The Center for the Performing Arts 2019-20 Center Presents Season

The Center for the Performing Arts has announced the 2019-20 Center Presents Season, a schedule that offers pop, rock, country, classical, jazz, family fun and more.

The Center for the Performing Arts will span the spectrum in its upcoming 2019-20 Center Presents Season sponsored by Allied Solutions, kicking off with more than 40 concerts and other events – including some new concepts – and promising more to come.

Musical highlights include Songbook Series evenings with Johnny Mathis, Rita Moreno, Ben Vereen and Michael Feinstein; a joint appearance by Mary Chapin Carpenter and Shawn Colvin; return visits from soul diva Gladys Knight and country star Trisha Yearwood; jazz from the Brubeck Brothers, Snarky Puppy violinistZach Brock and the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis; and classical sounds from the cutting-edge COLLECTIF9 and premier flute duo Sir James and Lady Galway.

For “something completely different,” Monty Python’s John Cleese will share hilarious anecdotes and observations in quintessential British style, and comedy legends Steve Martin and Martin Short will bring a band of top-notch bluegrass pickers to back their buddy act. Piaf! The Show is an acclaimed multimedia tribute to France’s greatest popular singer. And Napoleon Dynamite stars Jon Heder and Efren Ramirez will conduct a live Q&A after a screening of the cult classic on the Center’s new HD video system.

President/CEO Jeffrey C. McDermott said the new season builds on the success of the 2018-19 schedule, which has seen 11 sold-out performances at the Palladium and first-time patrons accounting for 50 percent of ticket purchases. The current Center Presents season closes May 29 with neo-soul singer-songwriter India.Arie.

“We’ve done our best to craft a new season that everyone in the community can enjoy,” McDermott said. “In terms of the quality, the variety and the sheer scope of this lineup, I think we will surpass expectations and provide some amazing experiences for the people of Central Indiana.”

Also new this year is the multi-genre Encore Series, with artists to be announced throughout the season. Due to the nature of concert booking cycles, McDermott said, these added performances tend to feature bigger names from the fields of pop, rock, country and comedy.

Subscription packages for the Center’s Classical, Jazz and Songbook Series are on sale now, offering up to 20 percent savings from the regular ticket price, among other perks. Create Your Own Series packages offer similar benefits for the purchase of any four or more performances from the schedule, including Pop/Rock, Country, Holiday, Family and Passport Series events.

Series subscribers also are eligible for:

Discounts up to 20 percent on other Center Presents performances
Immediate purchase access to the entire 2019-20 Season, before 2019 single-event sales to the general public begin in August (2020 single-event tickets go on sale in November)
Presale access and up to 20 percent discounts for new events added during the season.

Visit TheCenterPresents.org/SubscribeNow for more information on subscription packages and benefits. Purchases can be made online at TheCenterPresents.org, by phone at (317) 843-3800 or toll-free (877) 909-2787, or in person at the Palladium Box Office, 1 Center Green, Carmel.

About the Center for the Performing Arts

The mission of the nonprofit Center for the Performing Arts is to engage and inspire the Central Indiana community through enriching arts experiences. The Center presents and hosts hundreds of events each year, including the Center Presents performance series, featuring the best in classical, jazz, pop, rock, country, comedy and other genres. The campus in Carmel, Indiana, includes a 1,600-seat concert hall, the Palladium; a 500-seat proscenium theater, the Tarkington; and the black-box Studio Theater. The Center is home to the affiliated Great American Songbook Foundation and provides space and support services for six resident companies: Actors Theatre of Indiana, Carmel Symphony Orchestra, Central Indiana Dance Ensemble, Civic Theatre, Gregory Hancock Dance Theatre and Indiana Wind Symphony. The Center also provides educational and experiential programming for people of all ages. More information is available at TheCenterPresents.org.

All performances take place at the Palladium concert hall except * at the Tarkington theater.

New events will be added throughout the season.

KATZ, SAPPER & MILLER POP/ROCK SERIES Mary Chapin Carpenter and Shawn Colvin: Together on Stage, Oct. 20

The Righteous Brothers, Oct. 27

An Evening with Gladys Knight, Nov. 20

Damien Escobar: Elements of Love Tour, Nov. 21

Chris Botti, Feb. 9

VoicePlay, March 6

The Company Men, April 25

DREWRY SIMMONS VORNEHM JAZZ SERIES Ranky Tanky, Sept. 13 *

Harlem 100: Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the Harlem Renaissance, Nov. 8

Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis: Big Band Holidays, Dec. 3

Kurt Elling Quintet: A Century of Heroes, March 21

Brubeck Brothers Quartet: Dave Brubeck Centennial Celebration, April 26

Zach Brock Quintet: Snarky Violin, May 15

PRINTING PARTNERS CLASSICAL SERIES COLLECTIF9, Oct. 4 Sir James and Lady Galway, Oct. 29

NFM Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Jan. 23

Siberian State Symphony Orchestra, Feb. 28

American Brass Quintet, April 24

OLD TOWN COMPANIES FAMILY SERIES The Fourth Wall: Fruit Flies Like a Banana, Nov. 9 *

Jeff Boyer’s Big Bubble Bonanza, Jan. 25 *

Peking Acrobats, March 15

Treasure Island, March 28 *

ASCENSION ST. VINCENT HOLIDAY SERIES Cantus: Three Tales of Christmas, Dec. 7

Postmodern Jukebox: A Very Postmodern Christmas, Dec. 13 Dave Koz & Friends Christmas Tour 2019, Dec. 15

SONGBOOK SERIES Songbook Academy Finals, July 20 An Evening with Johnny Mathis: The Voice of Romance, Oct. 31 An Evening with Rita Moreno, Dec. 6

An Evening with Ben Vereen, Jan. 18

4 Girls 4: Broadway’s Leading Ladies in Concert, Feb. 29

Michael Feinstein with special guest, April 17

COUNTRY SERIES Lyle Lovett, Oct. 11

Trisha Yearwood, Oct. 24

PASSPORT SERIES The Kingdom Choir, Oct. 5 The Four Italian Tenors: Viva Italia, Oct. 25

Doolin’, March 27

Piaf! The Show, March 28

George Hinchliffe’s Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, March 29

SPECIAL EVENTS Steve Martin & Martin Short: Now You See Them, Soon You Won’t, Sept. 26 An Evening with John Cleese, Nov. 14 Napoleon Dynamite: A Conversation with Jon Heder & Efren Ramirez, Dec. 5 U.S. Army Field Band and Soldiers’ Chorus, March 12 Gaither Vocal Band, May 16