Megan Hilty, Eden Espinosa & Joshua Henry to Headline The Soraya's 10th Anniversary Celebration

A super-star trio of Broadway artists will join forces with Richard Kaufman and the CSUN Symphony for The Soraya's final 10th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, April 30 at 7pm. Eden Espinosa, Joshua Henry, and Megan Hilty will Raise the Roof with a program specifically curated by The Soraya which include songs from the late Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George and Company, plus numbers from Wicked, Hamilton, Carousel, and more.

"A performing arts center in the Valley was a long-time vision, not only for local arts lovers, but also for civic leaders who recognized that a population and geographic area larger than all but five cities in the U.S. deserved a world-class venue," said Thor Steingraber, Executive and Artistic Director. "That vision became reality when CSUN heeded the call, even amidst the Great Recession. In 2011, the venue opened, exceeding all expectations.

In the years since, it has attracted audiences from across the region, artists from around the world, and significant philanthropic support, foremost from the Nazarian family. It has especially become home for audiences who don't have another concert hall dedicated to them, especially Spanish-speaking audiences.

The 10th anniversary concert has been twice delayed due to Covid, but all along was planned to highlight three returning artists - Megan Hilty and Eden Espinoza will join forces on a Wicked set; Hilty will also sing from her television show, Smash; Joshua Henry will revisit both Hamilton and Carousel. All three will be backed by a full orchestra and will sing hits from a variety of Broadway shows, including a nod to Stephen Sondheim."

Tickets starting at $41 for Broadway Celebrates The Soraya are available at www.thesoraya.org and by calling 818-677-3000. The Soraya is located at 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91330. This performance is sponsored by the Owen W. and Christine H. Smith Foundation

About Broadway Celebrates The Soraya Concert

Broadway Celebrates The Soraya features a trio of stellar performers, all returning to The Soraya for this special occasion. Created by The Soraya artistic team, the concert includes hits from the late Stephen Sondheim's Sunday in the Park with George and Company, plus numbers from Wicked, Hamilton, Carousel and more. Eden Espinosa and Megan Hilty are well known to Los Angeles audiences from their appearances in the two-year run of Wicked at the Pantages Theatre; Joshua Henry is currently seen in the Netflix film tick, tick... BOOM, played Aaron Burr in the first national tour of Hamilton and starred as Billy Bigelow in Carousel on Broadway.

Espinosa also originated the title character in Brooklyn the Musical, played Maureen in the closing company of Rent on Broadway, Mary Flynn to rave reviews in Maria Freidman's productions of Merrily We Roll Along in Boston, and originated the role of Tamara De Lempicka in Lempicka at Williamstown Theatre Festival, directed by Rachel Chavkin.

Joshua Henry made his acting debut as Judas in the Paper Mill Playhouse production of Godspell; appeared on Broadway in Lin Manuel Miranda's In the Heights, Green Day's American Idiot, Jake in Porgy and Bess, Flick in the Roundabout Theatre's Violet (Tony Nomination Best Featured Actor), and as Noble Sissle in Shuffle Along.

While famous as the triple-threat Ivy Lynn in NBC's "Smash," Megan Hilty triumphed on Broadway in Wicked, and earned Tony® and Drama Desk® award nominations for Noises Off and very recently played Lily St. Regis on NBC's "Annie Live."

Music Director and Conductor Richard Kaufman, who just conducted The Soraya's live presentation of Disney's Fantasia, is a frequent artist at the venue, especially for conducting for live film presentations including Amadeus, He has devoted much of his musical life to conducting and supervising music for film and television productions, as well as performing film and classical music in concert halls and on recordings. Kaufman is soon to be given the title of Pops Conductor Laureate, he is in his 30th year as Principal Pops Conductor of Pacific Symphony. He is also in his 16th season with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra concert series, "CSO at the Movies," and holds the permanent title of Pops Conductor Laureate with the Dallas Symphony.

About The Soraya at 10

Located on the vibrant and diverse campus of California State University in the heart of Los Angeles' San Fernando Valley, The Soraya continues its vigorous commitment to innovating, excelling, and amplifying access by offering a wide variety of performances that reflect LA's many distinctive communities and featuring new and original work from the Los Angeles region as well as artists from around the world.

After enduring a year without live performances, The Soraya's current 2021-22 season offers a joy-filled reunion featuring a vibrant program of nearly 50 classical and popular music, dance, theater, family, and international events that will further establish it as one of the top arts companies in Southern California that uplifts and inspires its audiences.



Eden Espinosa is most recognized for her critically acclaimed portrayal of Elphaba in Wicked on Broadway and in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Other credits include originating the title character in Brooklyn the Musical, Flora in Flora the Red Menace, and Maureen in the closing company of Rent on Broadway. Eden also originated the role of Sadie Thompson in the world premiere of Rain at The Old Globe Theater. She portrayed Eva Peron in TPAC and Studio Tenn's production of Evita.

In 2017 she toured Denmark and London playing Emma Borden in the rock musical Lizzie. She played Mary Flynn to rave reviews in Maria Freidman's productions of Merrily We Roll Along at the Huntington Theatre in Boston. Eden was Daniela in Kennedy Center's In The Heights. Eden also portrayed Anita in West Side Story for the BBC PROMS at the Royal Albert Hall. Most recently she originated the role of Tamara De Lempicka in the world premiere of Lempicka at Williamstown Theatre Festival, directed by Rachel Chavkin.

Her second album "Revelation," featuring all new original music, is being released in January 2019.

Joshua Henry is best known for portraying Haywood Patterson in Kander and Ebb's 2010 musical The Scottsboro Boys, for which he received a Tony Award nomination. He portrayed the lead role of Aaron Burr in the first U.S. tour and Chicago production of Hamilton. After Hamilton, Henry portrayed the lead role of Billy Bigelow in a Broadway revival of Carousel. In 2021 he appeared in Waitress on Broadway and released his EP "Guarateen." He is currently seen in the Netflix film adaptation of Jonathan Larson's musical "tick, tick... BOOM!" directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Henry also starred as Jamie alongside Cynthia Erivo in a one-night benefit concert performance of Jason Robert Brown's The Last Five Years, and starred in Serenade, which played off-Broadway from December 9, 2007, to December 15, 2007. Henry then appeared in the first "Sex and the City" film in 2008, subsequently playing the Tin Man in The Wiz at the New York City Center in 2009.

Most recognizable for her portrayal of seasoned triple-threat Ivy Lynn in NBC's musical drama "Smash," Tony nominee Megan Hilty is a dynamic performer both on stage and on screen. Hilty can last be seen starring in "Patsy & Loretta," directed by CALLIE KHOURI for Lifetime. Megan was nominated for a Critics Choice Award for Best Actress in a Limited Series for her performance as Patsy Cline.

In addition to "Smash", Megan's television credits include Bravo's dramedy "Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce," Hulu's "Difficult People," the final season of CBS's" The Good Wife," as well as "The Good Fight" for CBS All Access. Hilty also recurred on "Braindead" for CBS as well as ABC's hit series "Desperate Housewives." In 2013, Hilty starred on the NBC series "Sean Saves the World."

On stage, Hilty received critical acclaim for her role of Brooke Ashton in the Roundabout Theater Company's revival of Noises Off including nominations for a Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Drama League Award.

After graduating from the prestigious Carnegie Mellon University, Hilty quickly made her Broadway debut as Glinda in Wicked. She went on to perform the role in both the national tour and in Los Angeles. For her portrayal of Doralee Rhodes in Broadway's 9 to 5: The Musical, Hilty was honored with nominations for Lead Actress in a Musical at the Drama Desk Awards, Outer Critics Circle Awards, the Drama League Awards and L.A. Stage Alliance Ovation Awards.

Hilty has previously performed at Carnegie Hall with the New York Pops, the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center, the New York Philharmonic at Lincoln Center, the Boston Pops, the Cincinnati Pops, the Houston Symphony, the Phoenix Symphony among many others.

Richard Kaufman regularly appears as a guest conductor with symphony orchestras throughout the United States and around the world, including New York, Cleveland, Philadelphia, St. Louis, the RTÉ Concert and RTÉ National Orchestras in Dublin, Indianapolis, San Diego, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig, Fort Worth Symphony, and the New World Symphony in Florida. Kaufman has had the great honor of sharing the podium on various engagements with John Williams, leading the first half of the performance prior to Mr. William's conducting the second half.

In addition to traditional concert presentations, Kaufman often conducts complete film scores in concert, synchronizing the music as the film is shown above the orchestra. These include "Amadeus," "Casablanca," "North by Northwest," "Singin' in the Rain," "The Wizard of Oz," "Psycho," "Vertigo," "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial," "Jurassic Park," "The Bride of Frankenstein," "Pirates of the Caribbean" I and II, "Silverado," "On the Waterfront," "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Jaws," "Star Trek" (2009), "Star Trek Beyond," "Home Alone," and "Star Wars" (various episodes). He also conducts the scores to various silent films. He has conducted the New West Symphony and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra on The Soraya stage with performances including "Amadeus Live," Buster Keaton's "The General," and "On the Waterfront."

Kaufman received the 1993 Grammy Award in the category of Best Pop Instrumental Performance. As a studio violinist, Kaufman performed on numerous film and television scores including "Jaws,"" Close Encounters of the Third Kind", and (in a moment of desperation) "Animal House. "

Kaufman served as music associate to Lionel Newman at 20th Century Fox before joining the music department of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios in 1984 as music coordinator. For 18 years, he supervised music at MGM, during which he received two Emmy Award nominations. As a unique part of his career, Kaufman has coached various actors in musical roles, including Jack Nicholson, Dudley Moore and Tom Hanks.

In 2012, Kaufman received the Distinguished Alumni Award from California State University-Northridge (CSUN), where, as a student, he composed the University's Alma Mater and Fight Song. He is a member of the music advisory board of the Young Musicians Foundation and is on the board of the Film Music Foundation.

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