Orange County Music & Dance Exits Great Park Development

Orange County Music & Dance (OCMD) will no longer build its new headquarters at the Great Park after reconsidering financial and operational factors. 

The arts nonprofit is currently headquartered in Irvine near the Costa Mesa (55) Freeway at the corner of MacArthur Boulevard and Fitch and is also the home base for the Pacific Symphony. Until last month, OC Music & Dance had an agreement with the city of Irvine to build a new 70,000-square-foot campus at the Great Park. 

On Feb. 19, the board of directors voted to instead acquire a new building within Irvine to expand the organization’s footprint. It will announce the new location of the future campus, along with programmatic expansion plans, in the next several weeks. 

“This new direction allows us to remain fiscally responsible, accelerate our growth, and continue building a vibrant home for young artists, musicians and dancers in Orange County,” said Charlie Zhang, who established the nonprofit performing arts school with Executive Vice Chair and CEO Doug Freeman in 2017. 

Freeman said that redirecting efforts and resources to an existing facility and building it out “better fulfills the organization’s mission and vision for the future.” 

“The new location will allow OCMD to build-out a state-of-the-art facility without incurring any debt and allow us to launch expanded programs in the fall of 2026 rather than having to wait 18-24 months for construction to be completed,” Freeman said in a statement. 

OCMD cited rising construction material and labor expenses for the shift, as well as “recently discovered and unforeseen delays” in aiming to complete construction at the park by fall 2027. There were also challenges to secure temporary facilities, the nonprofit said. 

“We’re deeply grateful to the City of Irvine, Great Park leadership and our arts partners for their time and collaboration throughout the exploration of the Great Park opportunity. Their support has been invaluable, and we look forward to continuing those relationships in the future,” Freeman added. 

Two Museums Still Remaining, Two in Talks 

OC Music & Dance initially signed an agreement with the city of Irvine in 2024 to move to the Great Park development. 

OCMD’s expanded facilities were to include private teaching studios, classrooms, practice rooms, rehearsal and performance spaces with state-of-the-art technology. The Irvine nonprofit planned to make the new spaces available for other performing arts organizations as well. 

The new campus would have expanded its current 21,000-square-foot HQ to more than 70,000 square feet on the south side of the Irvine park development, in an area dubbed Cultural Terrace, adjacent to the sports complex. A 450-seat theater was also in the works. The lease for the land was going to cover the next 50 years. 

At the time, the nonprofit expected its student body to more than double to over 500 per week. 

The arrangement also included a new home for Pacific Symphony, Orange County’s orchestra, which performs at the park’s temporary outdoor amphitheater during the summer. OCMD plans to keep its current facilities and operate out of both locations. 

The two buildings will offer similar programs. One will house the recital hall, music and voice studios, dance studios, recording studio and administrative offices, while the other will feature additional music and voice studios and dance space. Pacific Symphony will remain in the original building. 

A year ago, Freeman said moving to the Great Park would put the organization at the center of Orange County, providing easier access for the 30 cities that OCMD serves. He noted that the Cultural Terrace was going to “be one inspiring building after another.” 

Board members described the area as a “cultural launch” for the park during a tour last year. 

Mass grading of the 45-acre Cultural Terrace has been completed, with two other organizations still slated to open brand-new facilities—Pretend City Children’s Museum and the $63 million Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum. The latter was the first to break ground last fall. 

Pretend City is planning to break ground on its new 72,000-square-foot space in the next few months. Both museums are scheduled to open in 2027. 

The Asian American Museum, which held a kick-off event last week as it looks to raise funds, is also in the works for Cultural Terrace. 

The park is in talks with a few other organizations exploring the cultural hub, including Laguna Art Museum. 

Altogether, the city is spending an estimated $1.1 billion to build one of the nation’s largest city parks. When complete, the Great Park will cover 1,347 acres.