PRESS RELEASES
| Rising Classical Music Star Étienne Gara Named Artist in Residence
One of the most promising new stars of classical music, Étienne Gara, violinist, and founder and artistic director of Delirium Musicum, has been named Soraya’s next Artist in Residence. To commence the two-year residency, The Soraya embarks on an epic journey by presenting MusiKaravan, a series of short films beginning May 6 at thesoraya.org, that follow Gara and fellow violinist YuEun Gemma Kim on a pandemic road trip as they safely spread music and joy, and celebrate the people who are “working hard to feed us physically and emotionally with quality products.”
| The Soraya embarks on an epic road trip with MusiKaravan!
Fasten your seatbelts as The Soraya is about to embark on a journey with MusiKaravan! the first project by The Soraya’s next Artist in Residence, violinist and founder of Delirium Musicum, Étienne Gara. Like many musicians facing the global pandemic, Étienne Gara and fellow violinist YuEun Gemma Kim – for the first time in their professional lives – found themselves with unlimited time and no performances on their schedules. So, for six months during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Étienne and YuEun lived out of their vintage 1971 Volkswagen van and performed socially-distanced concerts for farm workers, winemakers, random passersby, and even the occasional Ostrich.
| Step Afrika! Returns to The Soraya with the West Coast Premiere of Drumfolk Chronicling and Celebrating the African-American Experience in America
Step Afrika!’s high energy, full-bodied percussive dance returns to The Soraya for the West Coast premiere of Drumfolk, the Company’s 25th Anniversary production now on tour. Inspired by the Stono Rebellion of 1739, Drumfolk explores this little-known event in history that would forever transform African American life and culture. When Africans lost the right to use their drums, the beats found their way into the body of the people, the Drumfolk. New percussive forms took root leading to the development of some of our country’s most distinct performance traditions like ring shout, tap, and stepping.
| The International Percussion Sensation STOMP Returns to The Soraya for Three Performances
After sold out performances in 2016, The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts is proud to welcome back the international percussion sensation, STOMP, for three performances on Saturday, February 15 at 3:00pm and 8:00pm and Sunday, February 16 at 3:00pm.
| Legendary Singer and American Icon Mavis Staples with Special Guest Singer-Songwriter Son Little for One-Night Only Concert!
The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts and 88.5 FM present American icon and GRAMMY® Award-winner Mavis Staples for one-night only on Thursday, February 13 at 8:00pm. Mavis Staples also has the distinction of being in the Blues Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. GRAMMY® Award-winning producer and singer-songwriter Son Little will open for Staples.
| Luis Coronel y Leonardo Aguilar – Two Rising Stars of New Latin Music Join Forces for the First Time for One-Night Only Concert at The Soraya
Two of New Latin Music’s top rising stars — 23-year-old Luis Coronel and 20-year-old Leonardo Aguilar—team up for the first time ever for a one-night only not-to-be-missed 8:00pm concert on Saturday, February 8 at The Soraya at CSUN, Los Angeles’ top venue for Latin music.
| Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Returns to The Soraya for the Beethoven 250th Anniversary Celebration!
The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts will present Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) for the third consecutive year on Friday, February 7 at 8:00pm. LACO’s new Music Director Jaime Martín will conduct the highly anticipated U.S. premiere of Albert Schnelzer’s Burn My Letters: Remembering Clara. The program also features Dvořák’s radiant Symphony No. 6 and renowned German violinist Christian Tetzlaff performing Beethoven’s Violin Concerto which continues The Soraya’s celebration of Beethoven’s 250th anniversary this season. Upcoming Beethoven performances also includes Pinchas Zukerman conducting Beethoven Symphony No. 7 with Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (Jan. 24), Joshua Bell conducting Beethoven Symphony No. 5 with Academy of St. Martin in the Fields (March 4), and Lahav Shani conducting Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 with Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra featuring pianist Nelson Freire (March 25).
| Two of Western North America’s Finest Dance Companies Offer Two Very Different Interpretations of Classic Ballet
The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts presents two very different works from two of the finest ballet companies in the western half of North America-Ballet West’s beautifully traditional production of Giselle, and Ballet BC’s stunningly reimagined take on the timeless tale of Romeo + Juliet.
| The Soraya Presents the Legendary Ballet Folclórico Nacional de México de Silvia Lozano
The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts welcomes the legendary Ballet Folclórico Nacional de México de Silvia Lozano on Thursday, January 30, 2020 at 8pm. Acclaimed as one of the most exciting groups presenting authentic regional dances of Mexico, Ballet Folclórico Nacional is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the culture of Mexico.