Your experience with Pacific Chorale is of the utmost importance to us. In the spirit of transparency, we want to provide further information about the circumstances that forced us to postpone last Saturday’s concert, Songs of the Soul, on such short notice.

What Happened?

This concert was specifically programmed to feature the William J. Gillespie Concert Organ at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall. At 7pm on Friday evening, as our artists were arriving at the hall for the final 8pm dress rehearsal, a system-wide electrical issue with the organ arose that rendered the instrument voiceless when certain keys were engaged. The organ technician was immediately consulted and informed the Chorale and Segerstrom Center that the issue could not be rectified before the concert, given it was electrical in nature (and not mechanical). We inquired about the availability of a portable electric substitute organ, which would have had to be brought in via truck and assembled throughout the next morning - such an instrument was not available.

Pipe organs are incredibly intricate instruments, each custom built and uniquely one-of-a-kind. A program that features a concert organ to this degree requires the organist to spend substantial time familiarizing themselves with the instrument. For “Songs of the Soul,” our organ soloist Dr. Jung-A Lee worked over 20 hours balancing the instrument to certain specifications and matching the artistic nuance of each piece. Additionally, rehearsals in the hall last week leading up to Friday’s dress rehearsal involved finding the right balances between the chorus and organ. Even if a backup instrument was secured in time, it would have required hours of extraordinary day-of work to even attempt to find similar registration and balance - time we did not have - and the performance would have been presented without any opportunity to test and rehearse with the full chorus and instrumentalists. On Saturday morning, an additional consultation with another organ technician intimately familiar with this type of instrument, and the complex electrical components that are custom made by a specific sub-contractor, confirmed there was not a quick or simple fix.

As life-long performing artists, we cannot think of a time when we were faced with such a situation. But in the very short time we had to make a decision on Friday night, keeping in mind the artists’ time and the need to provide ticket holders with as much notice as possible, it was clear to us that there was no possibility of presenting a concert Saturday night that even remotely resembled the stunningly beautiful program we had meticulously prepared for you. The artistic integrity would have been severely compromised without the Gillespie Organ, which would not be fair to our artists, or to you!

What’s Next?

Though we plan to reschedule this program - especially given how much effort went into preparing it - we will do so only when we are certain the electrical issue has been resolved. We will work closely with the Segerstrom Center on this critical matter in the coming weeks.

Ticket Holder Information

We sincerely apologize for the last-minute cancellation, and that your weekend plans were impacted. To those who did not receive our messages and who showed up on Saturday afternoon to enjoy the concert - your valuable time and money was lost and for this we are especially sorry. Again, all October 26 ticket holders may request a refund or credit to a future performance. Please contact the box office at 714-662-2345 to redeem.

As a patron and supporter of Pacific Chorale, you value world-class performances so I hope this provides a better understanding of the issue we faced and the reason for which we postponed this concert. We truly missed sharing this wonderful program with you - thank you for your grace and understanding.

Yours in music,

Rhett M. Del Campo
President and CEO

Robert Istad
Phillip N. and Mary A. Lyons Artistic Director