixing traditional carols decked out in new arrangements with songs that are revelations and rediscovered treats. Elling wraps the universal themes of hope, light, wonder, mystery, and goodwill in musical packages full of delightful surprises.

Single tickets start at $69 and are available now online at www.SCFTA.org, at the Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa or by calling (714) 556-2787. For inquiries about group ticket savings of 10 or more, please call the Group Services office at (714) 755-0236.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts applauds KJAZZ 88.1 for its support of the Jazz Series and its corporate partners including Kia Motors America, Official Automotive Partner; United Airlines, Official Airline; and Omaha Steaks International, Official Fine Food Retailer.

The Washington Post declared, "Since the mid-1990s, no singer in jazz has been as daring, dynamic or interesting as Kurt Elling. With his soaring vocal flights, his edgy lyrics and sense of being on a musical mission, he has come to embody the creative spirit in jazz." Indeed, Grammy® winner and 12-time Grammy nominee Kurt Elling has been named Male Singer of the Year by the DownBeat's Critics Poll for 14 consecutive years and by The Jazz Journalists Association on eight occasions. He has also been awarded two German Echo Awards, two Prix Billie Holiday from the Academie du Jazz in Paris, the Dutch Edison and the Edison Oeuvrepreijs. He has been named Jazz Ambassador by the government of Poland.

Elling's rich baritone spans four octaves and features both technical mastery and emotional depth. A close protégé of late master-singers Jon Hendricks and Mark Murphy, Elling has collaborated with many of the finest instrumentalists in the jazz world, including pianists Kenny Barron (coming to Segerstrom Center November 3, 2018), Joey Calderazzo, Bill Charlap, Fred Hersch, Harold Mabern and Brad Mehldau. Elling has also worked in deep creative partnership with saxophonists Branford Marsalis, Bob Mintzer, Tommy Smith, Ernie Watts and the late Von Freeman. Her performed twice at The White House for President Barack Obama and is a former vice-chairman of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences' board of trustees.

Kurt Elling's repertoire includes original compositions and modern interpretations of standards, all of which are springboards for inspired improvisation, scatting, spoken word, and poetry. As a lyricist, Elling incorporates images and references from writers such as Rilke, Rumi, Neruda and Proust into his work. The late poet Robert Creeley wrote, "Kurt Elling takes us into a world of sacred particulars. His words are informed by a powerful poetic spirit." U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky, concurred, writing that, "In Elling's art, the voice of jazz gives a new spiritual presence to the ancient, sweet and powerful bond between poetry and music." Jon Hendricks, the greatest of all jazz lyricists, said simply, "He is my son."

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is an acclaimed arts institution as well as a beautiful multi-disciplinary cultural campus. It is committed to supporting artistic excellence, offering unsurpassed experiences and to engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through the unique power of live performance and a diverse array of inspiring arts-based education and community engagement programs.

Previously called the Orange County Performing Arts Center, Segerstrom Center is Orange County's largest non-profit arts organization. In addition to its six performance venues, Segerstrom Center is also home to the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School.

The Center presents a broad range of programming for audiences of all ages, including international ballet and dance, national tours of top Broadway shows, jazz and cabaret, contemporary artists, classical music performed by renowned chamber orchestras and ensembles, family-friendly programming, free performances open to the public from outdoor movie screenings to dancing on the plaza and many other special events.

Segerstrom Center is a leader among the nation's performing arts centers for providing education programs designed to inspire young people through the arts. The Center's programs reach hundreds of thousands of students each year in five Southern California counties. Community engagement programs developed through the Center for Dance and Innovation and Center Without Boundaries also connect the Center more comprehensively with Orange County's many diverse communities. The CDI supports flagship artistic programming and a wide range of projects that celebrate innovation, nurture creativity and engage audiences of the future. It is home to the ABT Gillespie School and the School of Dance and Music for Children with Disabilities. The Center Without Boundaries develops partnerships with non-cultural organizations to help them in their own efforts to respond to the ever-changing needs of the community.
Segerstrom Center for the Arts is also proud to serve as the artistic home to three of the region's major performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, Philharmonic Society of Orange County andPacific Chorale, who contribute greatly to the artistic life of the region with annual seasons performed at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

In addition to Segerstrom Center for the Arts as a presenting and producing institution, it also identifies the beautiful 14-acre campus that embraces the Center's own facilities as well as two independently acclaimed organizations: Tony Award®-winning South Coast Repertory and a site designated as the future home of the Orange County Museum of Art.


"THE BEAUTIFUL DAY" - KURT ELLING SINGS CHRISTMAS
Segerstrom Center for the Arts - Samueli Theater
600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA

Saturday, December 15, 2018 at 7:00pm and 9:00pm

Tickets - Start at $69
In person - The Box Office
600 Town Center Drive
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
Open 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily
Online - SCFTA.org
Phone - (714) 556-2787
Open 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. daily
Group Sales - (714) 755-0236

Segerstrom Center for the Arts' 2018 - 2019 Jazz Series also includes The Kenny Barron Quintet (November 23, 2018), Diana Krall - Turn Up The Quiet World Tour 2018 (November 4, 2018), Branford Marsalis Quartet with Yuko Mabuchi Trio (January 25, 2019), Catherine Russell (March 23, 2019).

Information provided is accurate at the time of printing but is subject to change. Segerstrom Center for the Arts is a public, non-profit organization. "Segerstrom Center for the Arts" is a registered trademark.