(Photo Credit: PBS)

PBS SoCal’s new documentary, “Under The Baton: Pacific Symphony’s Carl St.Clair” is set to makes its premiere.

The documentary provides a history of Pacific Symphony from its founding in 1978 to becoming the youngest Tier One Orchestra in the nation, under the direction of Maestro Carl St.Clair.

Since his appointment as music director in 1990, Pacific Symphony has become internationally recognized, and has toured globally with numerous commissions and recordings, four youth ensembles, and award-winning education and community engagement initiatives. Notable achievements include a sold-out Carnegie Hall debut in April 2018, where St.Clair conducted a triumphant celebration of Philip Glass’s 80th birthday, the Symphony’s national PBS debut on “Great Performances” with Peter Boyer’s “Ellis Island: The Dream of America,” the conception of the American Composers Festival, and the opera-focused Symphonic Voices series.

St.Clair said in a press release, “I remember my teacher Dr. Walter Ducloux saying, ‘With the Pacific Symphony, you have one of the greatest opportunities afforded to any American music conductor. Get to work.” He continues, “Being the music director of Pacific Symphony has been a true gift that I have never taken for granted. I have the musicians, philanthropists, staff and, our dedicated community of Orange County to thank for the past three decades of artistic growth, achievements and making orchestral music accessible to as many people as possible.”

“Under The Baton: Pacific Symphony’s Carl St.Clair” makes its world broadcast premiere on Dec. 18 at 10:30 p.m. PT on PBS SoCal. The premiere is followed by an encore airing on Dec. 20 at 10 p.m.  The documentary will also be available for streaming.

This program was produced in cooperation with CultureOC, funding provided by the Orange County Community Foundation.