This fall at SOPAC, connections are the heart of what I invite you to experience.
When you experience a night out at SOPAC, you’ll find:
Connections with yourself and your emotions.
Connections with ideas and music and art that matters.
Connections with friends you bring – and friends you meet before, during, and after the show.
Connections with community.
Of the thirty-plus opportunities to connect at SOPAC this fall, here are five of my favorite shows – my very top picks for the fall:
LiV Warfield
SAT, SEP 16 at 8PM
Imagine answering the phone…and it’s musical legend Prince on the line. This happened to fast-rising soul singer LiV Warfield, and her life and career were forever changed. LiV went on to join Prince’s super-group The New Power Generation as a backing vocalist, and Prince went on to produce her pathbreaking album The Unexpected before his untimely passing in 2016. On September 16, Warfield brings her big, soulful voice and electric stage presence to SOPAC, kicking off the national tour for her new album The Edge.
Experience LiV at SOPAC
Pedrito Martínez Group
Echoes of Africa
SAT, SEP 30 at 8PM
Ever been to a live music event that stopped your heart? This was my experience hearing Afro-Cuban percussionist Pedrito Martínez a few months back in New York City. Described by Wynton Marsalis as “a genius” for his dynamic, multi-layered hand percussion and joyful singing, the only way to describe what I experienced with “Echoes of Africa” is two words: pure joy.
Experience Pedrito at SOPAC
Ladies of Laughter
Funny & Fabulous Tour
THU, OCT 19 at 7:30PM
Whether it’s a night out with your girlfriends or a reason to laugh it all off as the weekend approaches, the Ladies of Laughter (LOL) show—curated by SOPAC Creative Community Brain Trust member, Liz Glazer—is the perfect reason to get out and let off some steam. Anchored by a quartet of fast-rising female comedians, the first installment of LOL this summer at SOPAC was lauded by one audience member as “one of the best nights of entertainment I’ve experienced at SOPAC! The talent was outstanding, and the crowd was totally into it.” Don’t miss the second installment of this all-female night of hilarity, featuring Sara Contreras, Jane Condon, and Alycia Cooper!
Experience LOL at SOPAC
An Evening with Jessica Vosk
FRI, OCT 27 at 8PM
That moment when a Broadway belter stops the show, and you leap out of your seat with excitement and joy? Broadway diva Jessica Vosk specializes in that. After selling out Carnegie Hall twice and blowing up on social media, Jersey-born Vosk and “the best of all” Elphabas (The New York Times) offers up a night of musical theatre songs past and present at SOPAC, covering a broad range of emotional and musical terrain.
Experience Jessica at SOPAC
We’re especially thankful to London Jewelers for their support of SOPAC’s Broadway in Concert series, in partnership with SOMA Stage.
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New Voices, New Visions
Michela’s Love Movement
SAT, NOV 11 at 8PM
Tap is rhythm. It’s energy and percussion. Tap is music: emotional, sensitive, and powerful. This show brings tap dance back to the SOPAC Mainstage for the first time in over a decade with this jaw-dropping music and dance showcase featuring one of our generation’s most celebrated tap artists: Michela Lerman. A protégé of legendary tap dance artist Gregory Hines, Lerman makes her SOPAC debut on November 11 as part of our New Voices, New Visions series. As the grandchild of “hoofers” who taught tap and dance to thousands of young people and adults, this show speaks to me in an especially personal way, and I invite you to join me for the wonder and awe of tap plus jazz music in this one-of-a-kind performance.
Experience Michela at SOPAC
Sponsored by the HMFB Foundation.
Join me to experience these artists and more this season at SOPAC!
P.S. I invite you to extend your experience before or after these shows with dinner, snacks, and drinks at one of our favorite restaurants, just steps from SOPAC: The Fox & Falcon by David Burke. Featuring an energetic and always-changing Modern-American menu, I hope you’ll join me for pre-show dinners and post-show drinks at this treasured South Orange spot.