THE ARTS IN ORANGE COUNTY

F o llowing is a partial schedule of events for the first season at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Ticket information: (714) 556-ARTS.

Monday: Opening night--The Los Angeles Philharmonic, conducted by Zubin Mehta. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9; also, a specially commissioned work by Los Angeles composer William Kraft (“Of Ceremonies, Pageants and Celebrations”) and Aaron Copland’s “Lincoln Portrait,” with James Whitmore serving as narrator.

Wednesday: The Los Angeles Philharmonic returns under conductor Kurt Sanderling, with soprano Leontyne Price. Richard Strauss, “Vier Lezte Lieder” and “Salome,” final scene.

Thursday and Friday: The Pacific Symphony conducted by music director Keith Clark, with violinist Henryk Szeryng. Brahms’ Violin Concerto; works by Respighi and Richard Strauss.

Saturday: Leontyne Price in recital with pianist David Garvey. Works by Mozart, Verdi, Richard Strauss and others.

Oct 9: Kurt Sanderling conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic, with Isaac Stern as soloist in Dvorak’s Romance for Violin and Orchestra and Mendelssohn’s Concerto; also Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7; Wagner’s Prelude to “Die Meistersinger.”

Oct. 12: The Joffrey Ballet, under artistic director Robert Joffrey, joins the Master Chorale of Orange County, directed by Maurice Allard. “Passage,” choreographed by James Kudelka to Thomas Tallis’ 40-voice motet “Spem in Alium.” The company also performs Gerald Arpino’s “Light Rain.” The Master Chorale and Master Chorale Orchestra perform Rossini’s “Stabat Mater.”

Oct. 15: New York City Ballet. “Symphony in Three Movements” (Balanchine/Stravinsky); “Tzigane” (Balanchine/Ravel); “Tchaikovsky” pas de deux (Balanchine/Tchaikovsky); “The Four Seasons” (Robbins/Verdi).

Oct. 16: New York City Ballet. “Mozartiana” (Balanchine/Tchaikovsky); “In the Night” (Robbins/Chopin); “Who Cares?” (Balanchine/Gershwin).

Oct. 17: New York City Ballet. “Serenade” (Balanchine/Tchaikovsky); “Agon” (Balanchine/Stravinsky); “Symphony in C” (Balanchine/Bizet).

Oct. 18: New York City Ballet. Matinee--”Mozartiana”; “In the Night”; “Symphony in C.” Evening--”Symphony in Three Movements”; “Songs of the Auvergne” (Martins/Canteloube); “Glass Pieces” (Robbins/Glass).

Oct. 19: New York City Ballet. Matinee--”Songs of the Auvergne”; “Glass Pieces”; “Who Cares?” Evening--”Serenade”; “Agon”; “The Four Seasons”

Oct. 22 and 23: Music by Leonard Bernstein, performed by the Pacific Symphony under Keith Clark. Bernstein’s Symphony No. 2, “Age of Anxiety,” for piano and orchestra, with soloist Lukas Foss; and Symphony No. 3, “Kaddish,” for narrator, soprano, chorus and orchestra, with soprano Evelyn de la Rosa, actor Michael Wager and the Pacific Chorale under John Alexander.

Oct. 25: Lukas Foss conducts the Pacific Symphony in a pops program, “Bernstein on Broadway,” with selections from “West Side Story,” “Fancy Free,” “Candide” and “On the Town.”

Oct 26: The Cleveland Orchestra, Christoph von Dohnanyi conducting.

Some of the future events scheduled:

Nov. 4: Open rehearsal with Hungarian cellist Janos Starker and the Pacific Symphony.

Nov. 28 and 29: Henry Mancini joins the Pacific Symphony in a program of movie themes.

Dec. 5: The Pacific Chorale “Christmas Festival,” with the Pacific Symphony.

Dec 6: Andre Previn conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic, with Emmanuel Ax as soloist.

Dec 7: The Orange County Master Chorale presents a Christmas concert.

Dec. 9-14; American Ballet Theatre presents eight performances of “The Nutcracker,” choreographed by Mikhail Baryshnikov.

Dec. 19 and 20: Shirley Jones and the Pacific Symphony join in a traditional holiday program featuring 300 voices assembled from Orange County church choirs.

Dec. 30-Jan. 4: “Singin’ in the Rain,” based on the MGM movie musical.

Jan. 13-25: Thirteen performances by the New York City Opera. Bizet’s “Carmen” (Jan. 13, 15 and 17); Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” (Jan. 14, 16 and 18), and Leonard Bernstein’s “Candide” (Jan. 20-25, with matinee Jan. 24).

Feb. 1: Michel LeGrand joins the Pacific Symphony in a pops program.

Feb 2: Sir Georg Solti conducts the Chicago Symphony.

Feb. 3-8: Revival of Anthony Newley’s “Stop the World--I Want to Get Off.”

Feb. 11-15: Opera Pacific presents George Gershwin’s “Porgy and Bess.”

Feb. 20-March 8: Opera Pacific presents Leonard Bernstein’s “West Side Story.”

March 13: Lorin Maazel conducts the Orchestre National de France. March 18: Kazimierz Kord conducts the Warsaw Philharmonic.

March 19: Lalo Schifrin conducts the Pacific Symphony in the premiere of his concerto for double bass and orchestra, with bass soloist Gary Karr.

March 27, April 1 and 4: Opera Pacific presents three performances of Puccini’s “La Boheme,” directed by Gian Carlo Menotti.

April 11: The Master Chorale presents a dramatic version of J.S. Bach’s “St. Matthew’s Passion.”

April 25: Andre Previn conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

May 1 and 2: Mel Torme joins the Pacific Symphony in a program of Gershwin favorites.

May 7 and 8: Karel Husa conducts the Pacific Symphony in his new composition, commissioned to commemorate the orchestra’s first season at the center.

Dates to be announced: Productions of musicals “Big River” and “Cabaret.”