Pink Martini’s Return to Yavapai College Performing Arts Center

Nothing shakes off the post-holiday doldrums faster than live music from a hot band, and Yavapai College proudly welcomes a “little orchestra” with a track record of doing just that. Join us for an evening of snappy, sassy and international music when Pink Martini returns to Prescott Thursday night, January 17 at 7:30 p.m. at the Yavapai College Performing Arts Center.

Hailed as a “rollicking, around-the-world musical adventure,” Pink Martini’s 12-member performance ensemble fuses classic pop with music from all cultures. Remembered locally for their triumphant 2017 appearance at YCPAC, Pink Martini has played the most prestigious concert halls across the globe, from Carnegie Hall to London’s Albert Hall to the Sydney Opera House. They have produced nine albums, including the recent Je Dis Oui, and sold three million albums worldwide.

Pink Martini was founded in 1994, by Harvard graduate and bandleader Thomas Lauderdale. While many bands come together to pursue gold records or win Grammy awards, Pink Martini was originally formed for political expediency. Lauderdale was active in political causes in the Portland community and found the music at local rallies wanting. Drawing upon his own eclectic music background, he assembled a “little orchestra” with a versatile set list that appealed to liberals and conservatives alike. Pink Martini began by providing the soundtrack for civil rights groups and environmental fundraisers, and then their music became a cause all its own.

By circling the globe with its genre-crossing repertoire of classical, jazz and old-fashioned pop music, Pink Martini serves the double purpose of presenting American music overseas and bringing international styles back home. “We’re very much an American band, but we spend a lot of time abroad and therefore have the incredible diplomatic opportunity to represent a broader, more inclusive America,” Lauderdale says, “the America which remains the most heterogeneously populated country in the world — composed of people of every country, every language, every religion.”

Pink Martini performs Thursday, January 17, at 7:30 p.m., at Yavapai College Performing Arts Center, 1100 E. Sheldon Street in Prescott. Tickets start at $32 and can be purchased by calling the YCPAC Box Office at (928) 776.2000 or by visiting www.ycpac.com