Eva Noblezada | Photo by Jenny Anderson
Performance Kicks Off The Soraya’s Month-long Jazz at Naz Festival on Saturday, February 1, 2025, at 8pm
The 40-Piece, LA-based, hybrid big band and string orchestra, the ultimate musical cross-over sensation, is noted for its wide-ranging and enthralling performances.
LOS ANGELES, CA (January 16, 2024) – Pacific Jazz Orchestra, led by Artistic Director Chris Walden, spotlights the soaring vocals of GRAMMY© Award-winning and two-time Tony-nominated Broadway and West End star Eva Noblezada (The Great Gatsby, Hadestown, Miss Saigon, Les Misérables) one night only on Saturday, February 1, 2025, 8:00 pm, at The Soraya in Northridge. The versatile artist, hailed as one of “Broadway’s biggest talents” (People Magazine), is featured on a program of jazz, Broadway, and pop songs hand-selected and arranged by Walden to showcase Noblezada’s remarkable vocal range. Pacific Jazz Orchestra, an LA-based 40-piece hybrid big band and jazz orchestra, made its sell-out debut performance at The Soraya (CSUN/Northridge) last season, which was heralded as the “Best Jazz Performance” by San Francisco Classical Voice’s (SFCV) Reader’s Choice Awards.
Eva Noblezada | Photo by Jenny Anderson
“Eva Noblezada is an electrifying artist who captivates audiences with her remarkable voice, commanding stage presence, and deeply emotional performances,” says Walden, a seven-time GRAMMY© Award-nominated composer who creates original arrangements for each of the ensemble’s unique shows. “We are thrilled to return to The Soraya with this new program, following the incredible reception we received for our debut performance there last spring.”
The concert on Saturday, February 1, at 8pm, launches The Soraya’s 4th Annual Jazz at Naz Festival, which was recently recognized “as one of the best winter jazz festivals on the West Coast as well as the jazz epicenter in Los Angeles” (SFCV).
Noblezada dazzled on Broadway as Eurydice in the original production of the mega-hit Hadestown, following her riveting performances in London’s revivals of Miss Saigon and Les Misérables. She is currently wowing audiences as Daisy Buchanan in the new Broadway musical adaptation of The Great Gatsby. On screen, she starred alongside Lea Salonga in Yellow Rose and voiced the lead role of Sam in Apple TV+’s Luck.
Pacific Jazz Orchestra has garnered critical acclaim for thrilling performances that “entertain, inspire, and enrich” (Variety). Thanks to the generosity of The Herb Alpert Foundation (HAF), the Pacific Jazz Orchestra’s inaugural season was fully funded, and HAF continues to support the ensemble in its 2024-25 season. Additional support this season is provided by Gregory Annenberg Weingarten, GRoW @ Annenberg.
The Soraya is located at California State University/Northridge, 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA, 91330. For tickets ($55-$158) and information, visit www.the soraya.org or call (818) 677-3000.
For information about Pacific Jazz Orchestra, visit www.pacificjazz.org.
ABOUT PACIFIC JAZZ ORCHESTRA
Pacific Jazz Orchestra embraces and reflects the diverse and enthralling soundscape of Los Angeles, where the 40-piece ensemble was born, bred, and resides. The ultimate cross-over sensation, the nimble hybrid jazz big band and string orchestra comprised of powerhouse studio musicians deftly navigates musical styles ranging from jazz, Latin, hip hop, and R&B, to pop, musical theater, symphonic, and cinematic soundtracks.
Founded in 2022 by seven-time GRAMMY®-nominated composer/arranger/conductor Chris Walden, Pacific Jazz Orchestra has garnered critical acclaim for thrilling performances that “entertain, inspire, and enrich” (Variety). As artistic director and conductor, Walden creates a melting pot of original music and unique arrangements for every show, each with a specific theme, distinctive jazz flair, and lush orchestrations.
The ensemble is also noted for its ambitious collaborations with a wide range of guest artists, among them acclaimed singer/songwriter Rufus Wainwright, singer/actress Katharine McPhee, GRAMMY®-winning vocal group TAKE 6, and Tony Award-winner Aaron Tveit. Other projects have featured eminent violinist Caroline Campbell, celebrated saxophonist Ben Wendel, GRAMMY®-winning artist Ledisi, R&B/soul singer Adam “AeJaye” Jackson, vocal stylist Sheléa, and veteran blues and funk singer Billy Valentine.
Pacific Jazz Orchestra presents an annual concert series at various Southern California venues and has toured to Japan with its 18-piece big band configuration. It is LA’s first resident jazz orchestra since 2006, when the Henry Mancini Institute closed its doors after an acclaimed ten-year run. A 501-(c)(3) non-profit organization, Pacific Jazz Orchestra is sponsored in part by the Herb Alpert Foundation. Its Advisory Board Members include David Foster, Quincy Jones, Monica Mancini, Alan Bergman, Rickey Minor, Harvey Mason Jr., and Ledisi.
ABOUT CHRIS WALDEN
Seven-time GRAMMY®-nominated composer/arranger Chris Walden is the artistic director and conductor of Pacific Jazz Orchestra. Hailed as a “distinguished conductor” (Audio Media International) and “gifted and well-connected arranger-composer” (Santa Barbara Independent) who pens “exquisite string arrangements” (The Arts Desk), Walden “has built an illustrious career working behind the scenes with some of music’s biggest names” (grammy.com).
He has scored more than 40 feature and TV films and written more than 1,500 orchestral and big band arrangements for such artists as John Legend, Michael Bublé, Aretha Franklin, Paul McCartney, SEAL, Stevie Wonder, Rihanna, Barbra Streisand, and Josh Groban. He has also collaborated as an arranger and bandleader with jazz artists Diana Krall, Herb Alpert, Michael Brecker, Arturo Sandoval, and the Count Basie Orchestra and served as the lead arranger for the Academy Awards, Kennedy Center Honors, American Idol, and even the Super Bowl, arranging Jennifer Hudson’s National Anthem performance. In addition to working closely with producers David Foster, Tommy LiPuma, and Phil Ramone, Walden’s credits include conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Hollywood Bowl Orchestra, Holland’s Metropole Orkest, Boston Pops, Philadelphia Orchestra, Pittsburgh Symphony, and WDR Big Band Cologne, among others.
The German-born musician, who performs on trumpet and flugelhorn as well, composed music for German films and TV before emigrating to Los Angeles at the age of 29. Walden, who lives in Los Angeles, has served as trustee on the national board of the Recording Academy and past president of the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers (ASMAC).
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