Highlights include Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Cameron Carpenter, Rosanne Cash, Lisa Fischer, Roberta Flack, Garrison Keillor, Patti LuPone, Jacques Pépin, Pink Martini, Max Raabe & Palest Orchester, and many more!
(SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.) – Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts has unveiled its 2016–17 season of music, dance, theater, comedy and more. The Center’s star-studded lineup spans virtually every genre of the performing arts and highlights talent from around the globe, including Australia, Canada, Cuba, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Russia, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. Additional events will be announced later in the summer.
Performers making their Center debuts include superstar organist Cameron Carpenter; singers Anne Carrere, Lisa Fischer and Max Raabe with the Palast Orchester; the dance company Thodos Dance Chicago; and The Havana Cuba All-Stars on their first U.S. tour. The season also features returning audience favorites such as London’s world-renowned chamber orchestra Academy of St Martin in the Fields, singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash, R&B star Roberta Flack, Broadway legend Patti LuPone and storyteller Garrison Keillor, among many others.
“For more than 40 years Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts has been bringing the world’s greatest artists to our city,” remarked Director Ally Haynes-Hamblen. “Our 2016–17 season will introduce audiences to many exciting new talents, and welcome back some of our most beloved performers for special return engagements. We’ve also expanded our offerings of classical music and holiday entertainment. There is truly something for everyone to enjoy.”
Tickets for the 2016–17 season are now on sale to members and subscribers through www.ScottsdalePerformingArts.org or 480-499-TKTS (8587). Single tickets are available to the public starting Saturday, April 23, at 10 a.m.
IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Known for her crystal-clear voice and many pop and R&B hits, songstress Roberta Flack will grace the stage on Oct. 8. The internationally celebrated “little orchestra” Pink Martini will take audiences on a rollicking, around-the-world musical adventure on Jan. 11. Vocal superstar Storm Large and her fierce new band will rock the stage on Jan. 14. Featured in the Oscar-winning documentary 20 Feet from Stardom, Lisa Fischer and her band Grand Baton will shine in the spotlight on March 3. Acclaimed singer-songwriter Rosanne Cash will return March 4. Renowned for its polished and refined sound, the Academy of St Martin in the Fields with pianist Inon Barnatan will perform works by Mozart and Copland on March 29. Stylish, nostalgic and unmistakably modern, Max Raabe & Palast Orchester will bring to life the songs and style of the 1920s and 1930s on April 2.
BROADWAY STARS
Three of Broadway’s brightest stars – Kate Reinders, Telly Leung and Mandy Gonzalez – will share the stage on Oct. 29 in Journey to Broadway, an evening of candid showbiz stories and favorite songs from Gypsy, In the Heights, Wicked and others. On Nov. 19, Adam & Anthony Live: Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of RENT will showcase two of the hit musical’s original stars, Adam Pascal and Anthony Rapp, performing songs from their solo albums and amazing careers, including clever new arrangements of timeless tunes fromRENT. Tony Award winner Patti LuPone will take the spotlight for a night of popular song on Jan. 28. Newly married Broadway veteransJarrod Spector and Kelli Barrett will reveal the romantic stories behind classic hit songs on March 9 in This is Dedicated: Music’s Greatest Marriages.
JAZZ AND BLUES
On Jan. 13, the San Francisco-based SFJAZZ Collective will perform the music of jazz innovator Miles Davis, along with originals from the members of this award-winning ensemble.
CLASSICAL MUSIC
Newly expanded from four to six performances, the Virginia G. Piper Concert Series will showcase some of the world’s finest classical musicians, including: The Tempest Trio on Nov. 20; pianists Hélène Grimaud on Nov. 29, Tanya Bannister on Dec. 11, Louis Lortie on Jan. 15 and Olga Kern on Feb. 19; and violinist Daniel Hope on March 19. Flourishing in the overlap between the pop and classical worlds, the innovative chamber group yMusic will make its Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts debut on Feb. 3, as will the stereotype-smashing global star of the organ, Cameron Carpenter, performing All You Need is Bach on March 18.
MUSICAL DIALOGUES
Acclaimed pianist Jeffrey Siegel will return for his 38th Keyboard Conversations series, which will include four concerts with commentary: The Genius of Chopin on Dec. 6, Fiesta! Glorious Music from Spain on Jan. 24, A French Musical Feast on Feb. 28 and A Few of Your Favorite Things on April 4. Taking listeners inside the music, Rob Kapilow will bring his What Makes It Great? series to the Musical Instrument Museum in partnership with the Center, including: Mozart’s G Minor Symphony on Jan. 12, The Songs of George Gershwin on Feb. 23 and Beethoven’s “Appassionata” Sonata on March 23. An enriching concert experience that brings together sublime chamber music, distinguished performers and insightful commentary, cellist Yehuda Hanani’s Close Encounters with Music series will return for two concerts: Beethoven Journey on Jan. 18 and Fiddler OFF the Roof on Feb. 15.
DANCE
On Jan. 26–27, the world’s foremost all-male comic ballet troupe, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo, will charm audiences. On Feb. 17, Thodos Dance Chicago will bring to life the critically acclaimed story ballet A Light in the Dark: The Story of Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan, co-choreographed by Artistic Director Melissa Thodos and Tony Award-winning Broadway legend (and Valley resident) Ann Reinking. On March 16–17, L.A.-based DIAVOLO: Architecture in Motion will present L.O.S.T., featuring two of the company’s newest works – Passengers (2016) and Cubicle (2015). A jewel of a dance company in the American West, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, will perform choreographer Alejandro Cerrudo’s Silent Ghost on April 13 and 15.
DISCOVERY SERIES: FRANCE
The Center’s 2016–17 Discovery Series will explore the art and culture of France through a series of live performances, special events and educational programs. On Oct. 22, acclaimed French vocalist Anne Carrere will perform Piaf! The Show, celebrating the centennial of legendary French actress and singer Edith Piaf, one of the 20th century’s greatest performers. On March 25, master chef, author and educator Jacques Pépin and his daughter, TV personality and wine connoisseur Claudine Pépin, will offer a live demonstration of some of Jacques’ most famous dishes.
WORLD
Hailed as one of the best flamenco guitarists in the world, José Fernández Torres, better known as Tomatito, will perform on Oct. 26. Israel’s leading international singer-songwriter, Noa, will give a concert on Nov. 5. An exhilarating band comprised of Cuba’s greatest and most prominent musicians, The Havana Cuba All-Stars will stop in Scottsdale on Nov. 11 during their debut tour of the United States and Canada. The exhilarating Japanese taiko drumming ensemble Kodo will bring their thundering rhythms, vocals and dance on Feb. 10–11. Widely acclaimed in Australia and internationally for its distinctive music theater performances, celebration of indigenous music, culture and language, Black Arm Band will perform on Feb. 18.
THEATER AND COMEDY
Best-selling author and radio host Garrison Keillor will share stories from Lake Wobegon on Nov. 17. Direct from D.C., the irreverent singing comedians of The Capitol Steps will deliver their side-splitting analysis of the election results and latest news during their annual Thanksgiving weekend visit on Nov. 25–26. Actress Patti Hannon will star as Sister in the sinfully funny comedies Late Nite Catechism and Late Nite Catechism III: ’Til Death Do Us Part, Jan. 6 – April 1.
HOLIDAY
Also starring Patti Hannon, Sister’s Christmas Catechism: The Mystery of the Magi’s Gold will return by popular demand for a special holiday engagement on Dec. 9–18. New this year, the Live & Local Holidays concert series will offer songs of the season by Arizona performers, including Kristen Drathman, Rusty Ferracane and Craig Bohmler on Dec. 9; jazz guitarist Pete Pancrazi on Dec. 16; and David Britton on Dec. 23. One of today’s leading traditional Irish ensembles,Danú will take audiences on a winter wonderland trip to the Emerald Isle on Dec. 10 in A Christmas Gathering. The maestro of mariachi, Jose Hernandez and Mariachi Sol de Mexico will share A Merri-Achi Christmas, a toe-tapping, south-of-the-border musical fiesta, on Dec. 17. Showcasing Vince Guaraldi’s beloved music, jazz pianist David Benoit and guest vocalist Sara Gazarek will perform a Christmas Tribute to Charlie Brown on Dec. 18. The Center will co-present The Hot Sardines’ Holiday Stomp, a night of yuletide classics with a unique classic-jazz twist, at Mesa Arts Center on Dec. 18.
FAMILY
A daring mix of circus arts, dance, theater and comedy, Montreal’s Les 7 doigts de la main (The 7 Fingers of the Hand) will perform one of its latest tantalizing creations, Cuisine & Confessions, on Feb. 25–26.
FESTIVALS, FILMS AND MORE
The 16th Scottsdale International Film Festival will present its opening day and night programming at the Center on Oct. 6 before returning to Harkins Theatres for screenings on Oct. 7–10. A celebration of Brazilian music, dance and martial arts, the annual Brazilian Day Arizona festival will take place on Sept. 24. The 47thScottsdale Arts Festival will offer a weekend of fine art, music, food and family fun on March 10–12. Additional events will be announced, including the Live & Local Fridays summer concert series.
SCOTTSDALE CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Since opening in 1975, Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts has provided a stage for a wide range of voices and perspectives, creating shared, inspiring experiences for the community that celebrate artistic excellence and cultural awareness. Today one of the premier performing-arts halls in the western United States, the Center presents a diverse season of dance, music, theater, comedy and film from around the world. More than 1,000 indoor and outdoor performances, educational programs, festivals and other events are presented and hosted by the Center annually, serving approximately 250,000 participants. The Center’s education and outreach programs reach 25,000 students and adults each year. Events take place in the state-of-the-art, 853-seat Virginia G. Piper Theater, recognized for its intimacy, acoustics and comfort, as well as the 137-seat Stage 2 and neighboring 1,800-capacity Scottsdale Civic Center Amphitheater. Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts is located on Scottsdale Civic Center Park, a 21-acre urban oasis next to the city’s Old Town and gallery districts.
The nonprofit Scottsdale Cultural Council is contracted by the City of Scottsdale, Ariz., to manage Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA) and Scottsdale Public Art.