“The symphonic sounds of summer resonated Friday night before an estimated 1,600 people who came to hear the Pacific Symphony play a free outdoor concert in Costa Mesa,” writes Bradley Zint in Saturday’s (7/27) Daily Pilot (Costa Mesa, California). “The community event at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts plaza celebrated the city’s 60th anniversary and was part of the orchestra’s ninth annual ‘Symphony in the Cities’ series. The concert marked the first time the nearly 35-year-old Pacific Symphony had ever played an outdoor concert in Costa Mesa or at the Segerstrom Center…. ‘We’re thrilled to be in Costa Mesa for the 60th anniversary of the city,’ said Pacific Symphony President John Forsyte.… The concert also coincided with the Assn. of California Symphony Orchestras’ 45th annual conference, which the Pacific Symphony was hosting at the nearby Westin South Coast Plaza hotel…. ‘It’s very important in this city to make sure we support the arts,’ said Mayor Jim Righeimer…. Before he gave the first downbeat, conductor Carl St.Clair taught a group of young children how to conduct, [making] the proper up-and-down movements—in tempo, that is. Later in the concert, using their new skills, the children helped conduct John Philip Sousa’s ‘Hands Across the Sea’ march.”
Posted July 31, 2013
