Vibrant programming has served to establish The Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for The Performing Arts (The Soraya) as the intellectual and cultural heart of the San Fernando Valley and its 1.8 million residents — and as one of the top arts and culture venues in Southern California. Located on the vibrant campus of California State University Northridge (CSUN), The Soraya is an award-winning, 1,700-seat theatre designed and built by HGA Architects and Engineers. The building opened in Jan. 2011 as the "Valley Performing Arts Center (VPAC)". Through a transformative gift by Younes and Soraya Nazarian, the venue was renamed in 2017. Since its inaugural season, The Soraya has presented over 500 artists and companies across the genres of music, dance, theater, and film and is a highly in-demand location for filming and rental events — connect with us to learn more about programming, how we participate in Arts Education, and how you can host an event through a rental of one of our two facilities.