Telepeer

Segerstrom Center announces jazz icon as first ever artist-in-residence

March 30, 2026

The Segerstrom Center for the Arts is celebrating its 40th anniversary by expanding its Hispanic and Latino arts and culture programming and naming Grammy Award-winning jazz composer and band leader Arturo O’Farrill as its first-ever artist in residence.

The center announced O’Farrill’s selection on Monday, March 30, along with the launch of ¡VIVA! The Spenuzza Series, a new initiative featuring Latin American acts.

“It’s a huge honor and responsibility,” O’Farrill said in a phone interview. “Segerstrom put a tremendous amount of trust and faith in my ability to reflect not just my artistic values, but the values that make it a great institution. It’s a very diverse community, and I want to reflect those values in everything that I put together. There’s a lot of joy and pride in that surrounding community. I feel extremely humbled and honored beyond words to be their first artist in residence.”

O’Farrill was born in Mexico City and carries the Mexican heritage of his mother, Lupe, and the Cuban heritage of his father Arturo “Chico” O’Farrill, a composer who helped pioneer Afro-Cuban jazz, also known as “Cubop.”

Arturo O'Farrill, center, and The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra accept the award for best latin jazz album for "Fandango At The Wall In New York" at the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello) — Arturo O’Farrill, center, and The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra accept the award for best latin jazz album for “Fandango At The Wall In New York” at the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

While his father’s work was pioneering at the time, O’Farrill has built his own musical career. In his early days, he was a jazz sideman, working with such greats as Carla Bley, Dizzy Gillespie, Lester Bowie and Harry Belafonte. He’s composed ballet scores for the San Francisco Ballet and is currently writing music for classical pianist Lara Downes. He’s won six Grammy Awards along with two Latin Grammys.

“What I’ve done is I’ve tried to educate myself about different cultures, musical languages and traditions,” he said. “A lot of people don’t mix jazz and classical, classical with Latin, Latin with jazz, but the thing that defines me more than anything else is I don’t see those delineations. I see that the call was to be the best musician and composer I can be, and that’s what’s been the most successful. I’ve been able to connect worlds, not necessarily stay in one lane.”

Arturo O'Farril performs onstage during the 65th GRAMMY Awards GRAMMY Celebration at Los Angeles Convention Center on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images for The Recording Academy) — Arturo O’Farril performs onstage during the 65th GRAMMY Awards GRAMMY Celebration at Los Angeles Convention Center on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

O’Farrill’s residency will involve programming at multiple venues across the Segerstrom Center campus throughout the 2026–27 season. The performances, new commissions, youth and family programming, master classes, and community-centered events will help create opportunities for audiences to experience the Latin music landscape. He hopes to help foster deeper connections between the artists and the community.

“I want to connect with people, and I want them to know they can come talk to me and have a conversation,” he said. “I want to learn about the people in Costa Mesa. Educate me. I want to know about your world too. But I also hope that people who are timid about hearing Latin music, jazz, or even classical music will see that my music blends all those elements and that they’ll want to experience something they may not have thought they’d like. I hope you can go on and just say they’re ready to go on a journey.”

Another initiative in the series that aims to expand Latin American meetings includes ¡VIVA! The Spenuzza Series, sponsored by the Spenuzza Family. The series, according to a press announcement, hopes to highlight the “diversity of Hispanic culture across artistic genres, including music, dance, Broadway, jazz, and family programming.”

“Our inspiration really begins with a deep admiration that we have for the Segerstrom Center for the Arts and its commitment to artistic excellence and cultural inclusion,” said Connie Spenuzza, a board member for the center. “The series reflects a curatorial vision that is both scholarly and celebratory. It will present artists of the highest caliber while honoring cultural authenticity, and anyone who is going for the first time, I think, will understand that this is a place that welcomes everyone.”

Spenuzza, who was born in Quito, Ecuador, has written 15 books under her pen name Cecilia Velástegui, ranging from historical and cultural fiction to bilingual children’s books. She added that the new series will help audiences in these age groups to gain a broader experience of Latin American art that can be heard in real time and extend beyond the pages of a book.

Casey Reitz, president and CEO of Segerstrom Center for the Arts, said that having an artist in residence allows the center to take on a new perspective on arts and culture and to reflect the surrounding communities.

“The community can see themselves on stage and see their stories on stage, in art forms that really resonate with them,” Reitz said. “Something we’ve always talked about when discussing how to reach different communities is that people want to see themselves on stage. They want to see themselves represented.”

Segerstrom Center for the Arts offcially opened in 1986 and now features six venues including Segerstrom Hall, which accommodates 3,000 guests; the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, a multi-tiered concert hall holding up to 2,000 patrons that opened in 2006; the Samueli Theater, a cabaret-style theater with a 600-person capacity; the open-air Julianne and George Argyros Plaza; the Center for Dance & Innovation/Judy Morr Theater, a multi-use black box theater; and the Education Center, comprised of the Boeing Education Lab and Studio Performance Space for education and community programs.

Segerstrom Center announces jazz icon as first ever artist-in-residence Orange County Register

News Details

Segerstrom Center announces jazz icon as first ever artist-in-residence

News

CONTACT INFO

QUICK LINKS

SERVICES

CURRENT NEWS