Jane Lynch & Her Friends Who Can Sing

The Emmy-winning TV and Broadway star brings a cabaret show filled with music and laughter to the Segerstrom Center MORE

♦ Arts & Culture ♦

What’s Coming Up in Arts & Culture for 2023?

2022 was a year of recovery, while 2023 appears to be a year of reinvention in local arts and culture.

The big productions are back, as are the experimental, edgy and boundary-pushing shows. From “The Killer Angels” at Maverick Theater in Fullerton to Pilobolus at Musco Center in Orange, a sense of experimentation and exploration seems to have reinvigorated Orange County’s venues and presenting organizations. The Chicago Symphony – one of the world’s great orchestras – is coming to Segerstrom Concert Hall later this month, and area cultural festivals are back at full force.

Here’s a look at the best in theater, dance, visual arts, classical music, culture and food for the early part of 2023, brought to you by Voice of OC’s talented team of arts and culture writers.

♦ Food Column ♦

Panoringan: Reflecting on Lunar New Year Traditions and Dining

Growing up in the Bay Area, I knew about Chinese New Year, but besides red envelopes filled with money and firecrackers going off, I couldn’t articulate much beyond that. It wasn’t until I moved to Orange County 20-something years ago that I truly began to appreciate the significance of it. 

Locally referred to as Tet or Lunar New Year, the holiday is appreciated by not only Chinese residents but Vietnamese, Korean, Taiwanese and other backgrounds. 

To get a better understanding of this celebration, I reached out to individuals and businesses in the community (with help from Connie Bang-Co Aboubakare a.k.a. @occomestibles) to share some of their Lunar New Year memories growing up. We also discussed many of the foods associated with Tet. During the course of my research, I quickly realized that many of the dishes these individuals identified with Lunar New Year were not necessarily enjoyed in restaurants, but usually prepared by the best chefs of all – their moms.

Creative Co-op Night

The Fullerton Museum Center invites you to enjoy a beverage and an evening of artistic play at this grown-up collage-making class MORE

OC Legends of Jazz Presents Baba Elefante

The globally-renowned bass player and recording artist is putting on a low-cost jazz concert in Santa Ana with his group The Ron Kobayashi Trio in order to build support for local musicians MORE

After School: Creative Nature Crafts

Corona del Mar's Sherman Library and Gardens is offering a four-week course for kids aged 7-11 to learn about the marvels of plant life and the ways they can be used in arts and crafts MORE

The Artists' Garden

Final weekend for this free group exhibition at Laguna Beach's JoAnne Artman Gallery which honors the legacy of Claude Monet and the way his renowned garden at Giverny changed the way floral and pastoral sights are captured in paint MORE