Composer Will Put Himself on the Spot

Composer Mark McGurty will write a new piece on the spot at a Pacific Symphony family concert to be led by Keith Clark at 11:30 a.m. Saturday at the Orange County Performing Arts Center in Costa Mesa.

McGurty will open the program with a short talk about what a composer does and then, while Clark leads the orchestra in music by Vivaldi, Mozart, Saint-Saens and Stravinsky, McGurty will write the new piece. Clark will conduct McGurty’s new work at the end of the concert.

“The idea is to show children that music is a vital, ongoing process that people engage in now, not something that is limited to displays in a museum,” McGurty said.

Tickets: $5 and $7. Information: (714) 973-1300.