South Coast Plaza installation offers ‘Music of Hope’ to honor cancer survivors

Michelle Vacca remembers calling into KROQ radio station during the 1980s and winning Beastie Boys tickets.

Decades later, listening to Ad-Rock, MCA and Mike D still fires up the Huntington Beach native and Edison High School graduate. But her more current obsession is K-pop, Korean popular music.

Vacca, now 57, has a group of girlfriends she goes to K-pop concerts with.

Music is life for Vacca, a lung cancer survivor who now lives in Coto de Caza.

“Music has the power to change your mood, change your mind set, and you know which songs flip that switch for you,” she said. “It’s personal, and it’s in your own head. Even though you’re in a room full of other people, it affects you differently than it affects the person sitting next to you.”

Vacca thanks a clinical trial from City of Hope Orange County and her oncologist, Dr. Danny Nguyen, for helping to save her life. She also believes in the healing power of art.

City of Hope Orange County is currently honoring cancer survivors through its “Music of Hope” installation at South Coast Plaza, in partnership with Pacific Symphony and Yamaha. Through Monday, June 10, musicians from Pacific Symphony and other talented local pianists and musicians will play daily in the Jewel Court, near Macy’s, on a blue “Hope” grand piano and other instruments as a tribute to cancer survival.

June is National Cancer Survivors Month, and there are more than 18 million cancer survivors in the United States. Those numbers are projected to increase to 22.5 million by 2032 and 26 million by 2040.

A program was held at the Music of Hope exhibit on May 30, featuring remarks by longtime Pacific Symphony music director Carl St. Clair and others. Vacca, who was first diagnosed with lung cancer in 2017 but said she had been keeping it a secret from most people until last fall, also gave a speech.

The music goes from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day through Monday and features plenty of genres, said Laura Weiss, the project coordinator for Music of Hope.

“We’ve had everything from classical to jazz to Broadway,” Weiss said. “We’ve had K-pop, we’ve had anime, we’ve had gaming music. It’s really fun … Even the storefront workers all come out, and they’re really excited to see what’s been happening every day. It’s been very well received.”

City of Hope Orange County President Annette Walker said the nonprofit has previously done an exhibit at South Coast Plaza, but this unique partnership with the Pacific Symphony is something new. The blue “Hope” piano will also make an appearance at the Festival of Arts in Laguna Beach, beginning July 3.

“It’s not only just beautiful in its physical presence, but the music is so uplifting and inspiring,” Walker said. “It’s really, really special. It’s a true celebration of survivorship but a little bit of a tear-jerker too, to be honest with you.”

Orange County-based nonprofit Kure It cancer research chose last week’s event to present a $100,000 check to City of Hope for Nguyen’s clinical trial work.

Vacca’s step-sister, Brooke Adams, is the director of strategy and development for Kure It and helped her try to get her foot in the door with City of Hope in 2019, when her lung cancer returned.

Vacca is glad that she’s started being more open about her cancer journey so that she can help others.

She’s been on her current clinical trial for more than a year, she said, and has seen what she calls miraculous reduction in her lung cancer. The trial involves taking a pill twice a day, plus a scan, blood labs and a clinic visit every six weeks.

The side effects are minimal, leaving Vacca with time to search out the next K-pop concert. She’s seeing boy band ATEEZ, which plays two dates next month at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles.

“I’ll probably go to both days,” she said with a smile. “I did the last two times they came out.”

On Monday afternoon, she listened to Music of Hope participants Abraham Cervantes (vocals) and Severin Behnin (piano) of Pacific Chorale recite a version of “Michelle” by the Beatles, which was coincidental but made her smile.

“Music really has an impact on so many people’s lives,” Vacca said. “You hear a song and it makes you cry. You turn on music to get pumped up to work out or do your chores in the house … It draws you in.”

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