Bernadette Peters to Headline ARTrageous Benefit 12/1 at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts - Full 2012-13 Season Announced

Tickets are on sale to the general public for the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts's 2012-13 program, which will include Bernadette Peters headlining the annual ARTrageous benefit gala on December 1.

“Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts offers a unique, exceptional arts experience that brings together diverse, high-caliber artists within an intimate, inviting and state-of-the-art theater,” remarked Director Cory Baker. “We’ve expanded many of our offerings this season, particularly of comedy and music, and we’re confident that everyone will find something to enjoy.”

IN THE SPOTLIGHT
The 2012–13 Season’s “Spotlight” performers are singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter on Sept. 29; Broadway star Bernadette Peters, who headlines the annual ARTrageous benefit gala on Dec. 1; country superstar Clint Black on Jan. 17; legendary pop hit maker Dionne Warwick on April 20; and bestselling jazz trumpeter Chris Botti, who will perform his heartfelt, romantic melodies at an outdoor concert in Scottsdale Civic Center Amphitheater on May 10.

BROADWAY STARS
The 2012–13 season will delight lovers of the Great American Songbook, with entertainer Michael Feinstein performing the music of the Gershwins on Nov. 10, followed by intimate concerts with Broadway legends Mandy Patinkin on Feb. 2; Barbara Cook on Feb. 23; and Tommy Tune on March 30. Leading cast members from the Broadway smash hit Jersey Boys will perform The Doo-Wop Project on March 10.

THEATER
Melding theater, puppetry and multi-media, the critically acclaimed Phantom Limb Company will present 69°S, a stunning recreation of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s heroic 1914 Trans Antarctic Expedition, on May 4. Proving once again that a hit show is always in fashion, Love, Loss and What I Wore will run for a limited engagement on June 4–16.

COMEDY AND SATIRE
The Center will offer an expanded roster of side-splitting comedy and satire, including performances by Blue Collar Comedy Tour veteran Bill Engvall on Oct. 12; The Daily Show Live: Indecision Tour 2012 on Oct. 20; D.C.’s The Capitol Steps for their annual Thanksgiving weekend visit on Nov. 24–25; wisecracking Rita Rudner on Feb. 16; The Reduced Shakespeare Company’s The Complete World of Sports (abridged) on March 15; and the edgy and outrageous Sandra Bernhard (an alumna of Scottsdale’s Saguaro High School) on March 16. Returning by popular demand, This American Life host Ira Glass will share more “unexpected stories that happen to be true” on Jan. 19, and bestselling author David Sedaris will give a reading at ASU Gammage in Tempe on April 25.

DANCE
Continuing its long history as the Valley’s premier contemporary dance venue, The Center will present the dynamic Garth Fagan Dance, led by the Tony Award-winning choreographer of Disney’s The Lion King, on Nov. 16; Chicago’s celebrated Hubbard Street Dance Chicago on Jan. 25–26; the internationally acclaimed Limón Dance Company, celebrating its 65th anniversary, on Feb. 22; the exciting and fresh Aspen Santa Fe Ballet on March 22–23; and Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo performing their gender-bending parody of classical ballet on April 19.

DISCOVERY
Exploring the arts of India, The Center’s 2012–13 Discovery Series will open with a performance by Ravi Shankar, India’s most esteemed musical ambassador, on Oct. 21. Nrityagram Dance Ensemble will perform classical Indian dance with a modern twist on March 8, and the mesmerizing Chitresh Das Dance Company will present India Jazz Suites, a fusion of traditional Indian dance and modern tap, on April 5, followed by the epic story Sita Haran on April 6. The Discovery Series will conclude with OrigiNation: A Festival of Native Cultures, a free outdoor community festival on April 7.

WORLD
Led by “The Sun of Latin Music,” the red-hot Eddie Palmieri Salsa Orchestra with Herman Olivera will perform a concert on Nov. 2 as part of La Gran Fiesta: A Celebration of Latin and Hispanic Culture, which also will feature a free outdoor concert with the wildly popular Cuban music group Tiempo Libre on Nov. 3. A cutting-edge mix of new urban rap and ancient Javanese music and poetry, Jogja Hip-Hop Foundation will perform on Nov. 27. Spanish guitarist Paco Peña will bring his fiery flamenco to Scottsdale on Feb. 8, and the traditional Irish band Danú will return for a night of Celtic music and song on March 1. The all-male a cappella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo will perform its spiritual alchemy of South African harmonies, rhythms and gospel on March 2, and Canadian guitarist Jesse Cook will bring his toe-tapping rumba flamenco to Scottsdale Civic Center Amphitheater on March 23.

JAZZ
Banjo legend Béla Fleck and the Marcus Roberts Trio will take audiences on an exhilarating musical journey on Nov. 23. Jazz pioneers Chick Corea and Gary Burton will share the stage on Jan. 18, and the “impossibly cool” John Pizzarelli Quartet will give a Valentine’s Day concert on Feb. 14. Pianist and NEA Jazz Master McCoy Tyner and his quartet will perform an outdoor concert with special guest saxophonist Joe Lovano in Scottsdale Civic Center Amphitheater on May 4.

CLASSICAL
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, the Virginia G. Piper Concert Series will showcase some of the world’s finest classical artists, including pianist Murray Perahia on Oct. 7, the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra with pianist Jon Kimura Parker on Jan. 31, pianist Jeffrey Kahane on Feb. 10; pianist and Van Cliburn Gold Medalist Olga Kern on March 24; and the Zukerman ChamberPlayers on April 7. Featuring cellist Alisa Weilerstein and pianist Inon Barnatan, London’s world-renowned Academy of St Martin in the Fields will perform on March 6. Keyboard Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel will offer four concerts with commentary: Bach the Spellbinder on Dec. 4, Claude Debussy: The Passionate Sensualist on Jan. 15, The Greatness of Chopin on Feb. 19 and Listen to the Dance! Waltzes, Marches, Polkas and Tangos on April 2. And, led by cellist Yehuda Hanani, the Close Encounters with Music chamber series will offer Trade Winds: From China with Love on Dec. 12 and Grand Piano Trios by Schubert and Beethoven on Feb. 6.

HOLIDAY
Known as “The Royal Family of the Guitar,” The Romeros will join the Spanish string ensemble Concerto Málaga for a festive night of holiday classics on Dec. 7. “The Pope of Trash,” cult filmmaker John Waters, will return with his wildly funny adults-only Christmas show on Dec. 8. And Sister’s Christmas Catechism: The Mystery of the Magi’s Gold will return Dec. 18–23.

FAMILY
Perfect for families and children of all ages, the acclaimed Mermaid Theatre of Nova Scotia will present A Brown Bear, a Moon and a Caterpillar: Treasured Stories by Eric Carle on Feb. 24, and The Cashore Marionettes will perform on March 3.

CELEBRATIONS AND COMING ATTRACTIONS
The Center’s 2012–13 season will kick off with Dine Out with the Chefs: A Celebration of the Culinary Arts on Oct. 7. The award-winning Scottsdale Arts Festival will take place on the weekend of March 8–10. Additional performances and events will be announced throughout the season, including the hit Late Nite Catechism comedies, Talk Cinema, San Francisco Opera’s Grand Opera Cinema Series, ASU Concerts at The Center, Sunday A’Fair, Native Trails and more.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.ScottsdalePerformingArts.org or call the Patron Services Box Office at (480) 499-TKTS (8587).