A List of Expiration Dates

Here is a sampling of other Orange County music and dance groups that have expired or mutated in the last decade:

The Orange County Symphony of Garden Grove: Started in 1984 as the Garden Grove Symphony, the orchestra played a mix of classical and pops concerts, mostly at the Don Wash Auditorium in Garden Grove. The 1991 name change was part of the orchestra’s attempt to broaden its reach, an effort that also included outreach concerts in Anaheim. At its peak in 1991-92, its budget was $354,000. But the group was never able to overcome accumulated debts from a series of free concerts over several years, and folded in 1994.

The Four Seasons Orchestra: Founded in 1990 as a baroque-repertory ensemble by Capistrano Valley Symphony violist Carolyn Broe, who dipped into her own pocket to fund it. It played one concert in Santa Ana before Broe moved to Tempe, Ariz., in 1991. John Elg, who had announced plans to form the Irvine Chamber Orchestra a year earlier (see related entry), took over temporarily, moving toward a modern repertory. Then in 1993, Roger Hickman picked up the baton. The orchestra still exists, he said. It has played several pops concerts but none recently. It also has played for Los Angeles Classical Ballet.

Garden Grove Opera: Don Hayes, a local theater director, formed the company in 1990. It mounted two low-budget performances--to piano accompaniment--of Rossini’s rarely performed “Semiramide” in February. Critics considered the results a disaster. The company has since been silent.

Irvine Camerata: This chamber vocal ensemble devoted to early music was founded in 1989 by Robert Hickok, then dean of the UC Irvine School of Fine Arts. It had several on- and off-again seasons, then apparently disbanded after Hickok took early retirement in 1994.

Irvine Chamber Orchestra: Irvine resident and composer John Elg announced the formation of this group in 1990 as a vehicle for 20th century music, but it never gave a concert. Instead, Elg merged his group with Carolyn Broe’s Four Seasons Orchestra in 1991 because, he said, her organization had made more progress toward establishing nonprofit status. At the first concert of the newly constituted orchestra, Elg led two world premieres by Orange County composers, John Gerhold and Kenneth Friedenreich. Audience turnout was small, and the orchestra turned to more traditional repertory under other leadership.

Irvine Symphony: Founded by Peter Odegard in 1978, a year before the Pacific Symphony, this group played in churches and other venues. Its longtime money woes worsened after it moved its concerts to the Orange County Performing Arts Center in 1987; the board canceled concerts after the 1990-91 season. While the orchestra remains part of the Irvine Conservatory of Music, it has not performed since 1992. However, there are plans to rejuvenate it next year, said Eric Wright, conservatory director.

Gloria Newman Dance Theater: The county’s only significant modern-dance troupe was created by Newman in 1961. Varying in size, the company showcased more than 50 of her works, mostly in performances outside the Orange County; audiences here generally neglected the company. She and her dancers survived on small donations and grants, including money from the National Endowment for the Arts. The company did not survive Newman’s death, after complications resulting from surgery, in 1992.

Newport Chamber Orchestra: Founded by Steven Wight in 1984, this well-regarded 38-member ensemble suffered financial setbacks almost from the start. A concert series in Cypress, as well as in Newport Beach, had to be dropped because of poor ticket sales. The organization folded before its 1985-86 season.

Orange County Chamber Orchestra: Formed in 1983 by Micah Levy, a former conducting student at the Boston Conservatory of Music, the group offered an eclectic repertory in various venues. It ran into fiscal troubles by the early ‘90s and canceled several concerts. Levy resigned in 1983 to pursue graduate music studies in Baltimore. Under the new leadership of the former concertmaster, Diana Halprin, concerts were scaled down to less expensive recital programs. A more ambitious orchestral season was announced for 1995-96 but never took place.

South Coast Ballet: Formed in 1981, the company became more prominent when choreographer James Jones took over in 1984. After struggling to keep the company afloat for several years, Jones resigned in 1987. A year later, South Coast Ballet merged with Ballet Repertory (formerly Capistrano Ballet) and Emerson Dance Theatre. Lawrence Rosenberg and American Ballet Theatre dancer Melissa Allen assumed leadership. Two years later, Allen left to pursue her dancing career. Eventually, the new group evolved into Coast Ballet Theater, based in San Juan Capistrano. Coast Ballet, in turn, has become the Anaheim Ballet.