Cross-genre concert launches new season at the Playhouse.
Sierra Madre Playhouse will open its 2026 season with a music program featuring accordionist Cory Pesaturo and violinist and vocalist Leah Zeger. The performance will take place on Thursday, January 29, 2026, at 8:00 p.m.
The chamber duo will present a program spanning jazz standards, Roma-influenced swing, tango, klezmer, and reimagined film-score themes. The performance emphasizes improvisation, with material reshaped in real time through extended solos, call-and-response passages, and transitions designed to create a continuous musical arc.
Zeger has performed with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and worked extensively in film and television scoring. Her collaborations include work with Hans Zimmer, Jeff Lynne’s ELO, Annie Lennox, CeeLo Green, Miley Cyrus, and Postmodern Jukebox. She is a Yamaha Artist, a trained opera singer, and a songwriter with solo recordings combining violin composition and jazz-influenced vocals.
Pesaturo is a three-time accordion world champion and the only musician to win world titles in acoustic, digital, and jazz accordion. He holds the Guinness World Record for the longest marathon accordion performance at 32 hours and 14 minutes. A graduate of the New England Conservatory’s Contemporary Improvisation program, he has appeared at the White House, on Late Show with David Letterman, and on international broadcasts. His work focuses on expanding the accordion’s role in contemporary improvisational music.
Tickets are priced at $35 and are available by calling 626-355-4318 or visiting sierramadreplayhouse.org. Sierra Madre Playhouse is located at 87 West Sierra Madre Boulevard in Sierra Madre, California.
Videos