The French pianist, known for exploring unusual paths, will play all of Debussy’s Préludes at Soka University.
Author Archives: Paul Hodgins
Paul Hodgins was born in Canada, where he studied piano at the Royal Conservatory of Music and became a professional accompanist by the age of 20. Hodgins worked widely in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. as an accompanist and music professor at Simon Fraser University, the Banff Centre for the Arts, Nonington College (Kent), Eastern Michigan University, and many festivals. He moved to the U.S. to pursue graduate studies in the 1980s and has lived here ever since, completing his doctorate in musical composition at the University of Southern California.
Hodgins was a professor of music at the University of California Irvine from 1985 to 1992, where he served as music director of the dance department and founding director of the Gassman Electronic Music Studio. After freelancing as a classical music critic at the San Diego Union-Tribune, he became an arts journalist and critic for The Orange County Register, where he wrote principally about theater and later about dance and classical music.
In addition to his expertise in the performing arts, Hodgins has written extensively about jazz, architecture, interior design and urban planning. For the last decade he has written a regular column about wine, beer and spirits for the Register.
Hodgins has written two books. Music, Movement and Metaphor, a study of dance-music relationships in 20th-century choreography, was published in 1992. The Winemakers of Paso Robles came out in 2017.
Hodgins remains active as an educator. He has been on the journalism faculty at California State University, Fullerton since 2001. He has also taught journalism at Cal State Long Beach and UCLA Extension.
Hodgins and his wife have lived in downtown Huntington Beach for 20 years. Some day he will learn how to surf.
Languages spoken: English
Areas of expertise: Orange County, theater, dance, music and arts issues.
Pacific Chorale Tackles a Massive Choral Classic
Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610 requires huge forces and a lot of creative interpretation.
Triumph Over Adversity Festival Brings Dynamic New Talent to O.C.
Singer Davóne Tines brings his own interpretation of artistic inclusiveness to this year’s festival in Costa Mesa and Santa Ana.
National Endowment for the Arts Chair Talks in O.C.
Maria Rosario Jackson is the first NEA Chair to visit Orange County in more than three decades
Jeremy Denk Brings His Insatiable Musical Curiosity to Laguna Beach Music Festival
Three-concert series includes an eclectic mix of household names, mavericks and musical curiosities.
Orange County Gets a Big Dose of Muti Magic
REVIEW: The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of its departing conductor, delivers a program that showcases its gifts.
What To Do in Orange County During the 2022 Holiday Season
Voice of OC’s arts and culture writers pick out the best in culture, visual arts, dance, theater, classical music and food for the holiday season.
Viet Cuong Marches to His Own Unusual Drummer
Pacific Symphony’s new composer-in-residence has already made his mark with wit, inventiveness and creative curiosity.
A Conductor on the Rise Reveals Her Gifts
REVIEW: The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra showcased its lush, refined sound Tuesday night under the physical and precise leadership of Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla.
Pacific Symphony’s Carl St.Clair Announces He Will Hand the Baton to a Successor
The music director of Pacific Symphony for 33 years is leaving his post, probably at the end of the 2023-24 season.



