Gala Flamenca

A dozen diverse performances — from theater to music and dance, from jazz to country and even a Saturday matinee for children and families — will grace the stages of the Valley Performing Arts Center and the Plaza del Sol at California State University, Northridge during the month of March.

The entertainment begins Saturday, March 1, at 8 p.m. when L.A. Theatre Works presents “The Graduate” in the Plaza Del Sol Concert Hall on the east side of the campus. Producing director Susan Albert Lowenberg’s presentation of this iconic American classic is immediate, spontaneous and features actors from L.A. Theatre Works’ acclaimed company.

“Savion Glover’s STePz” will entertain audiences on Friday, March 7, at 8 p.m. in the Valley Performing Arts Center. “STePz” is an exuberant celebration of tap dance to sound and sound to dance.

“Jim Henson’s Sid the Science Kid: LIVE!” will bring children and their families to the Valley Performing Arts Center on Saturday, March 8, at 1 p.m. Sid and his friends will invite audience members to join them as they take a journey through the five senses: sight, sound, taste, smell and touch. Along the way, they will discover a special, sixth sense. Children in the audience will be invited to take part in a science fair created by Cal State Northridge faculty and students after the show.

The Haifa Symphony Orchestra of Israel will perform on Sunday, March 9, at 7:30 p.m. and on Monday, March 10, at 11 a.m. in the Valley Performing Arts Center. Sunday’s performance features Weber’s overture to the opera “Euryanthe,” Rachmaninov’s “Piano Concerto No. 3” and Tchaikovsky’s “Symphony No. 4 Op. 36” conducted by Boguslaw Dawidow and featuring Roman Rabinovitz on piano. Monday’s performance features Dawidow and Rabinovitz, who will explore the musical landscapes of Weber, Tchaikovksy and Beethoven.

“Gala Flamenca” will take the stage of the Valley Performing Arts Center on Friday, March 14, at 8 p.m. World-renowned flamenco artists Antonio Canales, Carlos Rodriguez, Karime Amaya and Jesus Carmona will capture the spotlight with their modern choreography, dramatic vocals and seamless dance rhythms. The performance will be preceded by a pre-concert lecture by a college dance professor who will discuss what the audience will see in that evening’s performance. The lecture is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. in Kurland Hall of the performing arts complex.

Grammy Award-winner Wynton Marsalis will join the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra for an evening of Ellington, Basie and other musicians on Sunday, March 16, at 7:30 p.m. at the Valley Performing Arts Center.

The Academy of St Martin in the Fields will perform with violin virtuoso Joshua Bell on Thursday, March 20, at 7:30 p.m. in the Valley Performing Arts Center. Bell, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields’ new music director, will join the conductor-less chamber ensemble for a performance of signature masterpieces by Mozart, Brahms and Beethoven.

The Parsons Dance Company will bring their powerhouse of energy, innovation and athleticism to the Valley Performing Arts Center for an evening of exhilarating choreography on Saturday, March 22, at 8 p.m.

Scharoun Ensemble Berlin will take audiences through a musical journey of quintets, octets and septets by Mozart, Hindemith, Hense, Dvořák, Schubert, Beethoven and Brahms on Sunday, March 23, at 7:30 p.m. in the Valley Performing Arts Center.

Doc Severinsen and His Big Band, featuring special guest Mary Wilson, will take the stage of the Valley Performing Arts Center on Friday, March 28, at 8 p.m. The American icons, former “The Tonight Show” bandleader Severinsen and former Supreme Wilson, will present an evening of Ellington and Basie standards, pop, jazz, big band classics and “The Tonight Show” theme.

Rounding out the month will be country music singers/songwriters John Anderson and Tracy Lawrence on Saturday, March 29, at 8 p.m. The two will perform such songs as “Wild and Blue,” “Swingin’ ” and “If the Good Die Young.”

The 1,700-seat Valley Performing Arts Center has established California State University, Northridge as a hub for culture and performing arts in the region. It was recently voted one of the top ten performing arts centers and theaters in Los Angeles by Time Out Los Angeles. For more information about the center or performances, visit the center’s website at http://www.valleyperformingartscenter.org/ or call the ticket office at (818) 677-3000.

Dance, Music, Theater, Valley Performing Arts Center