I recently hired Margaret and her quartet for a clients holiday party. I did a lot of research to…read morefind the best for for my clients needs. Margaret and her team were amazing! They were very professional and even arrived early to make sure set up went smoothly. They had so much wonderful holiday music! It was absolutely beautiful! They even played music requested by the guests. I have permanently put Arundel Ensemble in my book of referrals for all my clients. Throughly impressed and would not hesitate to hire Margaret and her team again!

Amazing group of musicians! Hired them for our corporate event and they made it incredibly special…read more Everyone complemented how lovely and professional they were. A must hire for your event or any special gathering !

Free Night of Theater is a movement that is offered in 120 US cities including Austin, Texas…read more Every October most of the local theaters offer up tickets absolutely free for performances. The goal is to introduce people to theaters they have never been to before. If you want these tickets, sign up for their email list. Pay close attention to the time and day they become available as tickets go very quickly, often in as little as an hour. A variety of types of theater including comedy and musical theater are included. I've attended performances for the past four years and all have been fun and it has introduced me to a number of lesser known venues and performing groups (the large, well-known theaters such as the Zach Scott also participate).

Our kids have been attending act summer camps for five years now and with two younger kiddos, we…read morewill be a part of this "family" for many years to come. Our kids enjoy each and every week of these camps every year. Act does an amazing job at taking a child's natural creativity and intelligence and helping them fine tune it and turn it into something amazing. I've seen kids write entertaining plays, films and songs and create fantastic works of art that are gallery-worthy! I'm always astounded when I show up on the final day each week for the presentation. The best part is that our kids come home each day a little tired a little dirty and always happy and excited to tell us about their day. Act also does a great job helping kids learn kindness, conflict resolution and these lessons come home with them. We love act, the staff and everything about their summer camps. I highly recommend them!

My Kiddos attended summer camp here and had a blast! I always get anxious when sending them to a…read morenew camp, but the staff made them feel very welcome! They had a really great week, and we will be back again next summer!

We love this steel drums band. Their style is perfect for any summer events. Our wedding guests…read moreloved the idea of a steel drums band during the cocktail hour. The band satisfied a song we had specially requested. We have known and followed them for a long time. We always enjoy their performances and really wanted them on our wedding. Their 4 people ensemble of professionals have been mastering the steel drums for years and it really shows.

Musical Discovery truly elevated our wedding ceremony with their exquisite performance, creating an…read moreatmosphere of elegance and emotion that resonated with every guest. We received many compliments about the trio from our guests.

These musicians are truly so talented and professional. We hired the string quartet to play for our…read morewedding ceremony and they played so beautifully and kept to the type of music we requested. I (as the bride) unfortunately only got to hear a selection of what they played but we received tons of compliments on how beautiful the music was leading into the ceremony. It was especially nice as we were slightly delayed in getting started. Would highly recommend these musicians for anyone interested in adding that extra romantic feel to their ceremony!!

Contemporary. Artsy. A metaphorical performance is what I would call "Austin is a Place (You Are…read moreHere)." Although this play wasn't my in my taste (by no means the performer's faults), I felt that the cast poured their hearts and souls into making even a self-proclaimed Yelp! critic like myself enjoy their evening. I will continue to purchase tickets to the performing arts in Austin regardless of whether or not I actually enjoyed the play, however, because I feel that this (art) is what makes Austin what it is. That, and it keeps me from falling into the depths of Hell's modern day entertainment known as reality TV. The theatre is located in a GIGANTIC pink building in the "not-so-greater" part of Austin. You would never have known it existed if it weren't for the small sign in the window. The theatre shares their space connected to a bingo hall (which was 100% SMOKING indoors) and was all about the size of a mini grocery store inside. The waiting area was much like a Pinterest DIY project (but I loved it). The staff friendly. The theatre area - not so great. A variety of mismatched, folding metal chairs to sit on; no air circulation (cue the cigarette smoke from next door); and no stage. What can I really expect though for two tickets that costed only $15? The setting: Just a pile of dirt, shovels, enough shoes to keep the homeless satisfied for the next five years.... AND THE PERFORMERS GIVING IT THEIR ALL. Each cast member had a particular "something" about them that I really enjoyed. Noted especially in the main three: the Irish girl, the Native American, and the Black female. I'm unsure from the program hand-out who is who... but these were the ones that I took to the most. While the seating was a bit uncomfy, the atmosphere hot and smoky, and not knowing what the heck was going on for the first 20 minutes of the show (at least), I'd still come for another performance.

Its as close to the best of Off Broadway as you will get.If you want to see a really good play with…read morefine acting and great directing go to "Jacobs Ladder" at the George Carver Museum put on by the Theatre En Bloc company. Was getting so tired of going to see poorly acted/staged/directed plays in Austin and yearning for something even close to decent. "Jacob's Ladder" meets and exceeds expectations.Only one more weekend from what they said and every house should be packed for this production. I will be excited to see what else this company has up their sleeves!

PART TWO: OK, I'm…read moredone with my "rant" (sorry, I was "born this way"; oops, wrong artist), time to focus on the actual show. Steve Vai was simply AMAZING! I don't think he's capable of putting on a bad show. I bought my ticket well in advance, & still wish I'd done it sooner. I was in the Orchestra, about 15 rows back. Show was at the PARAMOUNT THEATER. What a JUXTAPOSITION! Opened in 1915, The Paramount harkens back to an even earlier period, somewhere in the 19th Century. Contrast that with some of the most technically advanced music of OUR age, & it blows the mind! Man, if the original architects could see it now, completely restored, still every bit the JEWEL of Downtown Austin as it was, "back in the day". Pick out something YOU like, and GO! Find yourself a REASON to get inside the building! I've seen everyone from the late Carlos Montoya to Pat Metheny, & many others. Folks were SHORTER 100 years ago; I'm "average" height (6'1"), & the Balcony seats are cramped, but ONLY from there can ya truly appreciate the ornate GRANDEUR of the scroll work surrounding the Stage, from top to bottom. A modern movie theater is made from tilted concrete walls, & has no soul. The Paramount Theater's truly a SHRINE to the Arts. In our clamor for "progress", we've lost something. I'll cover the Paramount more on its own page, but I had ta digress; back to "Little Stevie Vai" (what a NICE little boy!). NO elaborate light show, NO costuming (well, there was the one "alien?" suit he wore). NO GIMMICKS! It's all about the MUSIC. Let's make sure EVERYONE gets their just due. The main members of the Band for "The Story of Light" tour include: BASS: Philip Bynoe GUITAR: Dave Weiner DRUMS: Jeremy Colson And a few supporting members whose names I don't know; sorry. Much (but not all) of Steve's music is complicated, poly-rhythmic, in odd time signatures, & maybe not "accessible" for the "GAP" (definition in Part One). It's difficult to classify what "genre" it is; I guess "fusion" would come the closest, but that label seems to conjure up images of Avant Garde Jazz. Steve Vai is NOT Jazz. You just have to hear for yourself; you'll either hate it, or you will LOVE it. And apparently, younger folks are fans too; there were TONS of twenty-&-thirty-something's there! He might not be the biggest "draw" in the Industry, but the age range is an indication folks will be listening to Steve Vai for a LONG time. Most of the show (as usual) was instrumental. Steve's got quite a bit of solo material, but many (including me) think "Passion and Warfare" is one of his best albums. Accordingly, the songs in this work are ALWAYS a major part of his shows. The climax of the concert (though not the end) is "For the Love of God". Also from "Passion", there's "The Audience Is Listening", a depiction of a "show and tell" from yer Grammar School days, with his ACTUAL childhood teacher, Nancy Fagan, pleading, BEGGING him to turn it down ("boys, it's getting too LOUD."). I mean, he warned her ("Just wanna warn ya; it's gonna be LOUD"). The song is re-enacted live, compete with Nancy's (recorded) voice. That's another thing about Steve: his humor. He's a virtuoso, but he doesn't take himself too seriously, or seriously AT ALL, really. None of the "angst" with which too many Jazz musicians are afflicted. The music will play to your intellect, but you'll also LAUGH YOUR ASS OFF! As always, there's an acoustic set, & Steve is just as mesmerizing doing "Wooden Music" as on Electric. He brought up a coupla audience members, to "write" a song for the band. He'd have them sing or "beat box" lil' parts, and "build" the song by adding each part, one at a time. But we need someone else, to complete the picture; we need (Steve's words here, I'll not argue): "The BEST guitarist in the World!" Well, we ARE in Austin, right? Can ya see where this is going? Who should walk onstage but ERIC JOHNSON! Now, I've seen Steve before, and Eric sat in that time too. So, at a certain point, I knew what was coming, but that didn't make it any less COOL. Of course, they played with Joe Satriani, in G3; I believe they were the FIRST to tour with him under that name (saw that too, at AMH). Of course, there's the obligatory Encore, & afterwards, possibly the nicest, most sincere "Thank You" to the audience I ever heard. Steve loves coming to Austin, as do many other artists, so we sometimes get that EXTRA special show the rest of the Country doesn't (like Eric Johnson stoppin' by). But Steve's got other friends in Austin as well (Terry Bozzio, for one), so I know when he talks about loving Austin, he really MEANS it! All in all, a GREAT SHOW! Again, I encourage you to at least check out "Passion and Warfare", and you'll see why I'm so enthusiastic about Steve Vai. I'd ask ya to go check him out, but by now, he's in S. America, on the next leg of his tour, so ya missed out. larrythediner .

Found this via Fever app and what a great experience! I got the VIP ticket which gave you and extra…read more30 min with the magicians and got to see them work up close and personal. They set up was pretty cozy with couches up front and then chairs/booths behind. Not a big venue which helps make sure everyone can see and gets to participate. There were several ticks I just could not believe how they did them. Everyone, EVERYONE was shocked! Learned that the magicians rotate sooo you may have opportunity to see different ones based on when you go. Highly recommend to catch this while they are hosting, I'll be back by the end of their tenure.