Unveiling our upcoming 2024-2025 Season
![Renee Bodie](/sites/default/files/styles/pac_hero/public/images/2023-06/RENEE%20BODIE%20LR%2010-15-18%20%289%20of%209%29_616x331.jpg?h=f2c97278&itok=stoO7zJD)
Update from the General Manager
August 1, 2024
It’s that time again! We are unveiling Soka Performing Arts Center’s highly anticipated 2024-2025 season with joy and delight. At the heart of our mission lies a dedication to engage, educate, and elevate the human spirit. Our upcoming season has been designed to fulfill this purpose. Join us this season on a mesmerizing journey of artistic exploration, cultural enrichment, and deep inspiration.
The power of live music is in the magical inextricable moments of communication between artist and audience where we discover joy, transcend the boundaries of our everyday existence, and celebrate our shared humanity. Our unwavering commitment is to provide our patrons with this precious opportunity for a truly transformative listening experience.
We open the season with the unparalleled grace and soul of Lifetime Achievement Award and six-time six GRAMMY® Award winner Dionne Warwick, a genuine cultural legend known for timeless hits such as “Walk on By” , “I Say a Little Prayer,” and “Do You Know the Way to San Jose”. Warwick’s performance is set to be a mesmerizing kickoff to the season. This concert went on sale as a sneak preview in April, and is almost sold out, so move quickly if you would like tickets.
Highlights for our season include our Great Pianists: multi- GRAMMY® Award winning pianist, Emanuel Ax, Leif Ove Andsnes, Angela Hewitt, Nikolai Lugansky, Garrick Ohlsson, and Shunta Morimoto.
Folk and acoustic music fans will rejoice as GRAMMY®-winning singer-songwriters Shawn Colvin and KT Tunstall join forces for an intimate evening of storytelling and song.
Other classical highlights include a unique collaboration of virtuosos Edgar Meyer, Tessa Lark, and Joshua Roman, lending classical, bluegrass, and contemporary styles, to their performance. As part of our partnership with the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, we will present two concert - the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra featuring mandolinist Avi Avital and soprano Esteli Gomez, presenting all of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, and violin prodigy Randall Goosby, making his debut at Soka Performing Arts Center. Pacific Symphony, Soka’s resident chamber orchestra, will deliver a series of concerts that blend classical masterworks with contemporary compositions. This year for the first time, we will also co-present a concert with Pacific Symphony, with brother and sister captivating duo Gil Shaham, piano and Orli Shaham, cello.
On the jazz front, Isaiah Collier & the Chosen Few promise to push the boundaries of the genre with their dynamic and innovative performances, while renowned vocalist Kurt Elling the iconic jazz fusion band Yellowjackets, alongside, promise a night of electrifying music together with special guest and original band member Peter Erskine. Jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard and the E-Collective join forces with Turtle Island Quartet promises to be a genre-defying experience, blending jazz, classical, and contemporary influences.
Gospel legends Blind Boys of Alabama, paired with blues powerhouse Shemekia Copeland, will offer an inspiring evening of soul-stirring performances and world percussion traditions will be celebrated in a mesmerizing showcase led by the legendary Zakir Hussain and the Masters of Percussion. The holidays bring audience favorite “Celtic Christmas” with Eric Rigler, (renowned piper of Titanic, Braveheart, Outlander, Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power), and Dirk Freymuth (Cottonmouth Kings) playing music from the Christmas traditions of the British Isles, Ireland, and other Celtic nations around Europe, as well as soundtracks from Eric’s movies.
As always, parking for all performances is complimentary, which helps to keep your concert experience as affordable as possible.
Whether you have been a supporter since the very beginning, for many seasons, or just joined our family of subscribers, you are very important to us. On behalf of the entire team here at Soka Performing Arts Center, thank you for being an integral part of the Soka family.
I am available to answer any questions you may have about the new season, and I always enjoy hearing from our patrons.
We look forward to seeing you this season to LISTEN. FEEL. TRANSFORM.
Renee Bodie, General Manager
Soka Performing Arts Center