Pacific Symphony

The Internet makes it official: I'm not the only one. As the newly christened 416th member of the "Looney Tunes introduced me to classical music" Facebook group, I take solace. Now I know there are others who, like me, were first exposed to the highbrow musical world through the (seemingly) lowbrow antics of the "wascally wabbit" and a bald, pronunciation-challenged hunter. Unlike many a classically trained musician, I didn't grow up in a household exposed to the classics — unless one counts Neil Diamond in the same league as Wolfgang Mozart.

Call him Davis. Carl Davis. The American conductor-composer this week will be leading the Pacific Symphony in its last pops concert series of the season, "The Music of Bond. James Bond. " Dubbed "a license to thrill," the 8 p.m. concerts Thursday through Saturday by the Costa Mesa-based orchestra are in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. Images from the famed "Bond" film series will be projected during the concert, the hall decorated "Casino Royale"-style, vintage Aston Martins parked outside and martinis served shaken - not stirred.

Orchestral musicians tend to be a serious bunch when on stage. A sea of applause may splash down upon them after an inspiring performance from an enthralled audience, but oftentimes they'll receive it without cracking much of a smile. And that's OK, given the solemn greatness of their playing subject matter, the restrictive black-and-white nature of their concert attire and the standard decorum of the high-class hall. But when Conrad Tao played his evening encore Thursday night, I couldn't help but notice more smiles than usual within the Pacific Symphony.

Images of Morocco transformed the Hyatt Regency Irvine hotel for the recent Pacific Symphony 2011 gala themed "Casablanca. " In the spirit of Bogart and Bergman, it was a night of mystery and romance for some 300 symphony patrons dressed to kill for the 1940s-themed event, which raised an astounding $1 million for the Pacific Symphony. Chairing the magnificent party were symphony supporters Jim Driscoll and Betty Huang . Serving as the entertainment chairwoman of the night, Huang helped to create a stunning Moroccan theme, including belly dancers, snake charmers, an entertaining monkey and camel, and a ballroom draped in red and gold glamour.

His was a tale of tough economic times. A construction worker in his 50s. Couldn't find work. Newly homeless in Laguna Beach. But with help from the Friendship Shelter and the Pacific Symphony, his life had a moment of rejuvenation. He got to hear a concert in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall - Orange County's grande dame of a venue - free of charge. Surely the music soothed his soul, but not probably as much as hearing it in the concert hall he helped build a few years before.

In keeping with its "Year of the Piano" programming, the Pacific Symphony will play host to pianist Conrad Tao this week. The 16-year-old Chinese American musician, whose skills have brought him performing alongside orchestras worldwide, is scheduled to perform at 8 p.m. Thursday to Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday with the Costa Mesa-based orchestra in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. Music Director Carl St.Clair will conduct the concerts, which are his last of the season.

If you're missing the musical family gene, there's still hope for all you would-be sensationally romantic piano players out there. That's what Jim Brickman, "America's romantic piano sensation" whose CDs are top sellers, admitted Thursday night. "My parents had no talent," he clarified to the crowd. And what did Brickman do when he got off the plane at LAX, headed into the men's room and heard his music playing amidst the stalls? Nothing, he said, but it showed him how many places his tunes are played beyond YouTube, or his fan cruise and PBS specials.

The Pacific Symphony is a joint recipient of a $300,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities, symphony officials announced Monday. The Costa Mesa-based orchestra, along with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, North Carolina Symphony and Louisville Orchestra, will apply the NEH funds toward the "Music Unwound" project. Music Unwound's three concerts each season seek to contextualize music by correlating it with humanities content like language, literature and visual arts, officials said.

After a few weeks off, the Pacific Symphony returns to the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa with a Music Unwound series May 5 to 7. Symphony officials are calling 8 p.m. "Bolero!" concerts to be infused with "sultry flamenco, hot-tempered gypsy violin and the heat of the Spanish sun," all under the baton of guest conductor Carlos Miguel Prieto. Prieto, a native of Mexico, serves in posts in his native country and the U.S., including being music director of Mexico's National Symphony Orchestra, the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and the Huntsville (Ala.)

Musicians from the Pacific Symphony and friends will be serenading donors at the second annual Musical Blood & Marrow Drive in Corona del Mar from noon to 6 p.m. April 29. The event at the Newport Center United Methodist Church, 1601 Marguerite Ave., benefits both the Red Cross and Be the Match, a national bone narrow and umbilical cord blood registry helping patients affected with diseases like leukemia and lymphoma. Blood donors for the Red Cross need to sign up in advance with a link available at PacificSymphonyMusicians.com . Walk-ins will be accepted for Be the Match after a series of health questions, cheek swab and signing a consent form.