Building on the success of Ancient Paths, Modern Voices: A Festival Celebrating Chinese Culture in fall 2009, the Philharmonic Society will continue its partnership with Carnegie Hall for JapanOC, an ambitious festival that will invite audiences to explore the incredible diversity of Japanese arts and culture with a wide range of performances and events. The festival, made possible through the generous support of South Coast Plaza, will take place at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, part of Segerstrom Center for the Arts and other Southern California institutions, from October 2010 through April 2011. JapanOC will feature select artists appearing in the East Coast edition of the festival JapanNYC presented by Carnegie Hall in New York City during December 2010 and spring 2011.
With programming kicking off in late 2010, the bicoastal JapanOC festival coincides with the 150th anniversary of the first overseas trade mission from Japan to the United States and the ratification of the Treaty of Amity and Commerce in 1860, saluting this milestone and special friendship between two great nations.
“JapanOC will introduce Southern California to the extraordinarily diverse and rich culture of Japan, showcasing Japanese performing arts from the traditional to the contemporary -- from classical music of the Imperial Japanese Court, to performances of modern Japanese Butoh dance,” stated Dean Corey, President and Artistic Director, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County. “We are deeply grateful to Henry and Elizabeth Segerstrom and South Coast Plaza, the international retail destination developed by the Segerstrom Family, for their integral support of JapanOC and through whose contribution of land and funding made Segerstrom Center for the Arts possible.”
“By partnering with Carnegie Hall for the second consecutive year, Segerstrom Center for the Arts continues its commitment to bringing extraordinary programming to Southern California," stated Henry Segerstrom, Managing Partner of South Coast Plaza, presenting sponsor. "I am delighted that this vibrant celebration of Japanese culture presented by Carnegie Hall and the Philharmonic Society of Orange County will be able to enrich and enliven the experience of audiences on both coasts." “Carnegie Hall truly values its partnership with the Philharmonic Society and Segerstrom Center for the Arts, and we were delighted to see how Southern California audiences embraced our first joint festival last season,” said Clive Gillinson, Executive and Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall. “Building on our relationship, it’s been a great pleasure to work together this year to collaborate on this celebration of Japan.”
FESTIVAL PROGRAMMING
The West Coast Festival begins with an extraordinary performance of modern Japanese dance by the exciting Butoh troupe Sankai Juku. Performing in white-body makeup and accompanied by music and sound effects, Sankai Juku dancers will use slow hyper-controlled motion to display playful imagery. (Saturday, October 30, 2010, 8pm, Irvine Barclay Theatre)
Violinist Midori returns to Orange County for a recital which includes performances of Watkins: Coruscation and Reflection, Penderecki: Sonata No. 2, MacMillan: After the Tryst, Adams: Road Movies, and Lindberg: Sonatas. (Wednesday, March 9, 2011, 8pm, Samueli Theater, Orange County Performing Arts Center, part of Segerstrom Center for the Arts)
Classical music of the Imperial Japanese Court, a tradition stretching back 1,000 years, will be performed by a renowned ensemble of gagaku musicians in a program entitled Glories of the Japanese Traditional Music Heritage: Japanese Sacred Court Music and Ancient Soundscapes Reborn, which will include the definitive gagaku piece Etenraku. (Saturday, March 19, 2011, 8pm, Samueli Theater, Orange County Performing Arts Center, part of Segerstrom Center for the Arts)
JapanOC highlights will also include tributes to celebrated composer Tōru Takemitsu and legendary Japanese-American artist/designer Isamu Noguchi. The world-renowned Noguchi Garden titled California Scenario, unique to Costa Mesa, was commissioned by Henry T. Segerstrom in 1980. JapanOC’s tribute to Isamu Noguchi will include multiple celebrations of California Scenario in collaboration with The Noguchi Museum in Long Island City, New York.
In addition to performances presented by the Philharmonic Society, JapanOC will feature collaborations with a variety of prestigious Southern California cultural institutions, including a wide range of music, theater, dance, film, visual art, and education activities.
The full JapanOC schedule will be announced in May 2010.
