FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 29, 2025
MEDIA CONTACT: Sydney Ritter | [email protected] | 480-874-4663

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts celebrates 50th anniversary season

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts is celebrating its 50th anniversary by bringing back some favorite performers.

Audiences can expect to see dynamic concerts by Broadway stars Lea Salonga, Jeremy Jordan — who has added a second show due to high-volume sales for a previously announced October performance — and Cheyenne Jackson. Cocktail connoisseurs will be delighted as the fan-favorite Sippin’ Series returns with three summer-exclusive events, featuring Peerless Whiskey, Craftsman Distillers and Club Kokomo Rum.

Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel returns for the pianist’s 47th season with four concerts, featuring works by Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, Gershwin and more, and Scottsdale Symphonic Orchestra presents a six-part journey through American history with classical music. This season’s Dance Series, including Ballet Hispánico, Jacob Jonas The Company, GALLIM and Hung Dance will have something for every dance fan.

“This spring preview offers just a taste of the incredible artistry and expression audiences can expect during our 50th anniversary season,” said Abbey Messmer, programming director of Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts. “From innovative dance and fan-favorite musical performances to Broadway stars and interactive tasting events, these programs are intended to bring people together to experience something memorable, something human and unmistakably inspiring.”

The full season for the center, a department of the nonprofit Scottsdale Arts, will be announced later this summer, but these early bookings go on sale May 1 (subject to change):

Sippin’ Series: Peerless Whiskey
Saturday, July 19, 2025, 7 p.m.
Taste the lineup from Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co., and enjoy a signature cocktail made from one of our favorites!

Sippin’ Series: Craftsman Spirits
Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, 7 p.m.
Sample specially designed cocktails made with small-batch, locally hand-crafted spirits from Craftsman Distillers!

Sippin’ Series: Kokomo Rum
Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, 7 p.m.
Taste artisan-crafted, award-winning rums and ready-to-drink canned cocktails from Club Kokomo Rum!

An Evening with Jeremy Jordan
Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
Prepare for an emotionally resonant evening with “Newsies” and “Supergirl” star Jeremy Jordan’s dynamic blend of powerhouse vocals, heartfelt storytelling and engaging humor.

Scottsdale Symphonic Orchestra
Echoes of a New World: Reflections on Resilience and Renewal
Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, 4 p.m.
Celebrate America’s 250th anniversary through powerful music of resilience, renewal and identity — bridging European Romanticism with bold American voices in a moving tribute to national spirit.

Lea Salonga
Stage, Screen & Everything in Between
Wednesday, Nov. 12, 7:30 p.m.
Musical theater royalty and Disney Legend Lea Salonga brings her powerful voice to stage and screen classics from iconic roles in “Miss Saigon,” “Les Misérables,” “Aladdin” and “Mulan.”

Scottsdale Symphonic Orchestra
Legends and Legacy: Myth, Heroism, and the American Spirit
Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025, 4 p.m.
Iconic music by Richard Wagner and John Williams — from the Harry Potter and Star Wars series — explores how epic storytelling shapes America’s spirit and cultural imagination.

Hung Dance
Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
Set to an eclectic mix of electronic and Chinese classical music, “BIRDY” seamlessly blends tai chi with contemporary dance in the Taiwan-based company’s Arizona premiere.

Scottsdale Symphonic Orchestra
A Season of Light: Holiday Traditions and Togetherness
Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, 4 p.m.
Celebrate the season with festive favorites, a holiday sing-along, joyful traditions and a visit from Santa Claus in this family-friendly musical celebration.

Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel | Beethoven—The Young Genius
Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
Discover the genius of a young Beethoven through his passionate “Sonata Pathetique,” humorous “Rage Over a Lost Penny” and deeply moving “Largo e Mesto.”

Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel | Chopin—The Romantic
Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Meet the romantic side of Chopin through exhilarating polonaises, dreamy nocturnes, charming waltzes, poignant mazurkas and the narrative Ballade in A Flat.

Ballet Hispánico
Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Inspired by Bizet’s opera, “CARMEN.maquia” is a bold reimagining of the classic story, full of unrelenting energy and explosive movement that will leave you breathless.

Cheyenne Jackson “Signs of Life”
Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, 7 p.m.
Prepare for a perfectly imperfect night of shared experience, whimsy and joy as Cheyenne Jackson invites audiences on an uproariously funny exploration of the universe’s subtle cues.

Scottsdale Symphonic Orchestra
Voices of Courage: Struggle and Defiance
Sunday, Feb. 15, 2026, 4 p.m.
“Voices of Courage” explores themes of oppression, defiance and hope — echoing our nation’s historic and ongoing fight for freedom, equality and the triumph of the human spirit.

Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel | Poetic Tone Pictures
Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Watch Jeffrey Siegel create “Poetic Tone Pictures” — music inspired by words and visions — through the compositions of Liszt, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, Grieg and Ravel.

GALLIM
Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
With its signature blend of athleticism and artistry GALLIM creates visually breathtaking dance performances that defy expectations.

Scottsdale Symphonic Orchestra
The Wayfarer’s Hope: A Nation’s Journey
Sunday, March 22, 2026, 4 p.m.
Experience a musical journey through struggle, identity and triumph — featuring Mahler, Sibelius and a powerful new American overture, composed for the orchestra in honor of our country’s 250th anniversary.

Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel | Music of Joy and Peace
Tuesday, March 24, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Experience “Music of Joy and Peace” with the uplifting and sublime works of Bach, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Chopin and Gershwin.

Jacob Jonas The Company
Saturday, March 28, 2026, 7:30p.m.
Known for blending contemporary dance, acrobatics and street dance influences, Jacob Jonas The Company presents a new work with original music composed by Imogen Heap.

Scottsdale Symphonic Orchestra
Dreams of Freedom: The American Experience
Sunday, May 10, 2026, 4 p.m.
Take a stirring orchestral journey through American spirit, struggle and sound, featuring Gershwin’s iconic “Rhapsody in Blue,” Beethoven, Copland and Barber.

For more information about the events, and to order tickets, visit ScottsdaleArts.org.

Scottsdale Arts thanks the following sponsors and partners: City of Scottsdale, The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Flinn Foundation, Billie Jo Herberger, Krumwiede Lewis Family Foundation, Nationwide, National Endowment for the Arts, Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust, SOAR Foundation, SRP, Terra Foundation for American Art, Karen and John Voris, Arizona Republic, Buddy Taub Foundation, Betty Hum & Alan Yudell, Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, Virginia M. Ullman Foundation, Walter and Karla Goldschmidt Foundation, and Ethelyn Cohen.