Charlie hosts the Cripescast podcast where he interviews musicians, artists, comedians, creators and more to talk about their story and connections to the Midwest. Guests have included Nate Bargatze, Michael Yo, Kim and Penn Holderness, Jeff Foxworthy, and Roy Wood, Jr.

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Charlie Berens

The Paramount Theatre

A master lyricist and satirical storyteller, John Hiatt delivers songs filled with tales of redemption, relationships and surrendering on his own terms. Hiatt's finest album is 1987's Bring the Family; other catalog highlights include the pop and rock of 1983's Riding with the King, the rough-hewn blues-rock of 2008's Same Old Man, and 2021's Leftover Feelings. His lyrics and melodies have graced more than 20 studio albums, have been recorded by Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, B.B. King, Willie Nelson, Bonnie Raitt and scores of others, and have earned him a place in the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, a BMI Troubadour award, and a lifetime achievement in songwriting designation from the Americana Music Association.

John Hiatt

This one-act opera explores the chaotic frenzy and overload of emotions that come with auditioning for professional opera companies. Composed by Butler School alumna Tzu-Chin Hsu and premiered as an online concert production during the pandemic, Audition Fever receives a full staging this fall.

This one-act opera explores the chaotic frenzy and overload of emotions that come with auditioning for professional opera companies. Composed by Butler School alumna Tzu-Chin Hsu and premiered as an online concert production during the pandemic, Audition Fever receives a full staging this fall.

Audition Fever & L'enfant et les sortilèges Butler Opera Center

University of Texas at Austin

Nick Swardson

Join us for this timeless story of a young girl, Clara, as she follows her dream-inspired adventures through a twinkling winter wonderland to the Court of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Featuring exquisite costumes and astonishing sets, enjoy the artistry of a cast of more than one hundred artists on stage. With live accompaniment by the Austin Symphony Orchestra, Tchaikovsky’s timeless score comes to life with music and choreography sure to warm the season and create lasting magical memories!

The Nutcracker 62nd Annual Presentation

The Long Center for the Performing Arts

MARC BROUSSARD is an artist with a unique gift of channeling the spirits of classic R&B, rock, and soul into contemporary terms. His father, Louisiana Hall of Fame guitarist Ted Broussard of “The Boogie Kings” nurtured his musical gifts at an early age, and the vibrant Lafayette, Louisiana music scene gave Broussard the opportunity to practice his craft consistently from childhood through early adulthood. After releasing a successful independent EP at age 20, Marc signed a record deal with Island Records and made his major-label debut with Carencro. The album featured the hit “Home,” which gained large success on radio and catapulted him into the national spotlight. Over the next 10 years, Broussard released multiple albums with major labels, but has recently returned to his independent roots with several acclaimed original and cover albums via his SOS Foundation (Save our Soul).

Marc Broussard

This electrified tale from Lightwire Theater (Tortoise and Hare in 2022) follows the journey of a young bird named Max and his family as they embark on their migration south for the winter. When a gust of wind blows Max off course, he finds himself in a wondrous and unfamiliar world at the North Pole. Follow Max's adventures as he encounters dancing toy soldiers, caroling worms, and performing poinsettias, all while trying to find his way back to his family. A soundtrack of timeless holiday hits from Nat King Cole, Mariah Carey, and Tchaikovsky, accompanies this magical and captivating tale of family, friendship, and hope featuring Lightwire's award-winning electroluminescent puppetry.

A Very Electric Christmas

Picture it. United States, 2024. Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue brings Miami’s sassiest seniors to stages around the country for one more hurrah. We find Sophia out on bail after being busted by the DEA for running a drug ring for retirees. Blanche and Rose have founded CreakN, a thriving sex app for seniors. And Dorothy is trying to hold it all together with help from a new (much) younger sex-crazed lover. Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue allows audiences to relive the heartfelt hilarity of the four ladies who never stopped being best friends.


Golden Girls - The Laughs Continue

Founded by veteran pianist Oscar Hernández and dedicated to the classic, dance-inducing New York City salsa dura sound, the 3-time Grammy-winning Spanish Harlem Orchestra sets the gold standard for excellence in authentic New York style salsa. Their energy on stage, rich sound, and musical precision leave audiences mesmerized until the last note is played. With an unwavering respect for the music’s storied history, the ensemble’s thirteen world-class musicians and vocalists come together to spark a holiday conflagration with salsa-fied holiday standards and patented rhythmic panache.

Spanish Harlem Orchestra

Since his debut release of Crazy Life, in 1973, Gino Vannelli has remained one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary music. His voice is as memorable as his hair, as he has been dubbed, “The Canadian singer songwriter with a lion's mane.” But Vannelli’s evolving music has kept his fan base growing for over 40 years. From rock, to jazz, to soul, even classical, this singer/songwriter/producer has left no musical stone unturned. With an amazing 21 albums under his belt, most hitting the Billboard charts—his recent release being ‘Live in LA’, a concert shot at the Saban Theater in Beverly Hills, California, hitting number one on Amazon. Vannelli is a living legend, and his live shows should be seen to be believed. Some things get better with age and Vannelli is living embodiment of that sentiment. He released his 20th album entitled “Wilderness Road” on April 5th 2019, a brand new collection of recently written songs on his acoustic guitar. In 2021 Gino released a new compilation called “More that A Good Thing”, which contains a contemporary remake of The River Must Flow, (a song from the Brother to Brother record), featuring Brian Mcknight on backvocals and Michael Phillips on talk box.

Gino Vannelli

The Nightmare Before Christmas

Elwes has been in a multitude of films and tv shows, including Robin Hood: Men in Tights, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Saw, Twister, Liar, Liar, Stranger Things and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. He recently starred in Guy Ritchie’s “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre”, “Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 1” with Tom Cruise, Zack Snyder’s sci fi epic, “Rebel Moon, and his latest film “Sweetwater”, based on the true story of the first African American signed to the NBA.

The Princess Bride:

"new World"

Based on one audience suggestion (a title of a show that has never been written), The Improvised Shakespeare Company® creates a fully improvised Shakespearean masterpiece right before your eyes. Prepare for an evening of spontaneous comedy using the language and themes of William Shakespeare. Nothing has been planned out, rehearsed, or written. All of the dialogue is said for the first time, the characters are created as you watch, and if ever you're wondering where the story is going...so are they! TimeOut Chicago calls it “Staggeringly Brilliant” and “Downright Hilarious!” You've never seen the Bard like this before!

The Improvised Shakespeare Company

Best buds George and Harold have been creating comics for years, but now that they’re in 5th grade, they figure it's time to level up and write a musical based on their favorite character, Dog Man, the crime-biting sensation who is part dog, part man, and ALL HERO!! How hard could it be?

Dog Man: The Musical

Oscar Cásares, an acclaimed novelist from the Rio Grande Valley, wanted to share his experience of growing up on the border with his 10-year-old daughter, Elena. To tell this story, Cásares and photographer Joel Salcido traveled the length of the Rio Grande, from El Paso and Juarez to Brownsville and Matamoros to reveal his roots and the subtle and profound details of those who live there.

Carrie Rodriguez, Oscar Cásares & Joel Salcido Postcards From The Border

Circus Maximus was commissioned by Jerry Junkin for the UT Wind Ensemble in 2004. It is scored for three different bands: one on stage, an antiphonal ensemble in the hall, and a marching band. As the title of Corigliano’s third symphony suggests, the composer used the Circus Maximus arena in Rome as inspiration, with the audience situated in the center surrounded by sound:

Wind Ensemble

This slyly subversive performance by conceptual artist Suzanne Bocanegra masquerades as a medieval art lecture before swiftly transforming into an irreverent and hilarious critique foregrounding the work and worldview of women over time. Performed by celebrated film actor Lili Taylor and centered on one of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s greatest tapestries, Honor is a brilliant weave of musical and theatrical elements that emerge in surprising and delightful ways. Directed by Geoff Sobelle (creator of FOOD, a standout production in TPA’s 2023/24 Season).

Honor, An Artist Lecture

Austin Opera proudly presents the company premiere of Verdi's Requiem, a monumental event celebrating the appointment of Timothy Myers as the Sarah and Ernest Butler Music Director. This performance is part of the Opera Unleashed series, which aims to bring epic masterpieces to the stage, featuring historically significant works composed for the operatic voice. Verdi's Requiem, known for its powerful and thrilling composition, will be showcased on Saturday, February 1, 2025, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, February 2, 2025, at 2:00 p.m.

This performance marks the 150th Anniversary of Verdi's Requiem and the 60th Anniversary of Chorus Austin, promising a spectacular celebration of music and community. The cast includes three star singers making their Austin Opera debuts: soprano Leah Crocetto, tenor Limmie Pulliam, and bass Wei Wu, alongside the Austin Opera Chorus and the professional members of Chorus Austin, under the leadership of Chorus Conductor Cina Crisara.

The creative team is led by Timothy Myers, serving both as conductor and the Sarah and Ernest Butler Music Director, with music by Giuseppe Verdi. The production also features lighting design by Jim Sale. This event not only highlights the musical might of the Austin Opera Orchestra and Chorus but also offers a deeper insight into Verdi's work, celebrated for its unforgettable power in performance.

Join us for this epic masterpiece and a festive celebration of Austin's collaborative arts community. Single tickets for the 2024-2025 Season, including this landmark performance, will go on sale Thursday, September 5, 2024. Don't miss this opportunity to experience one of opera's most revered compositions brought to life by a world-class cast and creative team.

Verdi's Requiem

Kat Edmonson is an award-winning songwriter and singer "with an equal foothold in jazz, cabaret and vintage cosmopolitanism pop" (The New York Times). Raised on the music and film of the early-to-mid-twentieth century, Kat is a rare artist who embodies the spirit of the past while remaining resolutely au courant. She performs original songs and familiar classics in her live show, interweaving humorous anecdotes, philosophical musings, and her love of film with disarming candor and vulnerability. Her longtime band members’ keen and sensitive accompaniment allows Kat to freely veer off-script as she’s often inclined to do. She has been featured on Austin City Limits, Tiny Desk Concerts, A Prairie Home Companion, and The Tonight Show.

Events in Austin, TX

Charlie Berens

Paramount Theatre Austin

John Hiatt

Paramount Theatre Austin

Audition Fever & L'enfant...

Butler School of Music

Nick Swardson

Paramount Theatre Austin

The Nutcracker 62nd Annua...

Ballet Austin

Marc Broussard

Paramount Theatre Austin

A Very Electric Christmas...

Paramount Theatre Austin

Golden Girls - The Laughs...

Texas Performing Arts

Spanish Harlem Orchestra

Texas Performing Arts

Gino Vannelli

Paramount Theatre Austin

The Nightmare Before Chri...

Austin Symphony Orchestra

The Princess Bride:

Paramount Theatre Austin

"new World"

Austin Symphony Orchestra

The Improvised Shakespear...

Texas Performing Arts

Dog Man: The Musical

Paramount Theatre Austin

Carrie Rodriguez, Oscar C...

Texas Performing Arts

Wind Ensemble

Butler School of Music

Honor, An Artist Lecture

Texas Performing Arts

Verdi's Requiem

Austin Opera

Kat Edmonson

Paramount Theatre Austin