Special Ticket Offer for Opening Weekend!

Dear arts-X-press Alumni,

Come join the Pacific Symphony for the Grand Opening of our second season in the new Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall! Following are details for a Special Ticket offer available to all of our arts-X-press alumni:

Internationally renowned pianist Marc-André Hamelin makes his Pacific Symphony debut on Sept. 27-29 with magnificent concertos by Mozart and Ravel.

Special Introductory Offer for participants, educators and staff of Pacific Symphony's Education Programs & Youth Ensembles:

When: Thurs - Sat, Sept. 27th - 29th

Where: Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall,

Orange County Performing Artscenter

Cost: Students: $10 Adults: $20

To Purchase Tickets: Click Here

The Grand Opening of the 2007-08 Classic series features Montréal native Marc-André Hamelin, internationally renowned for his refined pianism, performing Mozart's delightful Piano Concerto No. 17 and Ravel's powerful Concerto for the Left Hand, one of the hallmarks of the piano repertoire. The program also includes Richard Strauss' heroic tone poem "Don Juan" and Ravel's luminous suite, "Daphnis and Chloe."

We hope you will take advantage of this great offer and help the Pacific Symphony celebrate the start of the new season.

See you there!

Come Volunteer! - 2007 Community Arts Festival!

Dear arts-X-press Alumni:

We are excited to announce a great volunteering opportunity for you and your friends! This fall, the Pacific Symphony, the Orange County Performing Artscenter, South Coast Repertory, the Pacific Chorale, Opera Pacific, and the Orange County Philharmonic Society are teaming up to present the 2007 Community Arts Festival!

The 2007 Community Arts Festival will take place on Sunday, September 30, at the outdoor plaza of the Orange County Performing Artscenter.

We would like to invite you, and any friends you might like to join you, to volunteer for the Pacific Symphony at these events. For those of you who are familiar with our Musical Playground or Musical Carnival, it will be a familiar experience. The details are as follows:

Location: OCPAC plaza between Segerstrom Hall and the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall
Date: Sunday September 30, 2007
Time: Two shifts: Shift 1: 10:15am-2pm -OR- Shift 2: 1:30pm-5pm
Dress: We will provide a complimentary t-shirt, please wear comfortable pants (jeans, khakis, etc.) and VERY comfortable, closed-toed shoes (sneakers are best). We recommend sunscreen, sunglasses, and a sweater in case it is breezy.
Parking: Complimentary in the OCPAC and Westin parking lots. You will receive a map for parking when you sign-up to volunteer.
Food: Complimentary snacks will be available for all volunteers during your shifts. For those volunteers electing to stay the entire day, sandwiches will be available as well.
Volunteer Meeting Place: Look for a Pacific Symphony Staff Member by white tents surrounding the grassy circle between the two buildings.

If you and/or someone you know would be interested in volunteering at this fun-filled community event, please contact Rachel Ligatti by email at: rligatti@pacificsymphony.org or phone: (714) 876-2343. Volunteers are the indispensable force behind this event’s success. The Pacific Symphony appreciates your contributions to the Orange County arts community, and we want to show our appreciation by providing free summer series tickets to those who volunteer for three or more Pacific Symphony education events this year.

Thank you so much, and we hope to hear from you soon!

Warmly,
Rachel and the Pacific Symphony Education Staff

arts-X-press 2007 Reunion

Wow - what a great arts-X-press 2007 reunion we had! It was great to see so many students and their families & friends turn out for our reunion on September 8th. Not only did the students get a chance to see some of their friends and staff from this summer, but they also got to meet students from other sessions.



For some this was the first time seeing a concert at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. Week 1 students, though, were on familiar grounds, as one of their excursions was to the Pacific Symphony's Gershwin concert at Verizon Wireless during their program.



After gathering by the box office and getting our tickets, we took a little walk from the entrace up to the lawn section to get settled. I bet lots of memories of our walks from Middle Earth to the Arts Quad were coming back really fast!

Once we were settled on the lawn, Darci lead everyone in some announcements and updates - which were much easier to hear thanks to use of counselor Garret's bullhorn! Then it was dinner time arts-X-press style! It was great to see the students get together and chat with each other over dinner. Families to were able to see first hand some of the great bonds that had formed between the students, counselors and staff.

After dinner the concert started. What could be better than sitting under a beautiful summer night's sky while listening to the Pacific Symphony? The concert concluded with the 1812 Overture with real cannon blasts and fireworks galore! It was a perfect way to celebrate arts-X-press 2007!

SEE YOU AT THE REUNION!

We can't wait to see you tomorrow at the arts-X-press 2007 reunion!

Don't forget to bring a sweatshirt to keep warm - sometimes it gets a little chilly once the sun goes down at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater. We will all meet in front of the box office at 6pm - just look for anyone in a blue arts-X-press shirt.

Also, please feel free to bring blankets and/or low back folding chairs. We'll be having our picnic dinner and be watching the concert from the lawn section, so we want you to be as comfortable as possible.

If you have any questions about tomorrow's reunion, please call our hotline at (714)876-2386.

See you soon!

2007 REUNION - It's Almost Here!

Just 1 more week until the much anticipated reunion for everyone who attended arts-X-press 2007! Campers, couselors and staff are all getting excited to see each other and catch up on what's been going on since arts-X-press.

If you have not already RSVP'd for the reunion, please call the hotline at (714)876-2386 and let us know how many tickets you would like reserved.

We are going to meet at the box office at Verizone Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine, on Saturday September 8th, at 6:00pm. Once you arrive, just look for an arts-X-press staff member wearing a blue arts-X-press t-shirt - you know the one we're talking about! That staff member will have your tickets for the concert.

We will all be going inside the amphitheater together, and having a picnic style dinner prior to the concert. Don't forget to let us know if you have any dietary restirctions when you RSVP! Dinner will be followed by the concert. Festivities will end about 10pm.

Tickets for the reunion are $15 and parking will be $8 once you get to Verizon Amphitheater.

Please don't forget to call us if you plan on attending. We really hope to see you there!

arts-X-press 2007 Reunion Details!!

By now all of the 2007 arts-X-press alumni should have received invitations to this year's reunion. As a reminder, here are the details:

Date: Saturday September 8th

Location: Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine

Time: 6:00pm - 10:00pm


We will be meeting at the Amphitheater ticket window and 6pm. The concert during our reunion will feature the Pacific Symphony's performance called Tchaikovsky Spectacular.

Please don't forget to call the arts-X-press hotline at (714)876-2386 by September 5th to reserve your tickets. Tickets are $15 per person for this event. There is also a parking fee of $8. Please let us know if you did not receive your invitation.

We can't wait to see you all there!

Class of 2007! MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Dear arts-X-press alumni,

To those of you who attended arts-X-press during the summer of 2007, we are having an arts-X-press 2007 REUNION! MARK YOUR CALENDARS!!

On Saturday, September 8th, 2007 from 6:00PM-10:00 PM we will be holding our 2007 arts-X-press Reunion at the Pacific Symphony's "Tchaikovsky Spectacular." The concert will be held at the Verizon Wireless Ampitheatre in Irvine. Along with enjoying an amazing concert, you will have time to meet and greet with fellow arts-X-press alumni, eat a picnic dinner before the concert and talk about the amazing time you had at arts-X-press this summer.

All arts-X-press 2007 alumni should be receiving a "Save the Date" card in the mail any day now. Please keep an eye out for your official invitation and more details, which should be heading your way very soon.

We hope to see you all there!

arts-X-press Pictures ALL Sessions

Session Three Pictures

Week 3 Day 4

Hello everyone, its Garret here, one of the counselors from Week 3. Its been a long day for arts-X-pressers. Today, the students spent all day on the UCI Campus.



The day began out by getting to sleep in a whole FIFTEEN minutes more! All the arts-X-pressers were thrilled by that news and it ay not seem like fifteen minutes is a lot, but in the world of arts-X-press that is an eternity. After a quick stop into the Arts Mart, the students went on to breakfast. From there, the students went to their last session of Creative Expression where they spent time putting the finishing touches on thier projects for the Parent Presentation. After Creative Expression, the artists spent their last day in their arts workshop preparing thier preformances.





After a delicious lunch, which was...EXTENDED, the students made thier way to what is known as the Black Box, where the students were given the opportunity of a life time to work with world famous artist Richard McDonald. The students were able to do some sculpting, which they will be bringing home for you all to enjoy. From there we headed to our Last Supper, a yes that is a pun on the Pagent of the Masters. We then changed into our arts-X-press shirts for the parent preformance and then took many many pictures that will be trasured forever within arts-X-press history.

Then it was the time that everyone had been preparing, the Parent Presentation! A night full of singing, instrumental music, dance, theater, and visual art along with some extravagent poetry. After three minutes of warm home felt hugs and firmiliar faces the students got back onto the stage to sing the arts-X-press song.





After you parents left, the fun really began. We started the talent show after reading some room checks that made me personally cringe. Some highlights of the talent show included Jaws on the piano, a hilarious skit about superheroes, and an amazing skit that was prepared by your wonderful counselors. We then moved from the talent show to the PARTY! Here we enjoyed some dancing beats, lemonade, and brownies! We then made the long walk back to Middle Earth where we took our last three minute showers and bid the night goodbye.

Your kids have been a pleasure to work with and I have been honored to see them grow not only as artists but also young adults. I hope to see you all at the reunion and I wish you all the best in your future.

Later dudes, your counsleor
Garret