Musical Groups Split Concerts at Two Sites

Ami Porat’s Mozart Camerata and Larry Granger’s South Coast Symphony, while venturing concerts at the new Irvine Theatre, are also staying put at their other locations--St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach for Porat and Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa for Granger.

“The idea of retaining both venues is simply practical,” Porat said Wednesday, who added that his chamber orchestra has filled the 1,200-seat Newport Beach-based church and has “a waiting list of patrons we couldn’t accommodate.”

“We couldn’t fulfill the demand,” Porat said. “Plus, the prospect of doing a series of concerts at a very acoustically promising theater is intriguing. The move to the Irvine Theatre is natural for us.”

Porat will conduct the same programs at both places (see schedule in accompanying story).

Doreen Hardy, manager of the South Coast Symphony, said Wednesday that the orchestra is duplicating its Orange Coast College series at the Irvine Theatre “because of acoustical inadequacies” at the Robert B. Moore Theatre at Orange Coast College.

“The city (of Costa Mesa) has supported us very heavily, financially and also from a personal point of view. . . . But nothing has happened on the renovation of the Robert B. Moore Theatre, despite lots of promises. We’re very concerned about that.”

In addition to their dates at the Irvine Theatre, the two groups announced the following dates:

Porat will conduct the Mozart Camerata at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 600 St. Andrews Drive, Newport Beach, on Oct. 26 and Dec. 1 of this year, and on Feb. 9, April 6 and May 18 of 1991. All concerts except the first will be at 8 p.m. The Oct. 26 concert will begin at 8:30 p.m.

Granger will conduct the South Coast Symphony at the Robert B. Moore Theatre at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa on Oct. 6 and Nov. 10 this year and Jan. 19, March 16, and April 13, 1991. All concerts will begin at 8:15 p.m.