Staff Reports | Happenings & Events
With multiple new art exhibitions, a full lineup of concerts, exciting celebrations and much more, Scottsdale Arts starts the 2025–26 season with a wide variety of things to do and see.
September kicks off Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts’ 50th anniversary season with performances from new favorites like Five for Fighting and returning legends, including Jeremy Jordan and Julia Chacón Flamenco Theatre, which will be celebrating 10 years of partnership at Scottsdale Arts with a brand-new program, “Braided Roots.”
Presenting dance has been part of the center’s identity since its inception. On Nov. 7, 1975, only a few weeks after opening, the center presented the New York-based Cliff Keuter Dance Company. Dozens of dance companies would perform at the center over the next half-century, including numerous appearances by the infamous all-male ballet company Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo and the legendary Martha Graham Dance Company.
Diandra Adamczyk, programming manager at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, noted that the center has been committed to presenting, supporting and commissioning works of dance, from local to international levels, for five decades.
“With educational opportunities and innovation at the heart of what we prioritize, the center has become a longstanding leader among dance presenters in the Southwest,” Ms. Adamczyk said.
The following is a list of events and exhibitions from Scottsdale Arts, a nonprofit organization comprising Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA), Scottsdale Public Art, Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation, Canal Convergence and Civic Center LIVE.
PERFORMANCES AND EVENTS
Sippin’ Series: Kokomo Rum
Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025, 7 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets: $59
Taste artisan-crafted, award-winning rums and ready-to-drink canned cocktails from Club Kokomo Rum.
The Scottsdale Chorus
Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025, 3 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $36
The Scottsdale Chorus delivers genre-spanning performances, from timeless barbershop to contemporary hits, that aren’t just award-winning, they’re heart-winning.
SMoCA Fall Opening Celebration
Friday, Oct. 10, 2025, 7 p.m.
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Free
Come celebrate the new exhibitions at this fun-filled evening with music by Davina, light bites from a local food truck, refreshing drinks and a special performance by Nicole L Olson.
An Evening with Jeremy Jordan
Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, 7:30 p.m. (SOLD OUT)
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $52
Experience “Newsies” and “Supergirl” star Jeremy Jordan’s dynamic blend of powerhouse vocals and heartfelt storytelling, on the heels of his 2025 Tony nomination for the title role in “Floyd Collins.”
Julia Chacón Flamenco Theatre | Braided Roots
Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $47
Elegance meets percussive power in “Braided Roots,” a new showcase of flamenco in full force with vivid costumes, expressive soundscapes and dynamically textured dance.
Scottsdale Symphonic Orchestra | Echoes of a New World
Sunday, Oct. 19, 2025, 4 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $20
Celebrate the nation’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.
Five For Fighting with String Quartet
Support Artist Lace and Lee
Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $47
From “Superman (It’s Not Easy)” to “100 Years,” experience the music of Five for Fighting in a lush, cinematic setting, backed by a live string quartet. Folk-rock duo Lace and Lee opens the show.
LOOKING AHEAD
Dreamy Draw Music Festival
Friday, Nov. 7 and Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, 1 p.m.
Scottsdale Civic Center
Tickets start at $75 per day or $135 for both days
Dreamy Draw Music Festival features two days of Americana and country music from The Lumineers, Vampire Weekend, Thee Sacred Souls, Father John Misty, Marcus King Band, Local Natives, Houndmouth and Saint Motel.
Canal Convergence
Friday, Nov. 7, through Sunday, Nov. 16, 2026, evenings
Scottsdale Waterfront
Free
Scottsdale Arts’ Canal Convergence will explore performance as public art with large-scale, light-based public artworks, live music and dance performances, creative workshops, educational tours and activities, food trucks and a beer and wine garden.
Arizona Concours d’Elegance
Sunday, Jan. 18, 2025, 9 a.m.
Scottsdale Civic Center
Tickets start at $85 with early bird discount
The 8th edition of the Arizona Concours d’Elegance will display exceptional vehicles from around the world, guaranteed to impress and excite not only dedicated car lovers but anyone who appreciates the beauty of expressive design, enjoyed in the atmosphere of a stylish garden party.
EXHIBITIONS
James Perkins | Burying Painting
Sept. 20, 2025, through Feb. 15, 2026
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Admission: $10 to $16
“Burying Painting” presents process-based land art by James Perkins in his first museum exhibition, highlighting the artist’s approach to nature as a collaborator.
Jeanne K. Simmons: Rooted
Oct. 11, 2025, through Feb. 22, 2026
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Admission: $10 to $16
“Rooted” blends sculpture and photography by Jeanne K. Simmons in a site-specific meditation on humanity’s delicate, interwoven relationship with nature.
Casey Curran: Tidal Sky
Oct. 11, 2025, through Feb. 22, 2026
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Admission: $10 to $16
Casey Curran asks what remains when structures collapse — and what new beginnings emerge in their wake.
Life on Mars
June 14 through Sept. 14, 2025
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Admission: $10 to $16
Artists Erika Lynne Hanson and Steven J. Yazzie present works that link physical and metaphysical realities of nature, humanity, geology and cosmology to position Earth as the endgame.
• Squidsoup • Infinite •
June 28, 2025, through Aug. 30, 2026
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Admission: $10 to $16
Enter “Infinite” and be surrounded by hundreds of illuminated spheres that form a symphony of notes.
Michael Asfa: Suburban Paradise
June 14 through Sept. 14, 2025
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Admission: $10 to $16
“Suburban Paradise” explores the quiet, contemplative beauty of the American Southwest through minimalist sculpture and photography by Michael Afsa in his first museum exhibition.
This Just In… Recent Acquisitions @SMoCA
March 8 through Sep. 7, 2025
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Admission: $10 to $16
This exhibition highlights recent acquisitions to SMoCA’s ever-growing collection and celebrates the unexpected connections between works spanning a wide range of media.
Photography in Translation
July 24 through Sept. 30, 2025
Scottsdale Civic Center Library
Free
“Photography in Translation” is an exhibition by Arizona artists and photographers who are navigating what it means to live in the United States of America, with family and traditions originating outside the country.
SMoCA _____ space and Courtyard Installations
March 8 through Sep. 7, 2025
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Free
In “Pathfinding,” Evan Roth seeks out the sun around his home in Berlin to confront the emotional toll of overcast winters. And Shomit Barua’s “Hyperwilding” is an immersive installation that uses spatialized audio to produce a hybrid auditory experience.
Scottsdale Public Art Permanent Collection
Ongoing
Various locations throughout Scottsdale
Admission: free
More than 160 artworks, many of them large-scale sculptures, can be found throughout the city at parks, in public facilities and along the streets. See the map at ScottsdalePublicArt.org for locations.
For more information about the events, and to order tickets, visit ScottsdaleArts.org.
