Arsht Center Calendar 2012 season

View Concerts, Theatre,  Music and Dance offerings for this season. Just a taste of a full-season lineup that will include many more presentations, including jazz from around the world; theater works both intimate and spectacular; shows for children and their families; the latest in contemporary dance; experimental multimedia shows and beloved classics; popular entertainment spanning top-selling recording stars, acclaimed cabaret artists, favorite comedians, and much more. A full listing of performances.

Adrienne Arsht Center | 1300 Biscayne Boulevard | Downtown Miami | Tel: 305-949-6722 | www.arshtcenter.org

Broadway in Miami Series

DECEMBER 27 – JANUARY 1, 2012 | Million Dollar Quartet

MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET is the smash hit Broadway musical, inspired by the true story of the famed recording session that brought together rock ‘n’ roll icons Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins for the first and only time.

On December 4, 1956, these four young musicians were gathered together by Sam Phillips, the ”Father of Rock ‘n’ Roll” at Sun Records in Memphis for what would be one of the greatest jam sessions of all time. MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET brings that legendary night to life with an irresistible tale of broken promises, secrets, betrayal and celebrations featuring timeless hits including ”Blue Suede Shoes,” ”Fever,” ”That’s All Right,” ”Sixteen Tons,” ”Great Balls of Fire,” ”I Walk the Line,” ”Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On,” ”Who Do You Love?,” ”Matchbox,” ”Folsom Prison Blues,” ”Hound Dog” and more.

MARCH 20-25, 2012 | Come Fly Away

Come Fly Away is the new Broadway musical that brings together the legendary music of FRANK SINATRA and the creative vision of Tony Award-winner TWYLA THARP (Movin’ Out).

This one-of-a-kind experience combines the seductive vocals of “Ol’ Blue Eyes” with the sizzling sound of a live on-stage big band and the visceral thrill of Tharp’s choreography. As 15 of the world’s best dancers tell the story of four couples falling in and out of love, you will experience the exhilaration of a first kiss, the excitement of a first dance, and the bittersweet moments of a first good-bye in a world of sparkling romance and astonishing beauty.

MAY 15 – JUNE 10, 2012 | Disney’s The Lion King

See the Tony® Award-winning Broadway sensation that Newsweek calls “a landmark event in entertainment.” The New York Times says, “There is simply nothing else like it.”

KNIGHT MASTERWORKS SEASON at the Knight Concert Hall

FEBRUARY 1, 2012 | Jean-Yves Thibaudet, pianist

TSCHAIKOWSKY ST. PETERSBURG STATE ORCHESTRA
Program will include Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 2

“Thibaudet played with impressive virtuosity; the audience began applauding before he had even finished.” The New York Times on an all-Liszt recital by Jean-Yves Thibaudet

Hailed as one of the best pianists of our era, Jean-Yves Thibaudet captivates audiences around the world with his thrilling performances, profound artistry, poetic musicality and dazzling technical prowess.

In his Masterworks Season debut, Thibaudet will perform the large-scale Liszt Piano Concerto No. 2 with the Tschaikowski St. Petersburg State Orchestra, which Paris’ Le Monde called “Sensational!”

FEBRUARY 10, 2012 | Garrick Ohlsson, pianist

WROCLAW SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA, Jacek Kaspszyk, artistic director and chief conductor
Program will include Chopin: Piano Concerto No.2.

“Mr. Ohlsson demonstrated his ability to segue between a light, fleet-fingered touch and meaty, powerful torrents of sound.” The New York Times on an all-Chopin recital by Garrick Ohlsson.

The first American to win the prestigious Chopin International Piano Competition, Garrick Ohlsson has established himself among the top pianists of the world, earning accolades such as the Avery Fisher Prize in 1994 as well as a Grammy Award in 2008 for his recording of the Beethoven Sonatas, Vol. 3.

Widely regarded as an expert interpreter of Chopin, Ohlsson will delight audiences in the acoustically superb John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall as he plays Chopin’s brilliant, virtuosic Piano Concerto No.2. with one of Europe’s leading musical ensembles, the Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra.

MARCH 10, 2012 | Midori, violinist

MINNESOTA ORCHESTRA Osmo Vanska, music director
Program will include Sibelius Violin Concerto in D minor and Beethoven: Symphony No. 5

“Her performance was full of challenging repertoire and risk-taking performances, plus great imagination and depth.” The Philadelphia Enquirer

Midori will perform with one of today’s top orchestral ensembles. Under the direction of Maestro Osmo Vanska since 2003, the Minnesota Orchestra has enjoyed significant success and critical praise for performances throughout the world. The New Yorker music critic Alex Ross wrote “The Minnesota Orchestra sounded, to my ears, like the greatest orchestra in the world.”

MAY 17, 2012 | Lang Lang, pianist

IN RECITAL. The return of international piano star, Lang Lang, in a solo recital on the Knight Concert Hall stage. Acclaimed as “the hottest artist on the classical music planet” by The New York Times, Lang Lang brings his impressive virtuosity, musical sensitivity, and personal charm back to the Center for this exciting solo engagement.

Other Performances

December 30, 2011 | New Year’s Concert | Salute to Vienna | The Strauss Symphony of America

Imre Kollár, conductor (Budapest) | Monica Mosser, soprano (Vienna) | Joachim Moser, tenor (Vienna)
Featuring dancers from Kiev-Aniko Ballet of Ukraine and International Champion Ballroom Dancers

Welcome the New Year with “Salute to Vienna,” patterned after Vienna’s world famous “Neujahrskonzert”, returning for a glorious 13th season with a fresh, new program. A festive New Year’s Concert, featuring a brilliant new cast of over 75 musicians, stellar European singers and dancers in beautiful costumes. Each program includes light hearted blends of popular Strauss waltzes, polkas and famous operetta excerpts such as The Fledermaus and The Merry Widow- something for everyone to enjoy! Knight Concert Center

January 4, 2012 | B.B. King | 8 pm

From Eric Clapton to Jimi Hendrix, every blues guitarist for the past century has been influenced and inspired by the master – B.B. King! His reign as King of the Blues has been as long as that of any monarch on earth. Yet B.B. King continues to wear his crown well, singing and playing the blues with relentless passion. Time has no apparent effect on B.B., other than to make him more popular, more cherished, more relevant than ever.    Knight Concert Hall

JANUARY 20, 2012 | Larry Harlow’s La Raza Latina, A Salsa Suite

ADONIS PUENTES, ALFREDO DE LA FE and FEDERICO BRITO, RICKIE FLORES, CANDIDO CAMERO, BOBBY SANABRIA, Mario Ortiz All Star Band and many more!

La Raza Latina is the magnum opus of the Grammy-winning pianist/composer/arranger Larry Harlow, one of the key artists of the legendary Fania Record label. Premiered in 1977 when the New York salsa scene was in full swing, the music explores the African roots of Latin music with each part of the suite progressing in time and space from the origins of salsa in Africa, to its roots in the Caribbean, through its development in New York and finally into a visionary future.

FEBRUARY 11, 2012 | Raul Esparza in Concert

“This is a Broadway leading man at the top of his game, an intensely dramatic singer.” - The Miami Herald

Four-time Tony Award nominee brings his musical talent home, where he’s already become an Adrienne Arsht Center favorite following showstopping performances in Babalu and at the 5th Anniversary Season Gala. Now, in an encore performance of his acclaimed Lincoln Center concert, Esparza will delve into his Cuban musical roots and share his love of Broadway musicals!

FEBRUARY 17, 2012 | Blues and Soul

ROBERT CRAY and SHEMEKIA COPELAND

Celebrate Black History Month with music! Jazz Roots brings together two magnificent artists who pay tribute to the roots of blues and soul, but take the music to an inspired new level. Called “the torchbearer for gritty, Southern-style blues” by The New York Times, Robert Cray—Grammy winner, vocalist and guitar hero—has continually topped the Billboard Charts with his high energy recordings.

Shemekia Copeland, the daughter of the late great Texas blues guitar hero Johnny Copeland, began her career on the blues circuit at the age of 16… She is now recognized as the new lady of the blues. “She was born to belt” says The New York Times, “with a big, bright voice” that rocks the house wherever she performs!

FEBRUARY 23 – 26, 2012 | Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER returns to the Center February 23-26, 2012 with new Artistic Director Robert Battle, a Miami native, leading Ailey’s extraordinary artists in thrilling new works and repertory favorites of inspiring virtuosity and soaring spirit.

See why Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is one of the world’s most beloved dance companies, recognized by U.S. Congressional resolution as a vital American “Cultural Ambassador to the World.” After dance pioneer Alvin Ailey led a now-fabled 1958 performance in New York that changed the perception of American dance, this extraordinary company has gone on to perform for an estimated 23 million people in 71 countries on six continents, celebrating the African-American cultural experience. An exciting new era in Ailey history begins in July 2011 when Miami native Robert Battle becomes Artistic Director at the personal selection of Judith Jamison, who calls Battle the “creative force of the future.”    Ziff Ballet Opera House

MARCH 9, 2012 | JAZZ AT LINCOLN CENTER ORCHESTRA

with WYNTON MARSALIS

Don’t miss the greatest jazz orchestra working today. This remarkably versatile group, featuring 15 outstanding jazz soloists and ensemble players, performs in New York, across the U.S. and around the globe. Their extensive repertoire includes original compositions as well as the masterworks of Ellington, Mingus, Coltrane, and other great jazz composers.

With more than 30 recordings and nine Grammy Awards, JLCO Artistic Director Wynton Marsalis is a giant in the jazz world, a nine-time Grammy Award-winning trumpeter, composer, music educator, recipient of the Pulitzer Prize, and, along with his father and brothers, a member of America’s first family of jazz. Funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Florida Department of Cultural Affairs.

APRIL13, 2012 | A Night in Rio

Starring SERGIO MENDES With very special guest Eliane Elias

International music legend Sergio Mendes brings his sizzling samba sound to Jazz Roots, filling the Knight Concert Hall with his signature mix of bossa nova and percussion accents along with the distinctive pop instrumentation that have defined Brazilian music around the world.