• Guests close out the evening at a $1,000 per plate dinner to the sounds of the Cowling Band.

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• At the opening reception, guest presenters Andy Garcia and Benjamin Bratt, with Bratt’s wife actress Talisa Soto.

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• Gala Committee and Foundation Board member Wayne Kent Bradshaw and wife, Mary Regas.

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• Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavksy and his wife, Barbara.

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• Mike Curb ‘63, Hon. D ‘09 and his wife Linda, gala co-chairs, with President Jolene Koester and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

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• Celebs gather outside the VPAC.

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• Actor Calista Flockhart, one of the celebrity presenters.

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• Campaign donors and CSUN alumni Sheila ‘78 and Stan ‘75 Kurland.

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• Executive committee member Philip S. Magaram, Hon. D ’03 and his wife, Sally, the gala chair.

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• Cal State Northridge singers wrap up the performance at the gala opening.

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• David Fleming, Hon. D ’09 and his wife Jean, gala co-chairs.

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• Actors Steven Weber, Jane Kaczmarek and Keith David all performed at the gala.

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On Saturday night, Jan. 29, 2011, California State University, Northridge threw a red carpet gala to formally celebrate the opening of the Valley Performing Arts Center and the launch of its inaugural season.

The university’s most committed friends and supporters, donors and local dignitaries were among 1,700 guests on hand for the star-studded evening that featured a two-hour gala show followed by a black-tie reception.

From Shakespeare to Broadway, from opera to ballet, from comedy to jazz, the program was “a celebration of the artistic possibilities of this magnificent space,” Calista Flockhart, one of the evening’s many celebrity presenters, told the audience. Other presenters and performers included Benjamin Bratt, Tyne Daly, Nancy Cartwright, Dave Koz, Sandra Oh, Arturo Sandoval and a 30-piece orchestra conducted by music director and CSUN alumnus Richard Kaufman ’77 (Music).

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Several of the evening’s performers proudly claimed their association with Cal State Northridge.

Cheech Marin, who attended the school in the late 1960s when it was San Fernando Valley State College and was honored as a distinguished alumnus in 2004, delivered a comedy and song routine. Opera great Carol Vaness MA ’76 (Music), Hon. D ’98 (Fine Arts) dedicated an aria to emeritus music professor David Scott, whom she credited with much of her success.

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