For the first concert of its 2024-25 season, Montalvo Arts Center is turning to a homegrown performer: Saratoga native Vienna Teng. The singer-songwriter and pianist is set to perform at Montalvo’s Carriage House Theatre on Sept. 13.
Teng, 45, who studied computer science at Stanford University and has both an MBA and a master’s degree in environmental sustainability from the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise at the University of Michigan, has married her passions with a “music x climate action” community on Patreon that she launched in 2022.
On the road, she’s started hosting workshops between concerts for audience members to share knowledge and take steps toward climate action.
Whether or not she’s on tour, being on the move seems to suit Teng, who has lived in New York City, Detroit, Boulder, CO, and Washington, DC, since leaving Saratoga.
Another Bay Area favorite opens the Carriage House season on Sept. 10-11, when the San Francisco Comedy Competition semifinals return to the Saratoga venue. From an initial lineup of more than 30 comedians, top contestants from the preliminary weeks will each perform 8- to 12-minute sets for the audience and the judges.
A former San Francisco Comedy Competition contestant takes the Carriage House stage Feb. 14, 2025. It’s unlikely that Laurie Kilmartin’s set will be aimed at Valentine’s Day dates, given that her New York Times bestseller is titled “Sh-ty Mom.”
Other comedy shows in Montalvo’s season are “Ladies of Laughter: Funny and Fabulous Tour” with Stephanie Blum and Maureen Langan on March 21, and The Second City’s 65th anniversary show on April 12.
Two women who incorporate humor into their musical performances are also on the bill for the upcoming season. Flamenco guitarist Charo will “cuchi cuchi” her way to the Carriage House Theatre on Jan. 31, and Swedish performer Gunhild Carling will literally and figuratively juggle multiple instruments on stage on May 3.
Pianist David Benoit returns on Dec. 15 for his annual “Christmas Tribute to Charlie Brown.” Other acts pay tribute to musicians and/or the cities that launched them. Jazz at Lincoln Center presents “New Orleans Songbook” on Jan. 29 with pianist Luther S. Allison and vocalists Quiana Lynell and Milton Suggs. The Ultimate Queen Celebration performs the music of Freddie Mercury and company on Feb. 15-16. Forever Simon & Garfunkel: A Tribute celebrates the best-selling duo in rock ’n’ roll history on Feb. 21, while “You’ve Got a Friend” on March 28 showcases the music of Carole King, Neil Sedaka, Lieber and Stoller, Neil Diamond and other musicians who worked out of New York City’s Brill Building in the 1950s and ’60s.
In addition to Teng, singer-songwriters set to take the stage at the Carriage House Theatre include John Hiatt (Nov. 6), Marc Cohn (Nov. 17 and Karla Bonoff (Nov. 21).
Tickets for the 2024-25 season at Montalvo’s Carriage House Theatre were set to go on sale May 21 at https://montalvoarts.org/experience/carriage-house-concerts, where the full season lineup can be viewed.
