But the Focus Shifts : Orange County Arts Center’s 1st Year Hailed

The three-letter word but became the pivot on which the annual meeting of the Orange County Performing Arts Center turned Thursday evening in Costa Mesa.

In a glowing report on the Center’s health, President Thomas R. Kendrick said the building “has proved itself from solo recitals to grand opera” in its first full year of operation, “but the focus has changed, and we are being judged now as we will be in the future on the range and quality of our programming.”

Center presentations are drawing magnificently, “more than 85% capacity” on average, Kendrick said, “but we and every regional (group) that has reserved this hall have now seen it less than 40% full in some attendance.”

Kendrick, who is also the Center’s chief operating officer, listed an impressive catalogue of programming successes “but--and the word is but . . . this is a very sensitive period in the Center’s transition.”

That transition--a quest to turn “national notice into national stature,” as Kendrick put it--was the dominant theme of an otherwise routine meeting that included the release of the Center’s audited financial statement for 1987 and an announcement of the results of the board elections for 1988.

“In short,” Kendrick told a devoted crowd of 82 Center members, “we believe we have the programming in place to move forward, but we must sell those tickets, and we must raise the necessary subsidy. This remains the real-time challenge.”

In an interview, Center Chairman Henry T. Segerstrom disclosed the revised budget for fiscal 1988 that was presented to the board members in executive session following the annual meeting. According to the figures, the Center anticipates expenses of $15.6 million and revenues of $10.8 million before charitable donations. This will leave an “income gap” of $4.8 million. The budget calls for that amount in fund raising to offset the gap.

As previously reported in The Times, the Center spent $12.1 million and earned $8.9 million, leaving an “income gap” of $3.2 million before charitable donations in fiscal 1987. Fund-raising efforts and other sources of support delivered a total of $4.3 million, thus yielding a $1.1 million “positive balance” last year.

All regional arts centers depend on charitable donations to help offset expenses, Kendrick said, because revenues from ticket sales alone do not finance the cost of the major arts productions such as opera, symphony concerts and ballet.

Kendrick estimated that more than 600,000 people went to 245 performances at the Center in 1987, and he said the Center is approaching “a real landmark. . . . In the next few performances more than 1 million people will have attended” since the Center began operating in September, 1986.

“We have shattered the myth of elitism this year,” Segerstrom said after the meeting, in a reference to increasing sales of non-subscription tickets.

Another achievement, according to board member Thomas H. Nielsen’s treasurer’s report, was the reduction of outstanding construction loans from $13 million to $7 million through the collection of pledges. Nielsen said the Center expects to “fully retire the loan balance over the next few years.”

In recapping more than a year’s worth of programming highlights as well as future play dates, Kendrick ran down a list that served as a vivid reminder of the Center’s unquestionable energy.

American Ballet Theatre has appeared twice, presenting three world premieres. New York City Ballet and the Joffrey have been to the Center. The National Ballet of Canada will be there in June, and, as a particular programming coup, so will the Paris Opera Ballet under the direction of Rudolf Nureyev. It will be the Paris company’s sole West Coast appearance, and one of only three nationally (the others will be in Washington and New York).

In its orchestral series, the Center has hosted the Chicago Symphony under Sir George Solti, the Cleveland, the Warsaw, the Rotterdam, the Birmingham under Simon Rattle and concerts conducted by Andre Previn, Kurt Sanderling, Zubin Mehta.

Moreover, the Pacific Symphony, which had initially considered that an average season would include about 16 concerts, drew a “far larger” audience than anticipated and is offering 40 concerts in the current season, Kendrick said.

Recalling the concert appearance of Luciano Pavarotti, Kendrick looked ahead to five full-scale operas next season--New York City Opera’s “Rigoletto,” “The Magic Flute” and “The Merry Widow” as well as Opera Pacific’s “Barber of Seville” and “Norma” (with Joan Sutherland).

In musical theater, he cited such upcoming arrivals as “Me and My Girl,” “Cats” and “Can-Can” with Chita Rivera. And he emphasized that the Center will continue to broaden its reach beyond the four major disciplines--ballet, opera, symphonic concerts and musical theater--that make up the basic programming commitment. He foresees more big band, pop, jazz and country-music concerts.

Still, Kendrick cautioned, “for the past six months average attendance has been tapering . . . advertising costs have significantly increased (20%, he said later) . . . our current budget is tight, quite tight.”

Despite this, he said in an interview, the three-week residency of Michael Tilson Thomas’ New World Symphony from June 24 to July 16 represents a significant new commitment by the Center. Although the summer residency is being co-sponsored by the Orange County Philharmonic Society and UC Irvine, the Center has set aside an allocation “to guarantee the financing,” Kendrick said. He would not specify the amount of the allocation.

The New World festival, which will include music seminars at UCI, is expected to cost as much as $500,000. Kendrick said the three co-sponsors would mount special fund-raising efforts to cover any costs not covered by the orchestra’s ticket sales here.

In a bow to the assembled board members at the annual meeting, Kendrick praised “the unparallelled community and volunteer leadership” of the past and urged continuing efforts. To falter, he concluded, “would be to lose a golden opportunity that few communities have ever had within their grasp.”

Marylyn P. Pauley, vice chairman of the Center’s community relations division, came in for special praise. Segerstrom presented her with the Chairman’s Cup Award for outstanding service.

Joining the 51-member board for the first time are Hinda Beral of Irvine, C. Stephen Mansfield of Huntington Beach, Ciel Woodman of Newport Beach and Richard J. Muth of Orange. Reelected were Gary H. Hunt, A. Vincent Jorgensen, Thomas P. Kemp, Ignacio E. Lozano Jr., John R. Miltner, Harold E. Price, Elaine M. Redfield, Donald W. Shaw and Georgia Spooner.

Only 1,384 of 6,100 community volunteers who belong to the six Center support groups cast votes in this year’s election. And it took only 310 votes--5% of all Center members--to be elected to the policy-making body.

Five board members retired. They are Frank E. O’Bryan, Don W. Oliphant, John B. Parker, William J. Popejoy and William S. Lund.