Ballet Hispánico New York. Photo by Rachel Neville
The Wortham Center for the Performing Arts is bringing a lineup of internationally acclaimed artists, beloved traditions and family-friendly entertainment to the region with its 2026–27 season. The season also includes workshops, masterclasses and educational programming designed to deepen connections between artists and the community.
The season opens on Saturday, September 19, with Mike Super: Magic & Illusion, an interactive performance combining grand-scale illusions, audience participation and comedy.
“This is a totally new show taken to a higher level than the last performance,” says Super. “We will be doing some brand-new illusions that create a bigger and better magical experience. I always have a very heavy level of audience involvement. That changes things every performance. I never know what people will do; it almost becomes like an improv comedy skit.”
The lineup continues with artists and ensembles from around the world, including Nordic folk trio Stundom, contemporary dance company New Dialect, the return of The Comedy Zone series, Dorrance Dance, Dallas Brass, and the annual holiday tradition A Swannanoa Solstice.
Winter and spring performances include Hymn to Love by Yael Rasooly, Blair Crimmins & The Hookers, Ballet Hispánico New York, Old Blind Dogs, Cheyenne Jackson, The String Queens, Manual Cinema’s The 4th Witch, The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain, Shayna Steele and NoGravity Theatre.
The Sister Moon Project: Celebrating the Music of Sting & The Police comes to Wortham on Thursday, November 5. The performance features saxophonist Grace Kelly, vocalist Chrissi Poland and the Christian Tamburr Quartet performing jazz-inspired interpretations of Sting’s catalog.
“The Sister Moon Project celebrates my lifelong love of Sting’s extraordinary songwriting,” says bandleader and pianist Christian Tamburr. “It’s been a blast reimagining his iconic melodies and lyrics through the improvisational and global influences of jazz, a natural connection given his history of collaborating with jazz greats like Branford Marsalis, Kenny Kirkland and Christian McBride.”
Because the project has not yet been recorded, Tamburr says every live performance helps shape what comes next.
“Right now the only way to experience The Sister Moon Project is live and that makes these performances especially exciting,” says Tamburr. “The audience’s energy and reaction are becoming part of how we shape the songs before heading into the studio, giving them a unique opportunity to experience and even influence the evolution of the project in real time.”
Beyond the mainstage performances, Wortham will continue its Kirk & Lucy Borland Student Series, bringing nationally touring productions and arts education experiences to thousands of students across Western North Carolina. Need-based scholarships remain available through the Arts for All Kids program.
Tickets for the new season are on sale now. The Wortham Center for the Performing Arts is located at 18 Biltmore Avenue in downtown Asheville. To learn more, visit WorthamArts.org or call 828.257.4530.
