Pacific Symphony Collaborates with Local Artists to Undertake Beethoven's Ninth Symphony

Aliso Viejo, CA – Pacific Symphony will perform Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at Soka Performing Arts Center on Sunday, April 15, 2018, at 3:00 p.m., as part of the Sundays at Soka Series. Tickets are $50 for adults; and $40 for students, seniors, and active military families; and $37 each for groups of 10 or more. Purchase tickets online or by calling 949-480-4ART (4278).

Pacific Symphony, conducted by Carl St.Clair, will be joined by choral artists from USC’s Thornton School of Music, under the direction of Jo-Michael Scheibe, and soloists Mary Wilson, Milena Kitic, Scott Ramsay, and Rod Gilfry.

The Pacific Symphony, led by Music Director Carl St.Clair for 28 years, has been the resident orchestra of the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall for over a decade. Currently in its 39th season, the Symphony is the largest orchestra formed in the United States in the last 50 years and is recognized as an outstanding ensemble making strides on both the national and international scene, as well as in its own community of Orange County.

Jo-Michael Scheibe chairs the Thornton School of Music’s Department of Choral and Sacred Music at the University of Southern California, where he conducts the USC Chamber Singers and teaches choral conducting and choral methods. He is currently the vice president of International Affairs at the American Choral Director’s Association.

Soprano Mary Wilson is acknowledged as one of today’s most exciting young artists. Receiving consistent critical acclaim from coast to coast, “she proves why many in the opera world are heralding her as an emerging star. She is simply amazing, with a voice that induces goosebumps and a stage presence that is mesmerizing,” (Arizona Daily Star). Belgrade-born Milena Kitic, mezzo-soprano, has performed numerous roles with opera companies around the world in the last three decades. Perhaps best known for her performance as the title role in Carmen, Kitic has played in major performance venues across the United States and Europe. Praised by the New York Times for his “impressive bright-voiced tenor,” Scott Ramsay is highly regarded by opera companies and symphony orchestras across North America for his dynamic performances. Baritone Rod Gilfry “sings every phrase with crisp diction and dramatic point, delivering phrases with virile energy” (New York Times). The two-time Grammy nominee, singer, and actor has performed in all the world’s music capitals and acclaimed worldwide in opera, musicals, recitals, and cabaret.