Stories & Songs
Saturday, April 6, 2024 | 8 PM Soka Performing Arts Center
An Evening with Roger McGuinn
Jim McGuinn, later known as Roger, was already a veteran of the New York and Los Angeles music scenes when he cofounded the group that would become the Byrds with Gene Clark and David Crosby in 1964. Prior to forming the Byrds, Roger toured and performed with the Limeliters, Chad Mitchell Trio and Bobby Darin as a guitarist and banjo player. He was also the musical director on Judy Collins #3.
McGuinn, a Chicago native, studied at the Old Town School of Folk Music and was active on Chicago’s folk scene. Within a few weeks of finishing high school, he was in California with the Limeliters, playing guitar and banjo on their album Tonight: In Person. He then toured with the Chad Mitchell Trio and recorded on their albums Mighty Day on Campus and The Chad Mitchell Trio at the Bitter End.
He toured with singer Bobby Darin, and then moved to New York to work for Darin’s publishing company, in the fabled Brill Building as a songwriter. He and Frank Gari co-wrote the song “Beach Ball” and performed it with Darin, as the City Surfers, in July 1963.
McGuinn heard the Beatles for the first time at the Brill Building, and began adding a Beatle beat
to his favorite folk songs in the coffee houses of Greenwich Village. His experimental musical style didn’t please the folk purists, so he moved to Los Angeles to work at the Troubadour, opening for Hoyt Axton. It was there that Gene Clark approached Roger with an appreciation for his unusual musical blend. They joined their talents and began writing songs in the front room of the Troubadour, then called the “Folk Den.”
David Crosby walked in one day and joined them with his unique concepts of harmony. That third voice completed the underpinnings of one of
the most influential bands of the ‘60s. Within a few months, McGuinn, Clark & Crosby asked conga player Michael Clarke to join them as a drummer because he looked like two of the Rolling Stones. Mandolin player Chris Hillman was tapped to be the bass player. During a Thanksgiving dinner the band settled on the name
Roger McGuinn: A Timeline
“Byrds.” Columbia Records signed the Byrds in January, 1965 and released their number one hit, “Mr. Tambourine Man.”
When McGuinn disbanded the Byrds in 1973, he began his lifelong dream of a solo career inspired by folk singer, Pete Seeger.
1973 McGuinn disbanded the Byrds. He made five solo albums on Columbia Records.
1978 McGuinn rejoined Gene Clark and Chris Hillman on Capitol Records for three albums.
1991 Arista records released Back From Rio, a rock album that included his friends, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Elvis Costello, Chris Hillman, David Crosby, Michael Penn and John Jorgensen.
1995 McGuinn began The Folk Den Project. He records and uploads a traditional folk song to his web site, mcguinn.com, as an effort to preserve traditional songs. Each month a different song is added to the site accompanied with lyrics and chords for free download.
1996 Live from Mars - Hollywood Records released this autobiographical one-man show.
2001 Treasures From The Folk Den is Grammy nominated
2004 Limited Edition released - rock and roll, folk and blues, new compositions and a touch of hip-hop.
2005
2006
THE FOLK DEN PROJECT - The 10-year anniversary of the Folk Den Project. A 4 CD set of 100 folk songs that he has uploaded to the Folk Den over the last decade. It was greeted with worldwide critical acclaim. Rolling Stone called it “..Near perfect.”
Live From Spain - concert recorded for radio broadcast from Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain.
2011 CCD - 23 songs that captures the golden age of sail when wooden ships commanded the waves.
2014 Stories, Songs and Friend – 2CDs & a Bonus DVD – This set includes 2 CDs of a live concert and a bonus DVD which includes stories and conversations with Joan, Baez, Dave Barry, Judy Collins, Pete Fornatale, Chris Hillman, Tom Petty, Pete Seeger, Bruce Springsteen, Marty Stuart and Derek Taylor.
2016
THE FOLK DEN PROJECT- Twentieth Anniversary Edition – This project celebrates 20 years of the Folk Den Project. This anniversary edition is a compliment to the 2005 Edition with 100 newly recorded songs from the Folk Den. As Roger quotes on the back cover, “ Before there were books, music saved our history.”
2018 Sweet Memories is released and includes 12 new recordings, including remakes of the Byrds’ first two smash singles, “Mr. Tambourine Man” and “Turn! Turn! Turn!”
2020 Merry Christmas is released
Mike Tomaro 10tet
featuring Mike Tomaro, Glenn Cashman, Keith Bishop, Chad Willis, Jeff Jarvis, Zach Niess, Andy Waddell, Jeremy Siskind, Michael Parchaiski & Ryan Dong
Presented in partnership with BluePort Jazz
SATURDAY, APR. 13, 2024, 8 PM
SOKA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Our mission is to Engage, Educate, and Elevate the Human Spirit
Soka Performing Arts Center strives to elevate humanity through transcendent experiences. Come experience our exquisite acoustics. Come to expand your understanding and appreciation of music. Come to forge community and emotional connections through the shared experience of live music.
Soka Performing Arts Center is located on the beautiful hilltop campus of Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo. Our facility includes the 1,032seat Concert Hall featuring world-class acoustics designed by master acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota, designer of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and Suntory Hall in Tokyo, among many others. We also have an intimate 350-seat Black Box Theatre that allows for multiple seating configurations including club seating with bistro tables.
More than 750 performances have taken place since the center’s dedication on May 27, 2011. The 2023-24 season marks our twelfth season presenting first-class programming in our world-class concert hall. We are continuing to expand our programming and outreach with the addition of a Children’s Concert Series, Blues Festival, and the only Great Pianists Series on the West Coast. From classical and jazz to world and contemporary music, the Soka Performing Arts Center has become a prized space for artists and audiences alike.
We are proud to be the home of the Pacific Symphony Chamber Orchestra. Our Sundays @ Soka Series with Pacific Symphony continues to be one of our most popular series year after year. Our presentations with other Orange County arts organizations have enabled us to reach further into our community to offer arts education and programming. Our partnership with the Philharmonic Society of Orange County includes our PSOC Series, which brings superlative artists to our stage. We also partner with PSOC for our Outreach Program, bringing over 7,000 school children to Soka Performing Arts Center to experience live performances with outstanding musicians.
With its world-class acoustics and first-class performances, Soka Performing Arts Center is quickly becoming one of the cultural jewels of Orange County.
OUR SUPPORTERS
DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE ($75,000+)
Dr. Kenneth & Sandra Tokita
Sam & Lyndie Ersan
CONCERTMASTER ($10,000+)
Ms. Emi Maeda
STAGE CHAMPION ($5000+)
Anonymous
STAGE BENEFACTOR ($1000+)
John and Sue Prange
Terumi Saito
Jochen Schumacher
Scott A Shuping
GOLD CLEF ($500+)
Jeffrey Hendrix
Jane A. Lynch
Alex & Sandy Scott
SILVER CLEF ($200+)
Lorraine Leiser
Anson and Marilyn Wong
BRONZE CLEF ($25+)
Raquel Bruno
Sammy Chang
Judy Kaufman
Jeannette Pease
Thomas Prigorac
Jonia Suri
Naomi Uchiyama
Joseph Whitaker
Joyce M Wrice
Taro Yamanashi
Anonymous
List current as of 02/05/2024
The Soka Performing Arts Center deeply appreciates the support of its sponsors and donors, and makes every effort to ensure accurate and appropriate recognition. Contact Renee Bodie, General Manager at (949) 480-4821 to make us aware of any error or omission in the foregoing list.
CREATE YOUR OWN SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGE
This season, we have made exciting updates to our subscription and renewal program, providing you with even more flexibility in our season packages*. With our enhanced program, you now have the power to curate your very own unique experience.
• 15% Discount for a 3 performance package
• 18% Discount for a 4 performance package
• 20% Discount for a 5+ performance package
*full details online at soka.edu/pac
OUR PARTNERS
• Blueport Jazz
• Philharmonic Society of Orange County
• Pacific Symphony
• San Diego Symphony
• Parnassus Society
SOKA PAC MANAGEMENT TEAM
Renée Bodie General Manager & Artistic Director
John Morgan Box Office Manager
Jarmil Maupin Technical Services Manager
Jenski Nguyen Stage Manager
Madeline Webb Lighting Technician
Hiroyuki Connor Miki Internal Events Manager
Jaime Spataro Marketing & Communications Manager
Joe Nicholls Marketing & Communications Assistant
Steve Baker Interim Production/House Manager
SokaPAC @SokaPAC
SokaPerformingArtsCenter @SokaPAC
Website soka.edu/pac
SOKA UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Soka Performing Arts Center resides on the beautiful campus of Soka University of America. We thank the SUA Board of Trustees and the SUA Leadership Council for all of their support.
SUA BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Steve Dunham, JD
Chair Vice President and General Counsel Emeritus, Pennsylvania State University | Baltimore, Maryland
Tariq Hasan, PhD
Vice Chair Chief Executive Officer, SGIUSA | New York, New York
Andrea Bartoli, PhD
President, Sant’Egidio Foundation for Peace and Dialogue | New York, New York
Matilda Buck
Benefactor | Los Angeles, California
Lawrence E. Carter, Sr, PhD, DD, DH, DRS
Dean, Professor of Religion, College
Archivist and Curator, Morehouse College | Atlanta, Georgia
Andy Firoved
CEO, HOTB Software | Irvine, California
Jason Goulah, PhD
Professor of Bilingual-Bicultural Education and Director, Institute for Daisaku Ikeda Studies in Education, Director of Programs in Bilingual-Bicultural Education, World Language Education, and Value-Creating Education for Global Citizenship, College of Education, DePaul University | Chicago, Illinois
Clothilde V. Hewlett, JD
Commissioner of Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, State of California | San Francisco, California
Lawrence A. Hickman, PhD
Director Emeritus, The Center for Dewey Studies and Professor Emeritus, Department of Philosophy, Southern Illinois University Carbondale | Carbondale, Illinois
Kris Knudsen, JD
Attorney | Wilsonville, Oregon
Karen Lewis, PhD
Sondheimer Professor of International Finance and Co-Director, Weiss Center for International Financial Research, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Luis Nieves
Founder, Chairman Emeritus AUL Corp, Benefactor | Napa, California
Gene Marie O’Connell, RN, MS
Health Care Consultant, Associate Clinical Professor, University of California, San Francisco School of Nursing | Corte Madera, California
Adin Strauss
General Director, Soka Gakkai International-USA | Santa Monica, California
Yoshiki Tanigawa
Benefactor, Soka Gakkai | Tokyo, Japan
Edward M. Feasel, PhD
President, Soka University of America (ex-officio member) | Aliso Viejo, California
SUA LEADERSHIP COUNCIL
Edward M. Feasel, PhD
President
Chief Academic Officer
Professor of Economics
Archibald E. Asawa
Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration
Chief Financial Officer
Chief Investment Officer
Katherine M. King, PHR
Executive Vice President of University Community
Chief Human Resources Officer
Title IX and Section 504 Coordinator for Faculty, Staff and Others
Michael Weiner, PhD
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs
Professor of East Asian History & International Studies
Kevin Moncrief, PhD
Vice President for Mission Integration
Bryan E. Penprase, PhD
Vice President for Sponsored Research and External Academic Relations
Professor of Physics and Astronomy
Tomoko Takahashi, PhD, EdD, LHD
Vice President for Institutional Research and Assessment
Dean of the Graduate School
Professor of Linguistics and Education
David Welch, JD
Vice President
University Counsel
M. Robert Hamersley, PhD
Dean of Faculty
Professor of Environmental Biogeochemistry
Hyon J. Moon, EdD
Dean of Students
Title IX and Section 504 Deputy Coordinator for Students
Michelle Hobby-Mears, MBA
Associate Dean of Students
Director of Student Activities
Andrew Woolsey, EdD
Dean of Enrollment Services
Martin Beck, MA
Executive Director of Strategic Marketing and Communications
Concessions
A wide variety of wine, beer, soft drinks and freshly prepared snacks will be available before the concert and during intermission in the lobby.
Staff Drink Pick
Blood Orange Sunset Spritzer
We asked our staff for their favorite drink pick to feature at concessions! The Blood Orange Sunset Spritzer (non-alcoholic) was chosen by Production Manager Steve Baker and will be available for purchase before the performance and during intermission
Click here for menu and to order
Pre-order your concessions for intermission and skip the line ahead of time!
Concessions provided by FPG Events