Herberger Institute performing arts season announced

The ASU Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts 2012-13 performing arts offerings include musical theatre, opera, dance and theatre productions, and guitar and organ concerts that showcase the many talents of our students, faculty and visiting guest artists.

The calendar includes more than 100 performances that range from popular musical theatre, guitar and organ classics to cutting-edge theatre world premieres and dance productions.

“The availability of this variety and caliber of live performing arts is a cultural cornucopia for Valley residents,’’ said Jacob Pinholster, director of the ASU School of Theatre and Film.

The performing arts season begins Sept. 7 with Grammy Award winning classical guitarist Andrew York opening the School of Music’s guitar series and the School of Dance faculty and staff presenting new work in the first of its season’s 10 events.

From there, the season unfolds to include the School of Music’s Lyric Opera Theatre’s production of "Albert Herring," a riotous romp in a bucolic English village; the cult off-Broadway hit, "Bat Boy: The Musical"; the classic opera, "Die Fledermaus" and "Little Women," Louisa May Alcott’s timeless story of the March sisters transformed into a charming musical.

The popular School of Music Organ Series features six recitals including the popular annual Christmas concert and a Nov. 11 concert that features the school’s newly appointed professor of trombone, former Boston Symphony bass trombonist Douglas Yeo, performing with Goldman Professor of Organ Kimberly Marshall in a groundbreaking program spanning more than four centuries of music and instruments.

The ASU School of Theatre and Film MainStage season features three world premieres and two Arizona premieres, and includes the launch of the Alumni Project Series designed to showcase the careers of School of Theatre and Film’s talented alumni artists early in their professional lives. This year’s inaugural production is "The Tenement," an extravaganza of music, masks, movement and magic that premieres Feb. 22, 2013.

The Herberger Institute also offers an additional 600 events including the three-concert Juilliard String Quartet series and student and faculty jazz, choral and ensemble concerts, recitals, dance events, art and design exhibitions, film screenings, lectures and workshops offered to the public at venues throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area free of charge or at a minimal cost.

The Herberger Institute is offering ticket discounts to encourage patrons to experience the variety of talented artists performing on the ASU stages and concert halls. Patrons can build their own packages and those who order tickets for three or more events by Sept. 1 receive a 20 percent discount or a 15 percent by Oct. 1. (The discounts are offered on full-price tickets only. Already reduced-rate student and faculty tickets are not eligible for this discount. Tickets go on sale at the Herberger Institute Box Office and online Aug. 1. Buy tickets now.

For a complete listing of Herberger Institute events and to purchase tickets online, visit herbergerinstitute.asu.edu/season or contact the Herberger Institute box office at 480.965.6447. Tickets also can be purchased in-person at the Herberger Institute Box Office which is located on the Nelson Fine Arts Plaza, 51 E. Tenth St., Tempe, Ariz.

Box office hours are 9:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 1:30-4:30 p.m., Monday-Thursday through Aug. 22. Hours expand to 11:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Wednesday-Friday and 2-4 p.m., Saturday, excluding holidays, Aug. 23 through May 2013. Box Office hours are subject to change, so patrons should contact the box office before visiting.