Live music lovers can now purchase a subscription to the popular Starrlight Jazz Club and the new Songbook Salon Series for the 2026-2027 season at Walton Arts Center. All performances for both series are at 7:30 pm in Starr Theater, an intimate setting that gives live music fans a unique musical experience.
Subscribers keep their same seat for all shows in the series and save 10% on tiered seating. Subscriptions can be purchased by calling 479.443.5600, by visiting waltonartscenter.org or in-person at box office weekdays 10 am until 2 pm. Single tickets to all these performances will go on sale later this summer.
Songbook Salon
Curated by pianist and singer Champian Fulton, Songbook Salon is a new concert series that pays homage to the Great American Songbook performed exclusively by world-class vocalists. Each intimate evening will unfold in an atmosphere of elegance, where notes of Porter, Gershwin, Berlin and Ellington will come alive. All-in subscriptions are $170 for cabaret seating and $101 for tiered seating.
From Cole Porter to Bob Dylan featuring Isabella Isherwood
Thursday, Sept. 10, 7:30 pm
Chicago-based pianist, singer and actor Isabella Isherwood is known for her vast and impeccable vocal range. “Thrilling low notes, a middle register that resonates warmth and ghostly obbligatos to enhance an arrangement,” says critic Neil Tesser, make for a delightful exploration of the jazz genre and beyond. Fresh off her debut album The Sweetest Sounds released this year, this emerging talent brings jazz standards and favorite tunes to life.
Flying High: Big Band Canaries Who Soared featuring Champian Fulton Trio
Saturday, March 13, 7:30 pm
Billie Holiday, Anita O’Day, Lena Horne, Peggy Lee, Jo Stafford, Rosemary Clooney, Ella Fitzgerald and others. Early in their careers, they were “canaries”—women singing with the great Big Bands of the era. And they all went on to solo careers where they developed their own sound and style. Fulton and her trio will celebrate the styles, sounds and music made famous by these jazz canaries once they spread their wings!
Let’s Be Frank: Celebrating the Frank Sinatra Small Group Songbook featuring Sachal Vasandani & The Christian Tamburr Trio
Thursday, May 6, 7:30 pm
Thoroughly rooted in jazz, award-winning vocalist Sachal Vasandani has the swagger to front the most swinging big bands and the vulnerability to present definitive classic ballads in a trio. With fresh new arrangements by pianist Christian Tamburr, Vasandani leads us through the rare styling of Sinatra with a small group, which includes music broadcast between 1953-1955 on his radio show “To Be Perfectly Frank,” late ‘40s sides for Columbia and the 1959 Live in Australia recording with the Red Norvo Quintet.
Starrlight Jazz Club
The accomplished artists in our 2026-27 Starrlight Jazz Club are known for lending their skills to award-winning projects and for pioneering their unique takes on the jazz genre. Experience the exhilaration of live jazz performed in the intimate ambiance it deserves with cabaret-style seating. All-in subscriptions are $285 for cabaret seating and $170 for tiered seating.
Matthew Whitaker Trio
Saturday, Sept. 12, 7:30 pm
Coming off of a 2026 Grammy® win for best instrumental arrangement of “Super Mario Praise Break,” Matthew Whitaker is just getting started. A recipient of three ASCAP Foundation Herb Alpert Young Jazz Composers Awards, Whitaker began his musical career at the age of three and since graduated from The Julliard School. He has already composed for television and film, released four studio albums and collaborated on projects with Jon Batiste, Christian McBride, Regina Carter, Anderson Paak, just to name a few.
Simon Moullier Trio with Alex Claffey and Steve Pruitt
Friday, Oct. 2, 7:30 pm
Grammy-winning vibraphonist, composer and arranger Simon Moullier is known for his entirely new approach and sound on his instrument, distinguishing himself as one of the leading voices of his generation. "His music is fresh. Never heard anyone play vibes like that before,” says Herbie Hancock, who mentored Moullier along with Quincy Jones, Wayne Shorter and Darren Barrett at the Thelonious Monk Institute. Moullier will be joined onstage with Alex Claffy on double bass and Steven Pruitt on drums.
Huntertones
Friday, Jan. 15, 7:30 pm
This dynamic, horn-driven band blends jazz, funk and soul with a sharp, contemporary edge. Their signature three-horn frontline, bold arrangements and an irresistible sense of groove, have earned them a reputation for high-energy performances that feel both deeply musical and wildly fun. Their collaborative spirit shines on work with Lake Street Dive, SuperBlue, O.A.R. among others, and this show highlights their unmistakable blend of creativity, connection and improvisation.
Noah Preminger Quartet
Saturday, Feb. 20, 7:30 pm
Of Brooklyn-based saxophonist Noah Preminger, The New York Times declares “Preminger designs a different kind of sound for each note, an individual destiny and story.” A master of standards and ballads, Preminger has recorded more than 12 critically acclaimed albums and performed all over the world with Fred Hersch, Joe Lovano, John and Bucky Pizzarelli and Roscoe Mitchell. The quartet, which will play both from Preminger’s albums and a selection from the Great American Songbook, is rounded out by Julian Shore on piano, Kim Cass on bass and Terreon Gully on drums.
Edward Simon Trio
Friday, April 23, 7:30 pm
Edward Simon, a native of Venezuela, is among the strongest pianists of his generation. With his trio, he continues to explore the commonalities jazz can have with the folkloric sounds of Latin America. His 2016 album Latin American Songbook, with the four-and-a-half-star DownBeat review praising its “grand and sophisticated” sound, won Simon an NAACP image award for outstanding jazz album. The New York Timeshas praised Simon’s “light, warm touch” as a pianist, while Jazz Journal International singled out “his deep emotional statements” as a composer and improviser.
