2024.10.04 | Roberta Gambarini & Tamir Hendelman

Co-presented with BluePort Jazz

Roberta Gambarini & Tamir Hendelman Friday, October 4, 2024 | 8PM Soka Performing Arts Center at Soka University of America

Roberta Gambarini & Tamir Hendelman

Roberta Gambarini vocals

Three-time GRAMMY®-nominated international vocal powerhouse Roberta Gambarini burst onto the world’s jazz scene in 1998 when she became one of the runner-ups in the Thelonious Monk Jazz Vocal Competition.

Her performance on the Smithsonian Auditorium stage in Washington, D.C. stunned both judges and the audience alike, launching a decades-long stellar career that has earned her the love of audiences in the U.S. and worldwide. From Carnegie Hall and the Hollywood Bowl to jazz festivals such as Monterey and Newport, and from NYC’s Blue Note Jazz Club to Salle Pleyel in Paris and Royal Albert Hall in London, Roberta has performed at many prestigious venues.

She has performed, recorded, and toured extensively with most of the greatest masters of jazz, including James Moody, Clark Terry, Roy Hargrove, Jimmy Heath, Hank Jones, Billy Higgins, Herbie Hancock, Michael Brecker, Dave Brubeck, the Dizzy Gillespie All Stars Big Band, Jon Batiste, Chucho Valdés, Paquito D’Rivera, and many more.

Her work has been rewarded with multiple accolades, such as three GRAMMY® nominations (two for Jazz Vocal Album of the Year for her albums Easy to Love and So in Love, and one for her work on the iconic Roy Hargrove Big Band album

Emergence). She also received the French National Jazz Academy’s Vocal Album of the Year prize for her album You Are There, a duo with jazz giant and former Ella Fitzgerald pianist Hank Jones. Additionally, she was awarded the Jazz Singer of the Year prize twice by the International Association of Jazz Journalists, DownBeat Magazine’s Best Rising Vocal Star and Singer of the Year award, and many more honors.

Roberta continues to tour and record with her acclaimed quartet, while also constantly expanding her repertoire and embracing new musical adventures. These include collaborations with Cuban jazz great Paquito D’Rivera, jazz master Cyrus Chestnut, and nuevo tango master Pablo Ziegler.

In recognition of her global standing as one of today’s leading voices in jazz and her many contributions to the vocal arts, in 2023, the French Ministry of Culture honored Roberta with its highest distinction for artists: the title of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Tamir Hendelman piano

Pianist, composer, and arranger Tamir Hendelman is known for his dynamic playing and imaginative arranging on his own trio recordings, as well as those of the Jeff Hamilton Trio and the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra since 2000-2001.

He has also worked with Natalie Cole, Barbra Streisand, Roberta Gambarini, Graham Dechter, Richard Galliano, and Claudio Roditi.

As a youth, he moved from Tel Aviv to Los Angeles, where he won Yamaha’s national keyboard competition, performed in Japan and at the Kennedy Center, attended Tanglewood in 1998, and received a Bachelor of Music in Composition from the Eastman School of Music in 1993, after studies with pianist/composers Clare Fischer and Billy Childs.

In 2001, Tamir Hendelman premiered John Clayton’s version of Oscar Peterson’s Canadiana Suite with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. He has performed with the Winston-Salem Symphony, Arizona MusicFest, and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestras, and was recently one of several UCLA composers commissioned for pianist Inna Faliks’ Reimagine Project. He has been on the faculty of UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music since 2005 and has given numerous workshops at universities and music programs in the U.S. and abroad.

His latest CD, Destinations, reached #1 on the U.S. jazz charts and features music by Jobim, Jarrett, Ravel, as well as originals. His first recording, Playground, featuring John Clayton and Jeff Hamilton, also reached the top of the charts.

Recent recordings include Graham Dechter’s Minor Influence and the Jeff Hamilton Trio’s Catch Me If You Can.

BluePort Jazz Dr. Jim Merod

Dr. Jim Merod is a professor of American Literature at Soka University and has a Ph.D. from Stanford University. Merod has been heavily involved in the jazz scene for more than 20 years as a recording and mastering engineer, working with legendary jazz and blues musicians such as Tito Puente, Joe Lovano, Tommy Flanagan, Sarah Vaughan, Eddie Palmieri, Wynton Marsalis, Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Getz, Tolu, Los Lobos, Ozomatli, and Luciana Souza. Merod helps cultivate the culture of jazz at SUA through BluePort Jazz’s partnership with Soka Performing Arts Center.

Merod’s contribution to the jazz world is not limited to his engineering work. He is also the co-author of legendary composer-saxophonist Benny Golson’s autobiography. Through his founding of BluePort Sound recording studio and BluePort Jazz record label, Merod has established himself as an important figure in the jazz community. His dedication to jazz has helped make Elario’s Jazz Club, in La Jolla, California, one of the premier jazz venues on the west coast.

Aside from his work in the music industry, Merod has also been a teacher, critic, and writer. He attributes his intellectual growth to his influential teachers at Princeton, Middlebury College, and Stanford,

such as R. P. Blackmur, Walter Kaufman, William Arrowsmith, Harold Bloom, David Halliburton, Bliss Carnochan, and his friend and colleague at Cornell, A. R. Ammons.

With his vast experience in both academia and the music industry, Jim Merod has left a remarkable impact on the world of jazz and is highly respected for his contributions to the genre.

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SATURDAY, NOV. 9, 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 and during intermission in the lobby.

Artist Drink Pick Ginger Lime Sparkler We asked the artists for their favorite drink pick to feature at concessions!

A Ginger Lime Sparkler was chosen by Tamir Hendelman & will be available for purchase before the performance & during intermission.

Click here for menu and to order Pre-order your concessions and skip the line during intermission!

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