Dakota

Chris Botti
2026-10-24 21:00 - 23:00 (America/Chicago)
“A jazz-pop powerhouse” – The New York Times

With a solo career spanning two decades, Chris Botti is the highest-selling instrumental artist in the United States. His success has crossed over to audiences usually reserved for pop music. Additionally, his ongoing association with PBS has led to four Number One jazz albums, as well as multiple Gold, Platinum and Grammy Awards. He performs worldwide and sells millions of albums. Further, his form of creative expression is rooted in jazz and expands beyond the limits of any single genre.
He performs worldwide and sells millions of albums. Further, his form of creative expression is rooted in jazz and expands beyond the limits of any single genre. Over the past three decades, Botti has recorded and performed with the best in music. He’s worked with Sting, Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Lady Gaga, Josh Groban, Yo-Yo Ma, Michael Bublé and Paul Simon. Also, Joni Mitchell, John Mayer, Andrea Bocelli, Joshua Bell, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and even Frank Sinatra.
His live performances are inspiring and moving. However, his recorded output has firmly established him as a clarion voice in the American contemporary music scene. Moreover, his recordings highlight his uniquely expressive sound and soaring musical imagination. Botti also showcases his softer side, in a warm, intimate celebration of melodic balladry.
The Chris Botti experience can be felt on recordings, in concert with his band, or with a symphony orchestra. Botti has thoroughly established himself as one of the important, innovative figures of the contemporary music world.
Recommended for fans of Sting, David Sanborn, Kenny G, Michael Bublé and Boney James.

Judy Collins: Sweet Judy Blue Eyes - Farewell
2026-10-27 19:00 - 21:00, 2026-10-28 19:00 - 21:00, 2026-10-30 19:00 - 21:00
“One of the most beautiful and moving voices” – Rolling Stone

Judy Collins inspires audiences with her sublime vocals, boldly vulnerable songwriting, personal life triumphs, and unwavering commitment to social activism. In the 1960s, she evoked both the idealism and steely determination of a generation united against social and environmental injustices. Five decades later, her luminescent presence shines brightly. Here, new generations bask in the glow of her iconic fifty-five-album body of work. Also, they draw inspiration from her spiritual discipline to thrive in the music industry for half a century.
Fans and critics highly esteem the award-winning singer-songwriter for her imaginative interpretations of traditional and contemporary folk standards. Moreover, she also receives acclaim for her own poetically poignant original compositions. For instance, the Grammy Hall of Fame includes her stunning rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now”. Judy’s dreamy, intimate version of Stephen Sondheim’s “Send in the Clowns,” won Song of the Year at the 1975 Grammys. Furthermore, she’s garnered several top-ten hits and gold- and platinum-selling albums.
The cultural treasure’s fifty-fifth release, 2022’s Spellbound, documents Judy’s artistic renaissance. Additionally, the album is a special entry in her oeuvre. It marks the first time ever she wrote all the songs on one of her albums. Here, Collins showcases twelve new recently-written modern folk songs, and a bonus track of her evergreen, “The Blizzard.” Thus, Spellbound is an introspective and impressionistic album.
“They say after the plague came the Renaissance,” Judy says with a good-natured laugh. “The truth is, I didn’t do an album like this sooner because I had other projects on my mind. Now felt like the perfect time to make this record because, after all that’s happened in the world, we need something beautiful and inspirational to lift us up.”
Recommended for fans of Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Nanci Griffith and Mary Chapin Carpenter.

Rachael & Vilray
2026-11-30 18:30 - 20:30, 2026-11-30 21:00 - 23:00, 2026-12-01 18:30 - 20:30, 2026-12-01 21:00 - 23:00, 2026-12-02 18:30 - 20:30, 2026-12-02 21:00 - 23:00
“tunes that echo the feel of standards, without dipping into a single musical or lyrical cliché.” – Downbeat

Brooklyn-based duo Rachael & Vilray have achieved a certain timeless quality with their singular take on traditional pop. There, they have accomplished this since their 2015 formation. Rooted in the language of an earlier age, their songs transcend nostalgia with wit and a flair for the theatrical. On their third album, 2025’s West of Broadway, vocalist Rachael Price (also of Lake Street Dive) and guitarist/singer/songwriter Vilray evolve. Moreover, they shed their music’s previous dreaminess to achieve a refreshing angularity built on left-of-center instrumentation. For example, vibraphone and alto saxophone coast above the moody strains of baritone sax and trombone. Thus, West of Broadway unfolds in a series of sharply drawn vignettes inspired by a recent fascination with classic musicals. Here, they bring their luminous vocals to offbeat tales of love and heartache along city streets.
Furthermore, West of Broadway took shape with renowned musicians like saxophonist Steve Wilson (formerly of Chick Corea’s Origin sextet). Additionally, drummer John Riley (Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie). Over the course of ten lush and effervescent tracks, the album delivers standouts like “Love Comes Around”. Here, this joyously romantic piece set the direction for the LP’s West Coast jazz-inspired aesthetic. Also, “My Key to Gramercy Park”, a fantastically salty number narrated by a well-to-do character. They live in lonely suspicion of all those who covet their key to the notoriously exclusive private park. Further, “Off Broadway”, where golden-voiced comedian Stephen Colbert joins in for what the duo dubs an “oddly grumpy anti-Broadway screed”. The album comes to life in the colorful detail and extravagant personality of Rachael & Vilray’s storytelling. West of Broadway ultimately immerses the audience in an exquisitely out-of-time vision of their beloved New York City.
Recommended for fans of Madeleine Peyroux, Stella Cole, Cyrille Aimée and Lake Street Dive.
