A Summer of Jazz, Symphony, Shakespeare, and Samba Thrills Audiences at SUA

September 04, 2024

• Campus News

This summer, SUA welcomed more than 2,000 visitors from the Southern California community to its annual Summer at Soka series. From June to August, the campus hosted a Shakespeare production and performances by acclaimed musicians, continuing its tradition of community engagement through arts and culture.

Co-hosted by the Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications and the Soka Performing Arts Center, each event drew more than 500 community members. The Soka Bistro provided a discounted dinner before each show and sold concessions on the green. Guests also engaged with students and staff at information tables and enjoyed free Soka swag, including Soka lion plushies, stickers, and pens.

Pacific Symphony On The Go! kicked off the series on June 28 with an intimate and immersive chamber music experience that included standards and fan favorites such as Mozart, Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story, and John Williams' score for Star Wars. The mobile community concert experience, staged on a vibrantly wrapped traveling stage on wheels and sponsored by Orange County Supervisor Katrina Foley, brought the community together for a night of classical music.

On July 19, many guests were up and off their blankets dancing into the evening to the Gil Castellanos Quintet's hard bop and polyrhythmic Latin jazz. Castellanos, a six-time San Diego Music Award winner, wowed the audience with his virtuoso solos and ability to listen to his bandmates and elevate each player's contributions.

Theater lovers were treated to a fresh take on a Shakespearean classic on August 1, with a performance of Henry IV: Falstaff & The Boy Who Would Be King, which was co-sponsored by SUA and the City of Aliso Viejo. Directed by Stephanie Coltrin, this adaptation combined both parts of Shakespeare's Henry IV, offering a lively retelling of the story of Prince Hal. Families and friends gathered with blankets, picnics, and low-backed chairs to enjoy the actors' command of the stage, exciting sword fighting, and the timeless, romantic allure of Shakespeare as the summer sky faded to dusk.

The summer series wrapped up on August 9, with a rousing performance by CaliSamba, a Brazilian trio that has quickly become one of California's most beloved samba and pagode bands. The trio's joyful presence and lively samba rhythms brought the audience to their feet, dancing and celebrating the spirit of Brazilian music.

Enjoy these photo and video highlights from the 2024 Summer at Soka series.