Subscription tickets to the Premium Classical 2022-23 series of seven extraordinary concerts are on sale until May 24 at The Soraya.org. Only Premium Classical Series subscribers will have guaranteed tickets for the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra concert on Saturday, November 5 at 8 p.m.

“Geopolitics and other circumstances have changed a lot of things related to orchestral tours this year, and in response, we have the opportunity to engage artists that we might not otherwise have featured,” said Thor Steingraber, executive and artistic director of the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts. “This season’s outcome offers greater breadth among classic performers than we’ve had in previous seasons.”

Soraya’s 2022-23 Premium Classical Series concerts feature star soloists, world-class orchestras and intimate chamber music that will echo within the walls of Soraya’s pristine acoustics. Today’s news regarding on-sale dates for the Premium Classical Series is the first of several announcements for The Soraya’s 2022-23 season that will be released in the coming weeks. Later this month, The Soraya will announce details about the 16-event Signature Series, Holiday 2022 lineup, and the launch date for The Soraya’s new website and ticketing system that will further enhance the experience. live music for all audiences.

An evening of firsts

The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra makes its historic debut at Soraya on Saturday, November 5 with new Music Director Lahav Shani providing The Soraya with another milestone – Mahler’s first-ever symphony to sound in the Great Hall. This is a concert event that is sure to sell out!

Extraordinary talents

Pianists Hélène Grimaud and Conrad Tao, and renowned soprano Dawn Upshaw – a trio of superstars – offers new ways to interpret the classic works of Mozart, Rachmaninoff and Purcell. Masters of their instruments, these musicians will captivate the public and shed light on a bridge between the era of each composer and the 21st century.

Rachmaninoff at 150

The Last of the Romantics, Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff charted a new musical path for modern composers.

The Soraya celebrates Rachmaninoff’s piano prowess – both as a performer and composer – and the 150th anniversary of his birth with two stellar performances. The artist not only influenced the lush Hollywood sound of film music, but also frequented New York’s jazz clubs for creative inspiration after emigrating from Russia in 1917.

The Sitkovetsky Trio kicks off our celebration on Sunday, March 5, 2023 with the composer’s first works, Trio Eligiaque, then piano marvel Conrad Tao juxtaposes the piano works of Art Tatum and Wanderhorn Billy with modern interpretations of Rachmaninoff’s piano studies on Thursday, April 6.

About Soraya Premium Classic Series

The Premium Classical Series returns for The Soraya’s 2022-23 season and is available for purchase until May 24 only.
The Premium Classic Series guarantees:
• the lowest price
• Select and save your favorite seats for the seven concerts
• Premium seats for the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra
• Get two free tickets to a holiday concert of your choice (some restrictions apply)
• Unlock a $120 free subscription

Series prices range from $478 for Parterre seats to $665 for Orchestra seats.

Soraya’s popular 16-event Signature Series will go on sale to members on June 1.

The Soraya has a new ticketing system! Be sure to ask our ticket office how to set up your new account. To subscribe today, go to TheSoraya.org/Premium-Classic

or call the box office at (818) 677-3000.

The 2022-23 Premium Classic Series

Sat. Nov. 5, 2022 at 8 p.m.

Israel Philharmonic Orchestra; Lahav Shani, musical director and conductor
Mahler, Symphony No. 1
An Evening of Firsts – The Israel Philharmonic Orchestra makes Soraya’s historic debut with new Music Director Lahav Shani inheriting the role from Los Angeles’ beloved Zubin Mehta. Shani will provide The Soraya with another milestone – Mahler’s first-ever symphony to sound in the Great Hall.

Dedicated to uplifting Israel’s creative artists and composers, the orchestra will open the concert with Israel’s greatest composer of classical music, Paul Ben-Haim, whose works uplifted Jewish life as the nation of Israel was forming for the first time in the shadow of World War II.

Thu January 26, 2023 at 8 p.m. / Main Hall

Hélène Grimaud plays Silvestrov and Mozart with Wild Up; Christopher Rountree, Music Director and Conductor
French pianist Hélène Grimaud celebrates contemporary Ukrainian composer Valentyn Silvestrov, associating her music with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The restless and revered pianist dominated classical music for three decades, not only with her dazzling performances, but also for her many other passions, including wildlife conservation and the wolf sanctuary she founded.

She will team up with Soraya’s favorite Christopher Rountree and his ensemble Wild Up for this one-of-a-kind musical duo. Beginning with Mozart’s dark and stormy Piano Concerto in D Minor, the concert morphs into Silvestrov’s The Messenger which offers both response and echo to Mozart’s music. Grimaud will also perform Silvestrov’s Two Dialogues with Postscript with echoes of both Schubert and Wagner.

Wed February 15, 2023 at 8 p.m. / Main Hall

Filharmonie Brno Plays music by Czech composers Dvořák, Janáček and Martinů;
Dennis Russell Davies, conductor and artistic director
This concert takes the audience on a journey through historic Czechoslovakia. The pastoral landscape and folklore of Eastern Europe come to life through the music of three esteemed Czech composers – Dvořák, Janáček and Martinů – performed by the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra of the Czech Republic. This authentic and memorable program captures the spirit of the Czech people during their pre-WWII bucolic empire.

Sun March 5, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. / Sessions on stage

The Sitkovetsky Trio performs Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Mendelssohn and a premiere by Julia Adolphe
The Sitkovetsky Trio celebrates Sergei Rachmaninoff’s 150th birthday by performing his Trio Eligiaque, composed for piano, violin and cello when he was 18D. In addition to Ravel’s technically challenging Trio and Mendelssohn’s richly harmonic Trio No. 2, Sitkovetsky Trio will premiere new work by Los Angeles-based composer Julia Adolphe whose music is described as “alive with invention.”

This concert is part of The Soraya’s intimate series of seated chambers on stage, designed to place the audience at the very heart of the performance.

Thu April 6, 2023 at 8 p.m. / Main Hall

Conrad Tao plays Rachmaninoff
Flamboyant pianist Conrad Tao is shaping the future of classical music with his rich and unique interpretations of the classical canon.

For his first appearance at The Soraya, the prodigy opens Rachmaninoff, reflecting on the composer’s contemporary influence on the 150th anniversary of his birth. Weaving in contemporary works by Stephen Sondheim, Wanderhorn Billyand Art Tatum with improvisations on the breathtaking melodies of Rachmaninoff, Tao illuminates the work of new generations of music lovers.

Thu April 20, 2023 at 8 p.m. / Main Hall

Dawn Upshaw Play Dido Reimagined with Brentano String Quarte and new music by Melinda Wagner
With five Grammy Awards and more than 50 albums to her credit, few sopranos match Dawn Upshawcommitment to music of all kinds, from classics to contemporary. In this much-heralded project, she joins Pulitzer Prize-winning Melinda Wagner in bridging the present, offering Virgil’s tragic love story a contemporary musical exploration. Purcell’s exquisite Baroque opera is considered one of the first operas and, 330 years later, it is still considered a monumental undertaking for any soprano.

In this new rendition of the abandoned lover, Upshaw will demonstrate why she is one of the leading performers in music and theater. She will be accompanied by the Brentano Quartet, praised by the New York Times for its “luxuriously warm sound [and] fiery lyricism.”

Wed & Thu May 10 & 11, 2023 at 8 p.m. / Sessions on stage

Delirium Musicum Chamber Orchestra with Artist-in-Residence Etienne Gara Perform Four Seasons Reimagined by Max Richter and Philip Glass
In the signature style of a young artist shaking up the classical music scene, violinist and Soraya Artist-in-Residence Étienne Gara leads an ensemble renowned for fearless interpretations that the San Francisco Classical Voice describes as “fierce and rhythmically haunting.” .

This is a rare opportunity to discover the works of two contemporary composers – Philip Glass and Max Richter – written in response to Vivaldi’s beloved The four Seasons. This concert is part of The Soraya’s intimate series of seated chambers on stage designed to place the audience at the very heart of the performance.

About Soraya

Located on the vibrant and diverse campus of California State University in the heart of Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, The Soraya continues its vigorous commitment to innovate, excel, and amplify access by offering a wide variety of performances that reflect the many distinctive LA communities and showcasing new and original work from the Los Angeles area as well as artists from around the world.

Soraya’s upcoming 2022-23 season offers a joy-filled reunion with a dynamic program of nearly 50 classical and popular music, dance, theatre, family and international events that will further establish it as one of the best Southern California arts companies that uplift and inspire their audiences.

Or: Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts (The Soraya)
18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91330.
Website: www.thesoraya.org
Phone: 818-677-3000

Photo credit: Shai Skiff