The Soraya dazzles with 2023 season of concerts

The Soraya presents the best in Classical, best in Jazz, best Hecho en Las Américas, and best of Broadway this year with their dazzling line-up of concerts.

Enjoy a new season of a range of live concerts, all performed on The Soraya’s award-winning stage located on the campus of CSUN/Northridge. 

Wed. Feb 15, 2023 at 8pm / Great Hall

Filharmonie Brno Perform music by Czech composers Dvořák, Janáček, and Martinů;

Dennis Russell Davies, Chief Conductor and Artistic Director

This concert takes audiences on a journey to historic Czechoslovakia. The pastoral landscape

and folklore of Eastern Europe are brought to life through the music of three esteemed Czech

composers – Dvořák, Janáček, and Martinů – performed by the Czech Republic’s own Brno

Philharmonic. This authentic and memorable program recalls the spirit of the Czech people

during its bucolic pre-World-War II empire.

Thu. Apr 6, 2023 at 8pm / Great Hall

Conrad Tao Plays Rachmaninoff

Firebrand pianist 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. Weaving in contemporary works from Stephen Sondheim, Billy Strayhorn, and Art Tatum

with improvisations on Rachmaninoff’s breathtakingly lush melodies, Tao illuminates the work

for new generations of music lovers.

Jazz: The Soraya is the Epicenter of Jazz in LA!

The second-annual Jazz at Naz Festival kicks off February 2, 2023, with Christian McBride’s “A Movement Revisited,” celebrating heroes of the Civil Rights movement during Black History Month.

Five events are featured in the 2023 festival—three in the Great Hall, with its stellar acoustics, and two nights of performances you’ll only find at The Soraya —the intimate Jazz Club where audiences join the artists right on stage, with table seating and exclusive access to food and drinks.

Jazz Pass

Buy all 5 Jazz Festival Concerts and get a FREE Bronze membership ($120 value). Not a member? Buy a Jazz Pass and get all the perks and benefits of membership. Our Jazz Pass gives you access to the full 5-concert festival plus:

• 15% ticket discount
• Free Bronze membership ($120 value) with option to utilize that value in an upgrade
• Guaranteed table seating in our Jazz Club
• 25% off food in our Jazz Club
• Jazz Lounge access after each mainstage concert
• Jazz Lounge artist meet and greet
• An additional discount towards your purchase of tickets for our Charles Lloyd 85th Birthday Celebration on March 18.
  
  Seating is limited! You’ll want to secure your Jazz Pass before it sells out. Prices start at $49 for concerts in the onstage Jazz Club and between $36 and $39 for the three mainstage jazz shows.

Thu Feb 2 at 8pm in the Great Hall

Christian McBride’s The Movement Revisited, A Musical Portrait of Four Icons

Powered by a relentless energy and boundless love of swing, eight-time Grammy Award-

winning bassist Christian McBride leads a Big Band and Gospel choir in an exuberant and

powerful musical tribute to Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., Muhammad Ali, and Barack

Obama—heroes of the Civil Rights movement celebrated at The Soraya during Black History

Month.

Sat Feb 4 at 8pm in the Great Hall

Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks

I’d Rather Lead a Band, with Loudon Wainwright III

Travel back in time with Loudon Wainwright, Vince Giordano, and his band The Nighthawks

with swinging arrangements highlighted by “muted horns, creamy winds, and lots of hi-hat,”

(Associated Press). Everything jives in this collaboration featuring 1920s-era songs about love,

forgiveness, and “the consequences of a kiss.”

Sat Feb 11 at 8pm in the Great Hall

The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Featuring Samara Joy

Hailing from the Bronx, fresh talent Samara Joy pairs with LA favorite the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz

Orchestra — now swinging for more than 36 years! Joy, a deeply emotive vocalist, exploded

onto the scene in 2019 at the age of 21—often surprising audiences with the power she packs

and her “lighter than air” and “understated, swingy rhythm,” (Kevin Whitehead, NPR).

Spanish Language: The Soraya is Hecho en Las Américas

The Soraya provides a home in the San Fernando Valley for Latin American artists and

audiences with Hecho en Las Américas performances featuring artists from Colombia, the

United States, and Mexico. Afro-Colombian hip-hop group Kombilesa Mí, rapping in both

Spanish and Palenquero—their nearly forgotten language spoken only in their home village.

LA-based Afro/Latin funk group Jungle Fire unites with them for an explosive musical pairing

that echoes the multicultural landscape of LA. The band WAR uses their instruments and voices

as their weapons of choice and hit songs like “Why Cant We Be Friends?” and “Low Rider,” are

their ammunition. Mexican singer-songwriter Magos Herrera’s enchanting voice pairs

harmoniously with Brooklyn Rider, a New York-based string quartet known for collaborating

with musicians outside of the classical sphere.

Thu Mar 30 at 8pm in the Great Hall

Kombilesa Mí with Jungle Fire, The Language Lives Through Music

Hailing from San Basilio de Palenque, the first free black town in the Americas, Afro-Colombian

hip-hop group Kombilesa Mí fuses traditional music and instrumentation with hip- hop, rapping

in both Spanish and Palenquero—their nearly forgotten language spoken only in their home

village. L.A.-based Afro/Latin funk group Jungle Fire unites with them, celebrating its 10th

anniversary in this performance with Kombilesa Mí, brought together by The Soraya for an

explosive musical pairing that echoes the multicultural landscape of L.A.

Sat Apr 15 at 8pm in the Great Hall

WAR: The 50th Anniversary Concert

The band WAR was founded at a time when peace was the slogan in an anti-Vietnam America.

Their instruments and voices are their weapons of choice and hit songs like “Why Can’t We Be

Friends?” and “Low Rider,” are their ammunition. They speak out against racism, hunger, gangs,

crimes, and turf wars, as they embrace all people with hope and the spirit of unity. This spirit is

just as apropos today as this revolutionary band celebrates over 50 years of brotherhood at The

Soraya.

Sat May 13 at 8pm in the Great Hall; Onstage Sessions

Dreamers, with Magos Herrera and Brooklyn Rider

Mexican singer-songwriter Magos Herrera’s enchanting voice pairs harmoniously with Brooklyn

Rider, a New York-based string quartet known for collaborating with musicians outside of the

classical sphere. Together they will perform their Dreamers album—melodies and words, both

familiar and new, dedicated to overcoming anti-immigrant sentiment, with the reminder that

“beauty can come out of terrible situations.”

Broadway: The Soraya is a Magic Carpet Ride

Relive the magic of Disney’s Aladdin when The Soraya presents a celebratory triple-threat for

all ages. Aladdin will be presented on the big screen accompanied live by the New West

Symphony; composer Alan Menken will recount writing his many songs including “A Whole

New World” and “Friend Like Me,” and finally global superstar Lea Salonga returns to The

Soraya for two special performances.

Sat, Mar 25 at 3pm in the Great Hall

Disney in Concert: Aladdin 30th Anniversary

Join us to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of Disney’s classic animation “Aladdin.”

The legendary composer Alan Menken’s magical soundtrack and award-winning songs will be

performed live by New West Symphony with the film playing on the big screen in the Great

Hall. The wonderful plot, amazing visual effects and charming characters not only are loved by

the audience, but also won the Academy Award for Best Film Score and Best Original Song, and

a Grammy Award for Song of the Year.

Sun, Apr 2 at 7pm in the Great Hall

A Whole New World of Alan Menken: An Evening of Stories and Songs with the Oscar-

winning Composer

The legendary songwriter takes his place at The Soraya’s Steinway piano for an intimate

evening of music and little-known anecdotes about the making of his legendary Disney songs

and Broadway musicals. Menken will perform celebrated classics he wrote like, “Under the

Sea,” “A Whole New World,” “Be Our Guest,” and more. With eight Academy Awards, Menken

has received more Oscars than any living person and created some of the most beloved songs

and musical scores of our time, capturing the imagination of audiences for over 35 years.

Sat. Apr 22 at 8pm; Sun. Apr 23 at 3pm in the Great Hall

Lea Salonga in Concert

Powerhouse performer Lea Salonga, best known for her Disney-animated roles (the title role of

Mulan and Princess Jasmine from Aladdin) returns to The Soraya for the third time to perform

Broadway hits, Disney classics, pop favorites and more. Always a sell-out, you’ll want to make

sure you secure your tickets before they are gone.

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.