On Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026, Sutton Foster and the Pacific Jazz Orchestra, led by Chris Walden, took the stage at The Soraya to perform new arrangements and some of Foster’s well-known work, kicking off the 2026-2027 Soraya season.
As the lights dimmed, CSUN President Erika Beck took the stage to “raise the curtain on the 16th season” of The Soraya. Beck began the evening by welcoming two leaders from the California State University Board of Trustees, Wenda Fong and Jean Firstenberg. Beck also introduced the new Soraya executive and artistic director, Chad Hillligus.
Hilligus took the stage to thank the crowd, introduce the upcoming shows of the season and to welcome Foster and the orchestra to the stage.
“Artists can reverse, musicians can tune and the lights can help be programmed, but until you arrive, it’s all just potential,” Hilligus said.
As the orchestra took the stage, the live jazz music swelled through the auditorium, sounding unlike anything heard before. The strings paired together with the saxophones made for a joyous beginning to the night.
The orchestra featured notable soloists on clarinet, saxophone and trombone. Each artist stood out and added an extra flair to the performance.
After the orchestra’s introductory song, Foster took the stage, performing “In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening.” The music was upbeat and filled with that classic jazz sound. Foster shined as she sang with a cadence in her voice and even added jazz hands throughout the song.
In between each song, Foster would share a personal anecdote before giving her cue to the orchestra that she was ready to begin. The first act contained many songs written by Cole Porter, who wrote much of the music for Foster’s well-known role in Broadway’s “Anything Goes.”
Foster closed out the first act by performing the title track from “Anything Goes,” which sent the audience into an uproar. Foster’s belts were extraordinary; her performance felt effortless, from her facial expressions to her stage presence.
After the 20-minute intermission, Foster and the orchestra took the stage again to perform again with classics like “Mambo” from “West Side Story,” and “Singin’ in the Rain.” An unexpected turn of events was Foster’s romantic partner, Hugh Jackman, who surprised the audience by taking the stage and singing “Doop-Doo-De-Doop a Doodlin’ Song” and “A Million Dreams” from “The Greatest Showman.”
While the surprise was unexpected, it seemed to have taken away from Foster’s performance and the audience seemed a bit more ecstatic that Jackman was in attendance. Jackman would tend to speak before Foster could, having to eventually catch himself and realize that it was Foster’s show. Adding Jackman felt like a takeaway from Foster’s night; however, the pair did seem in a romantic mood onstage, singing hand in hand and exchanging a kiss before Jackman walked offstage.
To end the night, Foster thanked the audience for taking the time to come out to enjoy live music and performances before going into her last song, “Till There Was You,” asking the audience to join in singing together.
The performance kept gifting the audience with the incredible talent of Foster and the iconic arrangements of Walden’s. The audience seemed in awe, with overhead chatter about how joyous the night was for them. It’s no secret that Foster is talented, but this night really proved it and Walden continues to be one of music’s most talented with his amazing orchestra.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article had a few typos, including the incorrect spelling of the following names: Wenda Fong, Jean Firstenberg and Chad Hillligus. The issue was corrected on Sept. 24, 2026.
