Gregory Porter Opens The Soraya Holiday Programming

The time-honored tradition of attending a Soraya holiday event continues in the 2025-26 Season, as The Soraya continues its 15th Anniversary celebrations. Festive events for the season begin with GRAMMY-winning jazz singer/songwriter Gregory Porter (Dec. 6) and continue with The Klezmatics (Dec. 7), the Christian Sands Quartet (Dec. 12-13), and four performances of the favorite Soraya Original Production, Nochebuena: A Christmas Spectacular, performed by Ballet Folklórico de Los Ángeles and Mariachi Pueblo Viejo with special guest Ximena Sariñana (Dec. 20-22).

The Soraya has become a beloved holiday tradition for families across greater Los Angeles. With festive performances for all ages, backgrounds, and faiths, our stage welcomes everyone to celebrate the season together.

On Dec. 6, California native and acclaimed singer/songwriter Gregory Porter returns to The Soraya to perform hits from his seven studio albums and cool yule selections from his Christmas Wish album, a tribute to his favorite time of year, “and to the great songwriters, singers, and interpreters,” including Steve Wonder, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, and more. Upon its release the album was hailed by Buzz Mag UK as refreshing, with a “heart, soul, and conscience” that will resonate long after the holidays conclude each year.

Following Gregory Porter are The Klezmatics on Dec. 7, commemorating their 40th anniversary with Happy Joyous Hanukkah, a holiday concert celebrating the festival of lights. The New York-based group is the only klezmer band to ever win a GRAMMY — and for the last four decades they've worked to not only revive the genre but revolutionize it for future generations of music lovers, blending Yiddish, punk, gospel, jazz, and more for a defiant and radically inclusive sound.

“The Klezmatics aren't just the best band in the klezmer vanguard,” Time Out New York raved. “On a good night, they can rank among the greatest bands on the planet.”

On Dec. 12-13, Christian Sands returns to The Soraya for two nights of holiday hits in The Soraya's popular and intimate “Onstage” format, available to just under 220 patrons. This configuration transforms the stage, with risers facing the auditorium and Sands with his quartet performing songs from his Christmas Stories album, along with a few surprises.

"Stepping into this project I wanted to create something that would last a long time...something that spoke to people,” Sands said of the album in an interview with The Soraya. “Every year we try to add new things to the repertoire because there's so many things to do, and there are so many stories around the holiday season.”

The holiday festivities conclude with four performances of The Soraya Original Production of Nochebuena: A Christmas Spectacular from Dec. 20-22. Ballet Folklórico de Los Ángeles returns for its 10th season at The Soraya, performing with Mariachi Pueblo Viejo and special guest Ximena Sariñana.

Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, Sariñana is a GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY-nominated singer/songwriter and actress who received critical acclaim for her debut album Mediocre in 2008. Sariñana is the daughter of acclaimed Mexican film director Fernando Sariñana and Carolina Rivera, an accomplished screenwriter and producer.

All performances of Nochebuena: A Christmas Spectacular include a special holiday menu at concessions — featuring tamales, conchas (Mexican sweet bread), holiday cookies, and Abuelita hot chocolate available for purchase.

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