Opening night of the Tucson Jazz Festival arrives with a joyful, high-energy celebration of Latin jazz and salsa rooted in Tucson’s creative community and connected to musical traditions around the world. Producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Sergio Mendoza—one of Southern Arizona’s most influential Latin music voices—brings together an exceptional lineup for an evening that showcases the depth and range of this region’s sound. Joining him is the Tucson Latin Jazz Orchestra (TLJO), returning under the direction of conductor and arranger Luis Torres. First championed in the early 1990s by festival founder Yvonne Ervin, TLJO’s revival promises to fill the Rialto Theatre with the power and precision of a true Latin big band. The program also features internationally acclaimed saxophonist and flutist Justo Almario, a Colombian-born artist whose career includes performing with Duke Ellington, Mongo Santamaria, Chaka Khan, and many others. Tucson’s own Katherine Byrnes adds her voice to the night, bringing the rich, expressive style that has made her a standout collaborator with the Tucson Symphony Orchestra, Calexico, and Orkesta Mendoza. This is Tucson’s moment to shine, an evening of rhythm, improvisation, and celebration that opens the festival with heart, pride, and unmistakable local character.

An evening of stand-up, storytelling, and a cappella singing with GRAMMY-winning author, humorist, and radio personality Garrison Keillor. Presented at The Rialto Theatre. Garrison Keillor Tonight is an evening of stand-up, storytelling, audience song, and poetry. One man, one microphone. There are sung sonnets, limericks and musical jokes, and the thread that runs through it is the beauty of growing old. There is the News from Lake Wobegon, a town booming with new entrepreneurs, makers of artisanal firewood and gourmet meatloaf, breeders of composting worms, and dogs trained to do childcare. But some things endure, such as the formation of the Living Flag on Main Street, citizens in tight formation wearing red, white or blue caps, and Mr. Keillor among them, standing close to old neighbors, Myrtle Krebsbach (“Truckstop”) and Julie Christensen (“Bruno, The Fishing Dog”) and Clint Bunsen. And an a cappella sing-along with the audience singing from memory an odd medley of patriotic songs, pop standards, hymns, and ending with the national anthem.

Join Beth Goodfellow at Sunshine Wine in Tucson for an intimate evening of marimba, voice, and live-looped patterns, a performance that unfolds layer by layer in real time. Beth Goodfellow is a Tucson-based drummer, percussionist, and songwriter whose artistry spans touring, recording, and film. She has worked with artists including Iron & Wine, Julia Holter, Gaby Moreno, Madison Cunningham, Calexico, boygenius, Matt Rollings, Allison Russell, Orkesta Mendoza, Zander Schloss, Pokey LaFarge, and Lauren Monroe. Her television and film credits include performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Late Late Show with James Corden, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and a Brandi Carlile–hosted episode of The Ellen Show, as well as appearances in the Miramax film Confess, Fletch, and Sara Bareilles’ series Little Voice. This program highlights her solo work for marimba and voice, where looping marimba lines create a harmonic landscape for her lyrics and vocals. She has recently presented this material at Club Congress, Gold Diggers, and three sold-out shows in the Tucson Jazz Festival’s Secret Jazz Series. Beyond her solo work, Beth has headlined the San Joaquin Valley Jazz Festival with The Guide Trio, held a residency at Tabula Rasa in Los Angeles, and, after relocating to Tucson in 2024, formed SLANT CAN with Howe Gelb and Thøger Lund.