THOUSAND OAKS : Orchestra Continues, Unplugged, at Plaza

For more than two decades, the Conejo Symphony Orchestra’s annual Christmas concert was held in a sweaty, stuffy gymnasium, where rain hit the old tin roof with a harsh plinking that drowned out dainty melodies.

But this year, the orchestra moved into an elegant new home--the purple-hued auditorium of Thousand Oaks’ $86-million Civic Arts Plaza.

Luxuriating in their new hall, the musicians bounded through a joyous Christmas program Saturday night--until the state-of-the-art technology they had so long coveted abruptly failed.

A $40 transformer burned out midway through the program, cutting off all power to the auditorium’s much-touted sound system. Conductor Elmer Ramsey tried to stall for time. Stage crews could not replace the transformer or bring power to the amplifiers, however, so the show went on, unplugged.

With all microphones muted, the symphony still managed to fill the hall with rich music. But soloist Sylvester Blue and the Sherwood Singers did not fare as well, straining to project their voices to all crannies of the packed 1,800-seat auditorium.

Audience members, who paid $10 to $45 a ticket, grumbled about the sound failure after the performance. Yet they rewarded the singers’ gritty performance with a standing ovation anyway.

“The audience was wonderful--so understanding,” said Everett Ascher, the symphony’s executive director.

The theater’s technical director, Gary Mintz, said the broken transformer was replaced Sunday morning at no charge to the city. Electrical engineers are now designing a backup system to bypass the transformers in case of a future blowout, he said. But he emphasized that Saturday’s power failure was a freak accident.

“These things do happen,” Mintz said. “There’s an infant mortality rate as you’re wearing in a new system--a certain percentage of your electronics die young. The rest will normally last up to fruitful old age.”