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 [Alexander Shelley is] “a natural communicator, both on and off the podium.” - The Daily Telegraph
[Julian Rhee] “Sophisticated, assured tone, superb intonation, and the kind of poise and showmanship that thrills audiences.” - The Strad
Soka Performing Arts Center welcomes Alexander Shelley, Pacific Symphony’s new Music Director, to our stage. Shelley will serve as Artistic and Music Director Designate during the 2025–26 season, before assuming full artistic leadership in 2026-27.
Shelley succeeds Carl St.Clair, who will become Music Director Laureate, providing a seamless transition of artistic leadership to the orchestra he has led for more than three decades.
FEATURED ARTISTS:
Pacific Symphony Chamber Orchestra
Alexander Shelley, Artistic and Music Director Designate
Julian Rhee, violin
PROGRAM:
MOZART Violin Concerto No. 2 in D Major, K. 211
BEETHOVEN Symphony No. 7 in A Major, Op. 92
PACIFIC SYMPHONY
Pacific Symphony is the largest orchestra formed in the United States in the past 50 years and has earned national recognition for its adventurous programming, community engagement, and artistic growth. Founded in 1978, the Symphony has been led for 35 years by Music Director Carl St.Clair, one of the longest-serving music directors of a major American orchestra. In 2024, Alexander Shelley was named Artistic and Music Director Designate for the 2025–26 season and will begin his full-time tenure in the 2026–27 season, marking a bold new chapter in the Symphony’s artistic evolution.
With a purpose to lift the human spirit through the power of music, the Symphony is a pillar of the cultural landscape of Southern California, enriching lives and bringing communities together through creative and diverse programming. As the resident orchestra of the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, the Symphony presents more than 100 concerts and events each year and a rich array of education and community engagement programs, reaching more than 300,000 residents of all ages.
ALEXANDER SHELLEY
With a conducting technique described as “immaculate” (Yorkshire Post) and with a “precision, distinction and beauty of gesture” (Le Devoir), Shelley is known for the clarity and integrity of his interpretations and for the creativity and vision of his programming. To date he has spearheaded over 40 major world premieres, highly praised cycles of Beethoven, Schumann and Brahms symphonies, operas, ballets and innovative multi-media productions.
Since 2015 he has served as both Music Director of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra and as Principal Associate Conductor of London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. In 2024/25, he also began his tenure as Artistic and Music Director of Artis-Naples in Florida, providing artistic leadership for Naples Philharmonic, as well as for the entire multidisciplinary arts organization.
JULIAN RHEE
Winner of the prestigious 2024 Avery Fisher Career Grant, Korean-American violinist Julian Rhee has enthralled listeners internationally, praised for his refinement and beauty of sound, and “the kind of poise and showmanship that thrills audiences.” (The Strad) His passion for all forms of collaboration has taken him around the world, producing a thoroughly sensitive and informed artist.
Rhee came to international prominence following his prize winning performances at the 2024 Queen Elisabeth International Violin Competition and Silver Medal finish at The 11th Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis. Also the first prize winner of the 2020 Elmar Oliveira International Competition and Astral Artists’ National Auditions, Rhee is the recipient of numerous awards such as the Aspen Festival’s Dorothy DeLay Fellowship, Arkady Fomin Scholarship Fund, Theodore Presser Scholar Award, The Foote Award, and the Manfred Grommek Prize from the Kronberg Academy. He is a Young Strings of America Ambassador sponsored by SHAR Music.
Presenter / Producer: Producer
Listed Categories
Music > Classical
Event Phone: --
Venue
Soka Performing Arts Center
Soka University of America
1 University Drive
Aliso Viejo CA 92656
Regions:
Orange County
Performance Dates: 11/23/2025
Performance Times
3PM
Ticket Information:
Regular:
$60 ($55 + $5 fee)
$75 ($70 + $5 fee)
$90 ($85 + $5 fee)
$100 ($95 + $5 fee)
Students: 15% off ticket price
Limit 1 per valid school ID available at the Box Office only
Web Link for ticketing
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