Tonight Orange County’s Pacific Symphony and Pacific Chorale present a special concert honoring the Greatest Generation. This unique concert event includes the much loved “Fanfare for the Common Man” (Copland), a world premiere commissioned by Pacific Symphony, and a sublime patriotic adaptation of “America the Beautiful.” Tickets can set you back as much as $125, but www.OC180NEWS will tell how some lucky groups can get in for as little as $20.00, or even for free.

Spring Awakening is the Tony Award winning rock musical about coming of age, teenage sexual desires, parental/adolescent communication, and teenager raising/discipline. Although the show opened on Broadway in 2006 and the music is contemporary, the story is from a late nineteenth century German play—a play which was banned at the time in Germany.

With this week’s anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall, combined with the recession and the recent spat of Orange County financial crimes which take advantage of vulnerable and needy victims, this 1928 German musical remains Poignant and relevant. The Threepenny Opera, with book and lyrics by Bertolt Brecht and a “finger-snapping score – which ranges from lyrical arias and tangos to stirring anthems and bawdy ballads” by Kurt Weill, opens tonight at the Claire Trevor School of the Arts at University of California, Irvine.

The Los Angeles premiere of Astro Boy was held Monday night at the Mann Chinese 6 Theatre. The stars aligned for the spiky haired young boy’s premiere along with over 1,600 eager fans. Numerous websites & Radio Stations gave away VIP passes to a few lucky winners & the audience enjoyed red carpet viewings, while the celebrities gathered in honor of the wonder boys life long legacy. 

By: Juan DeJesus, guest writer

Orange County knows music & if you’re looking for hot spots to catch all the new singles, head on down to Heat Ultra Lounge in Anaheim. This ultimate nightclub destination is soon to become Orange County’s hottest hang out. This 21+ experience is located at the Anaheim Garden Walk right next to Disneyland & California Adventure.

If you enjoyed the recent performance of "Fiddler on the Roof" at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, here's something else you might like. The 80 members of the Virsky Ukrainian National Dance Company will present "The romance and passion of the Ukraine" on Sunday, 9/13/09 at the Irvine Barclay theatre. The performance will begin at 3:00 pm. According to the release, "Each and every performance is romantic, elevated, passionate, and exciting."

The Orange County Great Park, OCGP, continues their free concert series this weekend. Tonight's "Friday Night Dance Party" is part of their four week "musical tour of Latin America". Saturday night will feature Don Vappie and the Creole Jazz Serenaders who are considered to be "New Orleans’ premier classic jazz orchestra".

Not one, not two, not three, but four never before seen ballets will be presented at the Irvine Barclay this Saturday, July, 25,2009--one night only. The performances are the product of the National Choreographers Initiative (NCI). In this 6th annual NCI, teams of choreographers and professional dancers engage in a three week intensive creative effort to produce new dance works which will culminate in the public performance on Saturday. The NCI Discovery ’09 performance will allow the audience an opportunity to hear the 4 choreographers talk about their concepts and ideas and to ask questions.

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band celebrates its 48th anniversary and its 19th appearance at Irvine Barclay Theatre with its signature brand of New Orleans jazz on Friday, July 10, 2009 at 8 pm.

Tickets to her LA show sold out in hours. Now Lady Gaga has added a new date, a new cd, a new opening act & a new spin on regular tour. Lady Gaga has done us all a favor by adding another date to her ‘The Monster Ball Tour’. Earlier this week Gaga announced she would be adding December 22 at the Nokia Theatre to the inspirational world tour.

Orange County--this is your chance for new music. 102.7 FM will be bringing the biggest acts of 2009 together on one stage for one night. Jingle Ball is a great way to end the year & with new music its guaranteed this is one concert you cannot miss.

A weekend of original musical theatre will take place this weekend at UC Irvine’s Claire Trevor School of the Arts.  Staged readings of two original musicals will launch the first of what will become an annual New Musical Theatre Festival.

Next Sunday, August 23, at 5:00 PM, the Pacific Chorale will present a Choral Festival in the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. An invited Festival Chorus of Orange County and Southern California singers from community, school, university, church and temple choirs joins the voices of Pacific Chorale, Artistic Director John Alexander, as well as eminent organist Frederick Swann for this free public performance.

Seal Beach playwright Arthur Kraft's historical play Philadelphia Lawyer, is receiving its world premiere at STAGEStheatre in Fullerton. The performances, which opened on July 10, continue through August 9. The play depicts actual historical events in pre-Revolutionary New York.

The Chance Theater of Anaheim Hills opens a 5 week run of the 1960's hit musical Hair, The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical. Although the Chance will kick off the production with a Gala Opening Night July 11, there are no seats available until next weekend. This show was considered so radical at the time it was first produced that it had to wait until censorship laws were revoked before it could be produced in London. If you don't remember the 1960's, Hair was the source for several top 40 hits, including "Aquarius", "Let the Sunshine In", "Hair", and "I Believe in Love".

The summer arts seen in Laguna Beach includes three separate venues, all located on picturesque Laguna Canyon Road. Opening today, Friday June 26 are the Art-a-Fair and Sawdust Art Festival, with the Festival of Arts opening on July 5. All three run through the end of August and each offer a unique perspective on the arts.