Musical Instrument Museum marks the start of a series of events focusing on concerts, bringing performances by local and national artists to the Valley.
Mini Music Makers Series
Mondays and Wednesdays in April (1, 3, 8, 10, 15, 17, 22, 24)
9:30-10 a.m. for children ages 0-18 months
10:15-10:50 a.m. for children ages 18 months-3 years
11-11:45 a.m. for children ages 3-5 years
Tickets: $12 per class or $40 for all four
Introduce your child to the wonderful world of music! MIM’s Mini Music Makers Series, an early childhood music-education program, aims to enrich children’s lives by providing a safe, interactive and engaging environment for children to explore a variety of music from around the world. Each class is structured around developmentally appropriate activities for children to interact with and create their own music. This session’s classes will focus on the sights and sounds of African music. Reservations required. To reserve a space, please contact Annabel Rimmer at 480-245-6919 or grouptours@MIM.org.
Dark Star Orchestra: Continuing the Grateful Dead Concert Experience
Monday, April 1, 7 p.m.
Tickets: $36.50-$39.50
Performing Grateful Dead classics in the same way that an orchestra interprets music of classical composers, Dark Star Orchestra selects from among the nearly 2,500 shows that the Grateful Dead performed during their 30-year tenure as fathers of improvisational rock. The composer spirit is derived and channeled as the musicians capture the excitement and innovation of the original performances and compositions. On most performances, Dark Star Orchestra presents the complete original set list, song by song and in consecutive order, while adapting their phrasing, voice arrangements, and specific musical equipment for the various eras of the Grateful Dead shows that they perform.
Colin Hay
Tuesday, April 2, 7 p.m. (SOLD OUT)
Wednesday, April 3, 7 p.m.
Tickets: $34.50-$39.50
Colin Hay wrote some of the quirkiest pop hits of the early 1980s as the principal songwriter of the Australian-based Men at Work (“Down Under,” “Overkill,” “Who Can It Be Now?”), which became an international pop sensation, seemed to dominate early MTV, and garnered a Grammy Award for Best New Band. As the band’s guitarist and lead singer, Hay’s voice and appearance are still familiar to millions. The past 20 years have found him quietly yet tenaciously reintroducing himself to new generations of fans. In the process, he’s become a respected songwriter whose stage humor and storytelling are nearly as renowned as his music. He’s now enjoying life as a masterful writer and vocalist who is at the peak of his craft.
Alpin Hong
Friday, April 5, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $37.50-$42.50
Whirlwind American tours and performances across the globe have earned pianist Alpin Hong the reputation as a modern-day Pied Piper. His combination of stunning technique, emotional range, and rare humor continues to bring audiences young and old to their feet. The New York Times lauded his “crystalline energy . . . clear and persuasive ideas . . . and remarkable breadth of coloration,” and called him “a pianistic firebrand” in a review of his standing-room-only New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall.
Arizona Opera Up Close Series: Double Entendre
Thursday, April 11, 7 p.m.
Tickets: $37.50-$42.50
Enjoy this rare opportunity to hear the two lead couples from both casts of “The Marriage of Figaro” as they share the spotlight on stage for one night only at the MIM Music Theater. With an impressive collection of debuts and accolades spanning the globe, the quartet will perform from their signature operatic roles and other selections from a variety of genres. Featuring Sari Gruber, Jo駘le Harvey, Jason Hardy, and Daniel Okulitch with Arizona Opera Head of Music Allen Perriello on piano.
MIM Homeschool Day: Compass Guided Tour and Signature Workshop (West African Percussion and Dance)
Monday, April 15
Tickets: $10 per student, $10 per chaperone above the 1:5 ratio
Led by docents, this exciting “trip around the world” introduced students to the diversity of the world’s musical traditions, ranging from an Indonesian gong workshop to a re-created workshop featuring Martin acoustic guitars. Students learn ways that instruments have changed over time, as humans move around the globe and interact with each other. Content and curriculum align with Arizona State Standards in science, social studies, and music education. Students will also participate in a Signature Workshop on West African Percussion and Dance where they will be introduced to different drumming styles and traditions from several cultural groups in Ghana, Mali and Guinea. Students will play along using the djembe, agogo double bell and shekere. There will also be a family-friendly menu available at the MIM Caf・ Best for grades 3‒12. To register, please contact Annabel Rimmer at 480-245-6919 or grouptours@MIM.org.
I Am AZ Music: The Best of the Valley: Open Mic Showcase
Tuesday, April 16, 7 p.m.
Tickets: $10
Featuring Andrew Duncan Brown, Ruca (Haley Grigaitis), Tim Allyn, Amanda Morgan and Jason Messer for an evening of local and diverse music.
Bang a Gong: Balinese Gamelan Workshop Series
Saturday, April 20, 10:30 a.m.
Tickets: $12 per class ($10 per class when purchased with museum admission)
Learn to play a gong – and all the other instruments that make up the sounds of a Balinese gamelan at MIM’s workshop! Led by assistant curator Colin Pearson, these bimonthly workshops include an introduction to Indonesian culture and music and easy lessons to play authentic Balinese instruments. No experience is required, and musicians and non-musicians alike will enjoy this unique musical form, so come join us! Please note that each workshop is an introductory class but participants are welcome to register for more than one session and hone their musical skills. Best for ages 8 and older. To register, please contact Annabel Rimmer at 480-245-6919 or grouptours@MIM.org.
The Klezmatics
Sunday, April 21, 7 p.m.
Tickets: $39.50-$47.50
The Klezmatics take one of the wildest approaches to klezmer, the traditional dance music of Eastern European Jews. Although their music is heavily influenced by the recordings of Abraham Ellstein and Dave Tarras in the 1940s and 1950s, their lyrics comment on a wide variety of political and social issues and have led the group to be labeled “the planet’s radical Jewish roots band.”
I Am AZ Music: Local Singer-Songwriters in the Round
Tuesday, April 23, 7 p.m.
Tickets: $15
Five Arizona singers sitting on stage trading stories and songs. It’s like being invited into the living room with some of Arizona’s best musical talent. Featuring Hans Olson, Walt Richardson, Jesse Valenzuela and the Zubia Brothers.
MIM Musical Interludes Series Featuring ASU: French Chamber Music
Wednesday, April 24, 10:30 a.m.
Tickets: Free with museum admission or $7 performance only
Elizabeth Buck, playing flute, with Lynne Aspnes, playing harp, will perform both delightful and triumphant French chamber music in honor of “La Marseillaise,” national anthem of France, which was composed on April 24, 1792.
Molly Ringwald
Wednesday, April 24, 7 p.m.
Tickets: $37.50-$42.50
American actress, singer, dancer, and author Molly Ringwald is frequently named the greatest teen star of all time. The daughter of jazzman Bob Ringwald and the leader of the Great Pacific Jazz Band, Ringwald, will soon be releasing her new CD featuring the talents of Clayton Cameron (Tony Bennett, Nancy Wilson, B.B. King) Winston Byrd (Natalie Cole, Roy Hargrove, Charles Tolliver), Trevor Ware (Hubert Laws, Jimmy Heath) and Allen Mezquida (Brad Mehldau, Bill Charlap).
Music In Motion: Dry River Yacht Club
Thursday, April 25, 6-8:30 p.m.
Tickets: Free with museum admission or $7 performance only
Groove to the sounds of Arizona under the stars and take a musical journey around the world in MIM’s galleries! The last thing one would think of when it comes to Arizona would be yacht clubs. Yet, in the heart of the Valley of the Sun, the dry riverbed of the Salt River winds its way through the metropolis. If you follow it east, straight to the waters of Tempe Town Lake, a yacht club most certainly exists: the Dry River Yacht Club (DRYC). The band, using no amplification, plays an eclectic mix of instruments, including a bassoon, violin, tuba, accordion, acoustic guitar, and bass clarinet, to create a unique combination of gypsy, Western, folk and rock music.
Hayes Carll
Thursday, April 25, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $19.50-$24.50
Texas singer and songwriter Hayes Carll received his first guitar at age 15 and almost immediately began writing songs, influenced by the likes of Bob Dylan, John Prine, Kris Kristofferson, Dead Poets Society and the Beat novels and writings of Jack Kerouac, all of which continued to reverberate in his mature songwriting style. In 2002, he signed with Compadre Records and released his debut album “Flowers and Liquor,” which garnered him favorable comparisons to Townes Van Zandt. His song “Another Like You” was named #1 on AmericanSongwriter.com’s Top 50 Songs of 2011, and is now firmly established in the Van Zandt/Guy Clark/Ray Wylie Hubbard style of maverick country-folk.
Vladimir Pleshakov & Elena Winther: Rachmaninoff Anniversary Concert
Friday, April 26, 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: $27.50‒$37.50
Vladimir Pleshakov and Elena Winther, husband-and-wife pianists, have been hailed by the Russian press as “European heirs to the great Russian pianistic tradition.” Playing two nine-foot Steinway pianos, they will masterfully convey the history, drama and passion of the last great romantic composer.
Get the Beat! World Drumming Series: Rhythms of the Middle East
Saturday, April 27, 2:30‒3:30 p.m.
Tickets: $12 per class (museum admission may be purchased separately)
Join the circle and get the beat! Each month, Frank Thompson, founder of AZ Rhythm Connection, offers a chance to experience community drumming for all levels, from absolute beginners to enthusiastic professionals. Each fun, relaxing and family-friendly session will highlight a new culture or genre, plus provide plenty of time for making music and jam sessions. Guest artists and MIM curators will stop in to demonstrate or share information about instruments, cultures or rhythms. Bring your own drum or use one provided. To register, please contact Annabel Rimmer at 480-245-6919 or grouptours@MIM.org.
