CONTACT Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Carla Cruz (714) 942-6209, ccruz@SCFTA.org
Jacqui Pash (714) 556 – 2122 X 4726, jpash@scfta.org
RELEASE DATE: October 7, 2024
American Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker
Holidays Around the World
Fiesta Navidad
TAKE 6 Christmas
Silent Night Silent Disco
Back to the Future: The Musical
Salute to Vienna New Year’s Concert
And Billy Collins
Tickets are available online at scfta.org
COSTA MESA, CA | Segerstrom Center for the Arts is celebrating the most wonderful time of the year with a jolly collection of holiday offerings. Southern California’s beloved holiday tradition makes its comeback with American Ballet Theatre’s celebrated rendition of The Nutcracker, sensational music productions, festive plaza events, and the Orange County premiere of Back to the Future: The Musical! There is something for everyone to make their spirits bright this Holiday season!
Created by one of today’s most celebrated choreographers, Alexei Ratmansky, American Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker (December 12 – 22, 2024), a dazzling holiday treat, features ABT’s roster of superstar dancers along with gorgeous sets and costumes by Tony winner Richard Hudson, and Pacific Symphony playing Tchaikovsky’s timeless score.
The Center illuminates with international Holiday celebrations at Holidays Around the World (December 14, 2024) and traditional Mexican Christmas music at Fiesta Navidad (December 14, 2024). TAKE 6 Christmas will offer a jazz take on the classic jingles in a smooth a cappella sound (December 15, 2024) and Silent Night Silent Disco (December 20, 2024) will provide a quiet holiday dance party under the stars.
After Christmas, Back to the Future: The Musical makes its Center debut, with the fun tale of Marty McFly retold in an Olivier Award-winning musical. The year culminates with the return ofSalute to Vienna New Year’s Concert (December 28, 2024), with favorite Strauss works performed by classical artists from Austria and Germany.
And to continue the celebration in the new year, US Poet Laureate, Billy Collins appears in a fascinating conversation with Paul Holdengraber (January 13, 2025) offering a unique opportunity for an inside look at the mind of what the New York Times calls “the most popular poet in America.”
Tickets for all holiday events are available online at scfta.org, in person at 600 Town Center Drive Costa Mesa, CA 92626, or by phone at (714) 556-2787.
Holiday Lineup:
American Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker
With Tchaikovsky’s score performed live by Pacific Symphony
December 12-22, 2024
Segerstrom Hall
Tickets start at $32.77
“… ravishing and clever enough to inspire multiple viewings.” – Los Angeles Times
“Jaw-droppingly beautiful!” – OC Register
SoCal’s favorite holiday tradition returns with American Ballet Theatre’s critically acclaimed production of The Nutcracker. Created by one of today’s most celebrated choreographers, Alexei Ratmansky, this dazzling holiday treat features ABT’s roster of superstar dancers along with gorgeous sets and costumes by Tony winner Richard Hudson, and Pacific Symphony playing Tchaikovsky’s timeless score.
The Nutcracker is the tale of a young girl, Clara, who receives the gift of a nutcracker doll at her family’s Christmas party. In her dreams that night, the nutcracker doll comes to life as a handsome prince who joins her on a magical journey. Together, they travel to lands filled with dancing snowflakes, waltzing flowers, a mouse army and other exotic characters, all brought to vivid life on stage by a cast of over 100 performers! American Ballet Theatre’s The Nutcracker is one of the great joys of the holiday season.
VIP Sweet Seats
A limited number of exclusive Sweet Seats are available for performances of The Nutcracker! Along with prime Orchestra seating, this ticket also comes with a Segerstrom Center keepsake ornament, a The Nutcracker collectible poster, luxurious Laderach chocolates and a delicious holiday cookie – all in a Segerstrom Center tote bag! Make it a holiday experience your loved ones will remember forever!
Holidays Around the World
Saturday, December 14, 2024 from 11 am – 2 pm
Julianne and George Argyros Plaza
Entry is free with Plaza Pass
Experience the most wonderful time of year at the Center and join us for a day of festive family fun as we transform the Julianne and George Argyros Plaza into a spectacular winter wonderland! Enjoy a variety of festive performances from local music acts and dance groups that celebrate holiday traditions from all around the world. Kids can create their own seasonal crafts and get to experience a little holiday magic with sparkling snowfall on the Plaza!
Holidays Around the World will include performances from Uniting Voices, Chinese Dance Company of SoCal, Moana Nui, American Ballet Theatre, African Soul International, and more!
More About Holidays Around the World Performers:
Uniting Voices
Uniting Voices (UV) is the University of California, Irvine’s premier all-gender a cappella group.
Founded in 1994, UV is committed to creating opportunities for its community to experience music. United Voices has been to the stages of the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella, the Los Angeles A Cappella Festival, and many UCI events. They actively work with local and national organizations to showcase their music and teach others about what a cappella is really like.
Chinese Dance Company of SoCal
Chinese Dance Company of Southern California (CDCSC) was co-founded by the South Coast Chinese Cultural Center (SCCCC) and Pan America Chinese Dance Alliance (PACDA) in late 2019. CDCSC’s Mission is to provide learning, communication, performance opportunities and platforms for dance lovers in Southern California. The company aims to tell classic Chinese stories with well-known traditional dances, as well as encouraging and inspiring original choreographies to tell stories about American Chinese immigrants.
Moana Nui
Moana Nui School of Polynesian Dance and Entertainment is a place of learning and perpetuating the Polynesian culture. They aim to bring love and aloha to their community through music, mele (song), and dance.Under the direction and instruction of Vaiura Walstead, students learn the Polynesian arts in a fun and welcoming environment. Vaiura has been Polynesian dancing since she was six years old and is now excited to share her passion with her students right here in Orange County!
African Soul International
African Soul International (ASI) was established in 1998, by Sista Jewel, now Dr. Jewel, an artist who wanted to make a difference in her community. Through presentations, workshops, residencies, and performances, they have touched over 100,000 lives, empowering, educating and bringing the joy of African culture, history and music. Some of their recent awards include
1st Place Winner of the 2019 African Dance Awards in Los Angeles, and a 2019 Congressional Award for Community Service.
Fiesta Navidad
Saturday, December 14, 2024 at 8 pm
Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall
Tickets start at $36.16
One of Orange County’s most beloved holiday events, Fiesta Navidad, features the Grammy Award®-winning Mariachi Los Camperos in a concert filled with festive music and dance.
This celebration of Mexican holiday traditions is a joyous annual tradition at Segerstrom Center, perfect for the whole family.
TAKE 6 Christmas
Sunday, December 15, 2024 at 1 and 4 pm
Samueli Theater
Tickets start at $100.57
“the baddest vocal cats on the planet” – Quincy Jones
Quite simply, TAKE 6 is the quintessential a cappela group and the model for vocal genius. They are the most awarded vocal group in history, having won 10 Grammy Awards, 10 Dove Awards, 2 NAACP Image Awards, a Soul Train Award, and been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.
The high-energy sextet will be joining us for a special Christmas concert, putting their unique and beguiling spin on a trove of holiday classics, that is sure to be a highlight of the season!
Since their debut in the 1980s, the secret to the incredible longevity and success is easy to explain: this musical phenomenon has six virtuosic voices united in crystal clear harmony, against a backdrop of syncopated rhythms, innovative arrangements, and funky grooves that bubble into an intoxicating brew of gospel, jazz, R&B, and pop. Like a fine-tuned vocal orchestra (Alvin Chear, bass; Khristian Dentley, baritone; Claude McKnight, Dave Thomas, Mark Kibble and Joel Kibble, tenors), the group continues to push the boundaries of creativity and musical genius with every new release, and their ever-evolving live performances.
Silent Night Silent Disco
Friday, December 20, 2024 from 7 – 10 pm
Julianne and George Argyros Plaza
All tickets are $15 per person.
We can’t guarantee calm, but we can guarantee bright! Ring in the holiday season with us this year at the next Silent Night Silent Disco! With three upbeat channels to play on your own
light-up wireless headphones, there’s something for everyone to enjoy. Whether you love the holiday classics or hits from the Top 40, The Silent DJs will have you rockin’ around the dance floor all night long!
Back to the Future: The Musical
December 26, 2024 – January 5, 2025
Segerstrom Hall
Tickets start at $ 44.07
Great Scott! “Back to the Future,” the beloved, cinematic classic is now a Broadway musical with its destination set for Costa Mesa just after Christmas 2024. When Marty McFly finds himself transported back to 1955 in a time machine built by the eccentric scientist Doc Brown, he accidentally changes the course of history. Now he’s in a race against time to fix the present, escape the past, and send himself… back to the future. Winner of the 2022 Olivier Award for Best New Musical, when Back to the Future hits 88mph, it’ll change musical theater history forever.
Salute to Vienna New Year’s Concert
Saturday, December 28, 2024 at 3 pm
Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall
Tickets start at $55.37
Strauss Symphony of America
Nir Kabaretti, conductor (Vienna)
Peggy Steiner, soprano (Dresden)
Michael Heim, tenor (Vienna)
Featuring dancers from the San Diego Ballet
With timeless music, dazzling costumes, breathtaking dance, stunning floral designs, Salute to Vienna New Year’s Concert returns to Segerstrom Center for the Arts for an unforgettable
New Year’s celebration that will enchant and delight audiences of all ages, with European singers, dancers, and full orchestra.
Freshly updated each year with a new cast and musical program, the exuberant music of Johann Strauss and his counterparts will spring to life in a joyful spectacle. The Maestro, an expert in Viennese music, will lead the orchestra and the audience on a journey through the Golden Age of Vienna with wit, charm, and more than a few jokes along the way.
Energetic, lighthearted, and full of romance, the music of Salute to Vienna New Year’s Concert goes down like a smooth glass of champagne. Ring in 2025 with this celebration of music, beauty, and human connection.
Additional Upcoming Performances at Segerstrom Center for the Arts
Billy Collins with Paul Holdengraber
Monday, January 13, 2025 at 8 pm
Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall
Tickets start at $55.37
“A poet of plentitude, irony, and Augustan grace.”—The New Yorker
Billy Collins is an American phenomenon. Not since Robert Frost has anyone managed to combine high critical acclaim with such broad popular appeal; his level of fame is almost unprecedented in the world of contemporary poetry. His last three collections of poems have broken sales records. His readings are usually standing room only, and his audience – enhanced tremendously by his appearances on National Public Radio – includes people of all backgrounds and age groups.
The poems themselves best explain this phenomenon. Billy Collins makes uncommonly accessible verse – characterized by plain language, gentle humor, and a sincere appreciation for the mundane. He is famous for conversational, witty poems that welcome readers with humor but often slip into quirky, tender, or profound observation on the everyday, reading and writing, and poetry itself. No wonder Collins sees his poetry as “a form of travel writing” and considers humor “a door into the serious.” It is a door that many thousands of readers have opened with amazement and delight.
Collins’ highly anticipated new poetry collection, Water, Water, debuting in November 2024, is a wondrous collection of poems focused on the joys and mysteries of everyday life! Moderating this evening will be curator and writer Paul Holdengraber. Paul was director of the New York Public Library’s public programming and organized literary conversations for LIVE from the NYPL, which he founded.
Segerstrom Center for the Arts® is an innovative nonprofit organization that champions artistic excellence and fosters a vibrant, inclusive community in Orange County through the transformative power of live performance. As the region’s leading cultural hub, the Center offers a diverse array of programming, featuring international dance companies, Broadway national tours, jazz and cabaret musicians, and an engaging speaker series. Its Education and Community Engagement departments present family-friendly events on the picturesque Julianne and George Argyros Plaza, including outdoor movie screenings, concerts, and lively festivals.
With six stunning venues nestled within a beautiful multi-disciplinary campus, the Center is home to the region’s most esteemed performing arts organizations, including the Pacific Symphony, Philharmonic Society of Orange County and Pacific Chorale as well as two independently acclaimed organizations: Tony Award®-winning South Coast Repertory and Orange County Museum of Art. Segerstrom Center is also home to the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School and Studio D: Arts School for All Abilities.
The Center continues to uphold the vision of its founder, Henry Segerstrom, remaining true to its mission as the premier arts in Orange County since its inception in 1986 as Orange County Performing Arts Center®.
Segerstrom Center for the Arts applauds its corporate partner Kaiser Permanente, Official Health Care Partner and recognizes Spectrum Reach as media partner for the Broadway Series, Riviera Magazine as media partner for the Dance Series, and KJAZZ as media partner for the Jazz Series. Free Plaza
Programming is presented by the Samueli Foundation and US Bank.
Information provided is accurate at the time of printing but is subject to change. Segerstrom Center for the Arts is a public, non-profit organization. “Segerstrom Center for the Arts” is a registered trademark.