Introducing the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts Read This Email Online
Soraya Nazarian, Younes Nazarian, CSUN President Dianne F. Harrison, Sharon Nazarian, Thor Steingraber, Robert Gunsalus
 

To the CSUN Community:

When CSUN opened the Valley Performing Arts Center six years ago, we launched a new chapter for the arts in Los Angeles with Mayor Eric Garcetti calling VPAC a game-changer for LA’s vibrant arts scene. The VPAC has connected to and extended the university’s mission. It mirrors our commitment to diversity and international outreach, the vigorous exchange of ideas and expression, and the overarching pursuit of excellence.

It is with deep appreciation and honor that I announce that the Valley Performing Arts Center will now be renamed the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts in recognition of a $17 million gift from the Y&S Nazarian Family Foundation, the philanthropic foundation of Younes and Soraya Sarah Nazarian and their family.

Through this historic and transformational gift, Younes and Soraya Sarah Nazarian are investing in the elevating power of the arts and in the artists who enlighten and inspire us all. The Nazarians’ generosity is unlike any CSUN has ever experienced. The Nazarian family has made a profound and lasting impact on CSUN and the entire region.

Younes and Soraya have ensured that we can continue to deliver the finest music, dance and theater events, engaging communities throughout Los Angeles and Southern California with programming as diverse as CSUN and the region we serve. Their support also means that our arts education offerings will reach thousands of school-age children annually, making the arts accessible to all.

You can read more about the gift and the Nazarians in CSUN Today.

Beyond the enormous benefit of their financial support, the Nazarians are so deeply intertwined with the fabric of Los Angeles, their support is a powerful statement about the role CSUN plays in our great city.

The past six years have seen thousands of supporters and patrons of the arts enable CSUN to present world-class artists such as Yo-Yo Ma, Wynton Marsalis, Sting, Lila Downs and so many others. Through this incredible gift, the Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts enjoys a bright future and with the promise of even greater impact on the arts throughout Southern California. I hope you will continue to join us at this stunning venue.

Sincerely,

Dianne F. Harrison, Ph.D.
President