Pacific Symphony's 19-20 Season Opens With Orff's CARMINA BURANA

Opening night has once again arrived for Pacific Symphony, Orange County's premiere orchestra, with a celebratory twist to commemorate Music Director Carl St.Clair's 30th season with the symphony, featuring a program that gradually builds from the power of Beethoven's "Egmont" Overture and "Choral Fantasy," to Carl Orff's impassioned "Carmina Burana," featuring longtime artistic partner the Pacific Chorale, as well as the Southern California Children's Chorus and a host of vocal soloists. St.Clair's Opening Night program reflects what the 2019-20 season with Pacific Symphony has to offer in the coming future: stunning guest artists, outstanding music from all of facets of orchestral repertoire and the invigorating chemistry between the orchestra and Carl St.Clair, one of America's longest-tenured music directors.

The Symphony's opening takes place Thursday-Saturday, Sept. 26-28, at 8 p.m., in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. Single tickets start at $35. A preview talk with Alan Chapman begins at 7 p.m. Additionally, the Symphony's Sunday Matinées Series kicks off its season with "O Fortuna!" on Sunday, Sept. 29, at 3 p.m., in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. This matinee performance includes Pacific Symphony and Pacific Chorale's performance of Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana." Single tickets start at $25. This concert is part of the Symphony's 2019-20 Hal & Jeanette Segerstrom Family Foundation Classical Series. For more information or to purchase tickets, please call (714) 755-5799 or visit www.PacificSymphony.org. Pacific Symphony's Classical Series is made possible by the Hal and Jeanette Segerstrom Family Foundation, with additional support from the Avenue of the Arts Hotel, KUSC, KPCC and PBS SoCal. The Presenting Sponsor for the opening weekend concert is the Hal & Jeanette Segerstrom Family Foundation.

Kicking off the first half of the night with a nod to Beethoven's 250th birthday, Pacific Symphony welcomes guest soloists for a riveting performance of Beethoven's "Egmont" Overture. Pianist Benjamin Pasternack and Pacific Chorale will then unite with the Symphony to showcase their rendition of the master composer's "Choral Fantasy," a notable forerunner to his epic Ninth Symphony, the "Choral."

The night is brought to an exhilarating conclusion with the powerful tour de force that is Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana." Audiences ranging from casual listeners to classical enthusiasts can all pinpoint the piece's iconic "O Fortuna" melody, starting and ending Orff's cantata with dramatic grandeur. As they soar through Orff's composition with fiery energy, Pacific Symphony will be sure to make an explosive start to the 2019-20 Classical season.