December Brings Jazz, Dance, Classical and Holiday Performances to Scottsdale

December performances at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts include (clockwise from top left) Brubeck Brothers Quartet (photo: Anthony Pidgeon), BODYTRAFFIC, Emerson String Quartet (photo: Jürgen Frank), and Celtic Woman, among others.

December performances at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts celebrate the holiday season and continue the center’s focus on presenting the best of classical music, jazz and dance.

Perennielly popular Christmas programs like the Scottsdale Philharmonic’s “Messiah” and Mariachi Sol de México®’s “A Merry-Achi Christmas” are already close to selling out while Emerson String Quartet’s final world tour, BODYTRAFFIC’s contemporary dance flavors, and the Brubeck Brothers’ “straight-ahead jazz” offer some stylistic variety to the mix. Here’s the full December lineup:

Emerson String Quartet
Friday, Dec. 2, 2022, 8 p.m.

The Emerson String Quartet, one of the world’s premier chamber music ensembles and “an extraordinary fusion of experience and authority with audacity and freshness” (The Boston Globe), is now on its final world tour.

Celtic Woman: A Christmas Symphony
Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022, 8 p.m.

Experience the magical sound of Celtic Woman’s angelic harmonies with a full symphony orchestra this holiday season.

Scottsdale Philharmonic
Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022, 4 p.m.

The Scottsdale Philharmonic performs a program that includes Chopin’s Piano Concerto no. 1, Mozart’s “Voi che sapete” from Le Nozze Di Figaro and Shubert’s Symphony no. 8.

BODYTRAFFIC
Friday, Dec. 9, 2022, 8 p.m.

BODYTRAFFIC uses the creative spirit of its Los Angeles home to fulfill its mission of delivering performances that inspire audiences simply to love dance.

Sippin’ Series: Holiday Cocktails
Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, 7 p.m.

Learn about and enjoy a variety of fun cocktails for the holiday season.

Scottsdale Philharmonic Holiday Concert
Sunday, Dec. 11, 2022, 4 p.m.

This holiday season performance by the Scottsdale Philharmonic features George Frideric Handel’s “Messiah.”

Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel
American Pianistic Treasures
Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022, 7:30 p.m.

Discover these “American Pianistic Treasures” as Jeffrey Siegel gives us all the glittering details behind Gershwin, Copland, Bernstein, Gottschalk and MacDowell.

Mariachi Sol de México® de José Hernández

A Merry-Achi Christmas
Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022, 8 p.m.

Maestro José Hernández and his platinum-selling Mariachi Sol de México® perform treasured holiday classics and favorites from the mariachi songbook in this holiday fiesta.

Brubeck Brothers Quartet
Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022, 6 p.m.

The Brubecks celebrate their legendary father through a program titled “Dave Brubeck’s Centennial Celebration,” including favorites like “Take Five,” “Unsquare Dance” and “Blue Rondo a la Turk” as they invite the audience to travel along the timeline of Dave Brubeck’s extraordinary life and career.

All performances take place at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, 7380 E. 2nd St., Scottsdale, Arizona. Ticket prices vary by show. Visit ScottsdalePerformingArts.org/events or call Scottsdale Arts Guest Services at 480-499-TKTS (8587) for more information.

Scottsdale Arts is continually striving to increase our accessibility offerings to provide enriching arts opportunities for everyone in the community. For more information about services we offer, please visit ScottsdalePerformingArts.org/visit/accessibility.

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts would like to thank the partners for the 2022–23 season: City of Scottsdale; Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust; Great American Title Agency; Tiffany & Bosco; National Endowment for the Arts; Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation; Dr. David and Joan Goldfarb Trust; The Dayton Fowler Grafman Endowment for Classical Music; Betty Hum and Alan Yudell; Galbut Beabeau; Mountain Shadows Resort; Karen and John Voris; Hotel Adeline; Hotel Valley Ho; Sacks Tierney P.A.; WESTAF/TourWest; Bank of America; Ethelyn Cohen, In Memory of Howard Cohen; Renewal by Andersen; The Theodore R. Stephan Endowment for Student Matinees; and Arizona Commission on the Arts.

SCOTTSDALE ARTS
Through its partnership with the city of Scottsdale, the nonprofit Scottsdale Arts creates diverse, inspired arts experiences and educational opportunities that foster active, lifelong community engagement with the arts. Since its founding in 1987, Scottsdale Arts has grown into a regionally and nationally significant, multi-disciplinary arts organization offering an exceptional variety of programs through four acclaimed branches — Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA), Scottsdale Public Art and Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation — serving more than 600,000 participants annually. In conjunction with the city of Scottsdale, we also host more than 200,000 people annually on our campus through a robust rentals program.

SCOTTSDALE CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Since 1975, Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts has provided a stage for a wide range of artists and genres, 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 music, dance, theater, comedy and film from around the world.