蜜柚直播

Decisions, decisions.

The performing arts scene in the Old Pueblo is about to explode.

That鈥檚 exciting, but it presents a dilemma: what to see. Sure, if we all had unlimited time and unlimited funds, it wouldn鈥檛 be such a tough choice.

But most of us don鈥檛. So, we鈥檝e asked some fans to tell us which events they would not miss. And we鈥檝e a few ideas of our own.

This is by no means a comprehensive list — you’ll find more at . But these are definitely expected to be among the highlights of the first half of the performing arts season.

Classical music

蜜柚直播鈥檚 classical music scene is rich and vast. This is an especially hard category to narrow down.

But we would be fools to mark Yo Yo Ma off the list. The cellist performs the Elgar Cello Concerto with the 蜜柚直播 Symphony Orchestra Dec. 5 at the 蜜柚直播 Music Hall. Everyone we asked for this story said the concert was at the top of their list, including classical music lover and artist Jack McLain. The Elgar, he says, 鈥渋s a truly iconic piece with accessibility to a broad audience. It is a piece that wears its emotional power on its sleeve.鈥�

McLain鈥檚 other must-see: The Pavel Haas Quartet playing an 蜜柚直播 Friends of Chamber Music program that includes Schubert鈥檚 Quartet in A minor, Shostakovich鈥檚 Quartet No. 7 in F-sharp Minor, and Smetana鈥檚 Quartet No 1 in E minor. The Czech ensemble performs Oct. 18 at the Leo Rich Theater. 鈥淭he Pavel Haas Quartet is a world-class string quartet that is second to none on the material featured in this performance,鈥� says McLain.

Actor and opera singer Dennis Tamblyn plans on getting tickets to the Southern 蜜柚直播 Symphony Orchestra鈥檚 performance of Rossini鈥檚 Overture to 鈥淲illiam Tell,鈥� Rachmaninov鈥檚 Piano Concerto No. 3, and Beethoven鈥檚 Sixth Symphony. 鈥淩achmaninov and Beethoven?鈥� says Tamblyn. 鈥淧lease sign me up ASAP.鈥� It will be at DesertView Performing Arts Center Nov. 18, and St. Andrew鈥檚 Presbyterian Church Nov. 19. Paraguayan conductor Diego S谩nchez Haase is at the helm.

This is the inaugural season for 蜜柚直播 Symphony Orchestra鈥檚 conductor, Jos茅 Luis Gomez, and we figure the season opener has got to be impressive. The Sept. 22 and 24 program at the 蜜柚直播 Music Hall, led by Gomez, features TSO playing 鈥� for the orchestra鈥檚 first time 鈥� Venezuelan composer Inocente Carreno鈥檚 lively and often lush 鈥淢argarite帽a,鈥� which incorporates folk and popular songs from the composer鈥檚 home country. Also on the program is Beethoven鈥檚 Piano Concerto No. 2 with pianist Zhang Zuo 鈥� it鈥檚 her first time doing the piece in concert聽鈥� and Mahler鈥檚 Symphony No. 1, 鈥淭itan.鈥�

UA Presents brings Olga Kern to Centennial Hall Oct. 26. The program hasn鈥檛 been announced, but the 2001 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition Gold Medal winner is a mesmerizing pianist. She could play 鈥淐hopsticks鈥� and we would be there.

The TSO teams up with Mariachi los Camperos in a concert that will launch 蜜柚直播鈥檚 All Souls Procession weekend in November. It鈥檚 a performance that actress Liz Cracchiolo Samani won鈥檛 miss. 鈥淐an鈥檛 wait to see this,鈥� she says. 鈥淢usically wonderful, but also culturally important, blending two different styles. And hopefully it will introduce each music鈥檚 fans to the other style.鈥� It鈥檚 slated for Nov. 3 at the 蜜柚直播 Music Hall.

The New York City-based early music ensemble Tenet comes to St. Philip鈥檚 in the Hills Episcopal Church Nov. 12 courtesy of the 蜜柚直播 Early Music Society. They will perform music by Monteverdi and his contemporaries and will be joined by sopranos Jolle Greenleaf and Molly Quinn, who are young and gaining acclaim. 鈥淭heir voices carefully matched in purity and expression,鈥� reported the New York Times.

The Harlem Quartet will start out its Nov. 15 蜜柚直播 Friends of Chamber Music performance with Debussy鈥檚 Quartet in G Minor and then will segue into Strayhorn鈥檚 鈥淭ake the 鈥楢鈥� Train.鈥� Finally, they will be joined by Cuban jazz/classical composer and pianist Aldo L贸pez-Gavil谩n for a number of his original pieces. He won over the Washington Post when he played the Kennedy Center with the Harlem Quartet last year: 鈥淗e鈥檚 a terrific composer, with range, imagination and technique.鈥� The performance will be at the Leo Rich Theatre.

If funds are limited but you need a classical music fix, here are a few suggestions of under-$8-events that are worth much more:

A Sept. 9 concert of Mexican classical music will feature Sonoran artists Christopher Roldan, tenor, soprano Valeria G. Quijada and baritone Luis M. Castillo. Presented by the Consulate General of Mexico and other organizations, it鈥檒l be at Saint Francis in the Valley Episcopal Church in Green Valley. And it鈥檚 free.

Also free is Southern 蜜柚直播 Symphony Orchestra鈥榮 Mexican Independence Day Concert Sept. 15 at the Fox 蜜柚直播 Theatre. SASO musicians will be joined by a mariachi ensemble and the winners of the Linus Lerner International Voice Competition. You can get the tickets from 蜜柚直播鈥檚 Consulate General of Mexico, which is co-sponsoring the event.

More free: The Civic Orchestra of 蜜柚直播 performs at Christ Church United Methodist on Oct. 1, and at Sahuarita District Auditorium Oct. 8. The program includes Beethoven鈥檚 7th and works by Johannes Brahms and B茅la Bart贸k.

TSO musicians and Pima Community College faculty members Homero Cer贸n and Jim Karre perform a program that includes Bach, Stravinsky, Gershwin and Bernstein on Oct. 1 at the PCC West Campus recital hall. Also at PCC, the school鈥檚 Wind Ensemble takes over the Proscenium Theatre on Oct. 19 and Nov. 30.

Theater

Nearly every theater aficionado we spoke to had The Rogue Theatre鈥檚 production of 鈥淐elia, A Slave,鈥� at the top of their must-go list.

Marc Pinate, Borderlands Theater鈥檚 artistic director, points out that it won the 2015 Yale Drama Series playwriting competition. 鈥淚 think this award leans toward scripts that are not only excellent from a literary standpoint, but that can be a little more risky,聽edgy,鈥� says Pinate. 鈥淭hen with the focus on race and this country鈥檚 legacy of slavery in the news these days, it just seems like a play we all need to see right now.鈥�

鈥淐elia鈥� is by 蜜柚直播an Barbara Seyda, and it鈥檚 based on the court records of an 1855 trial of a female slave who killed her master after enduring years of rape. It鈥檚 Sept. 7-24 at The Rogue.

Actor and University of 蜜柚直播 theater professor Hank Stratton says 蜜柚直播 Theatre Company鈥檚 production of Marisela Trevino Orta鈥檚 鈥淭he River Bride鈥� is one he鈥檒l see. 鈥淚 think that the Latina voice is one that is aching to be heard in the theatre, especially now,鈥� he says.

鈥淭he River Bride鈥� pulls from Amazon folklore to tell the story of two sisters. One has given up the dream of true love, the other is about to be married. When a fisherman pulls a stranger out of the water, the sisters are presented with other options for their lives. Performances are Oct. 21-Nov. 11 at the Temple of Music and Art.

Michael Martinez, the executive director of Live Theatre Workshop, will see 鈥淏uilding the Wall鈥� at Borderlands Theater. The rolling premiere by Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright Robert Schenk-kan is set in the near future. Millions of immigrants have been detained and put in prisons. The supervisor of a private prison is awaiting sentencing for carrying out the federal policy. It makes for a harrowing drama.

鈥淭his company has been doing some amazing, innovative work,鈥� says Martinez about Borderlands. 鈥淎 portrait of what this border wall would do to our community is very important, and I imagine that an expression of the wall鈥檚 aftershock through art will be beautiful, painful and life-changing.鈥� It鈥檚 Sept. 27-Oct. 15 at the Temple of Music and Art鈥檚 Cabaret Theatre.

Our go-to list includes 鈥淏别补耻迟颈蹿耻濒,鈥� the story of rock 鈥榥鈥� roll composer and singer Carole King. Broadway in 蜜柚直播 is bringing it to Centennial Hall Oct. 4-8. We鈥檝e already started humming songs from her 鈥淭apestry鈥� album.

Playwright Ken Ludwig always makes us laugh, and actor Stephen Frankenfield has spot-on comic instincts. He stars in Live Theatre Workshop鈥檚 production of Ludwig鈥檚 鈥淏askerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery,鈥� at LTW Oct. 5-Nov. 11.

We are anxious to see what the new The Scoundrel & Scamp Theatre has to offer. Bryan Rafael Falc贸n is the founding artistic director, and we still remember his sharp direction of The Rogue Theatre鈥檚 2012 production of 鈥淭he Night Heron.鈥� 鈥淭wo Plays for Lost Souls鈥� is two short pieces that fit right in with the All Souls season: 鈥淭he Love Talker鈥� by Deborah Pryor and 鈥淭he Yellow Wallpaper鈥� by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. A new theater opening with a pair of plays by women 鈥� they get special props for that; with a few exceptions, plays by women are painfully, and shamefully, underrepresented on 蜜柚直播 stages. 鈥淭wo Plays鈥� is Oct. 19-29 at the revamped Zuzi space in the Historic Y.

The University of 蜜柚直播 theater department continues to grow in prestige and with talent. Which makes the staging of Tennessee Williams鈥� riveting 鈥淎 Streetcar Named Desire鈥� particularly appealing. It鈥檚 Nov. 5-Dec. 3 at the intimate Tornabene Theatre in the UA Fine Arts Complex.

Invisible Theatre鈥檚 鈥淭he Value of Names鈥� intrigues us. It鈥檚 about a comic who had been blacklisted during the McCarthy Era in the 1950s. He鈥檚 making a comeback when his daughter is cast in a play directed by the man who testified against him. The Jeffrey Sweet play is at IT Nov. 7-19.

We are also intrigued by 鈥�Popol Vuh 鈥� The Story of Seven Macaw,鈥� at the PCC Center for the Arts. Based on the Mayan creation story, it runs Nov. 9-19. 鈥淗ow often do you get a family friendly show, full of spectacle (giant puppets, video projections, singing, physicality, mask work) that highlights the mythological heritage of the Americas?鈥� asks Marc Pinate, who is directing.

A classic Greek tale hits the Winding Road Theater Ensemble stage Oct. 19-Nov. 4 with its production of 鈥淎n Iliad,鈥� a retelling of Homer鈥檚 epic poem by Lisa Peterson and Denis O鈥橦are. It will be at the Temple of Music and Art Cabaret Theatre.

And finally, a classic musical courtesy of 蜜柚直播 Theatre Company: 鈥淭he Man of La Mancha,鈥� a retelling of 鈥淒on Quixote.鈥� Who wouldn鈥檛 want to see that? It鈥檚 Dec. 2-31 at the Temple of Music and Art.

Choral

Enrique Hank Feldman knows where he will be Oct. 21: Sitting at Grace St. Paul鈥檚 Episcopal Church listening to the Helios Ensemble perform Durufle鈥檚 Requiem.

鈥淚 love the Durufle Requiem,鈥� says Feldman, a musician, composer and educator.

鈥淚t hovers and floats harmonically with emotional tension that surfaces slowly, like a great curry that has that slow burn. Also, this professional locally grown choral ensemble has been growing steadily, and this year they have added considerable talent. 鈥�

Helios will also perform the piece at Christ the King Episcopal Church on Oct. 22.

That October weekend will be a busy one for Feldman. His other must-see concert is the University of 蜜柚直播 Symphonic Choir and the school鈥檚 蜜柚直播 Choir performing a program that celebrates the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. It includes Bach鈥檚 鈥淐hrist lag in Todesbanden.鈥�

鈥淔irst of all, I love Bach especially when he hints at musical harmonies ahead of his time,鈥� says Feldman.

鈥淪econdly, I love great choirs that can sing Bach.鈥� The performance is Oct. 22 at Grace St. Paul鈥檚.

True Concord Voices & Orchestra鈥檚 鈥淢etamorphosis鈥� program is inspired by 蜜柚直播鈥檚 All Souls Procession. It includes Gabriel Faure鈥檚 鈥淩equiem鈥� and the Pulitzer Prize-winning 鈥淟ittle Match Girl Passion鈥� by David Lang. The Nov. 2 concert is at Christ the King Episcopal Church; Nov. 3, it will be at Lutheran Church of the Risen Savior in Green Valley; Nov. 4 at St. Philip鈥檚 in the Hills Episcopal Church, and Nov. 5 at Catalina United Methodist Church.

蜜柚直播 Repertory Singers鈥� holiday concert will feature 鈥淎ve Maria,鈥� 鈥淰irgo Seren鈥漚 by Josquin des Pez, the world premiere of 鈥淔estival of Lights鈥� by Karen Siegel, and Eriks Esenvalds鈥� 鈥淪tars,鈥� which will have the singers playing wine glasses while they sing. What鈥檚 not to love about that? The concerts are Dec. 8 at Christ the King, Dec. 10 at Grace St. Paul鈥檚, Dec. 15 at St. Alban鈥檚 Episcopal Church and Dec. 17 at Christ Church United Methodist.

And the holidays just wouldn鈥檛 be right without the Sons of Orpheus and the 蜜柚直播 蜜柚直播 Boys Chorus doing the 鈥淐hristmas at San Xavier鈥� concerts at Mission San Xavier del Bac Dec. 11-14. Dec. 11, the 蜜柚直播 Girls Chorus joins in. The concerts benefit the restoration and preservation of the mission. Tickets sell out early, so hop to it if you want to have this magical experience 鈥� they are sold through Patronato San Xavier.

Opera

We like being surprised by our performing arts groups, and this is definitely a surprise: 蜜柚直播 Opera鈥檚 鈥淗ercules vs Vampires鈥� Oct. 15 at the 蜜柚直播 Music Hall. Operatic singers and an orchestra will sync with the 1961 so-bad-it鈥檚-good movie 鈥淗ercules in the Haunted World.鈥� That one should be a hoot 鈥� a hoot with some very good music.

Opera buffs who are not seduced by that will be happy to see 蜜柚直播 Opera is back in the mainstream with its production of Puccini鈥檚 鈥淭辞蝉肠补.鈥� It鈥檚 happening Nov. 11 and 12 at the 蜜柚直播 Music Hall.

And the young 蜜柚直播 Rose Opera Company is staging 鈥淗ansel and Gretel鈥� Sept. 29-Oct. 1 at its new theater in the 蜜柚直播 Mall.

Jazz/world/blues

Jazz fan Bernice Fortin Chesi has her Sept. 23 locked in: She鈥檒l be at the Lodge at Ventana Canyon for the Jazz Legends Live concert, presented by the Southern 蜜柚直播 Arts & Cultural Alliance. And we can鈥檛 blame her: The jazz greats gathering that night include Lewis Nash on drums, Jon Faddis on trumpet, Bobby Floyd on piano, Tom Kennedy, bass, and vocals by Niki Harris.

Jazz lover Bret Primack with be there, too. 鈥淭his year鈥檚 lineup includes trumpeter Jon Faddis, who was Dizzy鈥檚 Gillespie prot茅g茅, and Phoenix-born Lewis Nash, the drummer of choice for both masters and young players, as well as organist Bobby Floyd, a Columbus, Ohio, legend,鈥� Primack says, ticking off the reasons it shouldn鈥檛 be missed.

And Chesi and Primack will also be at the Nov. 4 concert of the 蜜柚直播 Jazz Institute鈥檚 award-winning Ellington Band, made up of age-18-and-younger students in love with the music. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a level of professionalism in the group that鈥檚 rare among high school students,鈥� says Primack. 鈥淗earing the Ellington Band in concert celebrates the best of America鈥檚 home-grown art form, jazz, but also speaks volumes about what happens when dedicated teachers mentor young people to engender their creativity and their spirit of collaboration.鈥� It鈥檚 at the DesertView Performing Arts Center.

The Diaspora Showcase features dance and fashion of Africa. And music, glorious music. Performing at the Sept. 16 event is Tunde Jegede, a musician and composer 鈥� one of the many instruments he plays is the kora, a 21-string lute-bridge-harp widely used in West Africa. Also on the bill are singer/songwriter Somi, who brings the sounds of East Africa alive, and Grammy-nominated Amochip Dabney. We are there. It鈥檚 at the Grand Luxe Hotel and Resort鈥檚 event center.

Tejano lovers won鈥檛 want to miss the Sept. 23 concert with A.B. Quintanilla & Elektro Kumbia and AJ Castillo in the AVA Amphitheater at Casino del Sol. That鈥檚 some seriously good music.

The joyful sounds of traditional Irish music will come from the acclaimed pair of Martin Hayes and Dennis Cahill. The In Concert performance is Oct. 1 at the Berger Performing Arts Center.

And this is one we are really excited about: Irma Thomas, The Blind Boys of Alabama and The Preservation Hall Legacy Quintet at the Fox 蜜柚直播 Theatre Oct. 8. The Blind Boys 鈥� they鈥檝e won five Grammy Awards 鈥� do Gospel like few others; Irma Thomas, also a Grammy winner, has been dubbed 鈥渢he soul queen of New Orleans鈥� 鈥� a city where soul rules, and the Legacy Quintet features some of the best jazz musicians around.

Dance

University of 蜜柚直播 dance students strut their very talented stuff in 鈥�Jazz in AZ鈥� at the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre Sept. 26-28. It will include jazz dance, choreography set to a Cuban percussion version of Beethoven鈥檚 Pathetique #2, and a piece with 28 dancers and music by Prince.

Ballet 蜜柚直播鈥榮 Oct. 6-8 performance at the Stevie Eller will include the 鈥淧hantom of the Opera鈥� ballet, the unforgettable 鈥淧aquita鈥擥rand Pas Classique鈥� and the 蜜柚直播 premier of Balanchine鈥檚 鈥淲alpurgisnacht Ballet.鈥� And the thrilling Artifact Dance Project presents the world premiere of 鈥淛udith鈥� Oct. 12-15 at the Stevie Eller. Choreographed by artistic director Ashley Bowman, it is an adaptation of the Biblical 鈥淏ook of Judith.鈥� Kevin Justus worked with Bowman to adapt the story, and the live music will be by percussionist Paul Gibson and pianist Richard Hereld, with mezzo-soprano Korby Myrick. We can not resist their performances 鈥� they are always new, exciting and gorgeous.

Centennial Hall will be hot Nov. 21 with The Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba, courtesy of UA Presents. 鈥淚t鈥檚 always a hot night in Havana wherever and whenever鈥� they perform, says the New York Times.

Things will also get steamy at the Fox 蜜柚直播 when Tango Buenos Aires: The Spirit of Argentina hits the stage the same day, Nov. 21. You鈥檒l find music, singers and exuberant, excellent dancers.

蜜柚直播 is blessed with some wonderful Nutcrackers during December. One of our favorites: 蜜柚直播 Regional Ballet鈥檚 鈥淎 Southwest Nutcracker.鈥� It takes the story and plops it into聽1880s 蜜柚直播, where coyotes and rattlesnakes roam. Making it especially appealing is that the 蜜柚直播 Symphony Orchestra provides the music. It鈥檚 Dec. 9-10 at the 蜜柚直播 Music Hall.