FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MIM Music Theater Announces Winter/Spring 2018 Concert Series
PHOENIX (November 30, 2017) – The MIM Music Theater proudly announces its Winter/Spring 2018 Concert Series, sponsored in part by Sanderson Lincoln. The series includes more than fifty concerts from January through April, spanning multiple genres from across the globe.
Highlights this season include Beach Boys cofounder and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Al Jardine, who will share stories about the Beach Boys’ music and sing along with his son Matt Jardine. Montreal-based scratch DJ and music producer Kid Koala, who is featured in the recently Grammy-nominated album Baby Driver (Music from the Motion Picture), will present a remarkable theatrical performance. He will reenact his graphic novel Nufonia Must Fall with several miniature stages, a cast of puppets, turntables, and the dynamic Afiara Quartet playing on the piano and string instruments. Americana country superstar Lyle Lovett will join forces with legendary singer-songwriter Robert Earl Keen for an unforgettable night of song and stories. Presented in coordination with MIM’s special exhibition, Ancient Musical Treasures from Central China: Harmony of the Ancients from the Henan Museum, pipa virtuosa Wu Man and the Huayin Shadow Puppet Band will perform stories of life in rural China, with shadow puppets, lutes, fiddles, and other traditional instruments.
Guests can look forward to the return of several favorites to the MIM Music Theater, including “Father of Modern Soul Music” Booker T. Jones; Mongolian throat singing group Huun-Huur-Tu; fourteen-year-old jazz pianist prodigy Joey Alexander; and Karla Bonoff, one of the finest singer- songwriters of her generation.
The series also welcomes some artists who will be performing at MIM Music Theater for the first time. New performers include blues guitarist and singer Joanne Shaw Taylor; jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard, featuring the E-Collective; Afro-Cuban jazz singer Daymé Arocena; and Canadian country singer-songwriter Lindi Ortega, who has been compared to classic country stars such as Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn.
The MIM Music Theater presents over 250 concerts per year and has had over 150 Grammy- winning artists perform on its stage. Within the span of only seven years, the theater has been recognized as one of the top music venues of its size, anywhere in the world. It has received praise from audiences and musicians for its unparalleled intimate atmosphere and acoustically superb sound quality.
“We have been invited to some of the world’s greatest venues like the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia, Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, and also the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. But I tell you one thing, this Theater and this Museum are second to none,” says Allen Bailey, founder of Harlem Gospel Choir.
Tickets will go on sale to members who give $250+ annually on Monday, December 4 at the Winter/Spring 2018 Concert Series Preview Event. Tickets will go on sale to the public on
Thursday, December 7 at 10:00 a.m. Members who give $500+ annually receive 10% off concert tickets. Additional artists will be added to the lineup throughout the season. To get the latest information on these announcements, visit MIM.org and sign up to receive concert newsletters.
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About MIM and the MIM Music Theater The Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) enriches our world by collecting, preserving, and making accessible an astonishing variety of musical instruments and performance videos from every country in the world. MIM offers guests a welcoming and fun experience, incomparable interactive technology, dynamic programming, and exceptional musical performances. MIM fosters appreciation of the world’s diverse cultures by showing how we innovate, adapt, and learn from each other to create music—the language of the soul.
In addition to hosting performances by renowned artists, the MIM Music Theater introduces guests to emerging talents from around the world. It has been called, “the best 300-seat venue in the country,” by Grammy winner Shawn Colvin. Each performance is an extension of the museum exhibits―showcasing the instruments, the people who play them, and the musical language we share.
Find MIM on Facebook: Facebook.com/MIMphx; Twitter and Instagram: @MIMphx
Media Contact Chris Wieman, Theater Marketing Specialist, MIM [email protected] 480.245.6953
Winter/Spring 2018 Concert Series Lineup
January 2018 In collaboration with Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts Booker T. Jones Thu. & Fri., Jan. 4 & 5 | 7:30 p.m. Chris Mann Wed., Jan. 17 | 7:00 p.m. Ruthie Foster Sat., Jan. 6 | 7:30 p.m. Marty Stuart and His Fabulous Superlatives: The Way Out West Tour Ramblin’ Jack Elliott and Peter Rowan Fri., Jan. 19 | 7:30 p.m. Tue., Jan. 9 | 7:00 p.m. Supported by Producer’s Circle members Elizabeth Biaett and Gary Dickey Huun-Huur-Tu Fri., Jan. 12 | 7:30 p.m. The Mingus Dynasty—Tijuana Moods Sat., Jan. 20 | 7:30 p.m. Rob Kapilow: What Makes It Great?® Dvořák’s American Quartet Alan Doyle Tue., Jan. 16 | 7:30 p.m. Opening Act: Donovan Woods
Sun., Jan. 21 | 7:00 p.m. Sun., Feb. 11 | 3:00 & 7:00 p.m. Supported by Producer’s Circle members David and American Brass Quintet Karen Divine Mon., Feb. 12 | 7:30 p.m. In collaboration with Arizona Musicfest Legends: Keola Beamer and Henry Kapono with Moanalani Beamer Cyrus Chestnut Trio Mon., Jan. 22 | 7:00 p.m. Tue., Feb. 13 | 7:00 p.m.
Steve Smith and Vital Information NYC Edition Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen Tue., Jan. 23 | 7:30 p.m. Wed., Feb. 14 | 6:00 & 8:00 p.m.
Victor Wooten Trio featuring Dennis Chambers and Bumper Jacksons Bob Franceschini Thu., Feb. 15 | 7:30 p.m. Wed., Jan. 24 | 7:00 & 9:00 p.m. We Banjo 3 Paris Chansons Fri., Feb. 16 | 7:30 p.m. Thu., Jan. 25 | 7:30 p.m. Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams Melanie, Friends, and Family: Sun., Feb. 18 | 7:00 p.m. An Evening of Songs and Stories Sat., Jan. 27 | 7:30 p.m. Shovels & Rope Mon., Feb. 19 | 7:00 p.m. Arizona Musicfest Young Musicians Winter Concert Sun., Jan. 28 | 2:00 p.m. Rob Kapilow: What Makes It Great?® Beethoven’s Waldstein Sonata BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet Tue., Feb. 20 | 7:30 p.m. Sun., Jan. 28 | 7:30 p.m. In collaboration with Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts Al Jardine: A Postcard from California with Matt Jardine The Wood Brothers From the Very First Song with a Founding Member Opening Act: The Mastersons of the Beach Boys Wed., Feb. 21 | 7:00 p.m. Mon. & Tue., Jan. 29 & 30 | 7:00 p.m. David Wilcox February 2018 Thu., Feb. 22 | 7:30 p.m.
Kid Koala: Nufonia Must Fall Emily Bear Fri. & Sat., Feb. 2 & 3 | 7:30 p.m. Fri., Feb. 23 | 7:30 p.m. Sun. & Mon., Feb. 4 & 5 | 7:00 p.m. The California Guitar Trio Front Country Sat., Feb. 24 | 7:30 p.m. Thu., Feb. 8 | 7:30 p.m. “A Tribute to Leonard Bernstein” Pavlo Copresented with the Phoenix Chamber Music Society
Mon., Feb. 26 | 7:30 p.m. Arturo Sandoval Davina and the Vagabonds and the Squirrel Nut Fri., Mar. 23 | 7:00 & 9:00 p.m. Zippers Tue., Feb. 27 | 6:00 & 9:00 p.m. Joanne Shaw Taylor Sat., Mar. 24 | 7:30 p.m. March 2018 Live From Laurel Canyon Martin Sexton Thu., Mar. 1 | 7:30 p.m. Wed., Mar. 28 | 7:00 p.m.
The Gibson Brothers Joey Alexander Fri., Mar. 2 | 7:30 p.m. Fri., Mar. 30 | 7:00 & 9:00 p.m.
Tinsley Ellis MIM and the Phoenix Symphony present Sat., Mar. 3 | 7:30 p.m. Tchaikovsky and Mozart Concert Series Sat., Mar. 31 | 2:00 & 7:30 p.m. Altan Wed., Mar. 7 | 7:00 p.m. April 2018
Karla Bonoff Lindi Ortega Thu., Mar. 8 | 7:30 p.m. Sun., Apr. 1 | 7:00 p.m.
The English Beat Daymé Arocena Fri., Mar. 9 | 7:30 p.m. Thu., Apr. 19 | 7:30 p.m.
Wu Man and the Huayin Shadow Puppet Band Brubeck Brothers Quartet Sat., Mar. 10 | 7:30 p.m. Thu., Apr. 26 | 7:30 p.m.
MIM and the Phoenix Symphony present Arizona Musicfest Young Musicians Concert Tchaikovsky and Mozart Concert Series Sun., Apr. 29 | 2:00 p.m. Sun., Mar. 11 | 2:00 & 7:30 p.m. May 2018 The Acoustic Living Room: Songs and Stories with Kathy Mattea featuring Bill Cooley Terence Blanchard featuring the E-Collective Tue., Mar. 13 | 6:00 & 8:00 p.m. Fri., May 4 | 7:00 & 9:00 p.m.
Masters of Hawaiian Music: George Kahumoku Jr., Led Kaapana, and Jeff Peterson Thu., Mar. 15 | 7:30 p.m.
Socks in the Frying Pan Fri., Mar. 16 | 7:30 p.m.
Trace Bundy Thu., Mar. 22 | 7:30 p.m.