PRESS RELEASES
| Mandy Gonzalez Brings “the Room Where It Happens” to The Soraya for an Evening of Broadway Music from Lin-Manuel Miranda to Stephen Schwartz
Mandy Gonzalez will “take a break” from playing Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton on Broadway for a rare Southern-California appearance at the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya) on Saturday, October 26 at 8pm. Gonzalez will perform hits from Wicked, Hamilton, and more.
| Farruquito Internationally renowned composer, choreographer and flamenco dancer
The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya) presents internationally renowned flamenco dancer Juan Manuel Fernandez Montoya “Farruquito” for one night only on Saturday, November 9 at 8:00pm. Heir to one of the most revered Gypsy flamenco dynasties in Spain, The New York Times said he is the “greatest flamenco dancer of this new century … he is one of today’s superlative dance artists.”
| Icon of Afro-Cuban Jazz Chucho Valdés Brings his band to play tracks from his newest release Jazz Batá 2 at The Soraya
Winner of six Grammy and three Latin Grammy Awards, Cuban pianist, composer and arranger, Chucho Valdés, is the most influential figure in modern Afro-Cuban jazz. Now, he will be performing tracks from his 2018 release Jazz Batá 2, inspired by his seminal record Jazz Batá, at the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, October 19 at 8pm.
| The Soraya Kicks Off Beethoven’s 250th Birthday with American Pianist Jonathan Biss Performing Two Nights
In the coming year, the classical music world celebrates the 250th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s birth. The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts will explore the composer’s works, from his most iconic symphonies to the quieter piano solos with eight major performances slated throughout the 2019-20 Season. The Beethoven performances begin with Itzhak Perlman opening The Soraya season on Thursday, September 19 followed by pianist Jonathan Biss performing two evenings, Tuesday, October 15 and Wednesday, October 16.
| Marisol Hernandez—La Marisoul—Steps into the Spotlight at The Soraya!
Los Angeles’ own powerhouse vocalist Marisol Hernandez (aka La Marisoul) steps out on her own on Saturday, October 12 with a band of All-Stars to breathe new life into the most influential Mexican-American music of the past three generations. She promises tunes from Lalo Guerrero to Los Lobos, and she will bring special guest musicians from Los TexManiacs, California Feetwarmers, and more. The singer’s captivating voice has been heralded for her searing takes on love, loss, and heartbreak.
| OK Go bring The Live Video Tour to The Soraya—An All-Ages Live Arts & Music Event
The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya) presents OK Go’s The Live Video Tour on November 2 and 3. On The Live Video Tour the band points their beam of creativity at their stage show, once again ignoring boundaries and, in the process, inventing a new flavor of live entertainment.
| Soul Legend Bettye LaVette to Make Debut at The Soraya
The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya) welcomes soul and blues legend Bettye LaVette to its stage for the first time on Sunday, October 6 at 7:00pm. With a career spanning over fifty years, LaVette gets inside a song and shapes and twists it to convey all the emotion that can be wrought from the lyric.
| The Fab Faux returns to The Soraya to play Abbey Road in its entirety—Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of this iconic album plus a Set of Fan Favorites
Consummate fan favorites, The Fab Faux will return to The Soraya for the fourth time to pay tribute to the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’ landmark album, Abbey Road along with the Hogshead Horns and The Crème Tangerine Strings. The Fab Faux’s first set of the night will be a string of their fan favorites. The second set will be the phenomenal record, Abbey Road, in album order. Rolling Stone senior editor David Fricke calls The Fab Faux “The greatest Beatles cover band – without the wigs…The Faux invigorate the artistry of even the Beatles’ most intricate studio masterpieces with top chops and Beatlemaniac glee.”
| The Passionate Sound of Tango is Brought to Life by Quinteto Piazzolla at The Soraya
The soul-stirring sound of tango in its most authentic form comes to The Soraya, brought directly to Los Angeles by Laura Escalada Piazzolla, the wife of the late maestro Astor Piazzolla, on Thursday, October 3 at 8pm. Formed by the Argentinian composer during the ’60s, the quintet caused a sensation with its provocative performances which elevated the earthy, sensual sound of tango to a sophisticated high art. After the composer’s death, the ensemble carried on the legacy with five virtuoso soloists capable of interpreting the vast body of work left by Piazzolla. The upcoming Revolucionario Tour, named after their recent album, will play throughout the Americas, Asia, and Europe.