Pacific Symphony Rings in the Year of the Snake with a Spectacular Lunar New Year Celebration

Pacific Symphony’s annual Lunar New Year concert, a beloved tradition and a consistently sold-out event, returns on Saturday, February 1, at 8 p.m. at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. This grand celebration honors the rich traditions of Asian cultures with dynamic dance performances, captivating vocals, and a stunning fusion of Eastern and Western instrumentation. 

Led by Music Director Carl St.Clair, the concert unites over 200 community performers alongside world-class guest artists for an unforgettable night of music and culture.

This year’s program features Bei Bei Monter, a renowned guzheng musician, performing alongside young talents from the Lotus Bud Guzheng Academy. Grammy-nominated pianist Joyce Yang, an Irvine resident originally from South Korea, will dazzle audiences with Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini. Additional guest performers include erhu virtuoso Yang Liu, Yaya Dance Academy, Violin Studio of Wendy Castille, Pacific Chorale, and the American Feel Young Chorus, led by Sam Wei-Chih Sun.

Audiences will be treated to a breathtaking selection of music, including traditional Chinese folk pieces such as Huanzhi Li’s “Spring Festival Overture,” “Yi Dance,” and Yaxing Chen’s “Galloping Horses.” Western classics on the program include “The Swan” from Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals, alongside works by John Williams and Leonard Bernstein.

Pacific Symphony extends its heartfelt thanks to the Lunar New Year concert sponsors, Charlie and Ling Zhang, Exclusive Corporate Partner Tiffany & Co., and Box Circle Partner Hoag Foundation and Hoag Hospital.

Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall is at 615 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa.

For more information or to purchase tickets, call (714) 858-0945 or visit pacificsymphony.org.

Photos Courtesy of Pacific Symphony and Doug Gifford Photography