14 Best Performing Arts in North-Central Arizona, Arizona

In August, the Cowboy Poets Gathering at Yavapai Community College brings together campfire bards and cowboy musicians from around the country.

From October through May, Chamber Music Sedona hosts a classical concert series. They also host the "Met Live in HD" opera performances and a JazzFest in April.

Many excellent art exhibitions, theatrical productions, and music performances take place at Coconino Center for the Arts under the direction of Creative Flagstaff.

This 10-day series of exhibits, activities, guided hikes, and talks in Flagstaff is a fun and interactive way to learn about current research in astronomy, geology, engineering, and biology.

Classical concerts from September to April, mostly held in Ardrey Auditorium on the NAU campus, are given by the Flagstaff Symphony Orchestra.

The town had its first organized cowboy competition in 1888 and lays claim to having the world's oldest rodeo: the annual Frontier Days roundup, held on the July 4 weekend at the Prescott Rodeo Grounds.

Classic cars and trucks, from antiques to hot rods, are on display along Route 66 in downtown Williams for two days in mid-June. Outfit your own jalopy from the auto parts swap meet set up adjacent to the show.

The 1917 Orpheum Theater, in the heart of the historic district, features music acts, films, lectures, and plays.

Prescott's popular Bluegrass Festival takes place downtown at Courthouse Plaza in June.

Musicals and dramas, plays for children, and a concert series are put on by the Prescott Center for the Arts. The association's gallery also presents rotating exhibits by local, regional, and national artists.

In addition to offering classes and workshops in all media, this center hosts the Plein Air Festival for a week in October and has a retail gallery selling works of local and regional artists. There's no sales tax, since it's a nonprofit.

This nine-day festival takes place in late February and features independent films from all over the world.

This highly regarded performance-art group produces five mainstage productions annually using a diverse base of local talent.

Performances by the Phoenix symphony are hosted by the Yavapai Symphony Association and usually held at Yavapai City College; call ahead for schedules and venues.