Newport Beach welcomes return of Pacific Symphony for free concert on the Civic Center Green

Los Angeles Times

12 hours ago

Pacific Symphony returns this month to Newport Beach for the first time since 2017 for a free orchestral concert of popular classics, pop tunes and patriotic music.
The event joins Pacific Symphony's Symphony in the Cities program with Newport Beach's Summer Concerts on the Green series, and begins at 5 p.m. on Sunday, Aug. 17 with pre-concert activities for children.
'The program includes not only the symphony performance, but an educational Musical Playground to round out the family-friendly event,' said Newport Beach Mayor Joe Stapleton. 'Exposure to symphony music helps to inspire learning. It sparks curiosity about history, composition and the arts. It's an opportunity for the community to gather and enjoy a variety of classical and contemporary works, including patriotic tunes, in the heart of the city's Civic Center campus.'
Rebecca Lightfoot, Library Services manager and Cultural Arts assistant, said that all concerts run by the Newport Beach City Arts Commission for the Summer Concerts Series on the Green are free and open to the public. There is no ticket or pre-registration required.
The pre-concert Musical Playground, from 5 to 6 p.m., includes interactive and hands-on activities for children — like instrument making and a drum circle. Children get the chance to learn how to conduct and will help lead the orchestra in John Philip Sousa's 'Hands Across the Sea' march during the concert. The concert begins at 6 p.m. and ends at 7:30 p.m.
Lightfoot said there will also be free face-painting and balloon animals. The Lime Truck and Kona Ice Truck, will be on site selling food. The public is also invited to pack a picnic and bring lawn chairs or blankets.
'The City Arts Commission selects a variety of bands from various genres for the annual summer concerts,' Lightfoot said. 'For our summer concerts on the Civic Green, we generally see attendance between 2,000 to 3,000 people but are anticipating a higher attendance for our Aug. 17 concert for the symphony's performance.'
Pacific Symphony President and CEO John Forsyte recommends arriving early to secure a viewing spot, because it can fill up quickly.
'We have found over the 20, 25 years or so that we've been doing Symphony in the Cities concerts that the thousands of people who attend are multi-generational,' Forsyte said. 'It's a great exposure for children and parents and grandparents to enjoy. Orchestral music under the stars in a beautiful setting … it's a great introduction to the wide range of music that an orchestra can perform and at the same time enjoy the educational activities that we provide before the concert.'
He said their goal as an orchestra is to provide concerts that are accessible and interesting to a wide cross-section of the community. Forsyte said Pacific Symphony had secured a state grant to help subsidize the cost of the concert this year.
'So we perform throughout Orange County, not only Symphony in the Cities, but also our Symphony on the Go concerts, which are a smaller version on a mobile stage that moves around the county,' he said. 'We produced 28 and counting of those concerts this year. So I really feel we bring music to folks with the hope that ultimately they want to seek out a great concert hall experience at the Rénee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, because there's nothing like hearing the orchestra in that incredible acoustic setting.'
Assistant Conductor Jacob Sustaita will be leading the concert and singers will include Michael O'Halloran (baritone) and Jessica Choi (soprano). The program includes selections from 'West Side Story' — 'I Feel Pretty,' 'Maria,' 'Something's Coming' and 'America.' Other music includes selections from Aaron Copland's 'Old American Songs' — 'The Boatmen's Dance,' 'Simple Gifts' and 'I Bought Me a Cat.' Guests will also hear 'Edelweiss' from 'The Sound of Music,' 'Flying Theme' from 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial' and more.
'It's a lot of wonderful, best of Broadway and opera songs,' Forsyte said. 'There's also this wonderful, very moving part of the evening where we salute our armed forces. And we have sort of a patriotic conclusion to the evening, so it's a very fun concert. People have really enjoyed it.'