Janet & Ray Scherr Forum Theatre

Camerata Pacifica features a blend of timeless and contemporary works, including the world premiere of The Innocence of Life for mixed octet by award-winning Iranian American composer Niloufar Nourbakhsh, hailed for her singular musical voice, on November 8-13, 2026, at four Southland venues. The 20-minute work for clarinet, oboe, horn, violin, viola, cello, percussion and piano is the first of two highly anticipated Camerata Pacifica-commissioned world premieres presented during the 2026-27 season.
The performances are Sunday, November 8, 3:00 pm, at Thousand Oaks’ Janet and Ray Scherr Forum; Tuesday, November 10, 7:30 pm, at The Huntington’s Rothenberg Hall in San Marino; Thursday, November 12, 8:00 pm, Zipper Hall, at Zipper Hall in Downtown Los Angeles; and Friday, November 13, 2026, 7:00 pm, at Santa Barbara’s Music Academy of the West.
“Niloufar Nourbakhsh possesses a unique and powerful musical voice,” says Camerata Pacifica Founder/Artistic Director Adrian Spence. “Even without the overlay of current world affairs, the music of a young Iranian woman presented publicly in the world’s concert halls is itself a statement.”
Nourbakhsh’s music, described as “stark” (WNPR) and “darkly lyrical” (The New York Times), has been performed at numerous festivals and venues, including Carnegie Hall, Mostly Mozart at Lincoln Center, and the Direct Current Festival at the Kennedy Center. A founding member and co-director of the Iranian Female Composers Association, Nourbakhsh is a strong advocate of music education and equal opportunities. She received an OPERA America 2026 Commissioning Grant from its Opera Grants for Women Composers program as well as OPERA America’s 2019 Discovery Grant. She also won the 2022 Beth Morrison Projects Next Generation competition, among other awards.
The program also features Principal Oboe Nicholas Daniel performing multi-Grammy-winning composer Michael Daugherty’s Firecracker, a virtuosic chamber concerto that celebrates the rhythmic and explosive potential of the oboe.
Other contemporary works include Grammy-nominated composer Missy Mazzoli’s Vespers for Violin, for amplified violin and electronics, as well as I prefer living in color by the late Sarah Gibson, inspired by a colorful David Hockney painting.
Mozart’s Quintet for Piano and Winds in E-flat Major, K. 452, scored for piano, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and horn, provides musical context for these five contemporary works.
The program features Alena Hove, violin; Robert Brophy, viola; Ani Aznavoorian, cello; Catherine Gregory, flute; Jose Franch-Ballester, clarinet; Eleni Katz, bassoon; Ben Goldscheider, horn; Irina Zahharenkova, piano; and Ji Hye Jung, percussion, along with Nicolas Daniel, oboe.
Camerata Pacifica, a Southern California-based chamber music collective celebrated for its exceptional artistry and compelling programming of legacy classics and daring new work, was named 2026 Ensemble of the Year by the national service organization Chamber Music America. Praised as “innovative and intrepid” (The Daily Telegraph), “visceral and powerful” (The Economist), the ensemble has a considerable commissioning portfolio that includes more than 20 works by such established and rising composers as John Harbison, Jake Heggie, Huang Ruo, Lera Auerbach, Bright Sheng, Ian Wilson, David Bruce, Libby Larsen, and John Luther Adams. Camerata Pacifica was founded in 1990 by Adrian Spence, who was named to Musical America’s prestigious list of Top 30 Professionals in Classical Music in January 2026.
For tickets ($85 at The Huntington, Music Academy of the West, and Zipper Hall; $75, at Janet and Ray Scherr Forum) and information, visit <a href="https://www.cameratapacifica.org." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">cameratapacifica.org.</a>

Local Event: Camerata Pacifica Presents World Premiere by Niloufar Nourbakhsh

Los Angeles County

Sierra Madre

California

Camerata Pacifica Presents World Premiere by...

Camerata Pacifica features a blend of timeless and contemporary works, including the world premiere of The Innocence of Life...

Camerata Pacifica Presents World Premiere by Niloufar Nourbakhsh

Sierra Madre Playhouse

Jazz and blues vocalist Mara Kaye joins the Marlonius Jazz Orchestra, led by virtuosic bassist/composer Marlonius (who goes by a single name), to celebrate the iconic musical legacy of Billie Holiday, on Sunday, November 8, 2026, 8:00 PM, at Sierra Madre Playhouse. Holiday, known as Lady Day, is considered one of history’s greatest jazz singers, inspiring generations of artists with her raw emotional delivery and revolutionary phrasing mimicking a horn player by bending notes and shifting rhythms.
Kaye, herself, has been proclaimed “one of New York’s great gifts to the world… (with) a substantial stage presence…and a voice that matches her larger-than-life presence (Jazz Lives). She performs jazz and blues standards with a deep passion and respect for the music’s original storytellers. The Brooklyn native, who has shared her artistry around the globe from Moscow to Lincoln Center, brings to the stage the emotional power and swing of Billie Holiday and the sorrows and joys of Bessie Smith. Blues legend Jimmy Vivino compared Kaye’s voice to “Louis Armstrong’s trumpet at a rent party.”
Marlonius is noted for filtering his classical chops and a deep jazz sensibility through a keen modern creative vision. A product of the Colburn Conservatory of Music, he studied classical bass and orchestral performance before evolving into a leading voice in the LA’s jazz community. Marlonius is the founder and artistic director of the Marlonius Jazz Orchestra, which performs his original compositions and compelling reinterpretations of jazz classics. He has toured and collaborated with a remarkable range of artists, including Stewart Copeland, Mike Garson, and Quatuor Ebène, and continues to bridge genres, instrumentation and musical cultures with his work.
For tickets ($35) and information, please call 626.355.4318 or visit <a href="https://www.sierramadreplayhouse.org." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">sierramadreplayhouse.org.</a> Sierra Madre Playhouse is located at 87 West Sierra Madre Boulevard, Sierra Madre, CA 91024.

Local Event: Marlonius Jazz Orchestra & Vocalist Mara Kaye Pay Tribute to Billie Holiday

Marlonius Jazz Orchestra & Vocalist Mara Kaye...

Jazz and blues vocalist Mara Kaye joins the Marlonius Jazz Orchestra, led by virtuosic bassist/composer Marlonius (who goes by...

Marlonius Jazz Orchestra & Vocalist Mara Kaye Pay Tribute to Billie Holiday

The Sierra Madre Playhouse revisits its beginnings as a silent film movie house with a one-night-only screening of Faust, a hauntingly beautiful 1926 silent fantasy horror masterpiece directed by F.W. Murnau, on – fittingly – Friday, November 13, 2026, 8:00 PM. One of the towering achievements of silent cinema, the film, packed with gothic imagery and mythic themes, comes alive once again through live piano accompaniment by Larry Garf, whose dramatical score heightens every flicker of beauty and despair.
Writer and humorist Rich Procter introduces the film and leads a post-show discussion exploring Murnau’s artistry, the legacy of Expressionist cinema, and why Faust continues to fascinate a century later.
Faust is F.W. Murnau’s visionary adaptation of Goethe’s classic tale of ambition, temptation, and redemption. Combining the grandeur of German Expressionism with a deeply human story, the film follows the scholar Faust as he makes a fateful bargain with Mephisto, trading his soul for youth, power, and passion.
Murnau’s Faust remains a visual marvel filled with sweeping camera movements, intricate set design, and striking use of light and shadow. Its imagery influenced generations of filmmakers, from Hitchcock to Bergman, and stands among the most haunting depictions of good and evil ever captured on film.
For tickets ($20 and information, please call 626.355.4318 or visit <a href="https://www.sierramadreplayhouse.org." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">sierramadreplayhouse.org.</a> Sierra Madre Playhouse is located at 87 West Sierra Madre Boulevard, Sierra Madre, CA 91024.

Local Event: Faust, 1926 Silent Fantasy Horror Film, Features Live Piano Accompaniment

Faust, 1926 Silent Fantasy Horror Film,...

The Sierra Madre Playhouse revisits its beginnings as a silent film movie house with a one-night-only screening of Faust, a...

Faust, 1926 Silent Fantasy Horror Film, Features Live Piano Accompaniment

The Sierra Madre Playhouse authors series spotlights poet/performer Camille Hernandez, the Poet Laureate of Anaheim, a compelling one-woman play in which she transforms poetry from her celebrated chapbook Motherlands with movement, rhythm, and language into dynamic living performance, on Saturday, November 15, 2026, 4:00 PM.
Motherlands explores themes of diaspora, belonging, and inheritance—what it means to carry many homes within one body. Through her work, Hernandez navigates identity across generations, languages, and geographies, using poetry as both confession and conversation. The performance builds on the traditions of spoken word and performance art while embracing the physicality of dance and theatre.
Hernandez, who grew up in La Palma as a self-described “public library girl” and voracious reader, crafts poetry into vibrant portraits of marginalized women. Her poetry interrupts the cycle of oppression by recreating narratives that dignify Black women, Filipino women, poor women, immigrant women, disabled women, medically marginalized women, gender-expansive women, and mothering women. Her work amplifies their survival, intuition, interconnection, and defiant joy, carving new narrative trails that explore the hushed intimacies lost in suppressed histories.
For tickets ($20) and information, please call 626.355.4318 or visit <a href="https://www.sierramadreplayhouse.org." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">sierramadreplayhouse.org.</a> Sierra Madre Playhouse is located at 87 West Sierra Madre Boulevard, Sierra Madre, CA 91024.

Local Event: Poet/Performer Camille Hernandez Featured in One-Woman Show

Poet/Performer Camille Hernandez Featured in...

The Sierra Madre Playhouse authors series spotlights poet/performer Camille Hernandez, the Poet Laureate of Anaheim, a...

Poet/Performer Camille Hernandez Featured in One-Woman Show

Bob Baker’s Nutcracker, Bob Baker Marionette Theater’s spellbinding 1969 marionette adaptation of the timeless ballet classic, returns to Sierra Madre Playhouse, bringing joy, wonder and merriment to the holidays with 52 performances from Saturday, November 28, 2026, through Sunday, January 3, 2027. Tickets are just $25.
“There’s something special about seeing Bob Baker’s Nutcracker in a 99-seat room,” says Sierra Madre Playhouse Artistic and Executive Director Matt Cook. “The puppets are only a few feet away, kids can see every detail, and adults get to rediscover a holiday tradition through children’s eyes. Bob Baker has been part of Southern California’s holidays for generations, and we love giving families the chance to experience that magic up close in Sierra Madre.”
The enchanting production features more than 100 handcrafted puppets, including beloved characters from the ballet, such as Clara, the Nutcracker, the Rat King, and the Sugar Plum Fairy, along with many of Baker’s own whimsical creations. With its large-scale marionettes and intricate sets, this dreamscape adaptation has become one of the Southland’s most celebrated holiday traditions. Carefully preserved and adapted over the years by the talented team at Bob Baker Marionette Theater, this one-hour production is a magical experience.
Critics call Bob Baker’s Nutcracker “Christmas magic” (Broadway World) and “a congregation of imagination” (LA Dance Chronicle). LA Theatrix proclaims, "The cutely intimate Sierra Madre Playhouse, with its throwback red velvet seats and curtain, seems ideally suited for this vintage feeling show.”
Sierra Madre Playhouse – with convenient free parking, its central location in the heart of Sierra Madre’s quaint shopping and restaurant district, and affordable tickets – is the perfect place to celebrate the holidays with family and friends.
Other holiday programs featured at Sierra Madre Playhouse in December include a hilarious musical parody of Die Hard, presented with tongue-in-cheek charm by the acclaimed comedy troupe 30MM (30 Minute Musicals), December 4, 5, and 6, 8:00 PM. A lively interactive family-friendly production of A Christmas Carol, adapted from Charles Dickens’ novella and designed specifically for children in grades K–12 by Will &amp; Company, is featured December 12, 11:00 AM. Grammy-winning jazz pianist and composer Gregg Karukas brings Holiday Jazz to Sierra Madre Playhouse, delivering sophisticated jazz harmonies, lyrical piano lines, and infectious rhythms, Sunday, December 13, 2026, 8:00 PM. Matt Johnson and the New Jet Set swing by with “A Jet Set Christmas!”, a festive musical celebration brimming with holiday classics, Christmas carols, and audience singalongs drenched in tinsel, jazz, and joy, December 20 and 21, at 8:00 PM.
For tickets and information, please call 626.355.4318 or visit <a href="https://www.sierramadreplayhouse.org." rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">sierramadreplayhouse.org.</a> Sierra Madre Playhouse is located at 87 West Sierra Madre Boulevard, Sierra Madre, CA 91024.

Local Event: Bob Baker Marionette Theater’s Joyous Nutcracker at Sierra Madre Playhouse

Bob Baker Marionette Theater’s Joyous...

Bob Baker’s Nutcracker, Bob Baker Marionette Theater’s spellbinding 1969 marionette adaptation of the timeless ballet classic,...

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Camerata Pacifica Presents World Premiere by Niloufar Nourbakhsh

NOV

8

3:00 PM

Janet & Ray Scherr Forum Theatre, 2100 E Thousand Oaks Blvd, Thousand Oaks, CA

Marlonius Jazz Orchestra & Vocalist Mara Kaye Pay Tribute to Billie Holiday

NOV

8

8:00 PM

Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W Sierra Madre Blvd, Sierra Madre, CA

Faust, 1926 Silent Fantasy Horror Film, Features Live Piano Accompaniment

NOV

13

8:00 PM

Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W Sierra Madre Blvd, Sierra Madre, CA

Poet/Performer Camille Hernandez Featured in One-Woman Show

NOV

15

4:00 PM

Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W Sierra Madre Blvd, Sierra Madre, CA

Bob Baker Marionette Theater’s Joyous Nutcracker at Sierra Madre Playhouse

NOV

28

10:30 AM

Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W Sierra Madre Blvd, Sierra Madre, CA