[NoHo Arts District, CA] – Beginning on Sunday, April 6, The Soraya will unveil its newest programming initiative, the LA Seen festival, a month-long series of programs dedicated to shining the spotlight on the performing arts in Los Angeles.
For more than a decade, Los Angeles artists have had a home at The Soraya. They are standouts throughout the seasons, performing original works, undertaking first-time collaborations, and rising to new heights.
“Engaging in deep collaboration with Los Angeles-based artists and arts organizations is something I brought to The Soraya over a decade ago,” said Thor Steingraber, The Soraya’s Executive and Artistic Director. “I’m not sure that it has always received the full attention it deserves, because it has been integrated with all other programs in our seasons. Now, with the launch of LA Seen festival, we are continuing that tradition which brings a greater intentionality and a higher level of visibility to this important work.”
Where:
Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya) 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91330
LA Seen Festival Tickets:
https://thesoraya.org/en/la-seen
Ticket Office: 818-677-3000
Opening the LA Seen festival on April 6 is seven-time GRAMMY-winner and two-time Academy Award nominee Terence Blanchard, who is the first Black composer to premiere an original opera at the Metropolitan Opera. Fire Shut up in My Bones took the world by storm, and then he did it again in 2023 with another groundbreaking hit, Champion. The Soraya commissioned a world premiere of selections from both operas to be performed by Blanchard himself. In this promotional partnership with LA Opera’s Off Grand program, the renowned American trumpeter and film composer leads his own E-Collective and Turtle Island Quartet with baritone Justin Austin and soprano Adrienne Danrich.
Additional LA Seen festival performances include the return of downtown LA’s Colburn Orchestra with conductor Stéphane Denève on the podium. The extraordinarily creative collective Jazz Is Dead presented in collaboration with ARTDONTSLEEP and featuring the concert debut of Adrian Younge’s vinyl psychedelic soul trilogy Something About April with a 35-piece orchestra, including 25 of CSUN’s best instrumentalists, and a return of the Martha Graham celebration, GRAHAM100, featuring soloists from Martha Graham Dance, and LA-based Lula Washington Dance Theatre, Glorya Kaufman USC School of Dance, CSUN School of Dance, and Los Angeles County High School for the Arts School of Dance (LACHSA) performing several classic Martha Graham works.
About LA Seen Festival Performances
Sunday, April 6 | 7PM
WORLD PREMIERE / LA OPERA OFF GRAND—PROMOTIONAL PARTNER
TERENCE BLANCHARD
Champion and Fire Shut Up in My Bones
Featuring the E-Collective and
Turtle Island Quartet
Visuals by Andrew F. Scott
Justin Austin, baritone
Adrienne Danrich, soprano
Terence Blanchard made history in 2021 as the first Black composer to premiere an original opera at the Metropolitan Opera. Fire Shut up in My Bones took the world by storm, and then he did it again in 2023 with another groundbreaking hit, Champion. A collaboration with Los Angeles Opera, The Soraya commissioned a world premiere of selections from both operas performed by Blanchard himself. The American trumpeter and film composer leads his own E-Collective and Turtle Island Quartet with baritone Justin Austin and soprano Adrienne Danrich. LA Opera Off Grand – Promotional Partner.
Tickets $48–$118
“Poetic, poignant, dramatically effective.” – The New York Times
Saturday, April 26 | 8PM
LA DANCES GRAHAM100
Featuring Soloists from Martha Graham Dance, and Los Angeles based Lula Washington Dance Theatre, USC Glorya Kaufman School of Dance, CSUN School of Dance, and LACHSA School of Dance.
Program:
Panorama
Clytemnestra Suite
Lamentation Variations
Satyric Festival Song
Deep Song
Acts of Light
Masterpieces rarely seen come to life when dancers from across Los Angeles join forces for The Soraya’s second contribution to Graham100, the multi-year celebration of America’s longest-running dance company. Digging deep into Martha Graham’s vast catalog, more than 180 pieces strong, the centenary celebration engages outstanding dancers from one of Los Angeles’ most revered dance companies alongside soloists from Martha Graham Dance and students from L.A.’s most distinguished dance study programs.
Tickets $43–$65
Thursday, April 17 | 8PM
The Soraya and ArtDontSleep Present JAZZ IS DEAD
Adrian Younge and 35-piece orchestra
Adrian Younge makes his Soraya debut on the evening before the release of the third album in his Something About April psychedelic soul trilogy. This exclusive Los Angeles concert experience, performed only at The Soraya with full orchestra and choir, features a 35-piece orchestra, including 25 of CSUN’s best instrumentalists to play compositions from his Something About April albums and more.
Tickets $43–$95
Saturday, April 12 | 3PM
THE COLBURN ORCHESTRA /The Colburn School, Los Angeles
Stéphane Denève, conductor
Downtown Los Angeles’ Colburn Conservatory stands at the pinnacle of classical music in Los Angeles with its flagship orchestra. Stéphane Denève, one of the most sought-after conductors at concert halls around the world, leads their next Soraya appearance. The French maestro inspires the next generation of classical musicians in multiple venues, including New World Symphony, where he is artistic director.
Tickets $22
About the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya)
The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for The Performing Arts (The Soraya) is an award-winning, state-of-the-art 1,700-seat theatre designed and built by HGA Architects and Engineers and opened in January 2011 as the Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC). Through a transformative gift by Younes and Soraya Nazarian, the venue was renamed The Soraya in 2017. Vibrant programming has served to establish The Soraya as the intellectual and cultural heart of the San Fernando Valley and its 1.8 million residents and as one of the top arts and culture venues in Southern California. Since its inaugural season, The Soraya has presented over 500 artists and companies across the genres of music, dance, theater, and film and is a highly in-demand location for filming and rental events.
The Soraya’s 2024-25 Season boldly advances the expansive sound of orchestras both traditional and contemporary; the freestyle vibe of jazz; an array of dance luminaries, and a cultural bounty drawn from the musical well of global voices. The Soraya continues its vigorous commitment to innovating, excelling, and amplifying access by offering a wide variety of performances that reflect Los Angeles’ many distinctive communities and featuring new and original work and artists from the local region as well as nationally and around the world.
Located on the vibrant campus of California State University Northridge (CSUN), The Soraya and the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication share an integral link that enhances student access and opportunities in the arts and performing arts. A $5 million contribution from record producer and former California Lieutenant Governor Mike Curb was pivotal in ensuring the completion and opening of The Soraya in 2011. For his founding support and in acknowledgment of the integral relationship between the Mike Curb College and The Soraya, Mike Curb is recognized as one of The Soraya’s Cornerstone Benefactors. This partnership fosters academic and artistic excellence, elevating the talents and the future growth of CSUN’s students through master classes, student tickets, concerts of student ensembles, and students appearing alongside renowned artists such as Wynton Marsalis, Aida Cuevas, and Martha Graham Dance Company.
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