PRESS RELEASES
| Celebrate the Holidays at The Soraya!
Holiday traditions continue at The Soraya with a wide variety of seven performances for all ages. The Holiday series begins on Dec. 7 and 8 with the ninth edition of The Soraya’s original production, Nochebuena: A Christmas Spectacular—featuring Ballet Folklórico de Los Ángeles and Mariachi Pueblo Viejo. In the 2024-25 Season, Camila Fernández, the daughter of Mexican Singer Alejandro Fernández, and granddaughter of the late great Vicente Fernández, joins as a special guest.
| Conrad Tao and Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra Offer a Rhapsody in Jazz to Honor the Centenary of Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” Conducted by Christopher Rountree with Musicians from Wild Up
One hundred years after its 1924 premiere, George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” is new again. The Soraya celebrates one of the classics of American music with Rhapsody in Jazz as it recreates the rarely performed original version of the rousing and raucous classic, originally composed for a jazz band, not the orchestral version more commonly performed. Conductor Christopher Rountree leads the swinging ensemble, with Conrad Tao at the piano, and the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra with musicians from Wild Up rounding out the evening. Additionally, Tao will perform a solo set on the piano that includes the virtuosic Gershwin Preludes. The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra will also add a swinging set of tunes both by Gershwin and his contemporaries.
| Ballet BC Returns with Works New to The Soraya Performances created by Medhi Walerski and Crystal Pite Launch
Two of The Soraya’s most popular choreographers—Medhi Walerski and Crystal Pite—will return this Fall with works performed by Ballet BC, The Soraya’s dance company-in-residence on Nov. 23 at 8 p.m. The evening will include “Chamber” and “Silent Tides” by Walerski, Ballet BC’s Artistic Director, and Pite’s re-imagined and restaged “Frontier,” which originally premiered at Netherlands Dance Theater and was danced by Walerski who describes the work as, “epic...an experimentation of the relationship between light and shadows.”
| The Hecho en Las Américas Series Continues with the Return of LEYENDAS DEL MARIACHI, Following the Band's Sold Out U.S. Debut at The Soraya in January 2024
Back by popular demand, and still in its inaugural year, mariachi band Leyendas del Mariachi (translates to “Mariachi Legends”) returns to The Soraya for the second time in 2024, to perform two concerts for fans on Nov. 9. Comprised of mariachi masters from some of the best-known ensembles in the world — Mariachi Vargas de Tecalitlán, Mariachi Los Camperos, Mariachi Cobre, and more — the group’s return follows its sold-out U.S. debut at The Soraya in January 2024.
| MUMMENSCHANZ: 50 Years
For over 50 years, MUMMENSCHANZ has enchanted audiences around the world with their groundbreaking visual theatre. The Swiss based troupe, famous for the innovative use of shadow, light, and creatively manipulated everyday objects, brings their unique, wordless storytelling to live in a way that transcends language and culture.
| The Soraya’s Popular Onstage Chamber Concerts Return This Fall with Two Unique Programs
Onstage Classical performances at The Soraya return this fall with an array of incomparable performances redefining the variety of Baroque chamber music, launching on Wednesday, Oct. 23 with an Edgar Meyer trio composed of Meyer (double bass), Tessa Lark (violin), and Joshua Roman (cello).
| Pianist Emanuel Ax Makes His Long-Awaited Debut at The Soraya
One of the most anticipated debuts of the 2024-25 Season, renowned pianist Emanuel Ax brings his extraordinary versatility and brilliance to The Soraya. The pianist is legendary in the recording studio and on stage, and the Sunday, November 3rd performance will feature “Fantasia” standards for classical piano repertoire by Beethoven, Schoenberg, and Schumann.
| Coco Live-to-Film Concert National Tour: Experience the film Coco While the Orquesta Folclórica Nacional de Mèxico Brings the Iconic Score to Life at The Soraya October 26-27, 2024
Disney Concerts and AMP Worldwide present Disney Pixar’s Coco Live-to-Film Concert on Tour featuring a screening of the complete film with Oscar® and GRAMMY®-winning composer Michael Giacchino’s musical score performed by the 20-member Orquesta Folclórica Nacional de México, at 3. p.m. on Oct. 26 and Oct. 27 at The Soraya. In addition to the original score by Giacchino, Coco also features the Oscar®-winning song Remember Me by Oscar-winning songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez, and additional songs co-written by Germaine Franco and co-director and screenwriter Adrian Molina.
| Broadway Star Eva Noblezada Joins Pacific Jazz Orchestra to Launch The Soraya’s 4th Annual Jazz at Naz Festival
Powerhouse singer and actress Eva Noblezada will open the 2025 Jazz at Naz festival on Saturday, Feb 1 with Chris Walden’s Pacific Jazz Orchestra (PJO), marking the start of The Soraya’s 4th-annual festival and her Soraya debut.