Luther Burbank Center for the Arts Announces 2016-17 Season

Luther Burbank Center for the Arts (The Center) has announced 16 new events and performances for 2016-2017, featuring world-class performances in music, dance, comedy, speakers and family entertainment. Tickets will be available to members of Luther Burbank Center for the Arts beginning Monday, May 23, 2016 and on sale to the general public on Friday, June 3, 2016 at noon. Tickets and memberships may be purchased online at lutherburbankcenter.org, by phone at 707.546.3600 or in person at the box office at 50 Mark West Springs Road in Santa Rosa (open daily, 12 - 6 p.m.).

On Thursday, September 15, 2016, The Center welcomes the return of comedian Ron "Tater Salad" White, the cigar-smoking, scotch-drinking funnyman from the "Blue Collar Comedy" phenomenon. A certified platinum-selling artist, having sold over 10 million #1 albums, White continues to be one of the top five grossing comedians on tour.

The seventh annual family-friendly Fiesta de Independencia returns to The Center on Sunday, September 18, 2016. Celebrating Latino Heritage Month, the campus-wide, free festival will showcase a taste of Latino culture in Sonoma County with authentic food, music, entertainment, games, and activities.

Next, on Saturday, September 24, 2016, one of the most prestigious comedy contests in North America-known for launching the careers of people like Ellen DeGeneres and Louis CK-returns to Santa Rosa for The 41st Annual San Francisco Comedy Competition Semi-Finals. With an incredible track record of producing great new talent, the competition has a well-earned reputation as an important showcase of young entertainers who will make it.

Back for a third consecutive year following sold-out performances in 2014 and 2015, Whose Live Anyway? returns to the Center on Saturday, November 5, 2016 for a night of unforgettable improv comedy that requires audience participation with four astoundingly funny comics, including Ryan Stiles from "Whose Line is it Anyway?".

November continues with the fearless and versatile artist Neko Case on Saturday, November 12, 2016. As a member of the indie-pop super-group the New Pornographers, and through a diverse solo catalog of her own, Case has garnered a reputation as an ardent collaborator and consummate career artist. She brings her unique and extraordinary voice to The Center for the first time this Fall.

On Thursday, November 17, 2016, audiences are invited to travel back in time to a carefree era of romance, cars and surfing with one of the most popular All-American bands in music history, The Beach Boys. With their trademark laid back California vibe, The Beach Boys created legendary hits like "Good Vibrations," "Wouldn't it be Nice" and "Surfin' USA." They have recorded 36 Billboard Top 40 hits (including four #1 singles) and many best-selling albums, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. But their greater significance lies in the fact that the band changed the musical landscape so profoundly that every pop act since has been in its debt.

Back at the LBC for the first time since 2009, The Center welcomes Pink Martini's Holiday Spectacular for a festive, holiday concert featuring songs from around the globe on Tuesday, December 6, 2016. Comprising nearly a dozen instrumentalists with singer China Forbes, Pink Martini draws inspiration from music all over the world, crossing genres of classical, jazz and old-fashioned pop.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary at The Center, Sonoma County audience favorite Ballet Folklórico de Sacramento's Posada Navideña returns Friday, December 9, 2016. Families and audiences of all ages are invited to experience the folk culture of Mexico and its unique customs and traditions during this Christmas production and traditional Posada celebration.

The holiday season at The Center will feature a special performance on Friday, December 16, 2016 with America's beloved sibling entertainers, Donny and Marie Osmond. In the holiday tradition of the "Osmond Family Christmas" television specials, the legendary Donny and Marie invite families and audiences of all ages to celebrate the spirit of the season with them in true Osmond fashion.

On Saturday, December 17, 2016, The Center continues to ring in the holiday season with Grammy Award-winner Aaron Neville: A Christmas Celebration as he brings his angelic falsetto to Christmas carols, R&B favorites and some classic pop tunes, as well as songs from his latest recording, "My True Story."

The quintessential Christmas experience returns to Santa Rosa direct from Russia with the Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker on Sunday, December 18, 2016. With larger than life magical props, a growing Christmas tree and spectacular Russian-made costumes and sets, the world's best dancers present a must-see holiday event, also featuring young dancers from Santa Rosa.

Entertainment in the New Year starts on Thursday, January 26, 2017 with the smash hit duo, Black Violin. Back by popular demand after an acclaimed performance at The Center in 2016, Black Violin is a blend of classical, hip-hop, rock, R&B, and bluegrass music. Classically trained on violin and viola, Kev and Wil have garnered rave reviews from NPR to Essence and recent appearances on "The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon" and "The Tavis Smiley Show." Black Violin are joined onstage by DJ SPS on the turntable and Nat Stokes on percussion.

On Saturday, January 28, 2017, the host and creator of NPR's Radiolab, Jad Abumrad makes his debut at The Center with special guest Zoë Keating. By integrating his background as both journalist and composer, Jad Abumrad has experienced great success with the public radio program, Radiolab. He orchestrates dialogue, music, interviews and sound effects into compelling documentaries to create "a new aesthetic" in broadcast journalism. Joined by renowned cellist (and Sonoma County resident) Zoë Keating, their live show "Gut Churn" is set to be a fascinating discussion complimented by an intriguing layer of sound.

On Wednesday, February 15, 2017, the Broadway smash hit RAIN: A Tribute to the Beatles comes to The Center for one night only. The live multimedia spectacular that takes audiences on a musical journey through the life and times of the world's most celebrated band will feature new songs and high definition imagery. This expanded RAIN performance adds even more hits from the vast anthology of the Beatles with classics such as "I Want To Hold Your Hand," "Hard Day's Night," "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," "Let It Be," "Come Together" and "Hey Jude." The stunning concert event takes audiences back in time with the legendary foursome delivering a note-for-note theatrical event that is the next-best-thing to the Beatles.

On Friday, March 31, 2017 celebrated author Neil Gaiman comes to Santa Rosa. One of the bestselling writers of our time, Gaiman's popular and critically acclaimed works bend genres while reaching audiences of all ages. In this live event, An Evening with Neil Gaiman, he will tell stories and read stories, answer questions, and in his own words, "amaze, befuddle and generally delight."

On Sunday, May 7, 2017, David Sedaris, the NPR humorist and bestselling author of "Naked," "Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim" and "Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls" returns to Santa Rosa for An Evening with David Sedaris. With sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, David Sedaris has become one of America's preeminent humor writers.

The 2016-2017 lineup also includes previously announced performances from musical acts Lyle Lovett and His Large Band on Thursday, July 7, the original Jersey Boy himself Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons on Tuesday, July 19, British supergroup Culture Clubon Tuesday, August 9, the legendary Jeff Beck on Wednesday, August 17, famed English rocker Peter Frampton on Tuesday, August 23, and singer-songwriter Ray LaMontagne on Wednesday, September 7. Other acts coming to The Center include Emmylou Harris on Friday, September 30, Jethro Tull written and performed by Ian Anderson on Tuesday, October 25, Celtic Thunder on Sunday, November 13, the viral sensation Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox on Tuesday, November 22, a special Home for the Holidays performance from the San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus on Sunday, November 27 and five performances of Joy to the World by Sonoma's acclaimed Transcendence Theatre Company, December 2 - 4. The 2016-2017 line-up also features comedic performances from George Lopez on Friday, July 22 and Paula Poundstone on Friday, October 21. The Center also previously announced the four-concert Symphony Pops Series, a collaboration with the Santa Rosa Symphony, as well as the six-performance Clover Stornetta Family Fun Series.

Resident theater companies Left Edge Theatre, North Bay Stage Company and Roustabout Theater will continue to call The Center home for their 2016-17 seasons, producing a diverse range of works for audiences of all ages. Left Edge Theatre will present their upcoming season in a newly-converted space at Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, the Left Edge Studio Theatre .

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