Pacific Symphony with Stravinsky's Firebird and Alexander Shelley

The largest orchestra formed in the United States in the last 50 years, based in Orange County, California, and recognized for its artistic excellence, community engagement, and innovative programming.

The Firebird is a 1910 ballet and orchestral concert work by Russian composer Igor Stravinsky, composed for Sergei Diaghilev's Ballets Russes with choreography by Michel Fokine. Based on Russian folktales, the story follows Prince Ivan as he battles the evil sorcerer Koschei the Deathless to free imprisoned princesses with the assistance of a magical, glittering Firebird. The score is celebrated for its dazzling orchestral colors, rhythmic vitality, and innovative use of contrasting diatonic and chromatic musical scales to distinguish human and supernatural characters.