Venue debut in Northridge

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Emeritus for Life Riccardo Muti marked another tour milestone with a venue debut Jan. 22 in Northridge, California. Performing in the beautiful Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts, on the California State University at Northridge campus, the musicians presented a program of Johann Strauss Jr.’s Overture to The Gypsy Baron, Hindemith’s majestic Symphony, Mathis der Maler and Brahms’ richly autumnal Fourth Symphony. 

Also known as The Soraya, the center celebrates its 15th anniversary this season. The center features an award-winning, state-of-the-art, 1,700-seat theater.

In a statement, Thor Steingraber, the center’s executive and artistic director, said: “The Soraya has presented some of the world’s finest orchestras, shining in the venue’s exceptional acoustics. As a native-born Chicagoan who grew up attending CSO concerts, I relish the idea of bringing them to The Soraya. I am grateful to lead underwriter Anthony Pritzker, a fellow Chicagoan, and great L.A. arts supporter.” 

Coincidentally, the CSO concert date closely followed the 32th anniversary of the devastating 6.7-magnitude earthquake that hit Northridge on Jan. 17, 1994. It was the Los Angeles area’s worst quake in 90 years and caused billions in property damages.

Meanwhile, John Bruce Yeh, assistant principal clarinet, met up with pals from his past: Ron Singer, a fellow clarinetist, and Gary Pratt, an orchestra and band director at Cal State-Northridge for 36 years (who just retired). “We were all in band together at University High School in West Los Angeles from 1970-73,” Yeh said. “Ron and I played together in the American Youth Symphony at UCLA under Mehli Mehta for years.” 

Next up: a concert in Santa Barbara on Jan. 23 and the tour finale program in Costa Mesa on Jan. 24.