The night the music changed everything
At 22, she walked into a performance alone.
A faculty mentor had urged her to go. Onstage, Steve Reich and the musicians performed Music for 18 Musicians. The audience held its breath. When the final sustained note dissolved into silence, there was a collective gasp.
In the parking lot, she saw a flash of light so brilliant it felt like daylight. She searched the next morning’s Los Angeles Times for news of an astronomical event. There was none.
“I think something happened in my brain,” she says. “I know it was the music.”
That moment has shaped a lifetime.
Sharon Kagan began attending performances as an undergraduate, drawn by student ticket prices that made risk possible. “Most of the performances I buy tickets for, I have no idea what I will be seeing,” she laughs. “With reasonable prices, I can go for it.”
That spirit of curiosity still defines her relationship to CAP UCLA. What keeps her coming back isn’t just artistic excellence — it’s trust. “Edgar has curated far more innovative events at The Nimoy than any other venue in the city.”
Since 2018, she and her husband, both visual artists, have become devoted members. “We consider CAP UCLA a cultural treasure,” she shares. “Especially now, as the arts are under attack, it’s essential that we support them.”
For her, membership is a declaration: that art matters, that risk matters, that community matters.