Information and Photos Courtesy of the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM)
If you’re in the mood for some festive music, come celebrate the sounds of the season at the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) with their MIM Holiday Concert Series. Find showtimes, ticket prices and a full list of upcoming events at mim.org/concerts.
Merry Christmas from Jose James
Tuesday, December 7
Have yourself a soulful little Christmas with smooth-as-silk crooner José James, the crown prince of new jack jazz. An R&B-steeped singer who is as effective evoking Billie Holiday as Bill Withers, James returns with his first holiday project that imbues classic songs of the season with the warmth of a roaring fireplace in winter, captured on his new album.
Maddie Poppe’s Acoustic Christmas
Friday, December 10
Maddie Poppe is a 22-year-old singer-songwriter from Clarksville, Iowa, and the Season 16 winner of American Idol. Poppe fell in love with music at a young age, learning to play guitar, ukulele, and piano. In 2016, she released her debut album, Songs from the Basement, which she wrote, produced, and recorded alongside her father, Trent.
Windham Hill’s Winter Solstice
Saturday, December 11
Celebrate the winter solstice and its warm traditions with a concert of original and traditional acoustic music. This season marks the 36th anniversary of the multi-platinum-selling A Winter’s Solstice album series, originally released on Windham Hill Records. Grammy-nominated singer, fiddler, pianist, and songwriter Barbara Higbie joins composer and guitarist Todd Boston and cellist Mia Pixley to lead a joyous holiday concert.
A Peter White Christmas
Tuesday, December 14
Make your list and check it twice—this holiday concert is more than just nice! A Peter White Christmas with Mindi Abair and Vincent Ingala is coming to town. Contemporary jazz lovers eagerly await this annual fun-filled concert, which has packed fans into halls and arenas coast-to-coast, year after year.
Marty Ashby’s Holiday Jazz Celebration 2021
Saturday, December 18
Enjoy a musical review of traditional favorites and new songs for the holidays performed by the Marty Ashby Quartet including Lewis Nash, with special guest Ann Hampton Callaway and music from her album The Hope of Christmas. Celebrate the holiday season with songs that feel familiar yet fresh.
Paul McDermand’s Christmas Island
Tuesday, December 21
Paul McDermand and his band are joined by special guest Don Marovich of the world-renowned Kingston Trio for an evening of seasonal and popular favorites. A melodic percussion master (steel drums, vibraphone, and marimba), McDermand has appeared with some of the biggest names in music, including Tony Bennett, Johnny Cash, Natalie Cole, and the Moody Blues. As a concert artist, McDermand appears both as leader of his own Island Time touring band and as a guest soloist with the finest orchestras and ensembles. When home in Scottsdale, Arizona, he is a featured performer with the Barleens Dinner Show, the Valley’s longest-running dinner theater.
Jim Brickman: The Gift of Christmas
Wednesday, December 29 through Friday, December 31
Jim Brickman’s distinctive piano style and captivating live performances have revolutionized the popularity of instrumental music, making him a driving force behind modern American music.
The hit-making songwriter is the best-selling solo pianist of our time, earning 21 number-one albums and 32 Top 20 Radio Singles in the industry bible, Billboard magazine. He’s garnered two Grammy nominations, gospel music’s Dove Award, two SESAC Songwriter of the Year Awards, and the Canadian Country Music Award. He has written three best-selling books, starred in four TV concert specials, and is the host of the popular syndicated radio show The Jim Brickman Show.
A Note From the MIM: Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test result will be required for entry and may include the following options: a vaccination card (or photo), a digital record within an app, an official immunization record, or documentation of a negative test result. All MIM Music Theater team members are vaccinated and will wear masks.
Café Allegro Reopens at the Musical Instrument Museum
April Salomon, executive director of the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM), recently announced the reopening of award-winning Café Allegro in partnership with hospitality management company Guest Services, Inc. (GSI). Executive Chef James Moran introduced an inspired new menu of seasonal dishes and drinks to mark the reopening. The reimagined menu offers guests a range of rotating selections that celebrate culinary influences from around the globe, many prepared with local flavors and ingredients. The inaugural menu includes a variety of original sandwiches, salads, hearty soups, and fresh grilled entrees.
Chef Moran reopens Café Allegro with a menu that will change weekly and seasonally. Guests can peruse the day’s full menu before their visit at MIMdining.org.
MIM also recently began service at the adjacent Beats Coffee Bar, offering specialty roasted coffee, espresso, and tea drinks, along with house-made pastries and other breakfast offerings, grab-and-go lunch options, wine, beer, and other seasonal treats.
“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome museum guests and the Phoenix community back to Café Allegro for a memorable in-person dining experience. Our refreshed culinary offerings are reason enough to visit MIM and will further enhance the MIM experience during our innovative exhibitions and programs,” Salomon says. “It has been a pleasure to see and taste all-new dishes as the menu has come together, and I hope our guests enjoy GSI’s creations as much as we do. The food is a delicious complement to the global collections and perspectives presented throughout our galleries.”
