Conrad Tao plays Rachmaninoff at the Soraya

Celebrating Rachmaninoff 150, firebrand pianist Conrad Tao explores Rachmaninoff’s work and influence on American Music.

Conrad Tao is shaping the future of classical music through his rich and unique interpretations of the Classical Canon. For his debut appearance at The Soraya, the prodigy breaks open Rachmaninoff, reflecting on the composer’s contemporary influence in celebration of the 150th anniversary of his birth. 

Tao will make his debut appearance at The Soraya on April 6, where he will pair American works that inspired or were inspired by composer Sergei Rachmaninoff—from Billy Strayhorn, Art Tatum, Irving Berlin, to Stephen Sondheim—with selections from the composer’s Études Tableaux, Preludes, and Symphonic Dances, as well as Rachmaninoff’s Cello Sonata featuring cellist, Jay Campbell. 

Pianist Conrad Tao began touring the world when he was still a teenager. Still a young twenty-something prodigy today, Tao’s imagination and intellect are as evident as his musical virtuosity. He brings all of that to bear on April 6 in a Soraya debut that explores Sergei Rachmaninoff’s life as a Russian emigré in New York starting in 1918.  

Tao employs the works of other pianists of that era, including Art Tatum and Billy Strayhorn, to demonstrate the intersections and influences between American popular songs, jazz and Rachmaninoff’s compositions.

Thor Steingraber, Executive and Artistic Director of The Soraya.

Weaving in contemporary works from 20th century composers with improvisations on Rachmaninoff’s breathtakingly lush melodies, Tao illuminates the work for new generations of music lovers. 

“In my program, Rachmaninoff’s move to New York in 1918 serves as a jumping-off point for a speculative evening exploring the influence of jazz and American popular music on Rachmaninoff, (his) influence on composers of those same traditions, and other surprising musical connections along the way.”  

Conrad Tao

Conrad Tao plays Rachmaninoff

The Soraya – Great Hall 

Part of the Premium Classical Series.  $41-$88.00

EVENT DATE:

Thursday, April 6 2023

8PM start.

Purchase tickets here.

Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya)

18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91330.

For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit TheSoraya.org,

or simply call the Box Office at (818) 677-3000.

About The Soraya:
Located on the vibrant and diverse campus of California State University in the heart of Los
Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, The Soraya continues its vigorous commitment to innovating,
exceling, and amplifying access by offering a wide variety of performances that reflect LA’s
many distinctive communities and featuring new and original work from the Los Angeles region as well as artists from around the world.