California Institute of the Arts is pleased to announce that The Wild Beast Concert Series, presented by Levitt Pavilions, will launch its inaugural season on October 23. Hosted by the Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts, the series of four free outdoor concerts spans classical, jazz, world music and the West Coast premiere of Iannis Xenakis’ opera Oresteia–with performances by extraordinary emerging and established musicians, along with special guest artists.

The series kicks off at 7 p.m. October 23 with “Strauss, Mozart and Gabrieli Under the Stars.” Future performances include the West coast premiere of Iannis Xenakis’ “Oresteia” at 4 p.m. Sunday, November 7; the CalArts Jazz concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 23, 2011 and the CalArts World Percussion Ensemble at 7 p.m. Sunday, May 8, 2011.

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The Wild Beast music pavilion, on the CalArts campus, has been dubbed a “mini Hollywood Bowl” for its outdoor amphitheater setting. With open lawn seating, families are welcome and picnics encouraged at Santa Clarita’s newest open air concert venue.

Designed by Hodgetts + Fung, an architectural firm that also played a critical role in the redesign of the Hollywood Bowl, The Wild Beast houses a highly flexible, acoustically optimized performance and rehearsal space that allows The Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts to better serve its growing student population and support an expanded curriculum.

Additionally, with its capacity to accommodate more than 750 guests on the S. Mark Taper Foundation Courtyard grounds, The Wild Beast affords CalArts the opportunity of sharing and engaging its world-class talented musicians and musical performances with the broader Santa Clarita Valley community.

The Wild Beast Concert Series is presented by Levitt Pavilions, a national nonprofit organization that inspires and strengthens communities through free live music experiences. Lifting the lives of hundreds of thousands, the national Levitt program brings joy to diverse communities coast to coast. Central to Levitt Pavilions’ mission is the development and support of Levitt pavilions as community gathering spaces, forming the only national network of outdoor venues with free programming, with two Southern California locations – Old Pasadena and MacArthur Park in Los Angeles. With exceptional entertainment and welcoming spaces for families, friends and neighbors of all ages and backgrounds, Levitt pavilions are community treasures. “We are thrilled to present the inaugural season of the Wild Beast Concert Series at CalArts, taking our program beyond the performances presented in Levitt Pavilions around the country,” noted Sharon Yazowski, Executive Director of Levitt Pavilions. “This is a natural partnership. We are committed to providing communities with high quality live music experiences and making the arts accessible to all. We are extremely excited to expand our efforts into the Santa Clarita Valley and beyond.”

CalArts is located at 24700 McBean Parkway in Valencia. Admission is free, but advance registration is suggested. For information, call 661 253 7816