in partnership
Saturday, November 9, 2024 | 8PM
Soka Performing Arts Center at Soka University of America
Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few
Presented
with BluePort Jazz
Featured Performers
Isaiah Collier saxophones, percussion, vocals
Richard Gibbs III piano
Jermaine Paul bass Damien Reid drums
This concert is presented in partnership with BluePort Jazz In partnership with KCRW In partnership with KJazz 88.1FM
ISAIAH COLLIER
saxophones, percussion, vocals
Born and raised on Chicago’s Southside, multi-instrumentalist Isaiah Collier has been surrounded by music his entire life. His father, a piano player, and mother, a vocalist, these were the first instruments that Isaiah learned. At the age of 11 he followed in his older brother’s footsteps and picked up the saxophone, under the guidance of Julian Champion. Isaiah began performing as a young teenager in small clubs and lounges throughout the city with his siblings & parents standing by in support. In those beginning years he would meet many of his mentors that would help him develop his technique and knowledge of the history of the music, which is a key aspect to not only his sound but his passion for the music he presents. Collier’s sound and approach is drawn from the influences of other master saxophonists such as John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Gene Ammons, as well as two of his mentors, Roscoe Mitchell and Ari Brown.
Since his teenage years, Collier’s musical gift has put him in rare spaces including performances at the White House with the Thelonius Monk Institute of Jazz. While part of the Monk Institute, Isaiah would record with the legendary Rudy Van Gelder at his studio with the Peer to Peer Jazz All-Star Quintet in 2016. Isaiah would return to the studio some years later in 2020 to record Cosmic Transitions (2021) with his Quartet, Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few. This record, released
through independent label Division 81, would receive a rare 5 star review from Downbeat Magazine
In 2022 Isaiah would go on the record a critically acclaimed duo project I AM Beyond with Drummer Michael Shekwoaga Ode. This record showcases Collier’s versatile ablity to connect Free Jazz, Modal, Funk and world sounds.
To further showcase his understanding of music as a universal language, Collier recorded Parallel Universe (2023), working with LA-based vocalist Jimetta Rose. The album showcases his skills as a composer and arranger. Parallel
Universe finds Isaiah embracing his multi-instrumentalist skillset as he flows effortlessly from keyboards, flute, sax, percussion, and vocals.
Collier has shared the stage with many musicians both locally and internationally. With artists such as Chance The Rapper, Lewis Nash, Waddada Leo Smith III, Antonio Hart, Junius Paul, James Carter, Rene Marie, Carl Allen, Paul Rogers, Bennie Maupin, Rudy Van Gelder, Angel Bat Dawid and many more.
In addition to Collier playing at venues and festivals from notable places such as The Jazz Showcase, Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, Lithuania Jazz Festival, The White House, Chicago Jazz Festival, New York Winter Jazz Festival, The Hyde Park Jazz Festivals, Sons D’hiver Festival (Paris), The Logan Center, Frankfurt Jazz Festival, Berlin Jazz Festival, The Harris Theatre, U.S. Embassy (Paraguay) as well as many other
venues around the world in recent years.
Collier is also a former fellow of the prestigious Dave Brubeck Institute Stockton, CA.
His most well-known work is with his group Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few. Their most recent projects include The Unapologetic Negro (2019) and their first release Return of The Black Emperor (2017). In addition to receiving a five-star review from Downbeat Magazine on his new project Cosmic Transitions, recorded at The Legendary Rudy Van Gelder’s Studio (2021), I AM Beyond (2022), Parallel Universe (2023).
At only 25 years old Collier has made many waves in the world of music and is loaded with many new musical offerings for the years to come.
Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few
BluePort Jazz
Dr. Jim Merod - Jazz Monsters Curator
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.
Co-presented with BluePort Jazz
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
Mezcal Old Fashioned
We asked the artist for their favorite drink pick to feature at concessions! A Mezcal Old Fashioned was selected by Isaiah Collier and 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 at intermission!
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 1,042seat 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.
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.
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.
CREATE
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
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
Jarmil Maupin
Internal Events Manager
Piano Tuners
Kathy Smith Lead Tuner
Ron Elliott
David Stoneman
David Vanderlip
SokaPAC @SokaPAC SokaPerformingArtsCenter @SokaPAC
Website soka.edu/pac
SOKA
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
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
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