After a three-day intensive rehearsal schedule with Artistic Director Robert Istad, Pacific Chorale’s Festival Chorus performed in a free concert at Renée & Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall at Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa on Sunday, August 16, 2026.

The Festival Chorus, comprised of 320 singers from Southern California and beyond, joined together for Duruflé's Requiem.

The 2026 Choral Festival​​​​​​​, conducted by Artistic Director Robert Istad, also featured solos from Pacific Chorale's members: mezzo-soprano Jane Shim, and baritone Jared Daniel Jones. We also had the pleasure of welcoming Pacific Symphony's principal cellist Warren Hagerty to the stage.

The concert opened with an organ prelude, Duruflé's Fugue sur le Thème du Carillon des Heures de la Cathédrale de Soissons, Op. 12, played by the by the accomplished organist, Dr. Emma Whitten. 

Thank you to everyone who attended this free concert! This concert would not be possible without the generous support of our season sponsors, Phillip N. and Mary A. Lyons and Capital Group. Additional funding was also provided by Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

Enjoy some highlights below from the concert and backstage! Photos © Doug Gifford Photography.

Highlights: Choral Festival 2026