Lolita Harper Tons of destructive metal machinery...

Lolita Harper

Tons of destructive metal machinery were never as beautiful as

they were Thursday evening while breaking ground in cadence at the

site of the future Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.

Three giant backhoes, driven by Rich Holt, Frank Fasel and Andrew

MacInnis, moved in sequence under the direction of world-renowned

maestro Carl St. Clair as Carl Michael Ziehrer’s “Velvet and Silk”

played in the background. The rhythmic destruction marked the

groundbreaking of a $200-million expansion of the Orange County

Performing Arts Center.

The choreographed effort succeeded in making colossal equipment,

transporting heaps of dirt, look downright graceful. It was an

unparalleled scene in which 2,000 refined Orange Countians shared the

stage with refinery apparatus. An explosive display of fireworks cast

a spectacular glow over the inimitable event.

The earth-shattering performance was a pivotal step in putting

Orange County at the forefront of the arts community, officials said.

Jerry Mandel, the Center’s president, said the new project will allow

the community to expand every performance area it has.

“What it brings is the finest venue for performances anywhere in

the country,” he said.

The new 2,000-seat concert hall and 500-seat music theater will

cover 260,000 square feet and feature a multilevel grand lobby space,

a private donor lounge, rehearsal rooms, dressing rooms, a music

library, a restaurant, an adjustable acoustical canopy and adjustable

reverberation chambers, all enclosed within a glass-curtain exterior.

Paul Folino, the chair and chief executive of Costa Mesa-based

Emulex, who also chairs the Center’s board of directors, marveled at

the plans for the new concert hall and excitedly pointed out its

features to onlookers.

“It looks a lot more spectacular than before,” Folino said while

examining a large model of the landmark structure designed by Cesar

Pelli.

Center officials have described the renovated arts area as a

meeting of the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Museum

of Art and Broadway, all just across the street from each other. City

leaders have long anticipated the project and the arts district it

will create. The concert hall and theater are scheduled to open in

2006.

Henry Segerstrom, who donated $40 million to the project, said the

day’s event was the culmination of 14 years of planning.

“When it opens in the fall of 2006, this will be the finest

concert hall in the world, a musical instrument of unequaled

acoustical sensitivity, housed in a structure of incredible grace and

brilliance,” he said.

Officials also announced that the Flour Corporation will manage

the expansion project and that the Irvine Co. has guaranteed that the

project won’t go over budget. Flour officials said that they will

pre-qualify subcontractors and suppliers and carefully manage those

selected to ensure that the expansion does not exceed its

$200-million price tag.

The money for the expansion has been raised entirely through

private funds, and officials hope the generous trend will continue to

be able to cover those costs in the next few years.

Despite the slowing economy, Mandel said he is confident the

Center will meet its mark.

“There is always concern for the economy,” Mandel said, admitting

that officials would rather have the booming prosperity of years

before. “But there are always cycle for the economy and the interest

in this project has been remarkable.”

Beyond the world-class performance venue the Center will bring to

the heart of suburbia, Mandel is anxious for the continuing arts

education it will allow them to provide area children. More than

500,000 children will visit the new center each year, he said. Over

10 years, the site will have influenced 5 million children who most

likely are lacking in fine arts education, he said.

“Now, we aren’t just extra; in many cases, we are the only arts

education,” Mandel said. “And that is just tragic.”

Former mayor Linda Dixon was beside herself with excitement about

the project. She thanked Henry Segerstrom for having the foresight

and wisdom to continue to support the arts in Costa Mesa.

His vision will serve future students, residents and visitors of

this community for decades to come, she said. Costa Mesa’s eclectic

and diverse character is enhanced by the addition of this level of

culture, she said.

* LOLITA HARPER writes columns Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays

and covers culture and the arts. She may be reached at (949) 574-4275

or by e-mail at [email protected].