The Soraya Will Feature Audra McDonald and More in 2026-27 Season

Six prominent debuts will be among the 40-plus performances to be featured in the The Soraya's 2026-27 Season, highlighting the performing arts center's ongoing commitment to the breadth and excellence of its programs. Additionally, The Soraya's Great Hall will welcome world-class symphony orchestras as well as jazz greats, offerings that have defined the venue since it opened 15 years ago.  The full season schedule of performances will be announced on May 7, 2026.

Executive and Artistic Director Thor Steingraber shares his thoughts about the Soraya's artistic future, “The Soraya's reputation, both for excellence and innovation, has been earned over the past 12 years and rewarded with growing loyalty from audiences from the vast and vibrant communities of Los Angeles. The current season and the one preceding have seen record attendance and earned record revenue. It was my foremost intention, before stepping down at the end of the (2025-26) season, to ensure continuity during this transitional time.”

The Soraya's 2026-27 Major Debuts

Audra McDonald—winner of an Emmy Award, two GRAMMY Awards and a record-setting six Tony Awards—will make her debut at The Soraya on Apr 3, 2027. Described by Time magazine as “the greatest living stage actor,” McDonald most recently headlined the Broadway revival of Gypsy in her Tony nominated role as Mama Rose (2024-25).  Currently, McDonald can be seen in Julian Fellowes' historical drama “The Gilded Age” on HBO.

Since winning their first of five GRAMMY Awards in 2014, Snarky Puppy has become one of the most in-demand ensembles of their generation, with bassist Michael League leading a collective of 20 musicians who rotate through their ranks, in ever-changing fresh combinations.  The announcement of their Soraya debut on October 3, 2026, aligns with another milestone, as Snarky Puppy is the cover feature of February's issue of DownBeat magazine, demonstrating the band's widely recognized talent. 

Emmet Cohen found a defining expression that jazz is fundamentally about communication and connection when he created “Live from Emmet's Place” as an intimate weekly livestream from his Harlem apartment during the 2020 lockdown. Now with over 100 million views, the series has grown into an ongoing cultural ecosystem—one that reflects Cohen's vision of jazz as a living, participatory art form. On Feb 20-21, 2027, Cohen performs with his trio and vocalist Ekep Nkwelle, who has become a dynamic force in today's jazz scene and has been leaving her mark on some of the most renowned stages around the world.

Renowned in the ballet world, Dance Theatre of Harlem makes its debut at The Soraya with the Los Angeles premiere of Robert Garland's Higher Ground (2022) on Nov 14, 2026.  Higher Ground is a joyous, critically acclaimed piece that combines classical ballet and vernacular Black dance to sharpen the social commentary found in six influential Stevie Wonder songs from the 1970's. 

Symphony Orchestras at The Soraya

Two major orchestras will make their debuts at The Soraya in 2027.  The National Symphony Orchestra is based at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC which will shut down for renovation beginning the summer of 2026. The orchestra will tour the United States in 2027 and make its debut at The Soraya on Apr. 29, 2027, with Music Director Gianandrea Noseda on the podium and violin soloist Ray Chen. 

Considered one of the finest symphony orchestras in Eastern Europe, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine with conductor Volodymyr Sirenko and featuring pianist Antonii Baryshevskyl will make their debut at The Soraya on Jan 23, 2027, with a Liszt Piano Concerto, Beethoven, and Silvestrov.

"We welcome these two great orchestras, each confronting critical challenges at home. The National Symphony Orchestra has been forced out of The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., during a suddenly announced two-year closure," says Steingraber. "In war-torn Kyiv, the National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine perseveres through severe conditions during the past four years of war and strife, while continuing to act as musical ambassadors for their nation. We celebrate these two beacons of art and light.”