The Cabaret Sessions
Ten Evenings, Fifty Seats, One Unforgettable Space
Discover an unforgettable evening of live music in a setting where art, architecture, and the Sonoran Desert come together. Join us for the next installment of our INSPIRED BY Artist-in-Residence Series: The Cabaret Sessions—an intimate concert series held at the historic Cabaret Theatre at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West.
The Cabaret Sessions showcases acclaimed local and national artists whose performances are uniquely shaped by their time in residence at Taliesin West. Rather than simply using the site as a venue, each artist embraces it as a creative collaborator, drawing inspiration from the desert landscape, Wright’s visionary architecture, and the campus’s distinctive textures, silence, and light.
This season’s theme, Nature, Environment, and Landscape, has inspired ten performances that celebrate the profound connection between place and creativity. The result is a series of one-of-a-kind musical experiences that can only happen here.
Performances take place on select Saturday and Sunday evenings throughout the season. See the schedule below for upcoming dates and artists.
Seating is limited to just 50 guests per performance. Reserve your seats today before they’re gone.
Details:
- Doors open at 6:45 p.m. Performances start at 7:30 p.m.
- Performance times vary, but last on average 60-90 minutes.
- Seating in the Cabaret Theater is on a first-come, first-serve basis.
- A beverage bar will be available inside the theater prior to the start of the performance. Beverage bar sales will end once the performance begins.
- Artist merchandise may be available for sale at the end of the performance.
- This event does not include access to the full Taliesin West property. Please consider purchasing a tour if you would like to see more of the property.
Price: $45 General Admission
Members receive 10% off their tickets.
TICKETS ARE LIMITED. ADVANCE RESERVATIONS ARE STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.
Photo Credit: Leland Gebhardt
Urban Nocturnes
Urban Nocturnes is a modular chamber music ensemble made up of outstanding professional classical musicians, all based in Phoenix, AZ. The group’s aim is to present diverse classical music programming and first-rate performances in a manner that appeals to seasoned music-lovers and newcomers alike.
For this concert, they have designed a program of solo, duo, and trio music for violin, viola, and piano. Visit Urban Nocturnes’ website.
Date & Time: December 5, 2026 – 7:30 p.m.
Photo Credit: John Haas
Jon Rauhouse
Jon Rauhouse is a veteran multi-instrumentalist and a master of all things stringed from the banjo to pedal steel guitar. He started playing steel guitar in the 1970s. Jon has been a mainstay of the Tempe and Phoenix Music scene since the late 70’s. He has been on tour or recording with Neko Case since 1999. Visit Jon’s website.
Date & Time: January 2, 2027 – 7:30 p.m.
Photo Credit: Marie Montiero
Brian Lopez
Brian Lopez is a Mexican-American singer-songwriter, guitarist, producer, and recording artist from Southern Arizona. His music is influenced by grunge rock, cross-border musical traditions and has come to epitomize the sound of the 21st-century American Southwest. Visit Brian’s website.
Date & Time: February 6, 2027 – 7:30 p.m.
Photo Credit: Lindsay@Strawberryshoots
Autumn Cooper
Autumn’s sound is a collage of the cynical and sincere. Her haunting and unconventional vocals lend to her somewhat skeptical, but ultimately hopeful outlook. Raised in Minnesota on a healthy musical diet of Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, and Leonard Cohen, she now calls the Phoenix desert home, where she attempts to live up to the creative inspiration instilled within her in her formative years.
Date & Time: February 7, 2027 – 7:30 p.m.
Photo Credit: James Napoli
Ben Cosgrove
Ben Cosgrove is a traveling composer, pianist, and multi-instrumentalist based in northern New England. He performs regularly all over the country, presenting a unique variety of original instrumental music that explores themes of landscape, geography, and environment while straddling a line between the folk and classical genres. Visit Ben’s website.
Dates & Times: March 6 & 7, 2027 – 7:30 p.m.
Photo Credit: Jenica Heintzelman
Britt Warner
Britt Warner is an artist from Los Angeles who now resides in Tucson, AZ. Using a looping device, she layers improvised drones, melodies, and ultimately words into spontaneous pieces using only her singing voice. The energy of the audience and space directly influences what she channels vocally, creating a symbiotic dialogue of deep listening and immediate response. Whatever is created this night will never, ever, be repeated in the same form. Britt also incorporates stunning video elements into her work. Visit Britt’s website.
Date & Time: April 3, 2027 – 7:30 p.m.
Photo Credit: Julius Schlosburg
Karima Walker
Karima Walker is an Arizona based interdisciplinary artist working across music, multimedia installation, performance, and craft. Her work is deeply inspired by the Southwest and the stories we create, about land and ourselves. With the use of field recordings, songs, multichannel installations, and video, she explores themes of landscape, technology, grief, and the body. Visit Karima’s website.
Date & Time: April 4, 2027 – 7:30 p.m.
Sara Fraker- Photo Credit: Mindi Acosta. Casey Robards-Photo credit: Kia Caldwell Photography LLC
Sara Fraker & Casey Robards
Tucson-based oboist Sara Fraker designs innovative performance projects exploring intersections of music and ecology. She has partnered with the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research, Arizona Institute for Resilience, and ecologist Robin Wall Kimmerer. Sara is joined by longtime collaborator Casey Robards (Suh Jung Ahn), Korean American pianist and conductor, whose performances regularly cross between opera, art song, chamber music, spirituals, and musical theatre. Their album, BOTANICA: music for oboe, english horn and piano, was released by MSR Classics. Visit Sara’s website. Visit Casey’s website.
Date & Time: May 1, 2027 – 7:30 p.m.
Photo Credit: Justin Haugen
Duo Entre-Nous
Duo Entre-Nous is Jackie Glazier-Clarinet and Don-Paul Kahl-Saxophone, a dynamic reed duo that fuses new sounds with engaging performance. Since being formed in 2014, the Duo has commissioned composers from five continents, premiering and recording new pieces in a variety of different styles, ranging from music inspired by folk traditions and pop music to the avant-garde. They have performed in a range of venues from concerto appearances in large concert halls in the US to intimate venues in Europe and major festivals across the globe. Visit Duo Entre-Nous’ website.
Date & Time: May 2, 2027 – 7:30 p.m.
