FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 29, 2022
MEDIA CONTACT: Brian Passey | [email protected] | 480-874-4626

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts closes 2021–22 season with music, theater and more

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona — Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts will close out its 2021–22 season with an eclectic variety of music, theater, dance, film, humor and even a puppetry workshop.

Concerts include Mary Chapin Carpenter, Lea Salonga, Angélique Kidjo’s tribute to Talking Heads, Marc Cohn, Keb’ Mo’,  Daniil Trifonov and Colin Hay of Men at Work while David Sedaris and Yotam Ottolenghi will offer fascinating speaking engagements.

Unique theater productions include the forgotten story of Mozart’s composer sister, a one-man play about ice cream and the extinction of India’s vultures, two musicals by Detour Company Theatre and a nonverbal, kid-friendly story about one man and his friendship with a balloon.

Here’s the list:

Angélique Kidjo: Remain in Light
Saturday, April 9, 2022, 8 p.m.
$60 / $52 / $42 / $36
More than 40 years after the landmark Talking Heads album “Remain in Light,” Angélique Kidjo gives new life to the original with her striking voice and stage presence that combines the West African traditions of her childhood in Benin with elements of American R&B, funk and jazz.

The Other Mozart
Eight showings from Wednesday, April 6, through Sunday, April 10.
$35
“The Other Mozart” tells the forgotten story of Nannerl Mozart — the genius sister of Amadeus — a prodigy, keyboard virtuoso and composer, whose story was lost to history. The play is a multi-sensual experience that transports the audience to a world of outsized beauty and delight.

Puppetry Workshop with Indian Ink Theatre Company
Wednesday, April 6, 2022, 6 p.m.
$15
Learn how to make a bunraku-style puppet in this 90-minute workshop with puppet maker Jon Coddington of Indian Ink Theatre Company, which is presenting “Paradise or The Impermanence of Ice Cream” the following evening.

Indian Ink Theatre Company | Paradise or The Impermanence of Ice Cream
Thursday, April 7, 2022, 7:30 p.m.
$45 / $40 / $35
Take a wild ride to paradise with Indian Ink’s powerful new play about impermanence — of life, love … and ice cream! Infused with serious laughter, exquisite puppetry and inspired sound design, this show is guaranteed to blow your mind and melt your heart.

ASU Concerts @ the Center | ASU Gospel Choir: A Night of Worship & Praise!
Sunday, April 10, 2022, 4 p.m.
$15 / $10 / $5 (livestream)
Join the ASU Gospel Choir for an evening of energetic songs of worship and praise, featuring special guests from the local, regional and national gospel music community.

Talk Cinema: The Tale of King Crab
Tuesday, April 12, 2022, 7 p.m.
$14 
Talk Cinema offers sneak previews of award-winning indie and foreign films from national and international film festivals. April’s sneak peek film selection is “The Tale of King Crab,” the story of Luciano, a wandering outcast in a remote, late-19th-century Italian village.

Jazz Lounge | She, Hers, Ours
Wednesday, April 13, 2022, 7:30 p.m.
$28 / $17
Jazz Con Alma and Holly Pyle honor female composers like Bonnie Raitt, Joni Mitchell, Marian McPartland, Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, Jessica Williams, Esperanza Spalding and Blossom Dearie, celebrating songs that have become part of our heritage and culture.

Marc Cohn 
Wednesday, April 13, 2022, 7:30 p.m. 
$55 / $46 / $38
Marc Cohn, the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter behind “Walking in Memphis,” combines the precision of a brilliant tunesmith with the passion of a great soul man. Chelsea Williams, an Americana pop singer-songwriter, will open.

Aoife O’Donovan
Friday, April 15, 2022, 8 p.m.
$45 / $33 / $28
Recognized for her ethereal voice and substantive songwriting, Aoife O’Donovan has been called “a vocalist of unerring instinct” by The New York Times. Singer-songwriter Taylor Ashton, known for his “off-kilter lyrical excursions,” will open the show.

Sippin’ Series | Unique White Wines  
Saturday, April 16, 2022, 7 p.m.
$50
Enjoy a tasting of unique white wine varietals. Sippin’ Series is a 21+ event only and is curated by the team of experts at Republic National Distributing Company.

Daniil Trifonov, piano
Tuesday, April 26, 2022, 7:30 p.m.
$79 / $69 / $59 / $39
Grammy-winning pianist Daniil Trifonov — Musical America’s 2019 Artist of the Year — has made a spectacular ascent of the classical music world, as a solo artist, champion of the concerto repertoire, chamber and vocal collaborator and composer.

Keb’ Mo’
Thursday, April 28, 2022, 7:30 p.m.
$85 / $70 /$55
Over the past two decades, Keb’ Mo’ has cultivated a reputation as a modern master of American roots music through the understated excellence of his live and studio performances, proving he is a musical force that defies typical genre labels. Anthony D’Amato will open.

Balloonacy
Four performances from Friday, April 29, to Sunday, May 1, 2022
$15 / $10
“Balloonacy” is a tender, uplifting, laugh-out-loud comedy show. This 50-minute, family-friendly play (suitable for children ages 5) explores the power of friendship and shows how, with a little imagination and acceptance, companionship is everywhere.

MusicaNova: Bruckner 4th Symphony
Sunday, May 1, 2022, 2 p.m.
$34.99 / $30 
MusicaNova Orchestra presents the world premiere of Anton Bruckner’s Symphony no. 4, (1874 version). An insatiable tinkerer, Bruckner wrote his Fourth Symphony in 1874, only to have the Vienna Philharmonic reject it as unplayable, leaving that version lost to the musical trash heap — until a renowned Bruckner scholar dug into the archives to recreate it.

Lea Salonga
Thursday, May 5, 2022, 8 p.m.
$85 / $70 / $60 / $45
Possessing a powerful voice and perfect pitch, Lea Salonga is a performer best known for her Tony-winning role in “Miss Saigon.” She is recognized as a “Disney Legend” for voicing the animated Princess Jasmine and Fa Mulan.

DANCING WITH THE UNIVERSE | Native Style
Saturday, May 7, 2022, 7 p.m.
$18 / $15 / $12 $8 (youth 12 and younger) or $15 (livestream)
“DANCING WITH THE UNIVERSE | Native Style” is a new theatrical work, created by Derrick Suwaima Davis, that tells a story of seasons and cycles and the value of being in tune with the movement of the universe. It is performed by The Living Traditions Dance Troupe, a collective of regional Indigenous performers.

Classical Lounge curated by MusicaNova | Ocotillo
Sunday, May 8, 2022, 2 p.m.
$26 / $19
The husband-and-wife team of Cindy and Robert Leger uniquely pairs cello with classical guitar or mandolin, fusing classical and folk influences. Classical favorites get a fresh twist, and the duo’s original music displays a creative melding of genres.

An Evening with David Sedaris
Monday, May 9, 2022, 7 p.m.
Orpheum Theatre
$69 / $59 / $49 / $29
Master of satire and best-selling author of “Calypso” and “Me Talk Pretty One Day,” David Sedaris is one of America’s preeminent humor writers. Returning to the historic Orpheum Theatre in Phoenix, Sedaris will read from new and unpublished works.

Yotam Ottolenghi
May 11, 2022 7:30 p.m.
$49 / $39 / $29
For award-winning chef, writer and restaurateur Yotam Ottolenghi, food is about more than what we eat. This philosopher of the kitchen is passionate about making people happy through food full of harmonious contradictions. The program will include an onstage conversation with Lauren Gilger, host of KJZZ’s “The Show,” followed by 20 to 30 minutes of audience questions. Attendees can arrive early to fill out question cards.

Jazz Lounge | Jazz Noir with Dmitri Matheny
Thursday, May 12, 2022, 7:30 p.m.
$28 / $17
Mysterious, melancholy and menacing, Jazz Noir with Dmitri Matheny offers a fresh spin on crime jazz, film noir and timeless classics.

Colin Hay
Thursday, May 12, 2022, 8 p.m. 
$65 / $55 / $45 
Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Colin Hay is beloved for his intimate, confessional live shows and is widely known as the influential and celebrated frontman of Men at Work.

Sippin’ Series | Herbals and Florals
Saturday, May 14, 2022, 7 p.m. 
$50
Explore the essence of herbals and florals in cocktail showcase. Sippin’ Series is a 21+ event only and is curated by the team of experts at Republic National Distributing Company.

Scottsdale Philharmonic
Sunday, May 15, 2022, 4 p.m.
$15
The Scottsdale Philharmonic provides the city of Scottsdale and surrounding communities with a professional symphony orchestra, performing a series of traditional classical music concerts for audiences of all ages.

Talk Cinema | The Phantom of the Open
Tuesday, May 17, 2022, 7 p.m.
$14
Talk Cinema offers sneak previews of award-winning indie and foreign films from national and international film festivals. May’s sneak peek film selection is “The Phantom of the Open,” based on the true story of Maurice Flitcroft (Mark Rylance), who turned “pro” and kept entering major golf events under different guises.

Vijay Iyer Trio
Saturday, May 21, 2022, 8 p.m.
$48 / $40 / $32
Jazz composer-pianist Vijay Iyer has carved out a unique path as an influential, prolific, shape-shifting presence in modern music. A musical innovator and active collaborator, Iyer continues to reimagine the role of the musician in the 21st century.

Detour Company Theatre presents The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Friday, June 10, and Saturday, June 11, 2022, 7 p.m.
Free
Join Detour Company Theatre on this riotous ride as they spell their way through a series of (potentially made-up) words in this delightful den of comedic genius. Six spellers enter; one speller leaves!

Detour Company Theatre presents Once Upon a Mattress
Saturday, June 11, 2022, and Sunday, June 12, 2022, 3 p.m.
Free
Join Detour Company Theatre’s test of love in this musical comedy adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “Princess and the Pea.” Carried on a wave of wonderful songs, this rollicking spin on the classic tale is sure to win the hearts of a prince, and an audience.

Mary Chapin Carpenter
Wednesday, June 15, 2022, 7:30 p.m.
$85 / $70 / $60 / $45
Mary Chapin Carpenter’s hybrid of pop, folk, and country has generated hits like “Passionate Kisses,” “I Feel Lucky,” and “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” earning five Grammys and selling more than 16 million records along the way.

All performances except for “An Evening with David Sedaris” are held at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. 2nd St., Scottsdale, Arizona. David Sedaris will be presented at the Orpheum Theatre. Visit ScottsdalePerformingArts.org/events or call the box office at 480-499-TKTS (8587) for more information.

All guests age 12 and older must provide a negative COVID-19 PCR test, taken within 72 hours of the performance date, along with photo ID, to attend performances. As an alternative, guests may provide proof of full vaccination. A tour rider for this artist requires that all audience members wear face masks for the duration of the performance. For full health and safety protocols, visit ScottsdalePerformingArts.org/covid-19-response.