The Sorting Room Sessions, the Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts’ popular nightclub series, goes virtual with six entertaining programs, including two holiday-themed shows, featuring an array of captivating magicians and stellar pop, jazz and classical music artists. The programs are presented digitally on Saturday evenings at 8 pm from Dec. 5, 2020, to Jan. 23, 2021, with single tickets and multi-show ticket packages now available. Purchase of digital concert includes 24-hour viewing access. The programs include:
Barbara Morrison: Standing on Their Shoulders
ON DEMAND: Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020, 8 PM
Launching The Wallis’ virtual Sorting Room Sessions, jazz and blues legend Barbara Morrison, named by NPR one of the “50 Greatest Jazz Vocalists,” displays her stunning two-and-a-half-octave range and rich, soulful, musical interpretations in Standing On Their Shoulders, a musical tribute to the iconic jazz and blues singers Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington and Ella Fitzgerald, and the songs they helped popularize. Over the course of her 61-year career, the three-time Grammy Award-nominee has performed with a virtual “Who’s Who” of the jazz and blues worlds, including Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, Etta James, Johnny Otis, Nancy Wilson, Mel Tormé, Joe Williams, Tony Bennett and Keb’ Mo. In addition, Morrison has guest starred with the Count Basie Orchestra, the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra and Louie Bellson Band, among others.
A Night of Holiday Magic
Featuring Magicians Elizabeth Messick, Michaelann Awesome, Patricia Magicia and Simone Turkington
ON DEMAND: Saturday, Dec. 12, 2020, 8 PM
The holiday season promises to be even more magical with this special family-friendly program featuring four LA-based magicians. Musical, funny and enchanting, these elite Magic Castle members, including Elizabeth Messick, Michaelann Awesome, Patricia Magicia and Simone Turkington, will astonish and amaze the entire family with their gift of awe-inspiring holiday-themed magic. Messick, known as “The Siren of Magic,” enchants with her vintage flair. Close-up magician and stand-up comic Awesome weaves humor and mystery into her slight-of-hand performances. French magician Magicia mesmerizes adults and children alike with her uncanny abilities. Turkington infuses the sights and sounds of the 60s into the visual, card and mentalism effects that comprise her repertoire.
Audra Mae: Songs of Joy and Peace
with Dylan Meek
ON DEMAND: Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, 8 PM
Powerhouse vocalist Audra Mae, great grandniece of Judy Garland, and keyboard wizard Dylan Meek infuse the yuletide season with music from the classic holiday films. NPR declares, “Audra Mae has a compelling natural sweetness to her style that simply calls for attention” and Out magazine proclaims, “Singer-songwriter Audra Mae is kicking ass across musical genres.” The show is presented in association with For The Record Live, acclaimed for its a genre-bending form of live entertainment turning the soundtracks of iconic filmmakers into thrilling immersive theatrical concerts. The Wallis has a long and successful history with For The Record Live, including the acclaimed co-productions of FOR THE RECORD: SCORSESE American Crime Requiem and the record-breaking hit production of Love Actually Live.
An Evening with Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers and Pianist Fabio Bidini
ON DEMAND: Saturday, Jan. 9, 2021, 8 PM
The Wallis’ Sorting Room Sessions continues on Jan. 9, 2021, with acclaimed violinist Anne Akiko Meyers and renowned pianist Fabio Bidini heralding the New Year with a musical journey to France. The program includes Gounod’s Ave Mari, Massanet’s gloriously dramatic Méditation from the opera Thais, a sublime cornerstone of the violin repertoire, and Ravel’s exuberant jazz-inflected Sonata No.2 in G Major. Meyers has been hailed for “playing that flows from the heart” (The New York Times) and her “vigorous mastery, unflinching technical skills and stylish elegance” (Los Angeles Times). Bidini, a finalist in the 1993 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, has been proclaimed a “keyboard wizard (with) a beautiful tone” (Boston Musical Intelligencer) “capable of an admirable simplicity…truly touching” (The New York Times).
Richard Shelton in Sinatra: RAW
ON DEMAND: Saturday, Jan. 16, 8 PM
Multi-award winning British actor and singer Richard Shelton presents a cabaret version of his riveting hit show, Sinatra: RAW, a gritty portrayal of Sinatra at his final public performance in Vegas that has attracted sell-out crowds in in the UK, London, Los Angeles and Australia, where he won “Best Solo Performance” at the Adelaide Festival. The Times (London) proclaims, “Richard Shelton’s masterful take on Ol’ Blue Eyes is a must-see.” Warning: this performance contains strong language.
Sheléa: A Tribute to Alan & Marilyn Bergman
ON DEMAND: Saturday, Jan. 23, 8 PM
From the White House, the Kennedy Center and Carnegie Hall, to the Grammy Museum and the Emmy Awards, singer/songwriter/keyboardist, Sheléa has transcended the boundaries of musical classification with her versatile and distinctive voice. On this special evening at The Wallis, Sheléa will perform songs written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman, the Oscar-winning married couple whose lyrics to songs such as “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life,” “Pretty World” and “Smile” have earned them induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. San Francisco Classical Voice hails her ability “to leave audiences gobsmacked.”
TICKET PRICES AND INFORMATION:
$25 for each on demand single show per household for viewing on Smart TV, computer, smartphone or tablet
$60 for choice of three shows
$96 for all six performances
Each show runs approximately 45 minutes.
On Demand purchase includes a 24-hour window of access from 8 PM the evening of the performance until 7:59 PM the following day. Tickets cannot be transferred or shared.
(310) 746-4000 (Tue.-Fri. 9:30 am – 2:30 pm)