The Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga is set to offer a diverse array of artistic events that will capture the heart and imagination. From wreath-making workshops using wild-foraged materials to mesmerizing musical performances, the lineup includes something for everyone. Highlights feature the enchanting 'Irish Christmas in America,' the musical genius of Livingston Taylor and Loudon Wainwright III, and the unforgettable 'David Benoit Christmas Tribute to Charlie Brown.' Each event promises to deliver a unique cultural experience, making this a season of unparalleled artistic celebration.

A Season of Art and Culture at Montalvo Arts Center

Piano maestro and jazz legend David Benoit—who has been the composer for Peanuts TV specials for more than two decades—pays tribute to Charlie Brown with his own Christmas originals along with the beloved Vince Guaraldi classics.

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David Benoit Christmas Tribute to Charlie Brown

Villa Montalvo

Livingston Taylor’s career as a professional musician has spanned over 50 years, encompassing performance, songwriting, and teaching. Described as "equal parts Mark Twain, college professor, and musical icon,” Taylor maintains a performance schedule of more than a hundred shows a year, delighting audiences with his charm and vast repertoire of his 22 albums and popular classics. His performances showcase a range of musical genres—folk, pop, gospel, jazz, plus upbeat storytelling mixed with touching ballads. He has been delighting audiences with his charm for over 50 years!

Livingston Taylor & Loudon Wainwright III

This family-friendly performance features lively instrumental tunes on fiddle, flute, uilleann pipes, and harp, along with thrilling Irish old-style dancing, while beautiful imagery provides a backdrop to some of the rich historical traditions of Ireland. Take a memorable glimpse into the enchanting spirit of Christmas, as the finest traditional artists from Ireland bring you on a fun-filled addition to your holiday season!

Irish Christmas in America

Our holiday tradition of Yuletide Tea is back! Enjoy sweet and savory bites as you sip tea and shop the vintage treasures shop to find unique gift items. Champagne will be available to purchase for those that prefer a little bubbly with their tea.

Yuletide Holiday Tea

Since her early days, Bonoff has continued to record and tour extensively, playing sold-out shows around the world. Fans and critics agree that her songs and recordings are beautiful and timeless. Hearing the moving vocals on her rich, expressive songs is like standing beneath a sparkling waterfall: refreshing, exhilarating, and restorative. Experiencing them live can be transformative, as the live instrumentation gives her voice room to work its emotional magic.

Karla Bonoff

Whether you are new to this creative art form or experienced, this workshop will provide you with the techniques and wild-foraged materials required to express yourself. We'll have a choice of wreath bases, from vineyard branches to wire, and all the wild-foraged greenery and floral materials on hand for use from the Santa Cruz Mountains and Montalvo.

Make & Mingle: Wreath Making

After winning a Grammy for his soulful ballad “Walking in Memphis,” Marc Cohn solidified his place as one of this generation’s most compelling singer-songwriters, combining the precision of a brilliant tunesmith with the passion of a great soul man. Rooted in the rich ground of American rhythm and blues, soul, and gospel, he weaves vivid, detailed, often drawn-from-life tales that evoke some of our most universal human feelings: love, hope, faith, joy, heartbreak.

Marc Cohn

Marc Broussard is an artist with a unique gift for 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 talent 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.

Marc Broussard

The California Guitar Trio is Paul Richards from Los Angeles, Bert Lams from Belgium, and Tom Griesgraber from San Diego. Together, their technical wizardry is breathtaking, as is the wide range of instrumental music the group renders…from unique originals to dazzling, cleverly arranged interpretations of music from Queen to the Beatles, Bach, Beethoven, and even surf music from the Ventures. The trio’s questing spirit drives it to explore the intersections between rock, jazz, classical, and world music. It even throws in the occasional surf or spaghetti Western tune for good measure.

International String Masters California Guitar Trio & The String Revolution

In Bette Davis Ain’t for Sissies, actress and playwright Jessica Sherr powerfully channels Davis in her campaign against the male-dominated studio system. On the night of the 1939 Oscars, Davis returns home knowing she’s to lose Best Actress to Vivien Leigh’s Scarlett O’Hara, because the press has leaked the winners. From there, she takes us on the bumpy ride of her tumultuous rise, as the tenacious actress fights her way up the studio system to reach the top of her profession.

Bette Davis Ain't for Sissies

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

DOT DOT DOT is an exciting new musical based on the Creatrilogy trio of award-winning picture books by New York Times bestselling author Peter H. Reynolds—The Dot, Ish, and Sky Color. Adapted by Composers Keelay Gipson and Sam Salmond, the musical, like the series, celebrates the power of originality, self-expression, and opening our eyes to look beyond the expected.

TheaterWorks USA presents DOT DOT DOT

Witty & engaging, Damn Tall Buildings’ energizing music finds beauty and glory in the mundane workaday struggle of everyday life: time keeps passing and the seasons come and go, you scroll too much, you smoke too much, you lose yourself, only to sit with yourself & find yourself again, you laugh with your friends, and you look out the window & dream about what else might be out there. It all keeps coming around. You carry on, intent on flourishing and thriving. This is what Damn Tall Buildings sings about, what they seek to share with their audience.

Damn Tall Buildings

Sewam American Indian Dance was founded by award-winning dancer and educator, Eddie Madril, and he co-directs the organization with Sara Moncada. Sewam Dance specializes in the dances of United States Plains Indians, and has brought the music, arts and culture of Native American dance and education to national and international stages for over 25 years. Performances are designed to bring together both contemporary and traditional native dance and music to produce inspiring and visually stunning performances for fine arts theater presentations.

Sewam American Indian Dance

Due to popular demand, we are pleased to join the United Lowrider Council of San Jose (ULCSJ) and Local Color SJ to present our 2nd Annual Lowrider Art Showcase. Using the historic grounds of Montalvo and Santa Clara County Park trails, we are excited to bring back this fun, FREE, family-friendly afternoon—which will feature a fleet of stunning lowrider cars on the Great Lawn; art-making and painting demonstrations in the gardens; local artists and vendors; DJs and dancing; and delicious options from local food vendors.

2nd Annual Lowrider Art Showcase

Montalvo Arts Center

Jazz at Lincoln Center PRESENTS brings the soul of New Orleans and the spirit of Mardi Gras to this amazing evening, celebrating the composers and inspired songs of the Crescent City, the historic epicenter of jazz. From Jelly Roll Morton and Louis Armstrong to Ellis Marsalis and James Black, New Orleans has long been an apex of innovation and inspiration. Led by pianist Luther S. Allison and vocalists Quiana Lynell and Milton Suggs, New Orleans Songbook immerses audiences in the captivating and timeless spirit of this vibrant city.

New Orleans Songbook

The Fratello Marionettes has produced timeless marionette shows since 1989. This production of Peter and the Wolf is set to the majestic Prokofiev score, designed to introduce children to classical music and the individual instruments within the orchestra. Visit the Russian forest home of Peter and his grandfather, meeting a host of animal friends, exploring the outdoors and listening to the debate between the bird and the duck. Learn from his grandfather that warns him of the dangers of the wolf and how the hunters capture the wolf.

The Fratello Marionettes presents Peter and the Wolf

Voted “Best Flamenco Guitarist” twice by Guitar Magazine, Charo’s bubbly personality and trademark “cuchi cuchi” expression have endeared her to fans around the world. On television, she showed off her comedic talents on Jane the Virgin, played the Queen of England in SyFy’s Sharknado 5, and introduced viewers to her crazy family and Beverly Hills estate in a hilarious episode of ABC’s Celebrity Wife Swap.

Charo

Selected Shorts is a live theatrical experience featuring a selection of talented actors from stage, screen, and television—reading short stories around a specific theme. These stories are mostly fiction, sometimes classic, sometimes new…sometimes hilarious, romantic, explosive, or whimsical…always memorable and moving.

Selected Shorts

In another of their patented informances, Saint Mike explores the music of Robert Schumann, pianist and composer who ushered in the early Romantic period. Using his epoch-making E-flat major Piano Quartet, Saint Mike will unpack Schumann’s musical DNA and place the composer in the context of his time and circumstances.

The Saint Michael Trio Schumann Dissected

Keola Beamer is a Hawaiian legend who has stretched the boundaries of slack key guitar; Jeff Peterson molds the musical style into multiple genres with flair. These longtime Montalvo favorites are joined by the lovely hula dancer Moanalani Beamer, who brings texture to the stage with ancient Hawaiian instruments.

Keola Beamer & Jeff Peterson

Chris and Dan Brubeck have been making music together practically all their lives. Drummer Dan and bassist, trombonist, and composer Chris cut their first record together in 1966. They’ve subsequently played a variety of styles in a number of different groups, as well as with their father, jazz giant Dave Brubeck, and with their own Brubeck Brothers Quartet. With Dan and Chris as the foundation, guitarist Mike DeMicco and pianist Chuck Lamb complete this dynamic quartet.

Brubeck Brothers Quartet

Laurie Kilmartin is a comedian and WGA Award-winning writer for Conan. She has also written for the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, The Late Late Show, The Bonnie Hunt Show, and Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn. She has also performed standup on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Comedy Central and Showtime. Her Seeso special 45 Jokes About My Dead Dad made Vulture's list of Top Ten Comedy Specials of 2016.  Festival appearances include Just for Laughs, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the Moontower Comedy Festival.

 The Best of San Francisco Comedy Competition Starring Laurie Kilmartin

If you’re looking for the best Queen tribute band on the market, look no further than The Ultimate Queen Celebration! Featuring a lead vocalist who brings Freddie Mercury’s powerful songs to life and is endorsed by members of Queen themselves—and backed by some of the finest backing musicians on the scene, this incredible concert has been touring to packed audiences around the world for more than 8 years. The thrilling production promises to bring to life Queen's greatest hits, including “We Will Rock You,” “Killer Queen,” “Somebody to Love,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and so many more!

The Ultimate Queen Celebration

Platinum award-winning crooner Matt Dusk pays homage to the legendary Tony Bennett in this toe-tapping, electrifying show. Renowned for his remarkable vocal range and talent, Dusk brings to life the essence of Bennett’s style and honors his musical legacy with classic hits such as “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” “The Way You Look Tonight,” and “The Good Life.”

Matt Dusk Sings Tony Bennett

With countless tunes you know from the first note, rip-roaring gigs you can count on, and a whole lot of energy you’ll take home with you, BoDeans continue to contribute to the American songbook as a tried-and-true institution.

BoDeans

Forever Simon & Garfunkel: A Tribute celebrates the best-selling duo in rock ’n’ roll history. With humor, soaring energy, charm, and laser precise harmony, Sean Altman & Jack Skuller lead the audience on a concert journey through Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel’s teenage roots, their early success as a groovy folk act, their global dominance as hit-makers, and even some of Paul Simon’s solo career. “The Sound Of Silence,” “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” “Mrs. Robinson,” “I Am A Rock,” “Feeling Groovy,” “Me & Julio Down by the Schoolyard,” …the list of hits goes on!

Forever Simon & Garfunkel: A Tribute

International Guitar Night is the world’s premier touring guitar festival, each show bringing together the most interesting and innovative acoustic guitarists to exchange musical ideas in a public concert setting. For each tour, IGN founder Brian Gore brings together a new cast of guitar luminaries for special evenings of solos, duets, and quartets that highlight the dexterity and diversity within the world of acoustic guitar. Brian founded IGN in 1995 as a forum for the world’s finest guitarists/composers to play their latest original songs and share musical ideas and talent with their peers.

International Guitar Night

Currently, the vocal band consists of David Worm, Sunshine Becker, Bryan Dyer, and Zoe Ellis, along with other great singers such as Nicolas Bearde, Ashling Cole, and Vernon Bush. As SoVoSó (“from the Soul to the Voice to the Song”), the ensemble pioneers new horizons in contemporary vocal performance, bringing traditional world rhythms into the 21st century. According to the San Jose Mercury News, “The extraordinary richness and brilliance of this virtuoso vocalism lifts you into a special realm.”

SoVoSó: One Planet, One World, One People

At the Carriage House Theatre, artists of New Ballet will showcase excerpts from Swan Lake, ballet’s most beloved tragedy featuring enchanted swans, a noble prince, and an evil magician. Performed to the iconic score by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, this timeless ballet will enchant and delight. In addition, the program will feature selected works from the Fast Forward program, a fast-paced series of world-premiere contemporary ballets to debut at the Hammer Theatre Center in San Jose in late March 2025. See these cutting-edge works before their public premiere and discover the thrill of artistic experimentation. Hosted by the organization’s founder and Artistic Director, these works will be presented along with information about their history, what inspired the choreography, and the themes behind them.

New Ballet presents excerpts from Swan Lake and contemporary ballet premieres

In 2007, NEA Jazz Master and Grammy Award-winning trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis formed the Uptown Jazz Orchestra for the purpose of keeping important jazz music traditions alive—such as riff-playing, spontaneous group improvisations, and collective New Orleans instrumental polyphony. Since that time, the orchestra has grown into one of the premier large ensembles in the world.

Delfeayo Marsalis & The Uptown Jazz Orchestra

The popular and multi-award-winning quintet Goitse (a Gaelic word for “come here,” pronounced “Go-wit-cha”) was forged in the white-hot creative crucible of Limerick’s Irish World Academy. Named Live Ireland’s “Traditional Group of the Year,” Chicago Irish American News’ “Group of the Year,” as well as winning the prestigious “Freiburger International Leiter 2016” award in Germany, Goitse has become a leader of the new generation of traditional Irish ensembles.

Goitse

The Saint Michael Trio makes an insane dash through multiple centuries. Classical! Romantic! Jazz! Show tunes and more! Can it all hang together? Absolutely, but you won’t believe it till you witness it.

The Saint Michael Trio A Romp Then to Now

Mosaic America works with culture-bearers, artists, and community leaders to identify, represent, and engage with cultures collaboratively, inclusively, exhaustively, and continually in order to create a compelling vision of a shared future. At its core, Mosaic's work weaves through the journeys of a specific place by understanding and welcoming the community that have made their home there: Every place is a mosaic, and the viable pathway to being an American today is to show up as we are—to keep and make place for each other, with none of us having to shed any part of our history, identity, or culture in order to “assimilate.” Our American stories now have to begin with authentic representation, where each new page is informed by an intent to understand and include, each chapter holds the promise of a shared future, and every new story delivers on it.

Mosaic America Spring Celebration of Life

Since its inaugural year when the contest went live in YWCA, the Ladies of Laughter contest has visited legendary venues including Caesars and Madison Square Garden. Past participants include Amy Schumer, Tammy Pescatelli, The Big Bang Theory star Melissa Rauch, and countless others.

Ladies of Laughter

In the middle of New York City, in the heart of Times Square, sits The Brill Building. From the halls and offices of 1619 Broadway came the sound of America in the 50s and 60s — considered by many to be the greatest music ever written. The Brill Building was home to Carole King, Neil Sedaka, Lieber & Stoller, Neil Diamond, and Barry Mann & Cynthia Weill, among others.

You’ve Got a Friend

Letters Aloud has been delighting audiences with thought-provoking, relevant, hopeful, and humorous stories told through the real voices of real people via their personal correspondence. Read by outstanding actors and performers, these letters give unique and unexpected insights into the personal lives of a variety of people—some famous; some less so—through their own words.

Letters Aloud Thanks, But No Thanks

Billy McGuigan’s Pop Rock Orchestra is your passport to a musical adventure spanning the 60s, 70s, and 80s from the British Invasion to iconic American Rock, and even the hidden treasures of one-hit wonders. What sets the Pop Rock Orchestra apart is the dynamic presence of Billy McGuigan himself. As an energetic front man who knows how to make the audience lean in, he infuses each performance with a contagious energy that’s nothing short of electric! Complimenting this exhilarating set list are handpicked originals written by Billy himself, adding a unique and personal touch to each performance. Don’t miss this fun celebration of some of history’s most memorable pop music!

Billy McGuigan’s Pop Rock Orchestra

Music isn't just sound, it's a whole vibe that connects souls—and Pasquale Esposito is a maestro of creating those magical connections with his audience. Through 13 albums, 4 PBS specials, and performances around the globe, Pasquale showcases a musical style that fuses classical opera from Italy with Broadway flair, American songbook grooves, and even Latin beats. Don't even think about missing out on this captivating performance by this local music sensation, who has sold out two previous shows at Montalvo.

Pasquale Esposito

The Second City is celebrating 65 years of legendary laughs! Showcasing our audience’s favorite songs, sketches, and characters written on our stages by some of our illustrious alumni, including Catherine O’Hara, Tina Fey, Keegan-Michael Key, Amber Ruffin, Stephen Colbert, Tim Meadows, Bill Murray, Tim Robinson, Joan Rivers, Eugene Levy, Adam McKay, and so many more! With material handpicked from our iconic comedy archive and brought to life by our all-star ensemble, see for yourself why The Second City continues to be the world’s most influential name in comedy—for 65 years and counting!

The Second City: 65th Anniversary Show

Upon first hearing her, one is immediately struck by her rich tone and extraordinary vocal control. However, what is particularly rare is her ability to interpret songs that were initially intended for actors in character in a direct, personally vulnerable way that connects to something within herself—placing her in the lineage of the greatest interpreters of the repertoire. In her expert hands, these become Stella Cole songs, introduced anew to young fans who may never have heard the original.

Stella Cole

Experience the power of poetry and performance. Bring your students to this abridged adaptation of Shakespeare's comedy A Midsummer Night’s Dream, performed by two professional actors…with help from your students, of course! This interactive, high-energy performance encourages students to become participants in the production and storytelling using Shakespeare’s language.

Silicon Valley Shakespeare presents Shakes30: A Midsummer Night’s Dream

Journey through an evolution of international dance styles with captivating dancers Aditi Bhagwat and Mizuho Sato, accompanied by saxophonist George Brooks, as they weave together the storytelling elegance of Indian Kathak, the vibrant flair of Maharashtrian Lavani, and the soul-stirring passion of Flamenco, with the improvisational spirit of contemporary jazz. This unique performance promises a dynamic exploration of movement, rhythm, and the universal language of dance.

Kathak & All That Jazz

"Claude Debussy: France's Master Impressionist". Heavy-handed, cantankerous, his personal life a wreck, he nevertheless wrote music of unsurpassed delicacy and refinement. Though he chafed at the label, he became music’s supreme impressionist in a twilight moment of European culture. The Saint Michael Trio shows you how he did it in one of their patented “informances” featuring slides, commentary and demonstrations of Debussy's compositional devices

The Saint Michael Trio Claude Debussy: France's Master Impressionist

Performing memorable vintage songs such as "Minnie the Moocher," "Sweet Georgia Brown," "All of Me," "It Had to Be You," and others, Carling masterfully takes you back to another era like a time machine. When she’s not touring with her own band, she performs solo and with symphonies and orchestras, and is a featured singer and multi-instrumentalist in several Postmodern Jukebox recordings— including a 1920s swing version of "Material Girl" and a 1920s hot jazz cover of ABBA's "Dancing Queen.”

Gunhild Carling

This energetic, virtuosic Latin Grammy-nominated group has issued chart-topping albums and performed across North America. Nuestra Herencia, their 2017 debut album, topped the Latin streaming charts. 2018’s Herencia de la Tierra Mía was produced by celebrated industry veteran Javier Limón and charted on all of the major streaming services. 2019’s Esencia topped industry charts, while a second volume, issued in 2020, performed similarly. In 2022, Herederos appeared as the group were performing a wildly successful North American tour.

Montalvo Arts Center

Jan 29, 2025

New Orleans Songbook

Jan 30, 2025

The Fratello Marionettes presents Peter and the Wolf

Jan 31, 2025

Charo

Feb 1, 2025

Selected Shorts

Feb 2, 2025

The Saint Michael Trio Schumann Dissected

Dec 15, 2024

David Benoit Christmas Tribute to Charlie Brown

Dec 10, 2024

Livingston Taylor & Loudon Wainwright III

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Montalvo Arts Center