Segerstrom Center for the Arts announces Award Winning Cabaret, Jazz, and Chamber Musical Artists for 2024 – 2024 Season!

Joaquina Kalukango | Erick McCormack and Laura Bell Bundy | Jason Robert Brown with Anika Noni Rose | Kerry Butler | Claybourne Elder | Cheyenne Jackson | Spamilton: An American Parody

JAZZ SERIES LINEUP

An Evening with Samara Joy | Sean Mason Quintet | Monty Alexander 80th Birthday Celebration | Take 6 Christmas | Pacific Jazz Orchestra – Ivan Lins 80th Birthday Celebration | Emmet Cohen Trio |

CHAMBER SERIES LINEUP

Esmé Quartet | Fauré Quartett | Matthew Aucoin and Conor Hanick | Takács Quartet and David Requiro, Cello | Calidore String Quartet | Théotime Langlois de Swarte and Les Arts Florissants | Jordi Savall with Hespèrion XXI – Music of Fire and Love |

New subscriptions on sale at scfta.org

Costa Mesa, CA – Segerstrom Center for the Arts brings an exceptional array of Cabaret, Jazz, and Chamber music performances for the 2024 – 2025 season. Artists of each genre have been thoughtfully curated to bring enriching and diverse musical experiences to patrons of Orange County. This season promises a blend of returning favorites and exciting newcomers, ensuring a year full of spectacular music. The Samueli Theater is well-regarded for debuting GRAMMY® Award-winning artists and is thrilled to welcome world-class talents on stage for intimate evenings of beautiful music. Subscriptions for the Cabaret, Jazz, and Chamber Music series are on sale now at scfta.org.

The Cabaret Series will provide the intimate ambiance of a traditional cabaret club with a diverse collection of theater, music, and comedy artists in the Samueli Theater. The series will open with a performance from Tony® Award-winning actress and singer Joaquina Kalukango best known for her role as Nelly O’ Brien in Paradise Square and continues with special performances from Broadway stars Erick McCormack and Laura Bell Bundy, Kerry Butler, Claybourne Elder, and Cheyenne Jackson. The series will conclude with the hilarious Hamilton satire: Spamilton: An American Parody. 

Audiences will be ecstatic with the Jazz Series, as it returns with GRAMMY® Award-winning jazz vocalist Samara Joy to bring warm grooves to Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall with her smooth yet powerful vocals. In a fabulous coincidence, the jazz series will provide two 80th birthday celebrations, one of Monty Alexander, and one of Ivan Lins with Pacific Jazz Orchestra. GRAMMY® Award-winning all-male acapella group Take 6 will provide a festive performance at Take 6 Christmas and other well acclaimed jazz artists will include Sean Mason Quintet and Emmet Cohen Trio. 

The Chamber Series will bring back several Center favorites to perform a wide array of uniquely diverse and enriching repertoires. Returning artists for the 2024 -2025 chamber series include Esmé Quartet, Fauré Quartett, Takács Quartet and David Requiro, Calidore String Quartet performing a world premiere piece commissioned for the series, Théotime Langlois de Swarte and Les Arts Florissants, and Jordi Savall with Hespèrion XXI to perform Music of Fire and Love. Matthew Aucoin and Connor Hanick will make their chamber series debut as a piano duo featuring a world-premiere piece.

Subscriptions for the Cabaret, Jazz, and Chamber Series are available now. Tickets for individual performances will go on sale at a later date. Visit the Center’s Website www.SCFTA.org for more information. For Group sales call (714) 755 – 0236. Regular Cabaret and Chamber series enthusiasts should be advised that for the 2024 -2025 season, most Cabaret and Chamber concerts will have an earlier starting time of 7 pm.

2024 – 2025 Cabaret Series Lineup

Joaquina Kalukango | September 19 – 21, 2024

Tony Award® winner Joaquina Kalukango makes her Center debut in our 2024/25 Cabaret Series with her phenomenal vocals and stellar cabaret performance!

Kalukango, acclaimed for her versatile performances, received the 2022 Tony and Drama Desk Awards for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for her remarkable portrayal of Nelly O’Brien in Paradise Square. Prior to this, she earned a 2020 Tony Award nomination for her standout performance in the critically acclaimed Broadway production of Slave Play, garnering an Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Actress and recognition from Broadway.com as one of the top five performers of the year. Kalukango was also nominated for a 2021 SAG Award for Cast in a Motion Picture for her role as Betty X in Regina King’s directorial debut, One Night in Miami. Her television credits include recurring roles in Lovecraft Country, Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us, and Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia, directed by Kenny Leon. Additional Broadway appearances include The Color Purple, Holler If Ya Hear Me, and Godspell.

Erick McCormack and Laura Bell Bundy | October 17 – 19, 2024

“Laura Bell Bundy is a force of nature!” – American Songwriter

Join us for an electrifying concert with Broadway icons Eric McCormack and Laura Bell Bundy! Eric, celebrated for his Emmy-winning TV career and acclaimed Broadway roles, and Laura, a Tony-nominated powerhouse, will dazzle you with their charisma and incredible voices.

Together, they bring their magnetic chemistry from “THE COTTAGE” to the stage, promising a night of unforgettable entertainment that spans Broadway hits, cinematic charm, and chart-topping tunes.

Beloved for his role as Will Truman on NBC’s Will & Grace, Eric McCormack earned four Emmy and six Golden Globe nominations, winning his Emmy for Lead Actor in a Comedy in 2001. He produced, directed, and starred in Netflix’s Travelers and TNT’s Perception and currently co-stars in Hulu’s The Other Black Girl. In addition to sharing the stage with Laura Bell Bundy in The Cottage on Broadway, he starred in Tony-nominated productions of The Music Man and The Best Man.

Laura Bell Bundy is a versatile actress, singer, and dancer known for her dynamic performances on stage and screen. She originated the role of Elle Woods in the Broadway production of “Legally Blonde: The Musical,” earning a Tony Award nomination. Bundy has also appeared in numerous television shows and films, including “Anger Management” and “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.” With her powerhouse vocals and magnetic stage presence, she is poised to enchant audiences with an electrifying performance alongside McCormack. Don’t miss this extraordinary duo, guaranteed to leave you spellbound!

Jason Robert Brown with Anika Noni Rose | November 7 – 9, 2024

After making his Center debut last season and delighting audiences with his humor, anecdotes, and beloved music, Jason Robert Brown takes the stage once more for a wonderful cabaret performance, this time, featuring Anika Noni Rose!
 

As a composer, his notable works include The Bridges of Madison County, The Last Five Years, Honeymoon in Vegas, and Parade. Brown won three Tony Awards including Best Original Score and Best Orchestrations, and his contributions to contemporary musical theater have earned him countless accolades including six Drama Desk Awards, an Outer Critics Circle Award, and a New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award. In recent seasons, Brown scored Mr. Saturday Night and wrote music & lyrics for Parade, which won Best Revival of a Musical at the 2023 Tony Awards.
 

A Tony Award-winning actress, Anika Noni Rose is best known in popular culture for voicing Tiana in Disney’s The Princess and the Frog. She was named a Disney Legend in 2011 and has continued to excel in her career onscreen and onstage. Rose starred as Lorrell Robinson in the Academy Award-winning film Dreamgirls, and her Broadway credits include Footloose, Caroline or Change, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, A Raisin in the Sun, and the upcoming Uncle Vanya.

Kerry Butler | January 23 – 25, 2025

“It is always impressive when a singer can take complete ownership of a song, but it is even more impressive when a singer can take complete ownership of an entire set list. Broadway actress Kerry Butler is one of these singers and proves herself worthy of her many Broadway credits.” –Cape Cod Times

Kerry Butler is a Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, and Drama League Award nominee. She has appeared in twelve Broadway shows, and some of her favorite roles include Belle in Beauty and the Beast, Penny in Hairspray, Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors, and Kira in Xanadu which earned her a Tony nomination. Most recently Kerry appeared in Mean Girls and Beetlejuice. Kerry has also crossed over into film and television with roles in The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Honor Society, 30 Rock, Gilmore Girls Reunion, Law & Order: SVU, and The Mindy Project.
 

Claybourne Elder | February 20 – 22, 2025

Enjoy a hilarious and heartfelt evening that’s part cabaret and part stand-up with Broadway’s hunky gay ex-Mormon dad Claybourne Elder in “If The Stars Were Mine.”

Using his favorite music from the Great American Songbook, Sondheim, Whitney Houston, and beyond, “If The Stars Were Mine” explores fatherhood, religion and love. For this performance, Elder is joined by Rodney Bush, a composer, songwriter, and music director who has worked on over 50 productions nationally and internationally of musicals and operas.

Known for his performances on Broadway as Andy in the 2021 revival of Company, Sunday in the Park with George, Bonnie and Clyde, and Torch Song, Elder is a Sag Award, Grammy, Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel nominee who’s brought laughter and heart to audiences nationwide. Currently playing John Adams on HBO’s “The Gilded Age,” his TV and film credits include “The Carrie Diaries,” “FBI,” and “Bad Cupid.” Elder has also made appearances on “The Kelly Clarkson Show,” “This American Life” and “CBS This Morning.”

Come see why critics call him “handsome and intense” (Observer), “tough and tender” (New York Daily News) and “stupid funny as he is drop-dead buff!” (The Wrap)

Cheyenne Jackson | April 10 – 12, 2025

“Passionate, impeccable, and groundbreaking.” – The New York Times
“Dazzling and entertaining.” – Variety
“Jackson’s sparkling tenor is surpassed only by his gorgeously rich baritone.” – Orlando Sentinel

Don’t miss Cheyenne Jackson as he brings his critically acclaimed 54 Below show, Signs of Life, direct from New York! Autobiographical in nature and deeply comical and moving, Jackson wrote this new piece chronicling his varied career and wild adventures in life and fatherhood. This wonderful cabaret promises an evening of laughter and heartfelt moments you won’t want to miss.

A versatile and celebrated performer, Jackson is a Grammy-nominated stage, television, and film actor, singer, and songwriter. He starred in the critically acclaimed HBO biopic of Liberace, “Behind the Candelabra,” and appeared in “American Woman,” “Full Circle,” “Glee,” and “30 Rock.” On Broadway, Cheyenne made his debut understudying both male leads in the Tony Award®-winning musical Thoroughly Modern Millie, and additional Broadway credits include Xanadu, Damn Yankees, Finian’s Rainbow, The Performers, and Into the Woods.

Most recently, Jackson has appeared in “Call Me Kat” as well as the “Saved By The Bell” revival, “American Horror Story: Apocalypse,” and “Descendants 3.”
 

Spamilton: An American Parody | May 15 – 17, 2025

“SMART, SILLY AND CONVULSIVELY FUNNY!” – The New York Times

“SPAMILTON IS SO INFECTIOUSLY FUN THAT IT COULD EASILY RUN AS LONG AS ITS INSPIRATION!” – The Hollywood Reporter

“THE NEXT BEST THING TO SEEING HAMILTON!” – New York Post

Created by Gerard Alessandrini, the comic mastermind behind the long-running hit Forbidden Broadway and performed by a versatile cast of eight, Spamilton: An American Parody is a side-splitting new musical parody. A crash course of everyone’s favorite Broadway blockbusters, including celebrity satires, pop culture zings accompanied with hip-hop on the piano! After tearing it up in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and London, Spamilton: An American Parody will stage a singing, dancing, comedy revolution in Costa Mesa!

2024 – 2025 Jazz Series Lineup

An Evening with Samara Joy | September 20, 2024

“A classic jazz singer for a new generation.”  – NPR

Since making her Center debut with sold-out performances that completely wowed our audience (as the Jazz Club Discovery Artist of the 22/23 Season), Samara Joy’s fortunes and fame have only continued to rise and rise!

Her first full-length album, Linger Awhile, became a critical smash and earned Joy an incredible two 2023 Grammy Awards including Best Jazz Vocal Album and Best New Artist.  She followed that up with another Grammy Award for Best Jazz Performance at this year’s ceremony.

While not winning awards, she also toured the world extensively, with her smooth vocals, deeply emotive music, and genuine warmth earning a legion of adoring fans (like Anita Baker and Regina Taylor) and introducing jazz music to a whole new generation of fans!  With millions of likes on TikTok, Samara has cemented her status as the first Gen Z jazz singing star.

At just 24 years old, Samara is a once-in-a-generation vocalist who has already garnered critical acclaim for a voice The New York Times calls “as rich as custard” and a delivery that is “disarming [and] unhurried (NPR Fresh Air).”

We could not be more thrilled to welcome this young songbird back to our campus, this time performing in the gorgeous Renée & Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall.

Sean Mason Quintet | October 5, 2024

“Watch out for this kid.” – Branford Marsalis

A jazz pianist and composer based in NYC, Sean Mason is emerging as one of the premier talents of his generation.

Born and raised in Charlotte, NC, Sean Mason took to the piano at the late age of 13, teaching himself by ear to play the styles of music to which he was most attracted.  His approach quickly evolved into a highly original language – a magical junction of the lowdown blues joint, the wooden pew of the Black Baptist church, and the glamour of a Broadway score:  uptown elegance intermingled with downtown grit.

Hailed by NPR’s “Youngbloods” series as a musician on the rise, Sean has already performed and toured with jazz legends Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, and Catherine Russell and was featured on the soundtrack of the Netflix movie, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

With the release of his debut album The Southern Suite in 2023, Mason presents an astonishingly mature statement revealing the stunning scope and potential of his performing and songwriting ability.   (OR with his technical prowess and composition genius on full display.)   Mason calls his music “the intersection of renaissance and street culture,” while his fast-growing fan base simply calls it catchy, danceable, forward-looking music.

Our Jazz Club Discovery Artist of the 24/25 Season, experience why Sean Mason is a generational talent well on the way to becoming a leading pianist/composer of his time!

Monty Alexander, 80th Birthday Celebration | November 16, 2024

“When Monty Alexander sits down at the piano, you can’t help but smile. Go ahead, try not to. The jazzman plays with such delight and sense of humor that if your foot’s not tapping, chances are you might be dead.” The Globe and Mail

Nearly 60 years after moving to the United States from his hometown in Kingston, Jamaica, legendary pianist Monty Alexander is an American classic, touring the world relentlessly with various projects, delighting a global audience with his vibrant personality and soulful musical messages.

By grafting the traditions of American jazz to his Jamaican roots, Alexander has spent a lifetime exploring the rich depths of musical and cultural diversity.  In every performance, his spirited artistry is filled with endless melody-making, effervescent grooves, a romantic spirit, and a consistent predisposition, as Alexander accurately states, “to build up the heat and kick up a storm.”

In his storied and prolific career, he has performed and/or record with the biggest artists from every corner of the musical universe: Frank Sinatra, Natalie Cole, Sonny Rollins, Dizzy Gillespie, Quincy Jones, Tony Bennett and many more.

With appearances on more than 75 recordings as a leader and sideman, Monty is cited as the 5th greatest jazz pianist ever in the definitive book, The Fifty Greatest Jazz Piano Players of All Time.    

We invite you to join us for this birthday celebration of the jazz icon.   And for anyone who knows Monty, this isn’t going to be a celebration, this is going to be a party!

Take 6 Christmas | December 15, 2024

“The baddest vocal cats on the planet” – Quincy Jones

Quite simply, TAKE 6 is the quintessential a cappela group and the model for vocal genius.  They are the most awarded vocal group in history, having won 10 Grammy Awards, 10 Dove Awards, 2 NAACP Image Awards, a Soul Train Award, and been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame.

Since their debut in the 1980s, the secret to the incredible longevity and success is simple:   this musical phenomenon has six virtuosic voices united in crystal clear harmony, against a backdrop of syncopated rhythms, innovative arrangements, and funky grooves that bubble into an intoxicating brew of gospel, jazz, R&B, and pop.

Like a fine-tuned vocal orchestra (Alvin Chear, bass; Khristian Dentley, baritone; Claude McKnight, Dave Thomas, Mark Kibble and Joel Kibble, tenors), the group continues to push the boundaries of creativity and musical genius with every new release, and with their ever-evolving live performances.

The high-energy sextet will be joining us for a special Christmas concert, putting their unique and beguiling spin on a trove of holiday classics, that is sure to be a highlight of the season!

Pacific Jazz Orchestra – Ivan Lins 80th Birthday Celebration | January 17, 2025

Jane Monheit is a jazz and adult contemporary vocalist with a deep passion for the Great American Songbook. With many highly acclaimed solo albums, countless awards and accolades, and over two decades of international touring experience, Jane has had the privilege of making music with some of the greatest musicians, arrangers, and producers in jazz.

Last but certainly not least, Grammy-winning guitarist Lee Ritenour is an adept jazz performer and stylistic chameleon, known for work in the fusion, crossover, as well as post-bop and Brazilian jazz idioms. The SoCal native, and USC grad, is a noted session musician who earned the nickname “Captain Fingers” for his uncommon dexterity on the guitar!

With the Pacific Jazz Orchestra sharing the stage with these jazz greats, this is sure to be one EPIC concert that will be talked about for years to come!

Emmet Cohen Trio | April 5, 2025

2024 – 2025 Chamber Series Lineup

Esmé Quartet | October 24, 2024

Augusta Reed Thomas: CHI for String Quartet 2017
Mendelssohn: Quartet in F minor, Op. 80
Schumann: String Quartet in A Major, Op. 41 No. 3

★★★★★ “The lyricism and airy limpidity of the four performers give these movements a profundity and unexpected allure.” – Diapason, France
Based in Germany, the acclaimed Esmé Quartet has swiftly garnered global acclaim as a chamber ensemble of exceptional artistry and achievement. Founded in 2016 in Cologne by four Korean musicians who have been friends since their youth, the quartet has been praised for its warm sound and powerful stage presence. United by a shared passion for music and the arts, the quartet brings together the performers’ brilliant and distinct musical personalities to form a cohesive, close-knit group that is passionately dedicated to delivering unified and fervent performances.

As Esmé Quartet makes their highly anticipated return to Segerstrom Center, they bring a breathtaking program of Augusta Reed Thomas, Mendelssohn, and Schumann for an evening that will expand the horizons of Center audiences and highlight creativity and innovation in the chamber music sphere.

Fauré Quartett | November 6, 2024

Schubert: Adagio & Rondo Concertante in F Major,D.487
Dvorak: Piano Quartet #2 in Eb, B.162
Enescu: Piano Quartet #1 in D, Op. 16

Experience a beautiful piano performance from the acclaimed Fauré Quartett!

The Fauré Quartett, formed in 1995 at the University of Music in Karlsruhe during Gabriel Fauré’s 150th anniversary, is renowned for their phenomenal work in the classical music business. Signed with Deutsche Grammophon in 2006, they set standards with recordings spanning from Mozart to pop hits. Their innovative collaborations and educational efforts, along with numerous awards, have solidified their global reputation. From world tours to teaching at prestigious institutions, their influence on chamber music is unmatched. With performances at renowned venues worldwide, the Fauré Quartett continues to captivate audiences with their passion, artistry, and expertise.

They are visionaries in their field and this season, the piano quartet is set to bring Center audiences a delightful program of Schubert, Dvorak, and Enescu. Highlighting the work of two Romantic era composers and one of the great Romanian composers to the Samueli Theater stage, the Fauré Quartett will create an evening of enchanting music that our audiences are sure to adore.
 

Matthew Aucoin and Conor Hanick | November 14, 2024

Introvert/Extrovert
Aucoin: New Work inspired by poetry of Ben Lerner, World Premiere
Feldman: Two Pianos
Adams: Hallelujah Junction

Enjoy a two-piano concert by acclaimed musicians Matthew Aucoin and Conor Hanick that promises a world premiere by Aucoin as well as stunning performances of Feldman and Adams!

Matthew Aucoin has been named a MacArthur Fellow and served as Artist in Residence at the Los Angeles Opera from 2016 to 2020 where he continually expands artistic horizons and experiments with new creative works. This American composer, conductor, and writer, and co-founder of the American Modern Opera Company (AMOC) he pushes the boundaries of opera with acclaimed works like Eurydice and Crossing, staged at prestigious venues worldwide.

His latest project, Music for New Bodies—a collaboration with director Peter Sellars based on Jorie Graham’s poetry—is set for performances in Houston, New York, Aspen, and Los Angeles. In addition to Music for New Bodies, he is also developing his next full-scale opera, an adaptation of Dostoevsky’s Demons, for the Metropolitan Opera.

Pianist Conor Hanick is regarded as one of his generation’s most inquisitive interpreters of music new and old whose “technical refinement, color, crispness and wondrous variety of articulation benefit works by any master.” (New York Times) A fierce advocate for the music of today, Hanick has premiered over 200 pieces and collaborated with composers ranging from Pierre Boulez, Kaija Saariaho, and Steve Reich, to the leading composers of his generation, including Nico Muhly, Caroline Shaw, Tyshawn Sorey, Samuel Carl Adams, and Anthony Cheung. Hanick is the director of Solo Piano at the Music Academy of the West and serves on the faculty of The Juilliard School, Mannes College, and the CUNY Graduate Center, and is a founding member of AMOC.

Takács Quartet and David Requiro, Cello | February 14, 2025

Haydn: String Quartet Op. 54, No. 2
Britten: String Quartet No. 2 in C Major Op. 36
Schubert: Quintet in C Major, Op. 163, D. 956

This year, the world-renowned Takács Quartet enters its 50th season and returns to Samueli Theater with a beautiful program including Haydn, Britten, and Schubert.

Known for their innovative programming, the Takács Quartet is a longtime audience favorite who continues to bring breathtaking interpretations to the Samueli Theater stage.

Edward Dusinberre, Harumi Rhodes (violins), Richard O’Neill (viola) and András Fejér (cello) are excited about the 2024-2025 season that features varied projects including a new concerto written for them and the Colorado Music Festival orchestra by Gabriela Lena Frank. In Spring 2024, the Takács will release two albums, one for Hyperion of quartets by Schubert, and another for Yarlung that includes new works by Clarice Assad, Bryce Dessner and Labro and features from bandoneon virtuoso Julien Labro. Later in the year, the group will release an album with pianist Marc Andre Hamelin featuring works by Florence Price and Antonín Dvořák.

The distinguished chamber music group secured their fourth Gramophone Classical Music Award for Chamber Music in 2021 and consistently delivers exceptional chamber music recordings. The Takács Quartet holds the honor of being the inaugural string quartet inducted into the Gramophone Hall of Fame. Don’t miss their celebrated return to Samueli Theater!

Calidore String Quartet | March 6, 2025

World Premiere – String Quartet No. 3 by Han Lash commissioned by Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting for our Chamber Series
“Four more individual musicians are unimaginable, yet these speak, breathe, think and feel as one” – The Washington Post

“a major new presence on the chamber music scene” – All Music
The Calidore String Quartet is recognized as one of the world’s foremost interpreters of a vast chamber music repertory, from the cycles of quartets by Beethoven and Mendelssohn to works of celebrated contemporary voices like György Kurtág, Jörg Widmann, and Caroline Shaw.
The four musicians are confirmed millennials who play with fresh intimacy for 21st Century audiences. The ensemble was barely launched from its 2010 founding at the Colburn School in Los Angeles before the accolades started to roll in – within two years, the quartet won grand prizes in virtually all the major US chamber music competitions and then made international headlines as the winner of the $100,000 Grand Prize of the 2016 M-Prize International Chamber Music Competition.
Mentored by some of the most revered members of the international chamber music scene (including the beloved Emerson String Quartet), the Calidore has released multiple critically acclaimed recordings and is currently in residence with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
As it seems they do with each visit, the Calidore’s performance at Segerstrom Center will mark the world premiere of the String Quartet No. 3 by Han Lash commissioned by Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting for our Chamber Series.
 

Théotime Langlois de Swarte and Les Arts Florissants | March 23, 2025