Thor Steingraber, executive and artistic director of The Soraya, reflects on 10+ years of bringing diverse, world-class performing arts to the Valley

It’s tempting to say that the eclectic range of events at The Soraya reflects the broad tastes and experience of its executive/artistic director, Thor Steingraber. That’s probably true. But Thor himself would sidestep that and point to the Valley itself to explain the diversity of the arts on display in the 1,700-seat venue on the campus of Cal State Northridge.

“It’s important to us as stewards of a community,” says Thor, “to celebrate the richness and the diversity of the Valley.”

Which is why Thor—rather than recounting programming triumphs and highlights like Joshua Bell or Yo-Yo Ma—leaps with pride into extolling the center’s Spanish-language events.

“The San Fernando Valley is one of the largest Spanish-language populations of any city in the United States. And CSUN is one of the three largest Hispanic-serving institutions in the United States. It was clear to me when I came to The Soraya that that would be one of our priorities. And that audience loves being at The Soraya.”

Thor describes with delight how three generations of Hispanic Valley dwellers will attend in large groups such shows as the premiere of the mariachi opera or an evening with Chucho Valdés, and hang out for hours afterward in The Soraya lobby.

Which leads to Thor’s guiding principle when it comes to The Soraya’s programs: “They’re all a vehicle for community,” he says. “What’s most interesting to me is bringing people together for a positive experience. When you come to a show, you set all differences aside. To share an armrest with a stranger can be a profound experience when you’re getting lost in, immersed in, a concert or performance.”

That The Soraya offers such a range of performances to become immersed in does indeed owe to Thor’s own background in the arts and his proclivity for bringing performers together in synergetic, collaborative ways.

The Chicago native attended Indiana University, where he studied theater and sang in the choir. “That’s a big part of who I am—not just because of what it means musically, but also because singing in choir is its own collaborative activity.”

Choir led Thor to a passion for opera—not as a singer, but as an opera director. Opera, he explains, is the ultimate collaborative art form, embracing theater, music and the visual arts—not to mention a diversity of languages.

“Starting from the age of 22, I was very accustomed to working in a language that was not necessarily my own,” he recalls. “That really does influence the international flavor of some of our programming at The Soraya. I truly think that music and dance translate across all languages and cultures.”

Thor’s 20-year career in opera spanned time at the Lyric Opera Chicago as well as venues such as Lincoln Center, Santa Fe Opera, New York City Opera, and numerous productions at LA Opera. He worked with conductors such as Zubin Mehta, singers such as Renee Fleming and Placido Domngo, directors such as Julie Taymor, and artists such as David Hockney and Maurice Sendak. “There’s no end to the breadth of collaborators that you hang out with in an opera house,” Thor says with a chuckle. “That’s really the coolest thing about opera.”

Opera ultimately led him to Los Angeles, where he was VP of programming for the LA County Music Center before joining what was then called the Valley Performing Arts Center in 2014.

Three years into his tenure in Northridge, Thor met with philanthropists Younes and Soraya Nazarian, who were considering a substantial gift to the center. Thor recalls Younes Nazarian challenging him with a question: “How is it that my friends in Beverly Hills would come here for a performance?”

Thor admits that he took a gamble with his reply: “Mr. Nazarian, this building was not built for your friends in Beverly Hills. They are very welcome here. But this venue was built for the 1.8 million people of the San Fernando Valley. Every decision I make is in service to those 1.8 million people. And your friends can come too.”

Younes smiled at his response. The endowment came through: $17 million. And hence the center is now known as the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts: The Soraya.

Commitment to the Valley community and a penchant for orchestrating collaborations have guided programming at the center ever since. Thor has a knack for introducing great artists and ensembles to one another and drawing out amazing synergistic performances. Recent case in point: The Soraya brought brilliant young New York-based pianist Conrad Tao to Northridge last November for an evening centered around the centennial of George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue.” But the concert was far more than a piano recital. Thor paired Tao with the LA-based Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra for a roof-raising rendition of “Rhapsody,” and with another LA orchestra, Wild Up, for a varied set. Then the two orchestras combined with Tao for the premiere of an arrangement (by John Clayton) of Gershwin’s “Fascinating Rhythm.”

It was thrilling for both the audience and the performers. “I would never have had the chance to work with the Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra or Wild Up,” said Conrad Tao, “let alone both of them, without the muscle The Soraya has to make these things happen.”

“It doesn’t take a genius to program Emanuel Ax, Terence Blanchard or the London Philharmonic,” says Thor. “But curating is putting performances side by side such that the audience trusts you and then is willing to step outside the box and have new experiences.”

Of course, curating compelling performances entails plenty of challenges. “Programming is not like grocery shopping,” says Thor. “You don’t simply make a list and go pluck things off a shelf.” Instead, he likens the process to air-traffic control. Juggling the availability of high-demand artists, negotiating with them, and dealing with scheduling complications “looks a lot like a busy approach to LAX—a lot of information coming in. You have to sort it all and hope it doesn’t crash.”

Plus there’s the reality of competing in one of the most crowded entertainment markets in the U.S., where some large organizations require exclusivity terms from artists. “That means that all music and arts venues are competing for both audiences and artists,” laments Thor. “I think Los Angeles can do better than that. Most artists can appear in the nation’s second largest city more than once in a year.”

As for the challenge of persuading Westsiders to journey over the hill, Thor stands by his primary dedication to Valley residents. But anyone who has made the journey learns that the drive to The Soraya compares favorably to any downtown venue, that parking is a breeze, and that the center is simply spectacular. Then you settle into your seat, share an armrest with a stranger, and immerse yourself in whatever creative, collaborative immersion Thor and his team have conjured for the evening.

Memorable Moments

After 10 years at The Soraya, Thor Steingraber recounts his 5 top highlights as executive and creative director.

OPENING NIGHT

Year after year, every September, our opening night celebrates the breadth of The Soraya’s world-class offerings. We’ve highlighted global stars such as Tyne Daly, Itzhak Perlman, Randy Newman and Aida Cuevas. We’ve featured local favorites such as the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and the Valley-based daredevils of dance, Diavolo. We also throw a pretty good party to launch each new season in style.

RENAMING IN 2017

In 2017 CSUN renamed the Valley Performing Arts Center the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts—The Soraya—after receiving a transformational gift from the Nazarian family. It was one of the largest gifts in the history of the California State University, securing a future for a venue worthy of the Valley’s 1.8 million residents. The Nazarians’ visionary leadership reflects the values of a leading arts organization in the 21st century, as well as CSUN’s core educational mission.

VIOLINS OF HOPE

Violins of Hope was an artistic and educational project centered on a collection of refurbished violins that were owned by Jewish musicians before and during the Holocaust. What was originally envisioned as a monthlong project in 2020 for The Soraya became a multiyear journey when the onset of COVID-19 interrupted the program. The precious instruments went into safe and secret hiding beneath The Soraya’s stage, awaiting the end of the pandemic. Eventually they reemerged for a single unforgettable performance before returning to Israel.

JAZZ AT NAZ

Few venues in Los Angeles are as dedicated to jazz as The Soraya. Major artists, from masters to newcomers, make their home here. In 2021, we upped our game with the launch of our annual festival, Jazz at Naz, now one of the most important winter festivals on the West Coast. Few evenings can surpass the excitement of singer Samara Joy’s sold-out debut at The Soraya in 2022. It was just weeks after the world first met her on the Grammys telecast, when the 23-year-old nabbed two awards.

Above: “Treelogy” had its world premiere at The Soraya in February 2023.

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TREELOGY

I’m proud to say The Soraya focuses on environmental sustainability. This is evident in our facility and operations, and sometimes related issues find their way into our programs as well. In response to the wildfires that have threatened California’s precious ancient forests, we commissioned three contemporary composers in 2023 to create “Treelogy,” a concert that celebrated the Golden State’s coast redwoods, giant sequoias and Joshua trees. Ahead of its world premiere at The Soraya, we collaborated with The New York Times in a global environmental forum, performing “Treelogy” excerpts to tech and business leaders, engineers, journalists and food innovators. “Treelogy” subsequently toured concert venues throughout California.