Organizational Overview
The Mission of Arizona Musicfest is
To engage and delight audiences with exceptional concerts; promote and inspire young musicians through valuable performance and scholarship opportunities; and educate children and stimulate adults through dynamic music enrichment programs.
The Vision of Arizona Musicfest is
To Bring the Joy of Music to All!
Arizona Musicfest is a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit charitable organization.
The Concert Season
• The Stars Shine Brighter in North Scottsdale!
• Arizona Musicfest is a Premier Destination for Distinguished Artists and Celebrity Entertainers
Each season, Arizona Musicfest presents top stars of the music industry. Recent and upcoming guest artists include:
▪ Also Featured at Musicfest: Pink Martini, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, The Texas Tenors, The Hot Sardines, The Ten Tenors, Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Tenors, Duke Ellington Orchestra, The Manhattan Transfer, The Count Basie Orchestra, Steep Canyon Rangers, The Piano Guys, Human Nature, The Doo Wop Project, Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and many others.
At the heart of each annual concert season is The Festival Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Robert Moody, and comprised of musicians from America’s finest orchestras, including the Chicago Symphony, New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, National Symphony, the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, and many others.
These superlative players, assembled exclusively by Musicfest, come to Arizona for a one-week residency to perform a series of symphonic programs for capacity crowds.
Key Organizational Facts:
▪ Arizona Musicfest’s 2024-25 season marks the organization’s 34th anniversary of serving the Greater Scottsdale community through music.
▪ In 2020, Arizona Musicfest was nationally recognized as one of ten “High Performing Arts Organizations” by DataArts, the National Center for Arts Research.
▪ For the 2023-24 season, a record 40,651 patrons attended Arizona Musicfest’s concert season. Based on sales trends, Musicfest anticipates attendance of 45,000+ for the 2024-25 season.
▪ Musicfest’s 2024-25 concert season runs November through April and features over 40 concerts.
▪ In the last 10 years, Musicfest’s ticket revenues have increased by 542% and philanthropy has increased by 295%.
▪ Consistently for the last ten years, Musicfest has realized annual operating surpluses.
▪ The operating budget for Arizona Musicfest’s 2024-25 fiscal year is $5.6M.
▪ In addition to strong operating finances, Musicfest holds an unrestricted endowment, valued at $6M.
Beyond the Concert Stage:
▪ Beyond the concert stage, for over three decades, Musicfest has generously provided dynamic and unique music education programs, as well as valuable performance and training opportunities for young musicians. Arizona Musicfest is known throughout the State as a destination for the cultivation and promotion of aspiring young artists.
▪ Musicfest’s commitment to youth is demonstrated through the organization’s acclaimed Young Musicians Competitions (six annual competitions), Musicfest’s Young Musicians Concert Series (three annual performances), Access to Artistry (masterclasses for young musicians featuring guest artists from the concert season), and the Arizona Musicfest College Scholarship and Musicfest’s Summer Music Camp Scholarship, which, since 2012, has awarded over $190,000 to exceptional music students from the area.
▪ Musicfest is committed to engaging, educating and inspiring community members of all ages. Through Music Alive!, a lifelong learning and creative aging music-making series, everyone from toddlers to seniors are able to experience music, and to enhance their appreciation and enjoyment of the art form. Music Alive! programs include Listen Up: Seminars on Music, Music Makers & Shakers, Music Theory 101, Piano Fusion, Musicfest Ukulele and Guitar Strummers, HealthRhythms, Music Theater Matinees, Rock N’ Roll Through the Decades, Pizza-cato Chamber Music Series, Musicfest Reimagined, Festival Orchestra Pre-Concert Talks, and a popular series of Musicfest Lectures. For the 2024-25 season, Musicfest will produce over 300 Music Alive! events, attracting over 4,000 attendees.