Student Matinee
Free to public schools, The Soraya Student Matinee Series presents international and local artists to K-12 students throughout the San Fernando Valley. Up to 1,200 students attend each performance, most of whom attend Title 1 schools and count The Soraya as their first professional performing arts experience. The Soraya sends educators a Study Guide for each matinee performance crafted to link with curriculum offered in the classroom.
We are delighted to present the 2023 Soraya Arts Education, generously sponsored by The Green Foundation.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Dr. Anthony Cantrell. To secure your school’s spot and join us for these unforgettable shows, please complete the form below.
Update: We are pleased to inform you that all student matinees for the Season 2023-24 have reached full capacity. If you wish to be added to our student matinee waitlist, kindly contact Dr. Anthony Cantrell at anthony.cantrell@csun.edu.
Your remarkable enthusiasm and steadfast support for these performances have truly warmed our hearts. To our esteemed educators who regrettably couldn’t secure a reservation, we encourage you to connect with our Ticket Office at (818)-677-3000 for a reduced rate applicable to one of the shows featured in our current season.
Upcoming Matinees
Savion Glover
PAST EVENT
Dazzling rhythm and choreography from one of the titans of tap.
Friday, October 6 | 10AM & 12PM (60 minute performance each)
Grades K-12 | Great Hall
Hip Hop Nutcracker
FULLY BOOKED
A re-mixed version of the classic mashing hip-hop dance and Tchaikovsky’s music.
Wednesday and Thursday, November 8 & 9 | 10AM – 12PM (Note: this is a full-length matinee with a 2hr. running time)
Grades K-12 | Plaza del Sol Performance Hall
Nochebuena
FULLY BOOKED
It’s Christmastime in Mexico with powerful Mariachi and vibrant Folklórico dancing.
Wednesday, November 29 | 10AM & 12PM (60 minute performance each.)
Grades K-12 | Great Hall
Diavolo: Architecture in Motion: Existencia
FULLY BOOKED
A new dance work memorializing the 30th Anniversary of the Northridge earthquake.
Thursday, January 18 | 10AM & 12PM (60 minute performance each)
Grades 3-12 | Great Hall
Booker T. Jones
FULLY BOOKED
Grooving on the Hammond B3 organ celebrating 60 years of “Green Onions”.
Friday, February 2 | 11AM (60 minute performance)
Grades 5-12 | Great Hall
Delfeayo Marsalis
FULLY BOOKED
The best of New Orleans Jazz just in time for Mardi Gras.
Wednesday, February 7 | 11AM (60 minute performance)
Grades 3 – 12 | Great Hall
STUDENT MATINEE HIGHLIGHTS
Explore our Highlights page, a journey from our students’ first live performance to nurturing young talents for grand stages like The Soraya. Relive incredible matinees and school performances that shape our artistic story, celebrating cherished memories while inspiring a spectacular future.
Past Student & Master Classes
2018-19 Student Matinee
Soweto Gospel Choir
Inspirational African gospel music from South Africa’s most heavenly voices.
Mon., October 8, 2018 | 10AM & 12PM (each 1hr.)
(Grades K-12) | Great Hall
Ballet Folklórico de Los Ángeles
The nation’s premier Mexican folk dance company.
Thu., December 6, 2018 | 10AM & 12PM (each 1hr.)
(Grades K-12) | Great Hall
Generously sponsored by Shari Tarver-Behring and John Behring
LA Opera’s The Magic Dream
Presenting the new production of The Magic Dream, a celebration of Mozart’s The Magic Flute.
Thu., January 17, 2019 | 10AM & 12PM (each 1hr.)
(Grades 1-5) | Plaza del Sol Performance Hall
JazzReach
Nationally acclaimed Jazz educators promoting a deeper appreciation and awareness of our truly American art form.
Wed., January 23, 2019 | 10AM & 12PM (each 1hr.)
10:00AM — Big Drum / Small World (Grades 3-6)
12:00PM — She Said / She Says: The History and Status of Women in Jazz (Grades 6-12) Great Hall
Generously sponsored by US Bank Foundation
1776 (Invited Dress Rehearsal)
McCoy Rigby Entertainment’s production of the celebrated musical about the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Thu., February 7, 2019 | Time: TBD
(Grades 9-12) | Great Hall
Martha Graham Dance Company (Invited Dress Rehearsal) The EVE Project
The Martha Graham Dance Company celebrates Women’s history with a program choreographed by women, featuring female protagonists, and including “Chronicle,” Graham’s unforgettable 1936 anti-war masterpiece.
Fri., March 1, 2019 | Time: TBD
(Grades 9-12) | Great Hall
Silkroad Ensemble
Silkroad creates music that engages difference, sparking radical cultural collaboration and passion-driven learning to build a more hopeful world.
Mon., April 29, 2019 | 10AM & 12PM (each 1hr.)
(Grades 4-12) | Great Hall
Generously sponsored by Rosalyn Berg and Neal M. Berg ’80
Sonia De Los Santos
Sonia De Los Santos’s musical story highlights the messages of joyful community music making and cultural bridge building to inspire and excite children and grown-ups of all backgrounds.
Mon., May 6, 2019 | 10AM & 12PM (each 1hr.)
(Grades 1-5) | Plaza del Sol Performance Hall
2018-19 Master Class Series
Tangueros del Sur
Fri., November 16 ,2018
Eden Espinosa
Fri., November 30th, 2018
Canadian Brass
Tue., December 11, 2018
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
Fri., January 18, 2019
Tempesta di Mare Baroque Players
Thu., February, 14, 2019
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
Thu., March 7, 2019
Christian McBride
Fri., April 26, 2019
2017-18 Student Matinee
DIAVOLO: Architecture in Motion
The Veterans Project
Thursday November 9, 2017 | Time: 12PM
(Grades 9-12) | Great Hall
The Sachal Ensemble
Pakistani musicians play iconic songs from the East to the West.
Tuesday November 14, 2017 12PM (1hr.)
(Grades 6-12) | Great Hall
Leilah Broukhim
Elegant and pure flamenco
Monday January 22, 2018 12PM (1hr.)
(Grades 3-12) | Great Hall
Step Afrika! Migration: Reflections of Jacob Lawrence
Dance performance based on Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series paintings
Thursday February 8, 2018 10AM & 12PM (each 1hr.)
(Grades 6-12) | Great Hall
Jabber by Marcus Youssef
A play that challenges stereotypes of adolescence and the Middle East
Wednesday March 7, 2018 10AM & 12PM (each 1hr.)
(Grades 9-12) | Plaza del Sol Performance Hall
Generously sponsored by Christi K. Robinson
Yamato—Drummers of Japan Chousensha—The Challengers
Monday March 12, 2018 10AM & 12PM (each 1hr.)
(Grades K-12) | Great Hall
Generously sponsored by Dr. Raul Ruiz
Mexico’s Past and Present: A Cultural Journey
An interactive arts program that showcases the vast cultural expression of our neighbor to the south
Friday May 4, 2018 10AM & 12PM (each 1hr.)
(Grades K-12) | Great Hall
Generously sponsored by Latino Educational Fund
2016-17 Student Matinee
Drums of India
The heartbeat of ancient India
Thursday October 6, 2016 | 11AM
(Grades K-12) | Great Hall
Reyna de Los Angeles
America’s first all-female mariachi ensemble
Thursday Monday, October 17, 2016 | 11AM
(Grades K-12) | Great Hall
Ragamala
Impeccable and incandescent South Indian classical dance
Thursday Friday, October 28, 2016 | 11AM
(Grades K-12) | Great Hall
Ragamala
Impeccable and incandescent South Indian classical dance
Thursday Friday, October 28, 2016 | 11AM
(Grades K-12) | Great Hall
LA Opera's Figaro's American Adventure
Original children’s opera based on Rossini’s Barber of Seville
Friday January 20, 2017 | 9:30AM & 11:30AM
(Grades 1-5) | Plaza del Sol Performance Hall
JazzReach
Two educational programs focused on the history of Jazz and the Blues
Thursday February 2, 2017
9:30AM — The Blues program: Yes, Indeed
(Grades 4-8) Great Hall
11:30AM — Jazz program: Stolen Moments: The Frist 100 Years of Jazz
(Grades 6-12) Great Hall
The Nile Project
Inspiring music from the 11 Nile Basin countries
Friday February 24, 2017 | 9:30AM & 11:30AM
(Grades 5-12) |
Great Hall
Sponsored by Shari Tarver-Behring and John Behring
Taj Express
The Bollywood musical Revue
Thursday April 20, 2017 | 9:30AM & 11:30AM
(Grades 5-12) |
Great Hall
Sponsored by Carolyn C. Powers
2016-17 Master Classes
Kelli O'Hara
Tony-Award winning Broadway star
Friday October 14, 2016
Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center
The nation’s premiere repertory company for chamber music
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
The Manhattan Transfer with Take 6
Two of the most acclaimed vocal groups in pop music
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Maria Schneider
Multi-Grammy winning composer and Big Band leader
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
The Nile Project
Inspiring music from the 11 Nile Basin countries
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Aspen Santa Fe Ballet
America’s most revered contemporary ballet company
Friday, March 3, 2017
Martha Graham Dance Company
“One of the seven wonders of the artistic universe”
Friday, March 12, 2017
2015-16 Student Matinee
Diavolo/Architecture in Motion—
L’Espace du Temps with post-show Q&A
Tuesday, September 15, 2015 | 11AM
(Grades 6-12) | Great Hall
Harlem Quartet
“A new attitude to classical music”
Friday, November 6, 2015 | 11AM
(Grades 6-12) | Great Hall
Leilah Broukhim
Elegant and pure flamenco
Thursday, November 19, 2015 | 11AM & 1PM
(Grades 3-12) | Great Hall
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
All-male a capella singing group from South Africa
Wednesday, January 20, 2016 | 11AM
(Grades 1-12) | Great Hall
LA Opera’s The Prospector
Puccini’s opera reimagined for children
Tuesday, January 26, 2016 | 9:30AM & 11:30AM
(Grades 1-5) | Plaza del Sol
Ballet Folklorico Mexicano
A Kaleidoscope of Mexican Culture
Monday, February 1, 2016 | 11:00AM
(Grades 1-12) | Great Hall