Presented in partnership with:
2026-27 SEASON OPENER
David Benoit
Resonance and Renewal — World Premiere Saturday, September 26, 2026 | 5PM Soka Performing Arts Center at Soka University of America
PROGRAM AN EVENING WITH DAVID BENOIT FEATURING THE WORLD PREMIERE OF “RESONANCE AND RENEWAL” , A CELLO CONCERTO WITH SOLOIST CÉCILIA TSAN
David Benoit presents the World Premiere of a new cello concerto featuring soloist Cécilia Tsan. Best known for his luminous contemporary jazz, David Benoit turns inward with Resonance and Renewal, a deeply personal work inspired by his journey through a life-altering kidney transplant—an artistic expression of his vulnerability, resilience, and gratitude. The program opens with remarks by world-renowned kidney surgeon Jeffrey Veale, head of the kidney transplant program at UCLA. David Benoit will then share reflections on his personal journey through End Stage Kidney Disease, offering insight into the experience that shaped the music to follow. The concert will begin with the world premiere of Resonance & Renewal, during which Benoit will conduct a 40-piece orchestra, with acclaimed cellist Cécilia Tsan as featured soloist. In the second half of the program, Benoit returns to the piano to perform a selection of his most beloved works, favorites among audiences worldwide. The orchestra will rejoin him for a vibrant and uplifting finale, bringing the evening to a spirited and memorable close.
ABOUT THE ARTIST DAVID BENOIT PIANO David Benoit is an acclaimed conductor, composer, arranger, and jazz pianist whose career spans more than four decades across jazz performance, orchestral music, and film and television scoring. Born in Bakersfield, California, he began composing at an early age and went on to study theory, composition, and piano at El Camino College. A Grammy nominee multiple times, he has also earned an Emmy Award for his work on “It’s Your 50th Christmas, Charlie Brown”, continuing the musical legacy of the Charlie Brown specials. His film and television scoring credits include The Stars Fell on Henrietta and The Christmas Tree, and he has performed and conducted with major orchestras such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic and London Symphony Orchestra. He served for over two decades as Music Director of the Asia America Symphony Association, where he founded the Asia America Youth Orchestra. A globally recognized performer, Benoit has appeared for three U.S. presidents and continues to bridge jazz and symphonic traditions. He now presents the world premiere of his cello concerto, Resonance & Renewal, a deeply personal work inspired by his recent life journey.
ABOUT THE ARTIST CÉCILIA TSAN CELLO Cécilia Tsan is an internationally acclaimed cellist praised for her “uncompromising musical character and towering technique” (Los Angeles Times). Born in France, she studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, where she earned top honors in both cello and chamber music, and is a prizewinner of several international competitions. An active soloist and chamber musician, she has performed worldwide with distinguished artists including Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Augustin Dumay. Since relocating to Los Angeles, she has become one of the most sought-after studio musicians in the film industry, recording hundreds of scores with composers such as John Williams, Hans Zimmer, and Danny Elfman. Tsan serves as Principal Cellist of the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra and the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and has performed in major televised events including the Academy Awards and Emmy Awards. In addition to her performance career, she is the Artistic Director of the “Sunday Afternoon Concerts in the Dome” series at Mount Wilson Observatory.
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SOKA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER TICKETS & INFORMATION HERE
performingartscenter.soka.edu tickets@soka.edu 949-480-4278
CONCESSIONS
Concessions A wide variety of wine, beer, soft drinks and freshly prepared snacks will be available.
Artist Drink Pick
Vodka Martini We asked the artist for their favorite drink pick to feature at concessions! Vodka Martini was selected and will be available for purchase.
Click here for menu and to order Pre-order your concessions and skip the line!
Concessions provided by FPG Events
Soka Performing Arts Center Mission Statement
Our mission is to Engage, Educate, and Elevate the Human Spirit Soka Performing Arts Center is dedicated to elevating the human spirit through transcendent live experiences. Discover the unmatched beauty of our acoustics. Expand your understanding and appreciation of music through our programs that illuminate new perspectives. Build community and forge deep connections through the shared experience of live performance. We invite you to become a part of our Soka Performing Arts Center family and to Listen. Feel. Transform.
Listen. Feel. Transform.
ABOUT SOKA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Soka Performing Arts Center is located on the beautiful hilltop campus of Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo. Our facility includes the 1,042seat 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 800 performances have taken place since the center’s dedication on May 27, 2011. The 2025-26 season marks our fifteenth 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 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 Philharmonic Society Series, which brings superlative artists to our stage. We also partner with Philharmonic Society 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.
SOKA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER DONORS
OUR SUPPORTERS
DIRECTOR’S CIRCLE ($75,000+) Dr. Kenneth & Sandra Tokita Sam* & Lyndie Ersan CONCERTMASTER ($10,000+) Ms. Emi Maeda STAGE CHAMPION ($5000+) Yoshitomo & Takemi Daido STAGE BENEFACTOR ($1000+) Anonymous OC Chinese Cultural Club John and Sue Prange Terumi Saito Jochen Schumacher Alex & Sandy Scott Scott A Shuping Anson and Marilyn Wong PLATINUM CLEF ($500+) Anonymous Jeffrey Hendrix Edward D. Jones Jane A. Lynch GOLD CLEF ($200+) Judy Kaufman Lorraine Leiser Naomi Uchiyama SILVER CLEF ($100+) Renée Bodie Sam Chang Masako Inage Debrah Jiang Chiharu Nagai Paul Porto Thomas Prigorac Jonia Suri Joseph Whittaker BRONZE CLEF ($25+) Raquel Bruno Kenneth Hanawa Ryosuke Iga Jeannette Pease Joyce M Wrice Taro Yamanashi
* Deceased List current as of 09/26/2024 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 Renée Bodie, General Manager at (949) 480-4821 to make us aware of any error or omission in the foregoing list.
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DONATE TO SOKA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER
Your support helps ensure Soka Performing Arts Center fulfills its purpose: to engage, educate, and elevate the human spirit. Your gift supports the programming of world-class performances, provides transformative educational outreach experiences, and opens the opportunity to build engagement with our community by sharing the joy of live music.
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CREATE YOUR OWN SUBSCRIPTION PACKAGE
Our subscription and renewal program provides 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 • Parnassus Society
Piano Tuners Nick Del Palacio Lead Tuner Ron Elliott David Stoneman David Vanderlip
SOKA PAC MANAGEMENT TEAM Renée Bodie General Manager & Artistic Director John Morgan Box Office Manager Antoinette Rossman House Manager/Assistant to the General Manager Steve Baker Production Manager Jarmil Maupin Internal Events Manager Ian Smith Technical Services Manager Emilia Haddad Stage Manager Renata Ferreira Marketing & Communications Assistant Gabriella Marttuci Marketing & Communications Assistant
@SokaPAC @SokaPAC SokaPerformingArtsCenter Website performingarts.soka.edu
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 Stephen S. Dunham, JD | CHAIR Vice President and General Counsel Emeritus, Pennsylvania State University | Baltimore, Maryland Tariq Hasan, PhD | VICE CHAIR Chief Executive Officer, SGI-USA | 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
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 Isabel Nuñez, PhD, MPhil, JD Professor of Educational Studies, Dean of School of Education, Purdue University Fort Wayne | Fort Wayne, Indiana 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 Gregg S. Wolpert Co-president, The Stahl Organization | New York, New York 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
M. Robert Hamersley, PhD Dean of Faculty Professor of Environmental Biogeochemistry
Archibald E. Asawa Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Chief Financial Officer Chief Investment Officer
Hyon J. Moon, EdD Dean of Students Title IX and Section 504 Deputy Coordinator for Students
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 Senior Advisor to the President Professor of East Asian History & International Studies Bryan E. Penprase, PhD Vice President for 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
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