October 31, 2023
by Elizabeth Montgomery
The seasons are changing in Downtown Phoenix. In the air and on the stage.
After a tumultuous pandemic that left many Downtown Phoenix theaters with uncertain futures, today, the Downtown Phoenix arts and culture scene is thriving.
Just recently, the Americans for the Arts released a study that showed Arizona’s nonprofit arts and culture industry generated over $1 billion in economic activity in 2022.
“Arizona Opera has been continually producing before the pandemic and even through the pandemic, we stayed very active. What drives us is our mission to connect people through this art,” said Joseph Specter, President and General Director of Arizona Opera.
“People have a need to be connected through storytelling and through music and particularly through singing. There’s something about a singing voice as a vehicle for bringing stories to people and connecting people that’s just so powerful. It feels almost stronger to me now than it did before COVID.”
The good news keeps coming. Local theaters have announced their new 2023-2024 seasons with many shows hitting the Phoenix stage for the first time.
Herberger Theater Center celebrates a series of firsts by announcing an inaugural presenting season.
“Over the years, there have been lots of different chapters in our in our history, in our growth and development. This is a new chapter for us,” said Mark Mettes, President and CEO of Herberger Theater Center.
“We’re part of the picture and in a new way and that’s very exciting to me. The shows in our first presenting season are all premiers. Since it was our first season of presenting it made sense for our first to have other premieres and firsts. Now it becomes a platform for the future.”
Here are the new theater seasons coming to Downtown Phoenix.
Phoenix Symphony
The Phoenix Symphony’s 77th season brings classical masterpieces, world-class guest artists, and new concert experiences to the Valley from Symphony Hall to the Orpheum and Arizona Financial Theater.
- “Beethoven’s Fifth & Magnificent Mendelssohn” Nov. 3 – 5
- “Prohibition: The Music of Moulin Rouge, Boardwalk Empire and More” Nov. 10- 12
- “Mature Masterpieces by Mozart & Rachmaninoff” Nov. 17 – 19
- “Disney’s Encanto in Concert Live to Film” Nov. 24 – 26
- “Holiday Pops” Dec. 1 – 3
- “Handel’s Messiah” Dec. 14 – 17
- “New Year’s Eve with Troupe Vertigo: Cirque Spectacular” Dec. 31
- “Tchaikovsky’s Pathetique” Jan. 5 – 7
- “Broadway Tonight” Jan. 26 – 28
- “Rodrio’s Concierto de Aranjuez” Feb. 2 – 4
- “The Ultimate ABBA Tribute” Feb. 9 – 11
- “Mardi Gras in New Orleans” Feb. 23 – 25
- “The Music of Queen” March 2
- “Rachmaninoff & Dvořák” March 8 – 10
- “Star Wars: A New Hope in Concert” March 15 – 17
- “Strauss & Beethoven” March 22 – 24
- “She’s Got Soul” March 29 – 30
- “Aida Cuevas: The Queen of Mariachi” April 12 – 14
- “Reverb: Contemporary Music Festival” April 18 & 20
- “Mozart & Shostakovich: The Power of 10” April 26 – 28
- “Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 Resurrection” May 10 – 12
- “The Resurrection Mixtape” May 17 – 19
Details: Click here for tickets
