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St. Andrew's Bach Society and ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Friends of Chamber Music will keep the music going with their summer series, both starting in June.

kicks off its new season — its third full season — with "Shrek the Musical" while turns its stage over to young thespians and Arts Express Theatre puts on a pair of fun musicals to open its 2025-26 season.

Broadway In ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, meanwhile, had some scheduling hiccups when it mapped out its 2024-25 regular season, which meant bringing two musicals to Centennial Hall this summer.Ìý

Before we jump into summer, there are a couple of loose ends to the regular arts season in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥.Ìý

• has its season finale "Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson – Apt. 2B" on its stage at the Temple of Music and Art, 330 S. Scott Ave., through June 7; see  for tickets and details.Ìý
• Sunday, May 25, is the last day to catch run of the popular ABBA jukebox musical "Mamma Mia!" at Centennial Hall, 1020 E. University Blvd., on the University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ campus; see 

Saguaro City Music Theatre

After holding auditions in March,  has picked the cast for "Shrek the Musical."

The production, which will have five performances from June 27-29 at the Berger Center for the Performing Arts, 1200 W. Speedway, kicks off the company's third full season, which includes "My Fair Lady" Oct. 11-16 and "Annie" Dec. 20-Jan. 4, 2026.Ìý

Saguaro City is mounting the Theater for Young Audiences version of "Shrek," which lasts a family-friendly 75 minutes. The cast is comprised primarily of children playing child and teen versions of Fiona, Shrek, Lord Farquaad, Thelonius and the fairytale characters including Pinocchio.

The kids, all part of Saguaro City's summer camp, will begin rehearsals June 7, with two weeks of work at Pima Community College before spending a week rehearsing at Berger.Ìý

"They get a full experience of what it's like to be in a professional production," said Dena DiGiacinto, director of outreach and education.

The cast includes 61 young performers and 11 adults selected from about 100 who auditioned. Saguaro City Artistic Director Drew Humphrey will direct the production.

Tickets are $34 for adults, with discounts through .

Broadway In ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥

Back when General Director Mario Di Vetta was putting together the 2024-25 season a couple of years ago, there were two shows that didn't fit into 's regular fall-to-spring scheduling paradigm.Ìý

So Di Vetta shook up the paradigm.

The 2024-25 season started late and finishes later, with "Mamma Mia!" ending its run at Centennial Hall with two shows on Sunday, May 25, and two more shows coming this summer:

•  "A Beautiful Noise: The Neal Diamond Musical," which traces the rags-to-gold-records life of one of America's most beloved pop songwriters, is here June 24-29.
• The Tony Award-winning "corny" musical "Shucked," with a pop-country score penned by Nashville songwriting powerhouses Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, runs Aug. 5-10.

For tickets and details, visit .Ìý

Live Theatre Workshop

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥'s is turning the spotlight on young thespians this summer.

Winners of the company's acclaimed Young Playwrights of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ competition will produce their winning short plays in the Sixth Annual Young Playwrights of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ showcase at 2 p.m. May 31 and noon and 4 p.m. June 1 at Live Theatre Workshop, 3322 E. Fort Lowell Road. Tickets are $17-$20 through .

"ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ is a hub for some of the most talented emerging playwrights in the country, and these performances are a chance to catch their rising talents before they hit the big time," LTW officials said in a written statement describing the annual event.

The young writers pair up with LTW's professional team for mentorship throughout the process.

Later this summer, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ area high school music theater actors will perform "Ranked: A Musical" July 17-28.

The play, which debuted weeks after the notorious 2019 college admissions scandal in which celebrities were caught buying their children admission into some of the country's most prestigious colleges, takes a look at the dystopian world of achieving academic excellence and the cutthroat culture of college admissions. Tickets are $22 through .

Arts Express Theatre

Fresh off its run of the Broadway smash "Kinky Boots," Arts Express is diving into its next season with two productions this summer as well as a pair of performances from its musical theater summer camp participants.

The musical theater company, which has its theater at 5870 E. Broadway in Park Place mall, has made it its mission for 40 years to put on Broadway-quality musicals and teach the next generation of musical theater performers with its summer camps, masterclass series and drama club for kids 18 and younger.

This year's summer camps, open to youths entering fourth-12th grades, will present "Beetlejuice Jr." June 9-27; and Disney's "Camp Rock the Musical" July 7-25. Register at .Ìý

Regular performances are held on weekends and tickets are $42 and $50 through  or by calling 520-319-0400.

• "Xanadu," June 2-July 13. The 1970s-80s jukebox musical, based on the 1980 Olivia Newton John film of the same name, is the fantastical and heartwarming tale of Kira, a beautiful and magical Greek muse from Mount Olympus, who finds herself in Venice Beach, California, on a mission to inspire a struggling artist named Sonny Malone.
• "Sister Act," Aug. 1-24. The musical comedy, based on the 1992 Whoopi Goldberg film, finds Deloris Van Cartier hiding out in a convent after witnessing a mob murder. Disguised as a nun, she takes over the convent choir, which puts her at hilarious odds with the old-school and very strict Mother Superior as Deloris tries to teach the nun a little pop and soul to go with their gospel.

St. Andrew's Bach Society

This is the society's Concerts are held at 2 p.m. Sundays, unless noted, at Grace St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 2331 E. Adams St.

Under the direction of Ben Nisbet, who has curated the series since 2012, the 2025 season offers a diverse array of chamber music performed by some of the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ area's most beloved musicians including a young Sphinx Award-winning violinist.Ìý

Tickets are $60 for a season pass, or $16 general admission, $26 premium seats per concert through .

 • "Yovera, Roth and Brahms," June 14. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Symphony Orchestra Principal Horn Nelson Yovera's dynamic chamber ensemble that includes former TSO concertmaster Lauren Roth will perform works by Brahms, Beethoven, Schumann and Shostakovich in a special Saturday concert.

• "When The Violin," June 29. The title comes from a poem by the Sufi mystic Hafiz about the power of forgiveness and new identities, which violinist Vijay Gupta will convey through works by JS Bach and Indian-American composer Reena Esmail. Dance artist and choreographer Yamini Kalluri will accompany Gupta. The concert opens with Bach's Second Partita in D minor, with its "Ciaconna" — Nisbet, a violinist himself, called it "an Everest" for violinists. Kalluri, trained as a classical Indian dancer as well as in the Martha Graham school of ballet, will perform both classical and Indian dance movements.

• "Rosewood and Ivory," July 27. TSO Principal Percussionist Trevor Barroero will celebrate the evolution of the marimba channeled through works by Bach through to ragtime medleys and popular film music, while pianist Kathryn Lieppman will perform solo piano works.

• Jacqueline Rodenbeck, Aug. 17. The ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ native and violinist who won the prestigious 2025 Sphinx Competition will perform a program of virtuoso violin favorites from Sarasate, Paganini and beyond.Ìý

ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Friends of Chamber Music

A couple of summers ago, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Friends of Chamber Music quietly rolled out a summer recital series to keep its year-rounder audiences engaged after the winter visitors returned to Chicago, New York, Minnesota and other colder climes that they call home.Ìý

The monthly series is a chance to see professional ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ musicians outside of the roles we're used to seeing them. The series features members of the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Symphony Orchestra and other pro ensembles including University of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ musicians.Ìý

Performances are held at United Church of Christ, 122 N. Craycroft Road. Tickets are $45 for adults, $12 for students at the door or in advance through .

This year's summer series kicks off June 4 with TSO Principal Clarinetist , an Italian native who has been the TSO principal since 2017, and UA piano prof an in-demand accompanist and chamber musician in the U.S. and throughout Europe.

On July 16, pianist Nathan Arch joins violinist for a concert of works including Jennifer Higdon's "Spring Poetic" and Beethoven's Violin Sonata No. 2.

TSO Principal Harpist closes the series on Aug. 27 with the world premiere of ' "Brain Storms" to open a concert of works by Bach, Debussy, Hindemith and Fauré.