December is full of holiday happenings at Scottsdale Arts, but the eclectic offerings contain more than just seasonal gifts of entertainment.

While the holiday shows include concerts by Mariachi Sol de Mexico, Jake Shimabukuro and Ricky Skaggs, Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts will also host the legendary R&B/funk artists The Commodores, the first part of Jeffrey Siegel’s 46th season of Keyboard Conversations️ and the first of a four-part residency by the Valley’s own The SunPunchers.

Meanwhile, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art is in the spirit of the season with a holiday edition of the ever-popular Trivia Night @SMoCA and a special winter solstice sound bath at sunrise for the ongoing Glow Up @SMoCA series. But the museum will also continue its long-running Mystery in the Museum and host a one-night-only celebration of the exhibition “Exploding Native Inevitable” with performances, videos and poetry.

The following is a list of events and exhibitions from Scottsdale Arts, a nonprofit organization comprising Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, SMoCA, Scottsdale Public Art, Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation, Canal Convergence and Civic Center LIVE. Visit ScottsdaleArts.org for information.

PERFORMANCES AND EVENTS

The Commodores
Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, 7 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $70
With classic songs like “Machine Gun,” “Sail On” and “Brick House,” the iconic Commodores are among the greatest Motown and R&B/funk artists of all time.

Mystery in the Museum @SMoCA: Encore Presentation
Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, 6:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Tickets: $30 (individual), $50 (couple)
Bring a friend or assemble a team, then put on your detective caps to decipher cryptic clues at this night of art, intrigue and fun.

Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder Christmas
Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, 8 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $50
Fifteen-time Grammy winner Ricky Skaggs continues to lead the American roots revival with his bluegrass band Kentucky Thunder.

Cowboy Beethoven
Friday, Dec. 6, 2024, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, 8 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024, 2 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $25
Saddle up for a musical journey through time with Mario Yñiguez and his Cowboy Beethoven little big band, bridging classical finesse with cowboy cool.

Jake Shimabukuro | Holidays in Hawai’i
Special Guests – Justin Kawika Young and Jackson Waldhoff
Saturday, Dec. 7, 2024, 8 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $40
Embrace the magic of the ukulele, and let Jake Shimabukuro transport you to a world where music and the spirit of aloha intertwine to create an unforgettable holiday experience.

Memory Lounge
Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, 1:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets $10 (individual), $20 (couple)
Create art and make memories with Memory Lounge, an arts-based program for people with mild to moderate memory loss and their care partners.

Keyboard Conversations with Jeffrey Siegel | A Few of Our Favorite Things!
Tuesday, Dec. 10, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $26
The first performance of Jeffrey Siegel’s 46th season of Keyboard Conversations at Scottsdale Arts highlights well-loved, popular masterpieces of Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Gershwin and Debussy.

Exploding Native Inevitable Celebration
Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024, 6 p.m.
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Free with RSVP
Co-curators Brad Kahlhamer and Dan Mills introduce a night of programming that includes performances, videos and poetry.

Trivia Night @SMoCA: Holiday Edition
Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, 7 p.m.
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Tickets: $20
Comedian Anwar Newton returns to host an evening rich with holiday-themed movie, TV and music references to test your pop culture IQ.

Mariachi Sol de Mexico presents Jose Hernandez’ Merry-Achi Christmas
Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $44
Maestro José Hernández and his platinum-selling Mariachi Sol de México perform treasured holiday classics and favorites from the mariachi songbook in this holiday fiesta.

Scottsdale Symphonic Orchestra
Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, 4 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $15
Join Scottsdale Symphonic Orchestra for “A Holiday Celebration,” featuring all your holiday favorites, a sing-along with carol singers and special visitors from the North Pole.

Beth Lederman and Jazz Con Alma: Full Circle
Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets: $35
Celebrate the winter solstice with creative, playful and sublimely beautiful takes on holiday classics, bringing joy to the season through Latin jazz, blues, swing and R&B.

Glow Up @SMoCA: Sound Bath at Sunrise
Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, 6:30 a.m.
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Tickets: $25
Refresh your aura with a sound bath as you enjoy the winter solstice sunrise in the serene beauty of the James Turrell “Knight Rise” Skyspace.

The SunPunchers | Hot Bev
Saturday, Dec. 21, 2024, 8 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets start at $15
The SunPunchers deliver “Hot Bev,” a reverent reclaiming of joy for when your holiday spirit is hijacked in the first of a four-part residency at Scottsdale Arts.

LOOKING AHEAD

The Miracles
Featuring Sydney Justin
Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, 7:30 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
An iconic Motown sensation, renowned for timeless hits and unparalleled vocal harmonies, The Miracles have a decades-spanning repertoire of unforgettable songs, including “The Tracks of My Tears.”

Detour Company Theatre | Bye Bye Birdie
Friday, Jan. 10, 2025, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 11, 2025, 3 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 12, 2025, 3 p.m.
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets: Pay-what-you-wish (starting at $5)
Conrad Birdie has been drafted into the army, so he chooses one of his fans for a very public farewell kiss. Detour Company Theatre showcases the theatrical talent, courage, and artistry of adults with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities.

Arizona Concours d’Elegance
Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, 7 a.m. dawn patrol, 9 a.m. general admission
Scottsdale Civic Center
Tickets: $75
The Arizona Concours d’Elegance presents some of the world’s most superb examples of the art of coachbuilding and automotive engineering, shown in the luxury atmosphere of a stylish garden party.

EXHIBITIONS

Exploding Native Inevitable
Aug. 10, 2024, through Jan. 5, 2025
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Admission: $10 to $16
“Exploding Native Inevitable” features the work of contemporary Indigenous artists, accompanied by a program of dance, film, music, performance, readings, storytelling and video.

Cybele Lyle: Floating Seeds Make Deep Forms
Aug. 24, 2024, through Aug. 3, 2025
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Admission: $10 to $16
“Floating Seeds Make Deep Forms” is a site-specific installation that responds to deserts in the North American Southwest as non-places — liminal expanses for ambiguity within a regenerative ecosystem.

Brains and Beauty: At the Intersections of Art and Neuroscience
Aug. 17, 2024, through Jan. 19, 2025
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Admission: $10 to $16
Visually explore neuroaesthetics, the new and rapidly expanding field of research that combines neuroscience and psychology to study the neural processes of aesthetic experience.

poetics of dissonance
Aug. 10, 2024, through Feb. 23, 2025
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Admission: $10 to $16
Situated around another pivotal election, “poetics of dissonance” presents 18 artists from the SMoCA collection whose work navigates the tumultuous landscape of socio-political discourse.

SMoCA _____ space and Courtyard Installations
Sept. 21, 2024, through Feb. 23, 2025
Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Free
Phoenix-based artist Shomit Barua’s “Entrainment 718” explores spatial and temporal perception through video and sound techniques in the _____ space (blank space). Admission is free to this exhibition and Barua’s sound installation “Hyperwilding,” located in SMoCA’s courtyard.

ArtRx: The Mind-Body Connection
Oct. 17, 2024, through Jan. 5, 2025
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Admission: Free
“ArtRx: The Mind-Body Connection” explores the healing qualities of arts engagement through music, visual art, poetry, dance and architecture.

After Hours: Scottsdale Arts Staff Show
Sept. 27, 2024, through March 3, 2025
Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
Admission: Free
See the creative inspiration behind the work at Scottsdale Arts with original works by the creative minds behind the nonprofit organization’s performances, exhibitions, public art management and arts education efforts.

Meditative Mindscapes
Oct. 7 through Dec. 31, 2024
Scottsdale Civic Center Library
Admission: Free
Paradise Valley artist Janet Towbin’s intricate drawings and prints are tangible evidence of creative meditations.

Scottsdale Public Art Permanent Collection
Ongoing
Various locations throughout Scottsdale
Admission: free
More than 150 artworks, many of them large-scale sculptures, can be found throughout the city at parks, in public facilities and along the streets. See the map at ScottsdalePublicArt.org for locations.

For more information about the events, and to order tickets, visit ScottsdaleArts.org.

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