Soka Performing Arts Center brings the North American premiere of a new Percussion Concerto composed by Danny Elfman, and co-commissioned by Soka University and the London Philharmonic for acclaimed British percussionist Colin Currie, performing with the Pacific Symphony Chamber Orchestra, Carl St Clair conducting on April 24, 2022.
The performance is a highlight of the 10th anniversary season and celebrates a decade of elevating the human spirit through unmatched acoustics, transformational experiences and a deep commitment to patrons and the community. Danny Elfman’s Percussion Concerto and Orchestra brings the L.A. native’s premiere to Orange County on the extraordinary Soka Performing Arts Center stage. The 1,000-seat concert hall on the Soka University campus features world-class acoustics designed by Yasuhisa Toyota, acoustic designer of noted performance venues like Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and Suntory Hall in Tokyo.
Elfman says of bringing his new piece to Orange County: “Percussion has always been an important part of my life. Beginning in my travels through West Africa when I was only 18 years old when I began collecting and learning to play ‘balafons’ (kind of like the African version a marimba) though my years of playing in metal-based Indonesian Gamelan ensembles in my 20s as well as building my own strange metal and wood percussion ensembles in my early theatrical performance years, it has always been a lifelong obsession.
Shortly after we premiered my first violin concerto, which I composed for violinist Sandy Cameron, I had a chance meeting with percussionist Colin Currie during a film scoring session in London. We decided it could be fun to create a piece together. I was excited to take another plunge into the challenge of another large symphonic composition and at the same to really go back to my roots with wood and metal, mallets and sticks and hands, and to really let loose and have some fun with it. I also knew Colin was an extraordinary musician who would be great to collaborate with. Thankfully, SOKA University and the London Philharmonic Orchestra were eager to give us an opportunity to create this concerto and we’re grateful to everyone who made this possible.”
In a recent interview with Soka Performing Arts Center, Currie said, “Working with Danny on the concerto was a revelation… I’ve never worked in this way with a composer before… And he’s very, very open to ideas and things to do with my setup, how I would connect the piece, how things would roll for me, how I would get from A to B to C and perchance back again. And so he was practically-minded but always so creative … he’s just so fun and interested in music and percussion, he gets very, very animated and excited and he was really inspiring to work with. I so enjoyed this project.”
Danny Elfman is a legend of contemporary film music, a four-time Oscar nominee, whose scores for Alice in Wonderland, Batman and Edward Scissorhands fused pop culture with the Romantic tradition, to a dazzling effect. Elfman has established himself as one of the most accomplished film composers in the industry, collaborating with directors such as Tim Burton, Gus Van Sant, Sam Raimi, Peter Jackson and more, and scoring over 100 films, including: Milk (Oscar nominated), Good Will Hunting (Oscar nominated), Big Fish (Oscar nominated), Men in Black (Oscar nominated), Edward Scissorhands, Batman, To Die For, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Alice in Wonderland, and writing the iconic theme music for the television series The Simpsons and Desperate Housewives. Elfman is now establishing himself in the concert hall, expanding to compose orchestral concert works which include an ongoing series of acclaimed “classical” works. The concerto premiere will feature British percussionist Colin Currie, who is, as one critic put it, “surely the world’s finest and most daring percussionist.”
“We are honored to co-commission Danny Elfman’s Percussion Concerto with the London Philharmonic,” says Soka Performing Arts Center General Manager and Artistic Director Renee Bodie, “it is wonderful to bring this exquisite work to Orange County for our 10th Anniversary season – a fitting tribute to ten years of celebrating our humanity, our community, and the world-class artists that have graced our stages.”
Complete calendar of events available online:
https://www.soka.edu/soka-performing-arts-center/calendar-events
Soka’s Box Office can be reached through email at tickets@soka.edu or by calling the Box Office at 949.480.4ART (4278). Walk up hours are 12-4PM Wednesday-Friday and one hour prior to show times on show days.
The safety, health and well-being of our patrons, staff and artists will always be the Soka’s highest priority. Vaccine and masking requirements will be in place for all performances. See our website for safety protocols.
About Soka Performing Arts Center
Now in its tenth season of presenting the best of live performances on its extraordinary stage, Soka Performing Arts Center is located on the beautiful campus of Soka University of America in Aliso Viejo, California. The 1,000-seat concert hall features world-class acoustics designed by Yasuhisa Toyota, acoustic designer of noted performance venues like Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and Suntory Hall in Tokyo.
Designed to truly reflect the university’s commitment to sustainability, the concert hall and adjacent Maathai Hall (featuring a black box theatre and dance studio) have been built to Gold LEED standards and feature vegetated green roofs. Photo voltaic cells on the Soka Performing Arts Center roof generate approximately 15% of the facility’s electrical needs.
Soka University of America is a private, non-profit, four-year liberal arts college and graduate program. The campus is ranked in the Top 25 National Liberal Arts Colleges in U.S. News and World Report’s “Best Colleges 2019.” The university is open to top students of all nationalities and beliefs and was founded upon the Buddhist principles of peace, human rights, and the sanctity of life. For more information, please visit soka.edu.
