The 2021-22 Season marks the 10th Anniversary for the celebrated Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya) located on the vibrant and diverse campus of California State University, Northridge in the heart of Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley. Under the leadership of Executive and Artistic Director Thor Steingraber, The Soraya continues its vigorous commitment to innovating, excelling, and amplifying access by offering a wide variety of performances that reflect LA’s many distinctive communities and featuring new and original work from the Los Angeles region as well as artists from around the world. In 2020, The Soraya’s online programs garnered attention from around the globe and from media such as The New York Times.
A NOTE FROM EXECUTIVE AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR THOR STEINGRABER
The past two months have been filled with joyful reunions at The Soraya. Backstage and in the lobby alike, the rituals of attending a performance have been restored, and with them, the simple joy that music and dance bring.
In the middle of the pandemic shutdown, one of The Soraya’s most loyal patrons called to share that she feared she might never again experience a live concert. Having cherished nine decades of performances in venues worldwide, this possibility seemed unfathomable. She wasn’t alone -- while every other field resumed operations, concert venues stood empty for sixteen months. When The Soraya finally re-opened, she was among the first to walk in the door, and our reunion was among my most cherished.
Another moment comes to mind, this one in the dark theater during our performance of the Martha Graham Dance Company just last week. In the final moments of Appalachian Spring, there’s a climactic return of the Shaker Song. As the dancers leapt and the Wild Up musicians soared, the relevance of the lyrics that would accompany that musical theme overwhelmed me, “‘Tis a gift to be simple, ’tis a gift to be free…” Martha Graham and Aaron Copland were offering the world hope in the middle of World War II, and they deliver precisely the same today, eighty years later. The timeless beauty and the present-day meaning struck me. I sat in my seat, masked and weeping, feeling the weight of what was lost and standing witness to what we must yet regain. A live performance is a powerful tool in restoring our commonality and beckoning the best in us.
Indeed, we’re back, but there’s more work to do. For The Soraya, after 20 months dark, we continue to build back our staff, make our best efforts to ensure audiences feel safe and welcomed, and support artists in their comeback journeys as well. There’s a monumental hill ahead before we can look back and relegate the pandemic to history. But we can’t make that climb alone. Your support will propel us upward and onward. Please support live performances and include us in your end-of-year giving. There is no limit to our gratitude for those who choose to be part of our comeback.
The Soraya StaffPhoto Credit: Luis Luque
Dr. Erika D. Beck
VICE PRESIDENT OF ADMINISTRATION AND FINANCE, CSUN
Colin Donahue
EXECUTIVE AND ARTISTIC DIRECTOR, THE SORAYA
Thor Steingraber
GENERAL MANAGER, THE SORAYA
Cameron O'Hanlon
SORAYA STAFF
Adam Zanoff
Alana Parks
Andrea Ramírez
Anthony Cantrell
Beto Sistos
Brian Ludmer
Carey Christensen
Christian Parker
Crystal Diaz
Dennis Miller
Jack Morones
Jaclyn Greenberg
Jenie Dahlmann
Jennifer Potell
Juliana Alvarez
Justin Souza
Karin Haule
Kanwal Azeem
Katherine Nicolai
Loliepop Mena
Michael Roman
Ricki Quinn
Rommel Gimao
Sheryl Jones
Shirley Kawafuchi
William Wright-Hooks
Zac Northcraft