Pacific Symphony at 92% of capacity

Tickets for the Pacific Symphony in its new digs, the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, have been scarce but not impossible: The orchestra reported Friday that it has played to 92% of capacity in its first four months in the new venue, spanning 21 concerts.

Subscriptions are up 10%, and the orchestra is expecting a 20% revenue boost for its first season in the 2,000-seat Cesar Pelli-designed hall at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa.

“Typically the first year in a new concert hall is a good year, and we’re definitely experiencing that,” said Sean Sutton, the orchestra’s chief operating officer. “We’re right on line with our expectations.”

With the move from 3,000-seat Segerstrom Hall to the smaller, acoustically superior new venue, the Pacific is playing many more concerts. Its projected season’s budget of $17 million is up 29% over the last year, not counting the $1.9 million spent for a European tour last spring.

Unlike some fiscally troubled orchestras, the Pacific has been steadily solvent; on Friday it reported a $26,000 surplus for the 2005-06 season, its last in the old Segerstrom. It is the symphony’s 17th consecutive year without a deficit.