2024.09.29 | Dionne Warwick

Dionne Warwick Sunday, September 29, 2024 | 5PM Soka Performing Arts Center at Soka University of America

Dionne Warwick Scintillating, soothing and sensual best describe the familiar and legendary voice of five-time GRAMMY® Award-winning music legend, DIONNE WARWICK, who has become a cornerstone of American pop music and culture.

Warwick’s career, which currently celebrates over 50 years, has established her as an international music icon and concert act. Over that time, she has earned 75 charted hit songs and sold over 100 million records. Warwick also received the 2019 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

She began singing professionally in 1961 after being discovered by a young songwriting team, Burt Bacharach and Hal David.

She had her first hit in 1962 with “Don’t Make Me Over.” Less than a decade later, she had released more than 18 consecutive Top 100 singles, including her classic Bacharach/David recordings, “Walk on By,” “Anyone Who Had a Heart,” “Message to Michael,” “Promises Promises,” “A House is Not a Home,” “Alfie,” “Say a Little Prayer,” “This Girl’s in Love With You,” “I’ll Never Fall in Love Again,” “Reach Out For Me,” and the theme from Valley of the Dolls. Together, Warwick and her songwriting team of Burt Bacharach & Hal David, accumulated more than 30 hit singles, and close to 20 best-selling albums, during their first decade together.

Warwick received her first GRAMMY® Award in 1968 for her mega-hit, “Do You Know the Way to San Jose?” and a second GRAMMY® in 1970 for the best-selling album,

I’ll Never Fall in Love Again. She became the first African-American solo female artist of her generation to win the prestigious award for Best Contemporary Female Vocalist Performance. This award was only presented to one other legend, Miss Ella Fitzgerald.

Other African-American female recording artists certainly earned their share of crossover pop and R&B hits during the 1960’s, however, Warwick preceded the mainstream success of her musical peers by becoming the first such artist to rack up a dozen consecutive Top 100 hit singles from 1963-1966.

Warwick’s performance at the Olympia Theater in Paris, during a 1963 concert starring the legendary Marlene Dietrich, skyrocketed her to international stardom. As Warwick established herself as a major force in American contemporary music, she gained popularity among European audiences as well. In 1968, she became the first solo AfricanAmerican artist among her peers to sing before the Queen of England at a Royal Command Performance.

Since then, Warwick has performed before numerous kings, queens, presidents and heads of state.

Warwick’s recordings of songs such as “A House is not a Home,” “Alfie,” ”Valley of the Dolls,” and “The April Fools,” made her a pioneer as one of the first female artists to popularize classic movie themes.

Warwick began singing during her childhood years in East Orange, New Jersey, initially in church.

ABOUT THE ARTIST Occasionally, she sang as a soloist and fill-in voice for the renowned Drinkard Singers, a group comprised of her mother Lee, along with her aunts, including Aunt Cissy, Whitney Houston’s mom, and her uncles. During her teens, Warwick and her sister Dee Dee started their own gospel group, The Gospelaires.

Warwick attended The Hartt College of Music in Hartford, Connecticut, and during that time, began making trips to New York to do regular session work. She sang behind many of the biggest recording stars of the 1960’s including Dinah Washington, Sam Taylor, Brook Benton, Chuck Jackson, and Solomon Burke, among many others. It was at this time that a young composer named Burt Bacharach heard her sing during a session for The Drifters and asked her to sing on demos of some new songs he was writing with his new lyricist Hal David. In 1962, one such demo was presented to Scepter Records, which launched a hit-filled 12 -year association with the label.

Known as the artist who “bridged the gap,” Warwick’s soulful blend of pop, gospel and R&B music transcended race, culture, and musical boundaries. In 1970, Warwick received her second GRAMMY® Award for the bestselling album, I’ll Never Fall In Love Again, and began her second decade of hits with Warner Bros.

Records. She recorded half a dozen albums, with top producers such as Thom Bell, Holland-DozierHolland, Jerry Ragavoy, Steve Barri, and Michael Omartian. In 1974,

she hit the top of the charts with “Then Came You,” a million-selling duet with The Spinners. She then teamed up with Isaac Hayes for a highly successful world tour, “A Man and a Woman.”

In 1976, Warwick signed with Arista Records, beginning a third decade of hit-making. Arista Records labelmate Barry Manilow produced her first Platinum-selling album, Dionne, which included back-to- back hits “I’ll Never Love This Way Again,” and “Déjà vu.” Both recordings earned GRAMMY® Awards, making Warwick the first female artist to win the Best Female Pop and Best Female R&B Performance Awards.

Warwick’s 1982 album, Heartbreaker, co-produced by Barry Gibb and the Bee Gees, became an international charttopper. In 1985, she reunited with composer Burt Bacharach and longtime friends Gladys Knight, Elton John and Stevie Wonder to record the landmark song “That’s What Friends Are For,” which became a number one hit record around the world and the first recording dedicated to raising awareness and major funds (over $3 Million) for the AIDS cause in support of AMFAR, which Warwick continues to support.

Throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s, Warwick collaborated with many of her musical peers, including Johnny Mathis, Smokey Robinson, Luther Vandross, Jeffrey Osborne, Kashif and Stevie Wonder.

Warwick was also host of the

Dionne Warwick hit television music show, Solid Gold. In addition, she recorded several theme songs, including “Champagne Wishes & Caviar Dreams,” for the popular television series Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous, and “The Love Boat,” for the hit series from Aaron Spelling. In November 2006, Warwick recorded an album of duets, My Friends & Me, for Concord Records, a critically acclaimed Gospel album, Why We Sing, for Rhino/Warner Records, and a new jazz album, Only Trust Your Heart, a collection of standards, celebrating the music of legendary composer Sammy Cahn for Sony Red/MPCA Records. Additionally, in September 2008, Warwick added “author” to her list of credits with two best-selling children’s books, Say A Little Prayer, and Little Man, and her first best-selling autobiography, My Life As I See It for Simon & Schuster.

Always one to give back, Warwick has supported and campaigned for many causes and charities close to her heart, including AIDS, The Starlight Foundation, children’s hospitals, world hunger, disaster relief and music education for which she has been recognized and honored and has raised millions of dollars. In 1987, she was appointed the first United States Ambassador of Health by President Ronald Reagan and in 2002, served as Global Ambassador for Health and Ambassador for the United Nations’ Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO), and she continues to serve as Ambassador today. In recognition of her accomplishments and support of education, a New Jersey school was named in her honor, the Dionne

Warwick Institute for Economics and Entrepreneurship. Warwick was also a key participating artist in the all-star charity single, “We Are the World,” and in 1984, performed at “Live Aid.” Celebrating 50 years in entertainment, and the 25th Anniversary of “That’s What Friends Are For,” Warwick hosted and headlined an all-star benefit concert for World Hunger Day in London. In addition, she was honored by AMFAR in a special reunion performance of “That’s What Friends are For,” alongside Elton John, Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder at AMFAR’s Anniversary Gala in New York City. Warwick also received the prestigious 2011 Steve Chase Humanitarian Arts & Activism Award by the Desert Aids Project and was recognized for her stellar career by Clive Davis at his legendary Pre-GRAMMY® Party in Los Angeles. Adding to her list of landmark honors, Warwick was a 2013 recipient of the coveted Ellis Island Medal of Honor in New York and was inducted into the 2013 New Jersey Hall of Fame.

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SATURDAY, OCT. 5, 2024 | 8PM SOKA PERFORMING ARTS CENTER TICKETS & INFORMATION HERE

soka.edu/pac tickets@soka.edu 949-480-4278

CONCESSIONS

Concessions A wide variety of wine, beer, soft drinks and freshly prepared snacks will be available before the concert in the lobby.

Artist Drink Pick Brut Champagne We asked the artist for their favorite drink pick to feature at concessions!

Brut Champagne was selected by Dionne Warwick and will be available for purchase before the performance.

Click here for menu and to order Pre-order your concessions and skip the line before the show!

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 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.

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 750 performances have taken place since the center’s dedication on May 27, 2011. The 2024-25 season marks our thirteenth 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 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.

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+) 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+) Renée Bodie Judy Kaufman Lorraine Leiser Anson and Marilyn Wong BRONZE CLEF ($25+) Anonymous Raquel Bruno Sam Chang Kenneth Hanawa Jeannette Pease Thomas Prigorac Jonia Suri Naomi Uchiyama Joseph Whitaker Joyce M Wrice Taro Yamanashi Anonymous * 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.

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

SOKA PAC MANAGEMENT TEAM Renée Bodie General Manager & Artistic Director John Morgan Box Office Manager Jarmil Maupin Technical Services Manager Antoinette Rossman House Manager/Assistant to the General Manager Jaime Spataro Marketing & Communications Manager Joe Nicholls Marketing & Communications Assistant Steve Baker Production Manager Aadya Agrawal Stage 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 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 Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Professor of East Asian History & International Studies 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

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

From our friends at The Frida Cinema.

We thank them for their partnership.