Cal Phil Announces Summer Concert Dates, Themes

Maestro Victor Vener and the California Philharmonic are tuning up for another season of live music at Santa Anita Park. The concerts begin June 29 and take place every other Saturday evening.

The Cal Phil Festival on the Green outdoor concert series will consist of a wide variety of favorites from every music era and genre.

"Many factors go into deciding on the programming each season, as we always want it to be fresh and exciting," Vener told Patch. "We consider what music, what styles, what pieces are popular and then we look at what is contemporary."

"Also key in determining programming each season is talent availability, and we are thrilled this year to have some of the finest, most acclaimed voices from opera and Broadway as special guests."

The season comes as the orchestra is still in the process of digging itself out of debt after having to move from the Los Angeles Arboretum & Botanic Garden to Santa Anita Park due to non-payment issues. 

Arboretum CEO Richard Schulhof said the orchestra hasn't settled its debt with the Arboretum yet.

"We're working on things. We're taking care of a lot of things," Cal Phil spokesperson Lauren Lewis said. "We have a lot of exciting things in the works which, hopefully, we'll be able to announce soon, and we're really focused on the music and the season."

The 2013 summer season kicks off with "Beatles, Beethoven & Beach Boys." Always a fan favorite, The Fab Four, billed as the ultimate tribute band, will perform an array of Beatles hits. Cal Phil will keep the memories alive on opening night with performances of Beach Boys classics including "Good Vibrations," "I Get Around" and "California Girls," as well as an interpretation of Beethoven’s "Pastoral Symphony."

"Andrew Lloyd Webber Meets Puccini" is the theme for the season's second concert on July 13. Singers Lori Stinson, Christopher Campbell and Cedric Berry, along with the Cal Phil Chorale, will perform acclaimed musical masterpieces such as "Phantom of the Opera," "La Boheme," "Evita," "Sunset Blvd." and "Tosca,"  as well as "Nessun Dorma" from "Turandot."

On July 27, Cal Phil will have "Dance Fever." The lineup includes tributes to Elvis, Abba and Michael Jackson. Rounding out the program are "Dance of the Seven Veils," "Romeo and Juliet," "Hava Nagila" and "Ritual Fire Dance."

"Rodgers, Hammerstein and Gershwin" are on the bill for Aug. 10. Special guests — Broadway stars Kim Huber and James Barbour and pianist Bryan Pezzone — will join the orchestra. The concert will include highlights from classic musicals like "Oklahoma!," "The Sound Of Music," "South Pacific" and "Carousel," as well as performances of Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue" and "An American in Paris."

Cal Phil will kiss summer goodbye with "Les Miz and Bernstein" on Aug. 24.  Singers Randal Keith and Melissa Lyons, stars of "Les Misérables" on Broadway and the National Tour, join Cal Phil and the Cal Phil Chorale in a season finale that features performances from selections of "Les Misérables" and "Candide" as well as "On The Town" and "Symphonic Dances from West Side Story."

What You Need to Know if You Go:

• Gates open at 5:30 p.m. for pre-concert dining, live jazz and family-friendly activities. Concerts begin at 7:30 p.m. Table and lawn seating on the infield concert lawn are available.
• If you can't attend Cal Phil's concerts at Santa Anita Park, you can catch the orchestra's Sunday matinees at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Cal Phil at Walt Disney Concert Hall performances start at 2 p.m. with the standing-room-only pre-concert talks with Vener beginning at 1 p.m.
• To purchase tickets for Festival on the Green at Santa Anita Park, call 626-300-8200 or visit www.calphil.org.
• Tickets for Cal Phil at Walt Disney Concert Hall are available for purchase through Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com.
• Santa Anita Park is at 285 W. Huntington Drive.