Carnegie Hall

NEWPORT BEACH — Victoria Griffin, 15, has pretty much been singing since birth, or at least since before she could talk, her mother said. Catherine Griffin used to sing lullabies to newborn Victoria and her daughter would make odd little noises back. "I realized she was trying to sing," Catherine Griffin said. "She was humming and cooing, trying to sing. Literally, from the moment she could articulate anything, she was singing. " These days Victoria has progressed from singing in her bassinet to performing where Tchaikovsky made his American debut.

The Costa Mesa High School Madrigal Choir knows that practice, practice, practice is the way to get to Carnegie Hall, where they are set to perform with famed composer and conductor John Rutter on Monday. After receiving a letter in September inviting the choir to participate in an ensemble performance based on its "quality and high level of musicianship," the group has spent the entire school year rehearsing the concert's program — Beethoven's "Choral Fantasy" and Mozart's 30-minute "Coronation" Mass.

The gala launch of the Ancient Paths, Modern Voices festival of Chinese culture Wednesday night at South Coast Plaza featured a special appearance by Cirque du Soleil performers from the show “Ka.” Artistic Director Marie-Helene Gagnon described the show as an Asian-inspired visual and auditory feast about two twins seeking to regain their thrones. It is currently presented at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. “I think it just underscores what an international destination South Coast Plaza is,” said Debra Gunn Downing, South Coast Plaza’s executive marketing director.

In a sit-down interview at this week’s conclusion of the Ancient Paths, Modern Voices festival: A Celebration of Chinese Culture, Henry Segerstrom and Clive Gillinson, executive and artistic director of Carnegie Hall in New York, said that they and the Philharmonic Society of Orange County are now working on plans to bring back the festival — or a festival similar to it — next year. This year’s inaugural festival, which showcased Chinese music and performance arts, was created through a partnership between the Carnegie Hall and the philharmonic society, and made possible Henry Segerstrom.

The Philharmonic Society of Orange County used pomp, song and dance to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Carnegie Hall on Thursday. “Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: A Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture,” a joint production of the two organizations, will be held from Oct. 11 to Nov. 24 at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. “This is the first time Carnegie Hall has ever taken a festival outside of New York City,” said Henry Segerstrom, the managing partner of festival presenting sponsor South Coast Plaza.

Road closures set for Newport Beach It's not a cruel April Fools' joke. Traffic will back up on Jamboree Road in Newport Beach today because of major water pipeline work. Lanes on the northbound side of Jamboree Road, between San Joaquin Hills Road and Eastbluff/Ford Road, will be narrowed from three to two until May 23, officials said. Night work may also be necessary to build the water transmission main. Surrounding homes and businesses will be notified.

Jennifer K Mahal People recognize jazz singer Jane Monheit in the strangest places. Take the first time the 24-year-old visited Paris. "I had never played there at all," said Monheit, who sings this weekend at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. "Someone came up to me on the street and recognized me." With two albums already on the shelves and a third to start recording in the spring, Monheit is a rising star in the world of jazz. A list of top grade talent including Bucky Pizzarelli and Kenny Barron appeared on her first CD, "Never Never Land."

More than 3,500 Orange County high school seniors are expected to attend Orange Coast College's 18th annual High School Senior Day from noon to 3 p.m. Tuesday on campus, 2701 Fairview Road, Costa Mesa. High school juniors are also invited to attend the event, which will include campus and department tours, early registration materials and student panels. There will also be musical entertainment. English and math placement tests will be administered from 3 to 6 p.m. for interested students.

The advancement of art and culture in Orange County is once again in the visionary hands of Henry Segerstrom Henry Segerstrom . Let there be no doubt that the legacy of this region is due in large part to a gentleman who sees things as they are and endeavors to transform them into the most that they can be. In recent weeks Henry Segerstrom and his wife, Elizabeth , along with Philharmonic Society director Dean Corey concluded negotiations...

Lolita Harper The power of the city's dynasty family, giant bulldozers and pyrotechnic explosives will combine this evening for a truly earth-shattering experience when the Orange County Performing Arts Center breaks ground on a $200-million expansion. Thousands of people are expected to attend the groundbreaking for the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, which is the first major expansion of the center since 1986. Carl St. Clair, the acclaimed music director of the Pacific Symphony, will conduct giant bulldozers in artistic and organized destruction, while a backdrop of fireworks accentuates the celebration.

NEWPORT BEACH — Victoria Griffin, 15, has pretty much been singing since birth, or at least since before she could talk, her mother said. Catherine Griffin used to sing lullabies to newborn Victoria and her daughter would make odd little noises back. "I realized she was trying to sing," Catherine Griffin said. "She was humming and cooing, trying to sing. Literally, from the moment she could articulate anything, she was singing. " These days Victoria has progressed from singing in her bassinet to performing where Tchaikovsky made his American debut.

Henry T. Segerstrom, the man who built South Coast Plaza and who donated land on which the Orange County Performing Arts Center now stands, was honored in New York on Monday night with Carnegie Hall’s Medal of Excellence. Segerstrom is only the fourth person to receive the medal, which recognises leadership in arts philanthropy, from the New York performing arts institution. He picked up the medal at a gala dinner in his honor at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. - Imran Vittachi

I t is arguably one of the most special spots in all of Orange County. The Noguchi Garden at Pacific Arts Plaza, Costa Mesa, welcomed a distinguished crowd for a luncheon last week celebrating the union of the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and New York City's renowned Carnegie Hall. The champagne luncheon, served al fresco under the shade of cream-colored market umbrellas, attracted a who's who crowd of the cultural elite. Exuberant adjectives defining this remarkable partnership are in no way an exaggeration of the monumental accomplishment achieved in the cultural collaboration between the East and West coasts.

The Philharmonic Society of Orange County and New York’s Carnegie Hall this fall will present JapanOC: a festival celebrating Japan’s culture and arts at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa. The festival is the second in a partnership that began last year between Henry Segerstrom, managing partner of C.J. Segerstrom & Sons, and Clive Gillinson, Carnegie Hall executive and artistic director. Working together, the philharmonic society, Segerstrom and Gillinson brought Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: A Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture to Orange County.

In a sit-down interview at this week’s conclusion of the Ancient Paths, Modern Voices festival: A Celebration of Chinese Culture, Henry Segerstrom and Clive Gillinson, executive and artistic director of Carnegie Hall in New York, said that they and the Philharmonic Society of Orange County are now working on plans to bring back the festival — or a festival similar to it — next year. This year’s inaugural festival, which showcased Chinese music and performance arts, was created through a partnership between the Carnegie Hall and the philharmonic society, and made possible Henry Segerstrom.

The gala launch of the Ancient Paths, Modern Voices festival of Chinese culture Wednesday night at South Coast Plaza featured a special appearance by Cirque du Soleil performers from the show “Ka.” Artistic Director Marie-Helene Gagnon described the show as an Asian-inspired visual and auditory feast about two twins seeking to regain their thrones. It is currently presented at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. “I think it just underscores what an international destination South Coast Plaza is,” said Debra Gunn Downing, South Coast Plaza’s executive marketing director.

Costa Mesa is readying itself for a cultural festival of unprecedented proportions. In a rare interview, Henry and Elizabeth Segerstrom spoke with the Daily Pilot about their hopes for the Ancient Paths, Modern Voices Chinese cultural festival, which opens today. The festival, presented here by Carnegie Hall with the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, will bring giants of traditional and contemporary Chinese music, film, theater, photography — and even sport — to the area through Nov. 24. Ancient Paths, Modern Voices marks the first time in its 119 years that Carnegie Hall has worked with an outside organization to put on a festival.

The Philharmonic Society of Orange County used pomp, song and dance to announce a groundbreaking partnership with Carnegie Hall on Thursday. “Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: A Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture,” a joint production of the two organizations, will be held from Oct. 11 to Nov. 24 at the Orange County Performing Arts Center. “This is the first time Carnegie Hall has ever taken a festival outside of New York City,” said Henry Segerstrom, the managing partner of festival presenting sponsor South Coast Plaza.

The advancement of art and culture in Orange County is once again in the visionary hands of Henry Segerstrom Henry Segerstrom . Let there be no doubt that the legacy of this region is due in large part to a gentleman who sees things as they are and endeavors to transform them into the most that they can be. In recent weeks Henry Segerstrom and his wife, Elizabeth , along with Philharmonic Society director Dean Corey concluded negotiations...

FOR THE RECORD: In Thursday?s article ?West gets a taste of the East,? it should have been reported that the Philharmonic Society of Orange County unveiled its 2009-10 season Wednesday, not the Orange County Performing Arts Center. Many, but not all, of the performances will be at OCPAC.. . . . . . Artists performing at New York City?s signature music venue, Carnegie Hall, will travel to the West Coast to play at the Orange County Performing Arts Center as part of a new partnership announced Wednesday.