Out of the Background

Lisa Fischer. Photo by Chiaki Sato.

It's been a good year for Lisa Fischer. 

With the Oscar®-winning documentary 20 Feet from Stardom thrusting her into the national spotlight, Fischer now finds herself sharing that spotlight with Becca Stevens and Moira Smiley on tour with Billy Childs' Map to the Treasure, a jazz interpretation of the songs of Laura Nyro. 

They perform a show in the Samueli October 17th at 8 p.m. (Check ticket availability.)

Billy Childs. Photo by Javiera Estrada.

A Grammy®-winner as a solo artist in 1992 (for "How Will I Ease the Pain"), Fischer worked with the late Luther Vandross for 22 years and more recently with Sting, Tina Turner, Chris Botti, Nine Inch Nails and others. She has toured with The Rolling Stones since 1989, adding backing vocals before moving up front for the solo on the famous chorus of "Gimme Shelter." 

Now, Fischer, Childs, Stevens and Smiley are putting Nyro, who passed away in 1997, back in the spotlight with fresh versions of "And When I Die," "Save the Country," "Stoned Soul Picnic" and others. 

Read more about Billy Childs, the tour and the star-studded Map to the Treasure CD in this month's Revue. 

– Cristofer Gross

2013 - 2014 Season Announcement

The Center is proud to announce its 2013 – 2014 Season, featuring the very best in performing arts across dance, Broadway, jazz, cabaret, classical music, enriching family entertainment and more.

Information for renewing season ticket holders for the upcoming season will be sent to current subscribers, with new priority order for new season tickets available soon. Single tickets will go on sale approximately six weeks prior to individual engagements.

For more information and detailed descriptions, please click the respective series titles or visit SCFTA.org.

International Dance Series

• Diana Vishneva: On the Edge (November 6, 7, 9 & 10, 2013)

• Natalia Osipova and Ivan Vasiliev (January 24 – 26, 2014)
• Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo: Swan Lake (February 27 – March 2, 2014)
• Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (March 27 – 30, 2014)


Broadway Series

• EVITA (December 10 – 22, 2013)

• The Wizard of Oz (February 11 – 23, 2014)
• The Book of Mormon (May 13 – 25, 2014)
• Jersey Boys (June 24 – July 13, 2014)
• Ghost The Musical (July 22 – August 3, 2014)
• ONCE (August 19 – 31, 2014)


Curtain Call Series
• Priscilla Queen of the Desert (October 22 – 27, 2013)
• CHICAGO (January 28 – February 2, 2014)
• I Love Lucy® Live On Stage (March 18 – 23, 2014)


Special Bonus Productions






• Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (January 14 – 19, 2014)
• Mamma Mia! (April 8 – 13, 2014)


Jazz Series

• Orquesta Buena Vista Social Club® featuring Omara Portuondo, Eliades Ochoa, Guajiro Mirabal & Barbarito Torres with special guest Roberto Fonseca (September 17, 2013)

• ACS: Geri Allen, Terri Lyne Carrington and Esperanza Spalding (October 25 & 26, 2013)
• McCoy Tyner and Joe Lovano (December 13 & 14, 2013)
• Dr. Lonnie Smith (February 21 & 22, 2014)
• Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and Wynton Marsalis (March 14, 2014)
• Fred Hersch Trio (May 2 & 3, 2014)


Cabaret Series 
• Bernadette Peters (October 11, 2013)
• Marilyn Maye and Clint Holmes (November 14 – 16, 2013)
• Peter Gallagher (February 13 – 15, 2014)
• Patti LuPone (March 22, 2014)
• Jimmy Webb and Maureen McGovern (April 11- 13, 2014)


Concert Series

• Pacifica Quartet with Marc-André Hamelin (November 12, 2013)

• Jeffrey Kahane, Joseph Swensen and Carter Brey (December 12, 2013)
• Emerson String Quartet (January 10, 2014)
• St. Lawrence String Quartet (February 20, 2014)
• Philharmonia Baroque Chamber Players (March 16, 2014)


Family: Discovery Series
• The Okee Dokee Brothers (December 7 & 8, 2013)
• Still Awake Still! (February 8 & 9, 2014)
• Cre8tion: Fluff (April 5 & 6, 2014)
• Bristol Riverside Theatre: The Little Prince (April 26 & 27, 2014)
• Lightwire Theater: The Ugly Duckling and The Tortoise and The Hare (May 17 & 18, 2014)


Family: Explorer Series

• Perth Theatre Company: The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer (October 18 – 20, 2013)

• The Intergalactic Nemesis Book Two: Robot Planet Rising (November 9 & 10, 2013)
• Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (January 17 – 19, 2014) – Explorer Series subscribers have a unique and special opportunity to see the full production of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast in Segerstrom Hall as a part of their subscription package.


Opera Series






• LA OPERA In Concert: Falstaff (November 26, 2013)
• LA OPERA In Concert: Thaïs (May 27, 2014) – previously announced for May 22, 2014

Congratulations, Robert Jon & the Wreck!

Last week at the Orange County Music Awards, southern rock band Robert Jon & the Wreck took the crown as the best live band after a heated battle starting with 35 artists and finally narrowed to five finalists.

We recently hosted the band at our annual Off Center Festival, performing in Samueli Theater. We’re thrilled that they’ve made such a great impression here in Orange County. If you visit their Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/Robertjonandthewreck, you’ll see a great photo of the band performing at the Festival.  

Off Center – Off To An Amazing Start!

© Doug Gifford

Segerstrom Center’s second Off Center Festival took off last night with concerts by Rival Sons and Robert Jon and the Wreck. A capacity crowd jammed into Samueli Theater for the kick-off event to the festival, that runs through February 2 and features bold contemporary theater, performance art, dance and music. Tonight – Reggie Watts will perform in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall and Sea Wolf and The Donnies the Amys in Founders Hall on January 28.

© Doug Gifford

Starlet O'Hara

Kelli O'Hara, currently starring on Broadway in the Tony winning best musical revival of South Pacific, can be seen on the cover of December's Town and Country which proclaims her "Broadway's biggest star". Center audiences can look forward to seeing O'Hara in a coming season as part of our cabaret series in Samueli Theater.