My Shows
News on your favorite shows, specials & more!

Grammy Winner Bilal Opens The Carpenter Center’s 2025–2026 Season

September 12–13 performances mark the only Southern California dates for the acclaimed singer-songwriter this fall.

By:
Grammy Winner Bilal Opens The Carpenter Center’s 2025–2026 Season

The Richard and Karen Carpenter Performing Arts Center at California State University, Long Beach will launch its 2025–2026 Season with Grammy Award-winning vocalist, songwriter, and producer Bilal, performing Friday, September 12, and Saturday, September 13 at 8 p.m. Presented as part of the Carpenter Center’s new Spotlight Sessions, these intimate concerts seat audiences directly on stage, never more than 40 feet from the artist.

A classically trained vocalist with roots in opera and jazz, Bilal emerged from Philadelphia’s music scene as the youngest member of the influential Soulquarians collective alongside D’Angelo, Questlove, Common, and Mos Def. His collaborations span Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Robert Glasper, and Flying Lotus. This fall’s concerts follow his 2024 releases Bilal: Live at Glasshaus—featuring Questlove and Common—and Adjust Brightness, his first new studio album in over a decade.

These performances are Bilal’s only Southern California appearances before heading to a series of European jazz festivals.

Tickets are $48.75–$58.75 and available at carpenterarts.org or by calling 562.985.7000. Summer hours are Tuesday–Thursday, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.



Theater Fans' Choice Awards
2026 Theater Fans' Choice Awards - Live Stats
Best Lead Performer in a Musical - Top 3
1. LJ Benet - The Lost Boys, A New Musical
20.4% of votes
2. Joshua Henry - Ragtime
15.7% of votes
3. Sam Tutty - Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
9.7% of votes

Don't Miss a Los Angeles News Story
Sign up for all the news on the Spring season, discounts & more...


Videos


The Most Happy Fella in Los Angeles The Most Happy Fella
North Coast Repertory Theatre (6/03-6/28)
Melt : The Play in Los Angeles Melt : The Play
The Marilyn Theatre at the Lee Strasberg Institute (6/11-6/13) PHOTOS
In the Blink of an Eye: A Musical Memoir in Los Angeles In the Blink of an Eye: A Musical Memoir
The Pico (6/19-6/21)
The Music Man in Los Angeles The Music Man
Ahmanson Theatre (10/27-11/08)
LACHSApalooza in Los Angeles LACHSApalooza
Greek Theatre (5/30-5/30)
Love Letters to Black Women  in Los Angeles Love Letters to Black Women
Jaxx Theater (7/18-7/18)
Green Day's American Idiot in Los Angeles Green Day's American Idiot
The Broadwater Theater Main Stage (7/10-7/19)
My Soul To Take: Unhinged in Los Angeles My Soul To Take: Unhinged
The Hudson Theatres (10/16-10/21)
Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous in Los Angeles Angry, Raucous, and Shamelessly Gorgeous
Gil Cates Theater (6/10-7/12)
Live Music at The ROW in Los Angeles Live Music at The ROW
Rizo Corp Gallery (5/23-5/23)