Executive & Artistic Director
Thor Steingraber
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Jason Moran
Plays Duke Ellington
With the CSUN Jazz “A” Band
Tina Raymond, Director
Thu Feb 13 | 8pm
Run Time: about 1 hour and 50 minutes including a 20-minute intermission
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DownBeat Magazine: The Rapid Rise of The Soraya
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Program
Songs will be announced from the stage.
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Musicians
Jason Moran, piano
CSUN Jazz “A” Band
Tina Raymond, director
Saxophones/Clarinets
Jordan Leicht, Kenneth Dixon, Brandon Muhawi, AJ Reyes, Eric Cortez
Trombones/Tuba
Johnathan Osterloh, David Farley, Connor Siroky, Matteo Rivera
Trumpets
Alex Dertavitian, Cesar Hernandez, Joseph Terry, Jordyn Brown
Pianists
Jonathan Diaz Delgadillo, Mathew Yang
Guitar/Banjo
Varad Sahasrabudhe, Oscar Rodriguez
Bass
Michael Islas
Drums
Karo Galadjian, Osmar Barrios
Program Note
I am pleased to welcome back Jason Moran for his fourth appearance at The Soraya, each one dramatically different than the other, including a full orchestra performing his film score for Selma alongside a showing on the large screen, and a new composition for the Martha Graham Dance Company. In this instance, Moran brings us a slice of his life overseeing jazz at The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C.
It is also always my pleasure to host a large contingent of CSUN student musicians on the main stage. The Soraya stands alone in its commitment to putting students and pros on the stage at the same time, including them in our seasonal offerings. This experience is pivotal for the development of young musicians, and you will feel the energy pouring off the stage.
Gratefully,
Thor Steingraber
Executive and Artistic Director,
Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts
Jazz at Naz
The annual Jazz at Naz festival has been recognized as one of the best winter jazz festivals on the West Coast as well as the jazz epicenter in Los Angeles. Jazz at Naz has showcased major debuts for emerging artists, such as five-time Grammy Award-winner Samara Joy, and created a home for the world’s jazz legends, such as John Pizzarelli, Branford Marsalis, Dianne Reeves, and Charles Lloyd. The festival has also turned the spotlight on influential crossover artists, such as Bobby and Taylor McFerrin, Diana Krall, Jon Batiste, Gregory Porter, Herb Alpert, and Lani Hall.
Returning after their sold-out debut last season, Pacific Jazz Orchestra opens the Jazz at Naz festival’s fourth season headlined by Eva Noblezada, a Grammy Award-winning and two-time Tony-nominated Broadway and West End star.
This season, The Soraya also welcomes saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin, as well as the return of Christian McBride to the onstage, intimate Jazz Club for two nights each.
Fresh from a monthlong celebration of the music of the great Duke Ellington, Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Jazz Jason Moran returns to The Soraya for the fourth time to continue the festivities honoring the Duke’s enduring legacy and his 125th birthday. In addition to entertaining from the piano, Moran will lead CSUN’s award-winning Jazz “A” big band to join him in furthering The Soraya’s ongoing commitment to music and arts education.
Also presented in the Great Hall during the Jazz at Naz festival will be Kurt Elling Celebrates Weather Report with Yellowjackets, and Chucho Valdés who brings Irakere back to life honoring its 50th anniversary with special guest Arturo Sandoval in a return engagement.
“A startlingly gifted pianist with a relentless thirst for experimentation.” — Los Angeles Times
Jason Moran
Jazz pianist, composer, and artist Jason Moran hails from Houston. He’s an alumnus of the Manhattan School of Music where he studied with Jaki Byard. Upon graduation, Moran studied with Andrew Hill and Muhal Richard Abrams. Moran’s 18-year relationship with Blue Note Records produced nine highly acclaimed recordings. His groundbreaking trio, The Bandwagon (with bassist Tarus Mateen and drummer Nasheet Waits), has been playing together for 25 years.
Moran’s performances with Cassandra Wilson, Charles Lloyd, and the late Sam Rivers reveal the scope of Moran’s partnerships and music making. He’s also worked with visual artists Adrian Piper, Joan Jonas, Glenn Ligon, Adam Pendleton, Lorna Simpson, Kara Walker, Stan Douglas, and others. Moran has received awards and fellowships from the MacArthur Foundation, US Artists, Doris Duke Foundation, and Ford Foundation. Moran collaborated with his wife, mezzo-soprano and composer Alicia Hall Moran, as named artists in the 2012 Whitney Biennial, constructing Bleed, a five-day series of live performances spanning Motown to acupuncture to dance. They also created Work Songs for the 2015 Venice Biennial and continue to produce albums for their record label, Yes Records.
Since Moran’s first album, he has produced more than a dozen additional albums, created scores for Ava DuVernay’s films Selma and 13th, and author Ta-Nehisi Coates’ staged version of Between the World and Me. History is a recurring theme for Moran, who has mounted monumental touring works for Thelonious Monk (In My Mind: Monk at Town Hall 1959), Fats Waller (Fats Waller Dance Party, plus Grammy-nominated album All Rise: A Joyful Elegy for Fats Waller) and James Reese Europe (James Reese Europe and the Absence of Ruin).
In 2018, Moran’s first solo museum exhibition opened at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, and it traveled to the Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston. The exhibition opened at the Whitney Museum of American Art in September 2019.
Moran is currently the Artistic Director for Jazz at The Kennedy Center, teaches at New England Conservatory and Jazz Ahead, and curates the Artists Studio series for Park Avenue Armory in New York City.
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CSUN Jazz “A” Band
A nationally recognized collegiate ensemble, the award-winning California State University, Northridge Jazz “A” Band performs regularly at festivals and conferences including the University of Northern Colorado Jazz Festival, New Orleans Loyola Jazz Festival, Reno Jazz Festival, California Music Educators Association Conference, Los Angeles Jazz Society Awards, and Jack Rudin Jazz Championship.
Recent guest artists with the ensemble include Regina Carter, Jane Monheit, John Beasley, Ernie Watts, Helen Sung, John Daversa, Orrin Evans, Jon Hatamiya, Wayne Bergeron, and CSUN alum Gordon Goodwin.
Twyla Tharp — 60th Anniversary Diamond Jubilee
One of America’s most enduring and lauded living dance-makers, Twyla Tharp celebrates her 60th anniversary with a coast-to-coast tour featuring her award-winning ballet set to Beethoven’s “Diabelli Variations.” She also brings us a new piece with music by Philip Glass. Tharp’s use of music to create works of startling originality and beauty defines this important milestone performance.
You Belong Here
This is your opportunity to belong to something special. Our 2024-25 Members enjoy exclusive experiences, such as the Member Appreciation Night for all Members, special events and artist meet-and-greets (Silver Members and above), private pre-performance artist salons (Silver Members and above), our festive holiday party, the annual Director’s Dinner in 2025 (Platinum Members), and more — as well as priority access to your preferred seats, your very own Members Only Seating Section, and exclusive savings when you select five or more performances. Most importantly, Member benefits are valid all season.
Beyond the benefits, Members drive our mission to present the highest caliber artists who captivate, inspire, and transport our audiences. Here, Members are part of a growing community of arts lovers connected by the joy of shared human experience. Here, Members belong.
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An Interview With Jason Moran
About Us
The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts is an award-winning, 1,700-seat theater that opened in 2011 and was designed by HGA Architects and Engineers. In 2017, a transformative gift by Younes and Soraya Nazarian dubbed the venue The Soraya (formerly the Valley Performing Arts Center). A vibrant performance program has served to establish The Soraya as the intellectual and cultural heart of the San Fernando Valley and its 1.8 million residents, and further establish The Soraya as one of the top arts companies in Southern California.
The Soraya’s 2024-25 Season boldly advances the immersive sound of big orchestras; the free flow of jazz; an array of dance; and a cultural bounty drawn from the well of world traditions. 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.
Located on the vibrant campus of the California State University, Northridge, The Soraya and the Mike Curb College of Arts, Media, and Communication share an integral link that enhances student opportunities in the arts and performing arts. This partnership fosters academic opportunity and artistic excellence, elevating the talents of CSUN’s students.
A $5 million contribution from record producer and former California Lieutenant Governor Mike Curb was pivotal in ensuring The Soraya was completed and opened in 2011. For his founding support and in acknowledgment of the integral relationship between the Mike Curb College and The Soraya, Curb is recognized as one of The Soraya’s Cornerstone Benefactors. The relationship between The Soraya and the Mike Curb College continues to grow, with robust offerings for 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.