Segerstrom Center for the Arts is about to hit a milestone as it announces its 2026–2027 season that starts this fall.
The 2026-2027 season marks the 40th anniversary of Segerstrom Hall and the 20th anniversary of the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.
While the arts in Orange County certainly existed four decades ago, it was the vision of arts patron Henry Segerstrom that established a world-class arts facility and brought the best of the performing arts to Orange County.
Once known as the Orange County Performing Arts Center, the Segerstrom Center for the Arts began as a large multi-purpose hall that has expanded into six stunning venues – including the Segerstrom Concert Hall – nestled within a multi-disciplinary campus.
The Center is home to the region’s most noted performing arts organizations, including the Pacific Symphony, Philharmonic Society of Orange County and Pacific Chorale. It also encompasses two independently acclaimed organizations: Tony Award-winning South Coast Repertory and the UC Irvine Langson Orange County Museum of Art.
Segerstrom Center is also home to the American Ballet Theatre William J. Gillespie School and Studio D: Arts School for All Abilities.
The 2026-2027 season is shaped by Vice President of Programming and Production Limor Tomer in her first year in the role. She brings together internationally recognized artists in dance, jazz, cabaret, chamber music, and family programming.
According to information from Segerstrom Center, performances will take place across all venues on the Center’s campus, emphasizing a season designed to offer both large-scale presentations and more intimate, experiences.
“It is a privilege to announce my first season at Segerstrom Center for the Arts,” said Tomer. “This season centers on a group of visionary artists who reflect both the depth of tradition and the urgency of the present moment. This season is a conversation between past and future, across cultures, and between artists and audiences. Across jazz, chamber music, dance, cabaret, and family programs, I’ve sought out voices that are not only exceptional in their craft, but distinct in perspective, artists who honor legacy while actively expanding it.”
What excites her the most, said Tomer, is “the opportunity to create experiences that feel both intimate and expansive, where audiences can encounter something unexpected, feel a deeper connection to the work, and return again and again to the Center to discover something new.”
Dancing Into Fall
In addition to being a patron of the arts, Henry Segerstrom was a dance fan and forged an alliance with American Ballet Theater, our country’s premier ballet company. ABT is now the Official Dance Company of the Center and returns to OC with two dazzling presentations.
First is the holiday favorite “The Nutcracker” December 10-24. Created by one of today’s most celebrated choreographers, Alexei Ratmansky, this holiday treat features ABT’s roster of superstar dancers along with gorgeous sets and costumes by Tony winner Richard Hudson, and Pacific Symphony playing Tchaikovsky’s timeless score.,
ABT returns April 22-25, 2027, with “The Sleeping Beauty,” featuring Pacific Symphony performing Tchaikovsky’s enchanting score live.
Also on the dance season: Houston Ballet, which kicks off the season with Sons de L’ame, featuring the dazzling pianist George Li; Stuttgart Ballet with “Onegin;” Ballet Folklórico de México; and Ballet Hispánico New York, who concludes the season with the West Coast premiere of “Don Q: in Pursuit of the Impossible,” a high energy, technically virtuosic take on the traditional ballet.
Jazzing Up The Center
Jazz is a music genre that has roots in blues, ragtime, spirituals, and other musical genres that makes jazz an American original that has become recognized as a major form of musical expression around the world.
The Center brings jazz to life during the 2026-2027 season with a jazz series that The Center says is “rooted in legacy and charged with forward momentum” and features performances in the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert hall and the intimate Samueli Theater.
The series opens with inaugural Artist in Residence Arturo O’Farrill and his powerhouse Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, followed by Isaiah Collier who channels the spiritual fire of John Coltrane. Pianist Jason Moran takes the Concert Hall stage in a collaboration with the Pacific Symphony, reimagining the timeless genius of Duke Ellington.
Caity Gyorgy returns with the ETHEL String Quartet to bring fresh life to the American Songbook, and emerging vocalist LUCÍA blends jazz with Afro-Caribbean and Mexican traditions in a vibrant bilingual debut. Arturo O’Farrill returns to transform the Samueli Theater into a hothouse of music and passion with a tribute to the great Mambo clubs of Los Angeles, New York and Havana. The high energy collaboration of pianist Alfredo Rodríguez and percussionist Pedrito Martínez brings an electric virtuosity rooted in Latin rhythm and improvisation. Closing the season, Arturo O’Farrill brings Rumba Para Monk Revisited, reimagining the meeting point between Thelonious Monk and Afro-Cuban rhythm.
Life Is a Cabaret
If you have not experienced a cabaret show in the intimate 300-seat Samueli Theater, the 2026-2027 Cabaret Series is the perfect time to discover the excitement of getting up close and personal with stars from Broadway, TV, and film.
These evenings of story and song allow the artists to choose the material that speaks to them and share memories and music. In the Cabaret Series, no two shows are the same.
The season opens with actress and singer Krista Rodriguez, most well known for her role as Ana Vargas in the NBC series SMASH. She is a graduate of the Orange County School of the Arts whose Broadway credits include “Spring Awakening,” “In the Heights,” “The Addams Family,” and “First Date.”
According to Segerstrom Center, her cabaret performance “blends signature songs with fresh interpretations, offering a portrait of an artist equally adept at powerhouse anthems and tender confessions.”
The series continues with the return of Tony Award-winning Best Actress and vocal powerhouse Joaquina Kalukango, followed by Tituss Burgess who brings his Emmy- nominated charm from “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” to the stage. Her is followed by “How to Get Away with Murder” star Conrad Ricamora.
“Bette, Babs and Beyond” honors the iconic voices of Bette Midler and Barbra Streisand. The season closes with the genre-defying energy of the 10-piece indie swing band Lizzy and the Triggerman.
Chamber Music
The Center has announced a significant new partnership with the appointment of Takacs Quartet as its Official Chamber Ensemble.
Press information from The Center notes that Takacs Quartet is “renowned worldwide for the precision, emotional depth, and fearless interpretations.” This collaboration highlights the Center’s commitment to fostering enduring relationships with world-class artists, ensuring that each performance not only showcases musical brilliance but also deepens the connection between performers and the community they inspire.
The chamber music series is focused on the living legacy of Ludwig van Beethoven, combining his timeless genius with contemporary innovators who carry his spirit forward.
The season opens with two-time Grammy Award-winning Attacca Quartet, launching the journey with Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 14. Brooklyn Rider String Quartet continues by framing Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 9 alongside modern compositions that reflect our world today. Brentano String Quartet returns and delves deeply into Beethoven’s evolving quartet language.
Takács Quartet will present a program tracing Beethoven’s evolution, from his early quartets to the dramatic intensity of his later works. Arcis Saxophone Quartet reimagines his spirit through bold arrangements and rhythmic flair. Imani Winds expands that lens by connecting classical tradition with global and contemporary voices.
The Catalyst Quartet returns to close the season with Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 15.
All in the Family
According to The Center, the Family Series offers young audiences a diverse collection of educational, inspirational, accessible, and fun-filled, kid approved performances, starting with “SUGAR SKULL! A Día de Muertos Musical Adventure,” followed by Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” which brings Disney magic to the stage with a score by Alan Menken and Tim Rice.
Whimsical adventures continue with “Yellow Bird Chase” and “Milo the Magnificent,” two immersive productions using puppetry, physical comedy, and inventive storytelling. Audiences will explore celestial myths in “Tales of the Sun & Moon,” dive into fantastical wonder in “Meet the Hatter,” and delight in “The Pout-Pout Fish.“
There is also The Center premiere of “Peter and the Wolf,” a storybook ballet created for young audiences and families. The season concludes with “Once Upon a Rhyme: GRIMMZ II,” offering inventive retellings of classic tales.
Tickets
Subscriptions for all series are available now. Tickets for individual performances will go on sale at a later date. Visit the Center’s Website www.SCFTA.org for more information.
