Ella Fitzgerald was a 15 year-old street kid when she won a talent contest in 1934 at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. Within months she was a star. Ella Fitzgerald: Just One of Those Things follows her extraordinary journey over six decades as her sublime voice transforms the tragedies of her own life and the troubles of her times into joy.
Executive Producer Terence Blanchard and Director Michael Murphy, show how the culture of New Orleans is reflected in its music, how music impacts culture; and how even in the darkest of times, music lifts and unites in this vibrant feature length documentary film.
An intimate portrait of legendary Rolling Stones bandmate Ronnie Wood as an artist, musician and survivor by Oscar-nominated director Mike Figgis.
Award-winning singer-songwriter Harry Chapin ("Taxi" and "Cat's in the Cradle") spent his fame and fortune chasing a dream to end world hunger and poverty, and in the process inspired, changed and saved the lives of millions of people. HARRY CHAPIN: WHEN IN DOUBT, DO SOMETHING is his inspiring story.
Raw and unflinching, BILLIE captures an untold story of exploitation, racism, addiction and politics, and offers a rare look at the tumultuous and tragically brief life of the woman behind one of music’s most influential artists.
Part rockumentary, part presidential portrait, Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President traces how Rock music helped propel President Carter to the White House and the significant role that music played in his life and work.
Ripping back the curtain on legendary Rock rag CREEM Magazine's wild and disruptive newsroom; a dysfunctional band of unruly outsiders who weren't all that different from the artists they covered.
With songs like “You’re No Good,” “When Will I Be Loved,” and “Blue Bayou” Linda Ronstadt filled arenas. She produced an astounding eleven Platinum albums and was the first artist to top the Pop, Country, and R&B charts simultaneously. Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice celebrates an artist whose desire to share the music she loved made generations of fans fall in love with her — and the sound of her voice.
With unfettered access to the Zappa family trust and all archival footage, ZAPPA explores the private life behind the mammoth musical career that never shied away from the political turbulence of its time.
CROCK OF GOLD is the definitive feature documentary on Irish musical icon, Shane MacGowan, exploring the wild and roving life of Ireland’s most beloved punk poet.
Explore the origins of modern film when you become a Film Club Member. Gerard Amsellem hosts this Zoom-based virtual series to raise funds for New Wave Productions so that La Cinémathèque Film Club programming may continue in person at SOPAC next year.
Martin’s Dream brings this historical figure to life through the power of story, speech and song. Watch as Dr. King tells the story of his life, from his childhood to the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where he delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.
No fancy tricks, no gimmicks, just five musicians recreating the music of Fleetwood Mac to perfection with note for note renditions that no other Fleetwood Mac tribute on the touring scene today can come close to duplicating.
A musical adaptation of this classic fairy tale. Join our modern-day young hero, Jack, spin the tale of trading the family cow for three magic beans. Watch the giant beanstalk grow and our hero climb through the clouds to meet an ill-tempered giant.
Bill Blagg’s Magic Science Lab will have students on the edge of their seats…in the classroom or at home…as they discover how science creates magic right before their very eyes! Students join Bill inside the Magic Science Lab where they will explore how magicians use the “secret” five step process (The Scientific Method) to create their illusions!
Latin Grammy Award nominee, Claudia Acuña is joined by Pablo Vergara on piano, Carlos Henderson on bass, Juancho Herrera on guitar, and Rodrigo Recabarren on drums in a two-part musical celebration to mark International Women’s Day.
Spend the day with two of Spain's most revered singers, both divas in their own right and daughters of some of the greatest stars in the history of Grand Opera. The day begins with an Opera Gala featuring Montserrat Martí Caballé, daughter of soprano Montserrat Caballé and tenor Bernabé Martí. The evening performance features soprano Cecilia Lavilla Berganza, daughter of the grand opera diva Teresa Berganza, with baritone Luis Santana and pianist Victor Carbajo.
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with nine-time All-Ireland Fiddle Champion and music star of Riverdance, Eileen Ivers. Eileen will change the way you think about the fiddle and about Celtic music!
For We Banjo 3 's next epic virtual experience, all four WB3 band members will be together & performing live on stage for the first time since the pandemic shut down concerts exactly one year ago. Tune in for this very special show - streaming live, in real-time, from the stunning Pearse Lyons Distillery in Dublin, Ireland.
Composer, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, multi-Grammy Award winner, multi-Blues Music Award winner, Blues Hall of Fame member and Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement award recipient Taj Mahal is streaming a series of three concerts from the UC Theatre stage in Berkeley, CA.
Max Darwin earned the moniker "The Amazing Max" for his extraordinary skill as a magician as well as for his ability to entertain adult audiences while keeping the little ones spellbound. This high-energy, interactive and all-around silly show will delight the young, the old and everyone in-between!
Raise 'em up! Drink 'em down! Join us for a St. Patrick's Day livestream concert with Gaelic Storm! The band missed 2020, but are getting in on the action for 2021. This time around they will be singing a mixture of their own songs, some traditional pub songs that they've never recorded before and a brand new Gaelic Storm song too!
Get ready & get set to test your knowledge with Gamemaster Alicia!
If you missed Led Zeppelin live in the 70s or are looking to relive the “Hammer of the Gods” phenomenon, you must experience what The St. Petersburg Times calls “the most exacting of the Zeppelin tribute bands in existence.”
A dynamic performer with virtuosic vocal chops, Roberta Gambarini draws rave reviews and enthusiastic fan support wherever she performs. "Gambarini is a true successor to Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McRae." (Boston Globe) For this exclusive SOPAC Sessions concert, she'll be accompanied by Cyrus Chestnut on piano, John Lee on bass and Tommy Campbell on drums.
Magos Herrera is best known for her eloquent vocal improvisation and her singular bold style, which embraces elements of contemporary Jazz with Ibero-American melodies and rhythms singing in Spanish, English, and Portuguese. This concert celebrates the vital contributions of women in the arts as part of the 2021 International Women Rising Series.
One of the most impressive guitarists to emerge from the rich Bayous of Southern Louisiana in recent years, Tab Benoit’s guitar tone can be recognized before his Otis Redding-ish voice resonates from the speakers.
The Moth is dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling and has presented more than 35,000 stories, told live and without notes, by people from all walks of life to standing-room-only crowds worldwide.
Comic bubble artist Casey Carl brings BubbleMania, his amazing one-man show combining spontaneous comedy, jazzy music and brilliant bubbling, to the SOPAC stage.
Nai-Ni Chen is the founder, choreographer and Artistic Director of the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company. Born in Taiwan, she became a renowned traditional dancer and has served on several ambassadorial culture missions to nineteen countries around the world.
Get ready & get set to test your knowledge with Gamemaster Alicia!
Carolyn Dorfman, choreographer and founding Artistic Director of Carolyn Dorfman Dance (CDD) is known as a creator of evocative dances that reflect her concerns about the human condition.
Singer-songwriter Dana Fuchs is known for her burnt-honey vocals and bruisingly honest musical mix of Southern Rock, Soul, Roots and Blues. Her dazzling career began in the early aughts when she ignited the New York club scene with a run of Soul-drenched albums and a voice acclaimed by Classic Rock magazine as “juke-joint dirty and illicit, evoking Joplin, Jagger and a cigarette bobbing in a glass of bourbon.”
The Afro-Latin Experience, led by Dizzy Gillespie’s long time Bassist, and 2019 Grammy winner, John Lee, guides you through this musical journey, as the ensemble brings to life the driving rhythms, dynamic melodies, and flowing vocals of the Dizzy Gillespie vision of Afro–Latin music.
Voted “Best Keyboardist of All Time” (Music Radar Magazine), virtuoso musician/composer Jordan Rudess embarks on a solo piano tour that will travel through his fascinating musical journey – how a young Juilliard piano prodigy destined for a Classical music career evolved into a keyboard Rock star phenomenon. The concert will feature the music of Dream Theater and other Rock classics reimagined for the piano.
Richie Furay performs his ONLY “Farewell” show at this rescheduled concert since his farewell tour had been cancelled due to the Covid-19 Virus. He’ll be playing songs from his catalog of classic POCO, Buffalo Springfield, Souther-Hillman-Furay and some new music from his 2021 studio album release of country classic songs by other artists. Come celebrate Richie’s retirement from headline touring at SOPAC.
Two celebrated singer-songwriters return together to the SOPAC stage. Lucy Kaplansky is a rare vocal talent, “a truly gifted performer…full of enchanting songs” (The New York Times). Richard Shindell is a writer whose songs paint pictures, tell stories, juxtapose ideas and images, inhabit characters, vividly evoking entire worlds along the way and expanding our sense of just what it is a song can be.
Melding Rock, Blues, Tex-Mex, Mexican Folk and more Los Lobos scored their first hit with Ritchie Valens' iconic “La Bamba.”
Israeli superstar David Broza is considered one of the world’s most dynamic and vibrant performers. He brings together audiences of all cultures, bridging barriers of language and genre through his music. He is joined by Cuban “Trio Havana” with Jorge Bringas, Manuel Alejandro Carro and Yuniel Jiminez as well as special guest and flute virtuoso Itai Kriss. Together they bring a unique interpretation to the full spectrum of Broza’s rich repertoire of hits.
Damien Escobar sits at the intersection of Hip-Hop and Classical music. His classic yet edgy style comes complete with an unstoppable swagger that has helped propel his career from playing the violin in NYC subways to performing for President Barack Obama, Former President George W. Bush, the royal family of Dubai, Oprah Winfrey and many more.
A multi-platinum selling recording artist and seven-time Grammy Award nominee, Joan Osborne is a soulful vocalist who has performed alongside many notable artists including Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Luciano Pavarotti, Emmylou Harris and Mavis Staples, to name a few.
New Orleans-born Aaron Neville brings his unmistakable sound, heard in classic ballads like “Tell It Like It Is” and “Don’t Know Much” – his hit duo with Linda Ronstadt – to the intimate SOPAC stage in an evening of sublime artistry. Slipping easily from Funky to R&B and Soul, Aaron Neville is surely one of the most distinctive vocal stylists of all time.