- Safford Unified School District
- Homepage
Welcome to the David M. Player Center for the Arts!
































Purchase tickets online, at the box office (night of show), or in person at Richards Music in downtown Safford. Call (928) 348-7070 for more information.
YOUR DONATION IS APPRECIATED
-
At the David M. Player Center for the Arts, we are dedicated to the performing arts.
Your donation helps us continue a tradition of quality live entertainment and educational programs.
Please contribute to excellence in performing arts in the Gila Valley!
100% of your donation goes toward equipment, maintenance, and support of performing arts at the David M. Player Center for the Arts.
-
Full Cord
Bluegrass Band
Wednesday September 20, 2023
When it comes to movers and shakers in the bluegrass world, Full Cord is a super group on the rise. After winning the prestigious 2022 Telluride Bluegrass Band Competition in Colorado, the Michigan based group followed that with another much coveted honor when the International Bluegrass Music Association named Full Cord its “Momentum Award Band of the Year.” While mandolinist Brian Oberlin notes the band’s music “is new and fresh to the ears of seasoned bluegrass fans,” the bluegrass traditions in Full Cord have deep roots. The group’s members – Oberlin, guitarist Eric Langejans, bassist Todd Kirchner and fiddler Grant Flick – boast decades of musical artistry, with experience in popular performing bands from Michigan to Oregon. With the recent addition of award-winning, Colorado banjoist Ricky Mier, Full Cord is poised to take the next step in its journey as a blue grass powerhouse.
-
Mirari Brass Quintet
Wednesday November 15, 2023
Engaging and eclectic, the Mirari Brass Quintet brings a spirit of joyful collaboration and innovation to music spanning many centuries and genres. The commissioners of multiple new works for brass, the group performs a spectacular tight rope act, balancing intensity with levity and refined virtuosity with pure fun. Founded in 2009, Mirari has performed extensively across the United States, forging connections with audiences through lively and polished performances. In addition to being outstanding performers, the members of the Mirari Brass Quintet share a big passion for music education and are all collegiate professors of music. The group relishes and seeks out extended time to interact with young musicians in masterclasses, group and individual instruction, presenting clinics on brass fundamentals and the art of chamber performance. As a central tenet of the group, and by their name’s definition, all Mirari members share an admiration and respect for each other not only on stage and in music, but also in friendship.
-
Mariachi Garibaldi De Jaime Cuellar
Wednesday February 7, 2024
Originally from Bakersfield, California, Jimmy Cuellar began his mariachi career as a teenager alongside his father Jaime Cuellar and was a founding member of Mariachi Garibaldi de Jaime Cuellar. Jimmy’s extensive skills on the violin, guitarron, vihuela, guitar and guitarra de golpe, secured him a ten-year tenure with Mariachi Los Camperos de Nati Cano. In subsequent years, Jimmy accompanied well-known Latin recording artists Yolanda del Rio, Mercedes Castro, Humberto Herrera, Lila Downs, Vikki Carr, Aida Cuevas, Eugenia Leon, and Jose Feliciano. Composer, arranger and three-time Grammy Award Winner, Mr. Cuellar understands the importance of education. Having received his B.A. from California State University, Jimmy decided to continue his musical education at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas pursuing a Masters in Music Composition. His talents as an educator as well as nationally-regarded expert in the genre have earned Jimmy a yearly seat as an adjudicator for the Mariachi Competition held in Texas.
-
Quarteto Nuevo
Wednesday March 6, 2024
Quarteto Nuevo merges western classical, eastern European folk, Latin and jazz with an organic feel that packs a wallop! Their diverse programs can be tailored to fit anywhere, from an intimate chamber music venue to a large outdoor festival. The ensemble’s razor-sharp precision is enhanced by jazzy interludes, lightly rumbling percussion motifs and mesmerizing rhythms. They effectively meld the music of ancient worlds and faraway places with a contemporary groove that enchants audiences of all ages! Winners of the Beverly Hills National Auditions, Quarteto’s master musicians create emotionally charged soundscapes with instruments and sensibilities that represent very different world cultures. Their unique instrumentation richly colors their wide-ranging repertoire, from Heitor Villa-Lobos’ “Bachianas Brasileiras” and Chick Corea’s “Children’s Song No. 6” to Traditional Macedonian “Gadjarsko” and original works “Hector, Desmond and Titus”, “Rain Song” and “Dizer O Que”.
SAFFORD SCHOOLS MUSIC & ELEMENTARY PROGRAMS
-
All SUSD PROGRAMS AND CONCERTS BEGIN AT 6:30PM (*UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)
ALL SUSD EVENING PERFORMANCES REQUIRE PURCHASED TICKET (*UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED)
ALL SUSD MORNING PERFORMANCES REQUIRE SCHOOL OFFICE PASS (*PASSES ONLY AVAILABLE AT EACH SCHOOL OFFICE)
-
SUSD School Performances
SUSD Orchestras (5th - 12th Grades)
Thursday December 14, 2023 - Combined with SUSD Bands
Tuesday May 14, 2024
SUSD Bands (6th - 12th Grades)
Thursday December 14, 2023 - Combined with SUSD Orchestras
Wednesday May 15, 2024
Elementary Schools
Dorothy Stinson School
Tuesday November 7, 2023
Wednesday December 20, 2023
Thursday February 29, 2024
Tuesday May 7, 2024
Kinder Concert Tuesday May 21, 2024 - 10AM
Lafe Nelson School
Wednesday November 8, 2023
Tuesday December 19, 2023
Wednesday February 28, 2024
Monday May 6, 2024
Kinder Concert Monday May 20, 2024 - 1PM
Ruth Powell School
Monday November 6, 2023
Thursday December 21, 2023
Tuesday February 27, 2024
Wednesday May 8, 2024
Kinder Concert Monday May 20, 2024 - 10AM
Safford Middle School
Choir - November 13, 2023
Instrumental - November 21, 2023
Instrumental - March 7, 2024
Choir - April 17, 2024
8th Grade Promotion - May 22, 2024 - 11AM (*Ticket Required - Allocated to Promoting Student)
Safford High School
Dance - October 20, 2023
Choir - October 24, 2023
Orchestra - October 26, 2023
Orchestra Recitals - November 9, 2023 - 6PM, 7:30PM (*NO TICKET REQUIRED)
Dance - December 1, 2023
SHS Music Department - December 12, 2023
SHS Music Department - February 1, 2024
Dance - April 5, 2024
SHS Piano Class - April 23, 2024 - 6pm, 7PM (*NO TICKET REQUIRED)
Choir (SHS & SMS) - May 13, 2024
Senior Honors Night - May 16, 2024 (*Ticket Required - Allocated to Graduate)
Mt. Graham High School
Honors Assembly - May 16, 2024 - 10:30AM