In the words of Roger White, a curator at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C, a lowrider is a “rolling work of art.” The customized cars with lowered suspensions ride close to the ground and “glow with brilliant colors,” cruising the streets at slow speeds to give onlookers a chance to appreciate their intricate designs.
These unique vehicles are outlets of cultural expression, as are symphony orchestras. You might not think the two art forms are terribly compatible, but the acclaimed jazz composer and bandleader Arturo O’Farrill would disagree.
O’Farrill has been named the first-ever Artist-in-Residence at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Orange County, which is about to celebrate its 40th anniversary season. He will head up a new Hispanic and Latino arts initiative at the center, which will involve a variety of disciplines including dance, theater, and jazz.
The season will culminate on July 9,2027 with the premiere of a work he is writing for the Pacific Symphony, which he calls the Lowrider Symphony.
“I’m deeply moved by Chicano culture,” O’Farrill told the website Culture O.C. “One of the things about the lowrider world is it’s so stylized. It doesn’t derive from anything. It’s almost its own stand-alone art form — the clothing, the culture, the fierce pride.
“I want to capture that sound.”
Around 35% of Orange County residents are Hispanic, according to a recent census. The Segerstrom Center has been planning to better serve that community and diversify its audience. “¡VIVA! The Spenuzza Series” is an ambitious move in that direction.
It kicks off Sept. 19th with a performance by O’Farrill (the son of Latin jazz great Chico O’Farrill) and his Afro-Latin Jazz Orchestra. O’Farrill will also headline another concert, titled “Copacabana Nights” on Feb. 19, 2027.
Other 2027 performances will include the tour of the Broadway production Buena Vista Social Club from March 29–April 11; an Afro-Cuban take on the music of Thelonious Monk on May 7; and an adaption of the ballet Don Quixote performed by Ballet Hispanico New York and the Pacific Symphony on May 15.
“We are proud to deepen Segerstrom Center’s commitment to celebrating the remarkable artistic traditions and cultural contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities,” said Casey Reitz, the organization’s president and CEO. “O’Farrill’s “artistry and leadership will help deepen the cultural dialogue at the heart of this growing initiative.”
For ticket information, call (714) 556-2787 or go to scfta.org/culture.
