UT Austin’s Texas Performing Arts pulls back the curtain on its 2025/26 Performing Arts Season—a thrilling array of world-renowned icons, Austin’s own legends, and artists shaping the future of live art. Curated with a focus on artistic excellence and boundary-defying creativity, the season features 17 events that bring together virtuosos from around the world and across Texas for a lineup unlike any other.
“This season is a celebration of transformative performance and exceptional artistry,” said Bob Bursey, Executive & Artistic Director of TPA. “We are proud to present artists who are challenging conventions, redefining genres, and offering bold, vital perspectives through music, theatre, dance, and multidisciplinary performance. Each work invites audiences into powerful, immersive experiences that reflect the world in fresh and meaningful ways. We’re especially excited to foster and help develop innovative original works—supporting trailblazing contemporary artists as they bring new ideas to life on stage.”
The 2025/26 season marks the highly anticipated return of musical luminaries who haven’t appeared on Austin stages in recent years. Pianist Lang Lang—classical music’s biggest star, known for breathtaking performances at the Beijing Olympics and the Grammys—returns to Bass Concert Hall for one dazzling night of Mozart, Beethoven, and more. The sensational Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, under the direction of legendary trumpeter and nine-time Grammy winner Wynton Marsalis, delivers an evening of unmatched artistry and musical brilliance. And Rhiannon Giddens, the MacArthur “Genius”-awarded banjo player expanding American roots music brings her latest tour.
TPA welcomes back two celebrated dance companies for must-see performances: a legend of American dance, the Mark Morris Dance Group returns with a heartfelt tribute to the chart-topping songs of Burt Bacharach, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater brings a powerful program featuring new works and beloved classics—including the iconic Revelations, a stirring tribute to resilience and joy.
This season also highlights Austin icons with inspiring new projects. Carrie Rodriguez brings her acclaimed live performance series Laboratorio to TPA, featuring special guests in an inspiring blend of music, storytelling, and cultural celebration. In a new collaboration to be developed in residence at TPA, the Miró and Isidore Quartets unite for an extraordinary concert honoring the 200th anniversary of Mendelssohn’s magnificent Octet.
Next spring, TPA and Fusebox join forces to present a new work for the stage by visionary artist Robin Frohardt. A follow-up to her acclaimed 2022 immersive art experience The Plastic Bag Store, Frohardt’s latest creation Shopping Center Parking Lot finds unexpected beauty in overlooked cityscapes through her unique blend of exceptionally crafted miniature sets and humorous storytelling. Chicago’s Manual Cinema returns with a crafty reimagining of Macbeth in The 4th Witch, blending shadow puppetry, live-action silhouettes, and haunting original music into a cinematic theatrical experience. Austin-based artists Rude Mechs will return to one of their most beguiling works, Not Every Mountain, and Katie Bender will present her immersive theatre work Instructions for a Séance, based on the Harry Houdini archive at UT’s Harry Ransom Center.
Additional highlights include:
Acclaimed pianist Jason Moran leads a powerful tribute to Duke Ellington at 125 with UT’s Jazz Orchestra, reimagining the jazz legend’s masterpieces with solo flair and big band fire.
One of the world’s premier brass ensembles, Mnozil Brass brings Strauss to life with virtuosic flair and laugh-out-loud comedy in a brilliantly original tribute to the ‘King of the Waltz.’
Audiences of all ages will find joy and wonder this season when Cirque Mechanics: TILT! whirls you into a high-flying, gear-turning adventure where acrobatics, invention, and imagination bring a whimsical theme park to life.
Stuntboy, In the Meantime—a heartfelt family musical adapted from Jason Reynolds’s bestselling graphic novel—follows young Portico Reeves as he navigates friendship, anxiety, and the quiet power of courage and imagination.
TPA and the Austin Chamber Music Center present the rising Balourdet Quartet—recipients of Chamber Music America’s 2024 Cleveland Quartet Award—for two performances featuring masterful interpretations of Bartók, Ravel, and Brahms.
And much more!
The complete 2025/26 Performing Arts Season lineup follows below. Tickets will go on sale to the public on Friday, June 13 at 10 a.m. at texasperformingarts.org. Texas Inner Circle members can access presale tickets starting today, Monday, June 9 at 12 noon.
TPA’s 25/26 Season complements the previously announced 25/26 Broadway In Austin lineup, featuring a spectacular roster of Tony Award–winning Best Musicals and the return of fan favorites, and the Texas Welcomes series of concerts, comedy, and family entertainment. Full performance calendar at texasperformingarts.org .
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TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS 2025/26 SEASON AT A GLANCE
Music
Carrie Rodriguez's Laboratorio
Old-Time Radio Hour Edition featuring Gaby Moreno & Mireya Ramos
with radio hosts Laurie Gallardo & Alex Marrero
Sunday, November 2, 7 p.m.
McCullough Theatre
Theatre/Artists for All Ages
Stuntboy, In the Meantime
Bass Concert Hall
Wednesday, November 5, 7 p.m.
Music
Miró Quartet and Isidore String Quartet
Mendelssohn’s Octet at 200: A Legacy in Sound
Bates Recital Hall
Friday, November 7, 7:30 p.m.
Music
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
Hogg Memorial Auditorium
Saturday, November 15, 7:30 p.m.
Theatre/Cinema/Puppetry
Manual Cinema
The 4th Witch
McCullough Theatre
Saturday, November 15, 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Presented with Fusebox
Dance
Mark Morris Dance Group
The Look of Love: An Evening of Dance to the Music of Burt Bacharach
Bass Concert Hall
Saturday, January 17, 7:30 p.m.
Music
Carrie Rodriguez's Laboratorio
El Gato Negro Edition featuring Ruben Ramos & Friends
Saturday, January 24, 7:30 p.m.
McCullough Theatre
Music
Jason Moran
Duke Ellington: My Heart Sings
Bates Recital Hall
Saturday, January 31, 7:30 p.m.
Circus/Artists for All Ages
Cirque Mechanics
TILT! A Circus Thrill Ride
Bass Concert Hall
Tuesday, February 24, 7 p.m.
Music
Mnozil Brass
Strau$$
Bates Recital Hall
Friday, February 27, 7:30 p.m.
Music
Balourdet Quartet
Friday, February 27, 7:30 p.m. at KMFA’s Draylen Mason Studio
Saturday, February 28, 7:30 p.m. at First Unitarian Church
Presented with Austin Chamber Music Center
Dance/Artists for All Ages
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Bass Concert Hall
Tuesday, March 3, 7:30 p.m.
Theatre/Cinema/Puppetry
Robin Frohardt
Shopping Center Parking Lot
McCullough Theatre
March 6 – 7
Presented with Fusebox
Music
An Evening with Lang Lang
Bass Concert Hall
Saturday, April 4, 7:30 p.m.
Immersive Theatre
Katie Bender
Instructions for a Séance
TPA’s Rehearsal Room
April 16 – 19
Presented with Fusebox
Theatre
Rude Mechs: Not Every Mountain
B. Iden Payne Theatre
April 17 – 19
Presented with Fusebox
Music
Rhiannon Giddens
Bass Concert Hall
Saturday, May 2, 7:30 p.m.
TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS 2025/26 SEASON IN DETAIL
Music
Carrie Rodriguez's Laboratorio
Old-Time Radio Hour Edition featuring Gaby Moreno & Mireya Ramos
with radio hosts Laurie Gallardo & Alex Marrero
Sunday, November 2, 7 p.m.
McCullough Theatre
Led and curated by singer-songwriter and violinist Carrie Rodriguez, Laboratorio is a live performance that celebrates and explores Latine culture through world-class musicianship, visual arts, and storytelling. Presented as an annual four-part concert series, each edition showcases the renowned Laboratorio house band, headed by Rodriguez, in collaboration with a rotating lineup of distinguished guest artists.
For this unique Old-Time Radio Hour Edition, Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriters Gaby Moreno and Mireya Ramos join Rodriguez and band onstage for a magical evening of music and nostalgia. Together, they will perform original material and classic covers featuring harmonies reminiscent of Trio Los Panchos and The Andrews Sisters. Adding to the vintage charm, KUTX hosts Laurie Gallardo and Alex Marrero step in as radio hosts for the evening, complete with a dramatic "radionovela" reading and retro-style commercials that bring the golden age of radio to life. Join us for an unforgettable night where past and present meet through music, story, and cultural celebration.
Carrie Rodriguez's Laboratorio receives support from the City of Austin Economic Development Department.
Theatre/Artists for All Ages
Stuntboy, In the Meantime
Bass Concert Hall
Wednesday, November 5, 7 p.m.
Jason Reynolds’s bestselling graphic novel comes to the stage! Step into the world of Portico Reeves in this inspiring family musical that captures the highs and hurdles of growing up, friendship, and the courage to overcome fears. Join a heartfelt journey with Portico, a middle schooler whose “superpower” is keeping his loved ones safe. But when his parents face divorce, Portico’s worries give him “the frets”—or what his Gran calls anxiety. Will his courage and imagination be enough to see him through?
Adapted from Jason Reynolds and Raúl the Third’s bestselling graphic novel of the same name, Stuntboy, In the Meantime shows that everyone, young and old, has the power to conquer their “frets” and find strength in family, friendship, and self-belief.
Music
Miró Quartet and Isidore String Quartet
Mendelssohn’s Octet at 200: A Legacy in Sound
Bates Recital Hall
Friday, November 7, 7:30 p.m.
Two string quartets sharing the stage is always a party, but even more so when they’re celebrating the two hundredth birthday of Felix Mendelssohn’s Octet in E-flat major, a breathtaking work composed when the genius was just sixteen.
This unforgettable program opens with Haydn’s radiant Sunrise Quartet and continues with Microfictions, Vol. 1, a vibrant contemporary work written for the Miró Quartet by Pulitzer Prize-winner Caroline Shaw.
For nearly 30 years, Austin’s own Miró Quartet has captivated audiences worldwide with their passionate artistry. In this rare collaboration, they are joined by the rising-star Isidore Quartet—winners of the 2022 Banff International String Quartet Competition and 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant recipients.
Don’t miss this evening of musical brilliance spanning centuries of chamber music.
Music
Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis
Hogg Memorial Auditorium
Saturday, November 15, 7:30 p.m.
Experience the electrifying brilliance of America’s premier jazz ensemble, led by the legendary Wynton Marsalis. The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra brings its trademark swing, soul, and sophistication with a performance that celebrates the rich heritage and boundless innovation of jazz.
From timeless classics to bold new compositions, this world-renowned group of virtuoso musicians delivers a night of music that’s both deeply rooted and freshly inspired. Whether you're a longtime jazz lover or new to the genre, this is a concert that promises to move, thrill, and inspire.
For more than three decades, Jazz at Lincoln Center has been a leading advocate for jazz, culture, and arts education, dedicated to inspiring and growing jazz audiences throughout the world. Under the direction of Marsalis, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra has brought the art form of jazz from the heart of New York City to cities around the world. From swinging rhythms to soulful melodies, every performance is a celebration of the spirit of jazz and its enduring influence.
“The orchestra [tore] through this music as if chasing the wind. Only a group of musicians who have toured together for so longcould have attained this kind of synchronicity.”—Chicago Tribune
Theatre/Cinema/Puppetry
Manual Cinema
The 4th Witch
McCullough Theatre
Saturday, November 15, 2 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Presented with Fusebox
Emmy Award-winning Manual Cinema returns to Texas Performing Arts with another masterfully crafted, beautifully handmade production. This all-new performance blends shadow puppetry, live-action silhouettes, and original music to create a haunting reimagining of Shakespeare’s Macbeth. This unique adaptation follows a young girl who is unwittingly drawn into the dark world of the three witches. As she becomes their reluctant apprentice, she grapples with a strange new power and the moral implications of her actions. Prepare to be mesmerized by stunning visuals and a haunting soundscape that bring the magic of theater to life. Come and see the Scottish play in a whole new light!
“Manual Cinema has created a whole new art form. In a digital world, this beguiling analog throwbackhas proved enormously popular.”— Chicago Tribune
“The virtuosic group makes elegant live-scored ‘silent films’ that evoke sweetness, poignancy and fright.”—Time Out New York
Dance
Mark Morris Dance Group
The Look of Love: An Evening of Dance to the Music of Burt Bacharach
Bass Concert Hall
Saturday, January 17, 7:30 p.m.
A legend of American dance returns to Austin with a vibrant and heartfelt tribute to the timeless songs of Burt Bacharach.
In The Look of Love, choreographer Mark Morris sets his signature style—musical, elegant, and emotionally rich—to a treasure trove of Bacharach classics, from “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on My Head” to “What the World Needs Now Is Love.” With lyrics by longtime collaborator Hal David, these songs blend soaring melodies with bittersweet reflections on love and longing.
Featuring new arrangements by jazz pianist Ethan Iverson and performed live by an ensemble of piano, trumpet, bass, and drums with Broadway star Marcy Harriell on vocals, this evening-length work brings Bacharach’s chart-topping hits to life through Morris’s exquisite choreography and the extraordinary dancers of Mark Morris Dance Group.
“Mark Morris’s tribute to Burt Bacharach is what the world needs now."
—The Washington Post
“This is choreography that, in the words of the song, says 'more than just words could ever say.'" —The New York Times
Music
Carrie Rodriguez's Laboratorio
El Gato Negro Edition featuring Ruben Ramos & Friends
Saturday, January 24, 7:30 p.m.
McCullough Theatre
Singer-songwriter and violinist Carrie Rodriguez returns with a new edition of Laboratorio, her quarterly showcase celebrating Latine culture through a dynamic mix of music, art, and storytelling. This special installment pays tribute to Tejano legend Ruben “El Gato Negro” Ramos, marking the official release of his latest album—co-produced by Rodriguez and acclaimed producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Sergio Mendoza. Ramos will take the stage to perform songs from the new release alongside fan favorites, joined by Rodriguez and the Laboratorio band. The evening will also feature tributes and surprise guest performances in honor of Ruben’s remarkable legacy.
Carrie Rodriguez's Laboratorio receives support from the City of Austin Economic Development Department.
Music
Jason Moran
Duke Ellington: My Heart Sings
Bates Recital Hall
Saturday, January 31, 7:30 p.m.
Celebrate the 125th birthday of a jazz giant as pianist Jason Moran pays electrifying tribute to Duke Ellington—one of the 20th century’s most influential composers, bandleaders, and pianists.
In this extraordinary concert, Moran begins with a solo piano journey through Ellington’s iconic works—his personal ascent up “Mount Ellington”—before being joined onstage by UT’s acclaimed jazz orchestra for a thrilling big band finale. Experience Ellington’s timeless genius, boldly reimagined for a new generation.
Texas native Jason Moran is recognized as one of the nation’s foremost jazz innovators, transforming his personal experiences into compelling musical works that push the boundaries of the genre.
“The most provocative thinker in current jazz.”—Rolling Stone
“A startlingly gifted pianist with a relentless thirst for experimentation.”—Los Angeles Times
Circus/Artists for All Ages
Cirque Mechanics
TILT! A Circus Thrill Ride
Bass Concert Hall
Tuesday, February 24, 7 p.m.
Enter the world of Cirque Mechanics, where breathtaking acrobatics meet mechanical marvels in a one-of-a-kind circus experience. Inspired by American industrial ingenuity, this high-flying spectacle blends grit with the wonder of modern circus. With jaw-dropping stunts, whimsical storytelling and a touch of playful comedy, Cirque Mechanics is as thrilling as it is imaginative. Expect gravity-defying feats, intricate contraptions and nonstop excitement in a show that redefines circus for the modern age.
In this brand-new show, Cirque Mechanics takes audiences on a journey to the back-lot of their inventive theme park, where in the shadow of the roller coaster and under the lights of the Ferris wheel, you’ll meet the carnies and characters that keep the thrills coming and the rides running.
“A dazzling fusion of acrobatics and engineering—Cirque Mechanics reinvents the circus with stunning creativity and heart-stopping thrills.” —The New York Times
Music
Mnozil Brass
Strau$$
Bates Recital Hall
Friday, February 27, 7:30 p.m.
One of the world’s premier brass ensembles, Mnozil Brass has captivated audiences around the world with its virtuosity and playful hilarity. Founded in 1992 in Vienna, Austria, the group has embraced a broad repertoire including folk, classical, jazz, and pop—all executed with the same fearlessness, immense technical skill, and typical Viennese schmäh (best translated into English as a kind of sarcastic charm). No matter the music, the program is presented with the group’s signature wit in clever scenes worthy of Monty Python.
On their all-new international tour, Mnozil Brass honors the King of the Waltz, Johann Strauss, bringing his timeless melodies to life with their trademark blend of dazzling brass virtuosity and playful hilarity.
“One of the funniest, and most creative, chamber groups on the planet.” —Classicalite
Music
Balourdet Quartet
Friday, February 27, 7:30 p.m. at KMFA’s Draylen Mason Studio
Saturday, February 28, 7:30 p.m. at First Unitarian Church
Presented with Austin Chamber Music Center
The Balourdet Quartet is a dynamic young ensemble known for their vibrant energy and masterful blend of technical precision with emotional depth. They bring a fresh perspective to both beloved classics and modern compositions, earning them the 2024 Avery Fisher Career Grant, as well as Chamber Music America’s 2024 Cleveland Quartet Award. For these two Austin performances, they will perform music by Béla Bartók, Maurice Ravel, and Johannes Brahms, promising an evening of music both profound and transcendent.
The Balourdet Quartet is the recipient of Chamber Music America’s 2024 Cleveland Quartet Award. The Quartet’s performances have been made possible by the Cleveland Quartet Endowment Fund.
Dance/Artists for All Ages
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Bass Concert Hall
Tuesday, March 3, 7:30 p.m.
The world-renowned Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater returns to Bass Concert Hall, ushering in an exciting new era under Artistic Director Alicia Graf Mack—while honoring the visionary legacy of Texas-born founder Alvin Ailey.
This dynamic new tour features beloved classics from the Ailey repertory—including Revelations, the soul-stirring masterpiece that has moved generations—as well as bold new works by today’s most exciting choreographers. With breathtaking athleticism and deep emotional resonance, Ailey’s extraordinary dancers continue to expand the boundaries of modern dance and celebrate the limitless potential of the human spirit.
“The influence and importance of the company, to both the dance world and the culture at large, are wide and multifaceted.”—San Francisco Chronicle
Theatre/Cinema/Puppetry
Robin Frohardt
Shopping Center Parking Lot
McCullough Theatre
March 6 – 8
Presented with Fusebox
Robin Frohardt—the visionary behind the critically acclaimed Plastic Bag Store (TPA ’22) and a 2024 Herb Alpert Award-winner—returns to Austin with a new, genre-defying live-cinema performance.
For 15 years, Frohardt has lived across from a Home Depot parking lot—an unremarkable view that became a source of personal and cultural reflection. Her new project, Shopping Center Parking Lot, explores the loss of identity, community, and connection to nature in a world shaped by asphalt, big-box store sprawl, and endless consumer rhythm. Through a hand-built cardboard set, live puppetry, and cinematic projection, the work reimagines the parking lot as part of the ecosystem, blurring the line between the natural and the constructed. It’s a meditation on the quiet poetry of overlooked spaces—and what they reveal about the world we’ve built.
This inventive work of speculative nonfiction uses the ordinary to ask thoughtful questions: How does anything—even a parking lot—exist outside the natural world? Or, are parking lots themselves a kind of naturally occurring phenomenon? Billions of years ago, a few cells began to divide, and now there are 3,400 Home Depot locations. These facts are not unrelated.
At once playful and profound, Shopping Center Parking Lot invites audiences into a richly layered reflection on modern life—and the uneasy beauty found in its most overlooked corners.
Music
An Evening with Lang Lang
Bass Concert Hall
Saturday, April 4, 7:30 p.m.
Global superstar Lang Lang makes his highly anticipated return to Austin for one unforgettable night of virtuosic brilliance. The virtuoso pianist will perform a wide-ranging program of music by Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt, Enrique Granados, and movements from Isaac Albéniz’s Suite Española, Op. 47—showcasing the dazzling technique and emotional depth that have made him a phenomenon.
A true citizen of the world and one of classical music’s most influential ambassadors, Lang Lang has collaborated with legends like Sir Simon Rattle, Gustavo Dudamel, Daniel Barenboim, and Metallica, and performed everywhere from the Grammy Awards to the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. Whether playing for billions or just a roomful of students, his passion for music is matched only by his gift for connecting with audiences.
“The hottest artist on the classical music planet may well be the Chinese pianist Lang Lang.” – The New York Times
Immersive Theatre
Katie Bender
Instructions for a Séance
TPA’s Rehearsal Room
April 16 – 19
Presented with Fusebox
Katie Bender—Harry Houdini enthusiast, mom, struggling artist—says she has been leaving her house after the kids go to sleep... sneaking into TPA's rehearsal studio, stealing items from the prop shop and artifacts of Houdini's from the Harry Ransom Center. She's attempting to contact Houdini himself in the hopes of learning how to escape from her life. So far, she has failed. But for one week in April 2026, she's inviting you to try it with her.
In this unique immersive theatre, DIY experience—created and performed by writer/artist Bender—the audience is invited to summon the spirit of escape artist Harry Houdini and, in the process, discover how to break free from the traps in their own lives. Instructions for a Séance is a playful yet poignant exploration of motherhood, artistic ambition, and the urge to disappear. Inspired by the Houdini archives at the Ransom Center, Séance is a 70-minute theatrical gem: compact, gleaming, and utterly unforgettable.
Theatre
Rude Mechs: Not Every Mountain
B. Iden Payne Theatre
April 17 – 19
Presented with Fusebox
Austin’s Rude Mechs return to one of their most beguiling works. Not Every Mountain is a mellow meditation on change, permanence and our place in the natural world. It tells the story of the life cycle of mountains and the processes by which they are born and eventually laid to rest, an invocation of tectonic force and geologic time.
Using string, cardboard and magnets, the Rudes invites us to watch the collective effort of making and unmaking a series of interlocking mountain ranges. We watch minutes, or perhaps centuries, unfold, as mountains rise and fall, clouds dance, birds alight and depart, and a moon delicately hangs overhead. Not Every Mountain is a joyous and poignant meditation on the fleetingness of time and the many lives of minerals, underscored by a poetic recitation–or perhaps a spiritual incantation.
“The Rude Mechs craft a mesmerizing fusion of storytelling and artistry—a poetic journey that transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary.”
— The Austin Chronicle
Music
Rhiannon Giddens
Bass Concert Hall
Saturday, May 2, 7:30 p.m.
A masterful singer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter, Rhiannon Giddens weaves together folk, blues, country, gospel, and more to create music that invites audiences on a journey through America’s musical heritage and beyond.
Rhiannon Giddens first captured widespread attention in 2005 as a member of the groundbreaking “postmodern string band” Carolina Chocolate Drops. Since then, she has forged a singular, iconic career by expanding her folk roots into a rich tapestry of genres and art forms. A two-time Grammy and Pulitzer Prize winner, MacArthur “Genius” grant recipient, and composer of opera, ballet, and film, Giddens invites audiences on a journey through America’s musical heritage and beyond.
“A master folklorist, banjo virtuoso, and vocal powerhouse” – NPR
“One of the most important musical minds currently walking the planet.”— American Songwriter
All dates, times, venues, and programs are subject to change.
Tickets for Balourdet Quartet will be available from Austin Chamber Music Center at a later date.
ABOUT TEXAS PERFORMING ARTS
Texas Performing Arts (TPA) enriches life in Austin and beyond through creativity, learning and live performance. As the University of Texas at Austin’s performing arts center, TPA presents more than 200 performances and welcomes nearly 400,000 audience members each year. TPA’s venues include Austin’s largest theatre, Bass Concert Hall, and other venues on the UT campus. TPA presents Broadway in Austin; the Texas Welcomes series of touring artists; and a curated season of performing arts from around the globe. As part of UT’s College of Fine Arts, TPA engages thousands of university students and introduces 16,000 K-12 students across Central Texas to the arts each year. Since 2020, Bob Bursey has held the position of Executive & Artistic Director. He is a Tony Award-winning performing arts executive, member of the Broadway League’s Intra-Industry Committee, and Tony Award voter.
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