For Immediate Release: August 15, 2006
MEDIA CONTACTS: Sarah Spitz (310) 314-4627; Morgan Wells (310) 314-4625

KCRW Presents Documentary Celebrating the Opening of
Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall

To celebrate the opening of the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall at Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa, 89.9 FM KCRW-Santa Monica and KCRW.com presents a two-part documentary, Transforming OC.

Two stand-alone half hours, "The Best of Everything" and "A Magical Milestone" describe the dynamic growth of Orange County, once a bucolic place of quiet pastures and orange groves, into a thriving center for commerce and culture. The programs will air Tuesday, September 5 (The Best of Everything) and Tuesday, September 12 at 2:30 pm (A Magical Milestone), and back to back on Tuesday, September 12 from 7 to 8 pm. National Public Radio will integrate the documentary into various aspects of its music programming, making it available to public radio stations nationwide.

Non-commercial classical music station, 91.5 FM KUSC-Los Angeles, will air the documentaries from 6 to 7 pm on Friday, September 15, prior to the station’s live broadcast of the opening night gala concert at 7 pm, featuring Plácido Domingo in the world premiere of William Bolcom's Canciones de Lorca and Mahler’s First Symphony, with the Pacific Symphony led by Music Director Carl St.Clair.

At the center of this transformation is Henry Segerstrom, who, with his family, created South Coast Plaza. Meet him as well as the artists who have been invited to participate in the gala celebrations.

The Center will now have two major performance halls. The Orange County Performing Arts Center, across from the new Hall, marks its 20th anniversary this September. The Center celebrates the occasion in a very big way. Maestro Valery Gergiev brings 600 members of the Marinsky/Kirov company over from St. Petersburg. They will present the North American premiere of their acclaimed production of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, with Placido Domingo, singing the role of Siegmund in Die Walküre.

The new concert hall also opens with a flourish. Specially commissioned works by two American composers – William Bolcom and Philip Glass -- will debut in the hall, which is designed for the performance of classical music.

Transforming OC introduces the audience to the dedicated figures who pioneered the arts in Orange County. You’ll hear about the architect of the new hall, Cesar Pelli, the sculptor Richard Serra, whose latest piece was created specifically to be installed in front of the hall. You’ll hear about South Coast Repertory, the Noguchi Garden, the Art Park and the Pacific Symphony -- a rich assortment of cultural institutions that have thrived over the years.

Transforming OC tells the story of how the relationship between business and art was a catalyst that worked to further both. It’s a very American story; a particularly Orange County story.

The program is available as a CD as a gift with a membership to KCRW. It is wrapped for gift-giving and is our salute to the commitment of a visionary developer and his family and to the remarkable support of their community.

KCRW echoes Maestro Gergiev's acclaim: "Bravo!"

Transforming OC

Executive Producer: Ruth Seymour
Program Producer and narrator: Barbara Kraft
Sound Design: Bob Carlson

Transforming OC: Broadcast Schedule

Tuesday, September 5, 2:30 to 3 pm: The Best of Everything The first in our two-part documentary celebrating the dynamic changes -- in culture and commerce -- taking place in Orange County.

Tuesday, September 12, 2:30 to 3 pm: A Magical Milestone The final segment in our two-part documentary celebrating the opening of the new Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall on September 15.

Tuesday, September 12, 7 to 7:30 pm: Transforming OC: The Best of Everything
Tuesday, September 12, 7:30 to 8 pm: Transforming OC: A Magical Milestone

KCRW-FM, licensed to Santa Monica College, is National Public Radio's flagship station for Southern California. The station serves Los Angeles and Orange Counties at 89.9 FM, Ventura County at 89.1 FM on KCRU/ Oxnard-Ventura, the greater Palm Springs area at 89.3 FM on KCRI/Indio-Palm Springs and Kern and Northern LA Counties at 88.1 FM on KCRY/Mojave/Antelope Valley. KCRW can now be heard in Santa Barbara at 106.9. Other translators carry the signal to the Twentynine Palms and Yucca Valley areas at 90.7 FM, Gorman at 89.7 FM, Banning at 90.9 FM, the Ridgecrest area at 107.1 FM, the Santa Paula, Moorpark, and Fillmore areas at 102.3 FM, Ojai at 102.1 FM, and Lemon Grove/Spring Valley in San Diego County at 89.9 FM. Every week, more than 500,000 listeners tune to the station for its eclectic and innovative non-commercial program schedule. KCRW can be found on the World Wide Web at KCRW.com, streaming 3 channels and now podcasting all KCRW-produced talk programs.