Pacific Chorale

Big Canyon Country Club in Newport Beach was the setting for an underwriting dinner to benefit the upcoming 40th anniversary of Maestro John Alexander's association with the Pacific Chorale. Chaired by hosts Mart and Margie Hubbard , and Jan Landstrom , the evening brought together ardent benefactors of the Pacific Chorale, most notably Mary and Phil Lyons , Warren Coy , Margaret Gates , Vina Williams and Tom Slattery . These generous donors along with fellow Pacific Chorale supporters Dardie Dunlap , Ruth Ann and John Evans , Valerie and Hans Imhof , Sally Anderson and Tom Rogers , and Elizabeth and John Stahr raised $139,700 to underwrite the 40th anniversary concert on Nov. 6 honoring Alexander at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.

One thing I find so wonderful about the Pacific Chorale is that it's made up of our county's neighbors and our friends, maybe even our family. On select nights these varied folks, most of them volunteers, sing gloriously without the help of today's omnipresent Auto-Tune. Wednesday was one of those nights. On that chilly SoCal evening this remarkable ensemble, a contender for among the finest nationwide, had its annual Christmas-themed concert in its Costa Mesa home base, the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.

Lokelani's -- Rhythm of the Islands, a Polynesian dance and drum studio in Costa Mesa, will present a fund-raiser June 29 at the Newport Beach American Legion Hall, 215 15th St., Newport Beach. The group will compete next on July 12 through 14 at the Tahiti Fete in San Jose. Doors will open at 7 p.m. for this dinner and show, which begins at 9 p.m. Island Breeze will perform music. Cost is $30 a person. Information: (714) 437-1146. Auditions on Saturday for Pacific Chorale Pacific Chorale will hold auditions Saturday and July 6 for the Pacific Chorale Children's Choruses' 2002-03 season.

Looking for an opportunity to impress the public with your singing ability? The Pacific Chorale, resident chorus at the Orange County Performing Arts Center?s Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, will hold auditions for volunteers by prior appointment only on Friday and Saturday. The 140-voice ensemble will present four concerts at the Performing Arts Center and appear as the guest chorus in several performances presented by Pacific Symphony. Those interested are encouraged to read about the audition process at www.pacificchorale.

Want to show your support for Children's Hospital of Orange County by getting on stage? Now's your chance. Auditions for the sixth annual CHOC Follies, titled "The Slipper and the Surfer: An Orange County Cinderella Story," will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday and from 2 to 4 p.m. March 3 at the Sutton Place Hotel. It is only necessary to attend one of the two auditions. Wear comfortable clothes. Auditions will be done in groups, unless you are auditioning for a solo.

More than 225 students and faculty members from Orange County's high schools are expected to take part in Orange Coast College's 18th annual High School Dance Day, scheduled for March 19. The day, which includes dance classes and demonstrations of choreographic studies, is sponsored by the school's Dance Department. Eight schools have confirmed attendance, but OCC's dance professor Amelie Hunter says there is still room for more. Information: (714)

Whitney Blain reports that the final chapter of the Pacific Chorale's wild murder mystery game has ended. The guilty are behind bars. Well, at least some of them. The exceptionally engaging Mary Lyons, one of the dominant sponsors of the Pacific Chorale, joined with her husband, Phil, in opening their storybook home beside Newport Harbor to stage the murder mystery fund-raiser. Billed as "Murder at the Lighthouse III: The Final Chapter," the Lyons family welcomed an enormous crowd for the early summer Saturday evening romp on the spectacular harborfront grounds.

  Died February 19, 2010, of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, in Costa Mesa. He was born in Pasadena December 20, 1930 and attended schools in Altadena and Pasadena and the University of California at Berkeley . He is survived by his wife, Margaret, his son, Lawrence Jr., Brother-in-Law Philip McWilliams, Sister–in–Law (Melody), many friends, and his loving cousins who were the light of his later years and who particularly delighted in his wild, corny sense of humor.

Orange Coast College recently announced that Ricardo Soto has joined the school faculty as director of the college choir and voice instructor. A Cypress resident who has conducted the men's chorus and directed the opera at Cal State Fullerton, Soto has also led the men's and women's choruses at the UC Irvine. He will teach Beginning Voice, Advanced Voice and College Choir. Information: (714) 432-5735. Pacific Chorale to hold auditions The Pacific Chorale will hold auditions for volunteer singer positions for the 2001-2002 concert season.

On Christmas Day, this reporter is pleased to write that beauty and love still exist in the world. Earlier this week at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, Costa Mesa, the Pacific Chorale presented its Christmas concert conducted by Artistic Director John Alexander John Alexander . It was an evening of majesty and grace, as close to 200 voices in the Pacific Chorale in addition to the angelic sounds of the Southern California Children’s Chorus,...

The good news from Orange Coast College's music department just keeps coming. First, it was word about the school's Chamber Singers performing in Carnegie Hall earlier this month. Now, a donor has come forward to match contributions to the Costa Mesa campus' choral and vocal program through the end of May, said Eliza Rubenstein, OCC's vocal and choral director. The donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, will match up to $10,000. Those funds will be used toward singer scholarships and to support private vocal instruction, Rubenstein said.

The times they are a-singin', especially in Newport-Mesa. The Orange Coast College Chamber Singers returned this week from a trip to New York City. The group of 31 singers — comprised of voice, instrumental and composition majors, as well as nonmusic majors — performed with several other college choruses from places like New York, Michigan and Arkansas. Playing in the big city is a big deal, but it's even bigger when you consider where they sang: Carnegie Hall. "Carnegie Hall is everything it's reported to be: a cultural landmark and a truly outstanding hall, both aurally and visually," said Eliza Rubenstein, the college's choral director, in an email.

One thing I find so wonderful about the Pacific Chorale is that it's made up of our county's neighbors and our friends, maybe even our family. On select nights these varied folks, most of them volunteers, sing gloriously without the help of today's omnipresent Auto-Tune. Wednesday was one of those nights. On that chilly SoCal evening this remarkable ensemble, a contender for among the finest nationwide, had its annual Christmas-themed concert in its Costa Mesa home base, the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.

Not many people in today's world are fortunate enough to devote a lifetime to a career, a singular purpose and a passion. Even fewer people have the talent, the stamina and the vision to sustain that career and that passion for years, let alone decades. Last week in Orange County one man was honored for 40 years of service to his lifetime pursuit and for the difference it has made not just in this community, but on a national and international scale. John Alexander , artistic director of the Pacific Chorale, accepted a multi-encore standing ovation from a full house in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall on the occasion, debuting his 40th-anniversary season with the chorus that is considered one of the finest in America.

COSTA MESA - The conductor sits comfortably in a backstage room within a concert hall, which, he says, glorifies the qualities of the human voice. John Alexander is retrospective. His decades leading the Pacific Chorale have added up, and yet the 67-year-old Laguna Beach resident remains as excited and as enthusiastic as ever. He remarks that at this very moment, the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall is a perfect place to talk. It's the hall that heralded in the newest chapter of his accomplished artistic life.

Big Canyon Country Club in Newport Beach was the setting for an underwriting dinner to benefit the upcoming 40th anniversary of Maestro John Alexander's association with the Pacific Chorale. Chaired by hosts Mart and Margie Hubbard , and Jan Landstrom , the evening brought together ardent benefactors of the Pacific Chorale, most notably Mary and Phil Lyons , Warren Coy , Margaret Gates , Vina Williams and Tom Slattery . These generous donors along with fellow Pacific Chorale supporters Dardie Dunlap , Ruth Ann and John Evans , Valerie and Hans Imhof , Sally Anderson and Tom Rogers , and Elizabeth and John Stahr raised $139,700 to underwrite the 40th anniversary concert on Nov. 6 honoring Alexander at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.

Once again Christmas came early this year as the super dedicated and giving folks who support the Pacific Chorale gathered for an early fall dinner at Big Canyon Country Club, Newport Beach, to raise funds needed to produce their annual holiday gala, "A Dickens Feast. " To set the stage for the fundraiser, Newport's dynamic Jan Landstrom was on the phone to Roger's Gardens in mid-September, requesting a fully-lighted and decorated holiday tree for the country club's dining room.

  Died February 19, 2010, of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, in Costa Mesa. He was born in Pasadena December 20, 1930 and attended schools in Altadena and Pasadena and the University of California at Berkeley . He is survived by his wife, Margaret, his son, Lawrence Jr., Brother-in-Law Philip McWilliams, Sister–in–Law (Melody), many friends, and his loving cousins who were the light of his later years and who particularly delighted in his wild, corny sense of humor.

The holidays were filled with music on the Orange Coast. The Pacific Chorale, under the artistic direction of John Alexander John Alexander , presented their spectacular concert and dinner event at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, netting an impressive $115,000 for the Pacific Chorale. The annual Christmas fundraising gala is known as A Dickens Feast, and begins with the Pacific Chorale’s annual holiday concert “Tis The Season!” at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.