REVIEW: Despite a new director and lead actor and a few imperfections, the 41st annual production feels as warm and reassuring as a visit from St. Nick as Richard Doyle finds his way into the role of Ebenezer Scrooge.
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.
Posted inARTS & CULTURE
Orange County Once Again Readies to Celebrate the Holidays with Music and More
Need a few ideas for getting out to celebrate the holidays? The Arts & Culture team has put together a list of their favorites for the upcoming season.
Posted inMusic
Conductor of the Year to Lead Pacific Symphony This Weekend
Pacific Symphony’s guest conductor Teddy Abrams has found ways to spread good will and unite people through music.
Posted inMusic
Choral Arts Initiative Celebrates 10th Anniversary With Its First Post-Pandemic Live Concert
“Together” marks a new era but showcases the same new-music focus of Irvine’s Choral Arts Initiative.
Posted inTheater
SCR Returns to Live Indoor Theater With a Wordy But Fascinating World Premiere
REVIEW: Richard Greenberg’s ‘A Shot Rang Out’ is a wordy but effective vehicle for artistic director David Ivers.
Posted inARTS & CULTURE
Arts Groups Adapt Opening Plans After Delta Variant Changes the COVID Landscape
The longterm effects of COVID on Orange County performing arts institutions not only include the audience experience, but also require rethinking programming and fundraising.
Posted inARTS & CULTURE
Arts Communities in OC and LA Mourn the Passing of Paul Musco
An avid opera fan, he supported many major performing arts groups.
Posted inCulture
Orange County’s First Poet Laureate Sets Her Own Agenda
Natalie Graham wants to do things that are unusual and interact with the community as the county’s first poet laureate.
Posted inARTS & CULTURE
Major Orange County Arts Orgs to Require Masks and Full COVID-19 Vaccination for the Foreseeable Future
The major O.C. arts institutions announced in a jointstatement that both audience and staff members will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccinations and wear masks at all times while inside their venues.
Posted inTheater
South Coast Repertory Creates a New ‘Normal’ in Its 2021-22 Season
A pared down season, including two plays featuring SCR’s artistic director David Ivers in acting roles, has been announced.
