Eliades Ochoa
Thursday, March 7
7:30pm
Capitol Theater
$40 - $60
Age Recommendation
6+
Eliades Ochoa, a famed Buena Vista Social Club member, coaxes the sounds of Cuba from his guitar. His songs from the school of life are imbued with the sort of hard-earned, country-tinged wisdom that can’t be bought. You don’t have to look or listen too hard to understand why he’s called "Cuba’s Johnny Cash."
Make Your Own Subscription
Save up to 20% on tickets!
Choose three or more Overture Presents shows to build a Make Your Own Subscription and save up to 20% on tickets!
We also offer Broadway at Overture, Cabaret, Up Close, Changemakers and Duck Soup Cinema packages.
Photos
Meet the Artist
Eliades Ochoa
Eliades Ochoa is one of the most important Cuban soneros of all time; a notable defender of traditional Cuban music and the best guitarist of his generation. He is one of the stars of the historic album "Buena Vista Social Club," which is now celebrating 25 years, with his memorable interpretations of "Chan Chan" and "El Cuarto de Tula."
The story Ochoa relates on Guajiro, his new album, began in the rural province of Santiago de Cuba in eastern Cuba, where he was born in 1946 into a family of farmers and musicians. By the age of six he was playing the guitar and its uniquely ringing, Cuban variant known as the tres. When he was 12 the family moved to Santiago, a friendly, slow-paced city which prides itself in rivalling Havana as the musical capital of the island and is famous as the birthplace of several of Cuba’s best-loved rhythms, including son. It is on this rich heritage that Eliades’ music has always drawn and by his mid-teens he was a familiar figure singing and playing guitar in the bars of Santiago. By the early 1970s he was a regular at the Casa de la Trova, one of Cuba’s most famous music clubs and still a favourite port of call on the itinerary of international tourists. Eliades played there as a member of Quinteto Oriente and with Septeto Tipico before he took over the leadership of the renowned Cuarteto Patria in 1978.
By the time he joined the Buena Vista Social Club sessions, he had been leading Cuarteto Patria for 18 years and had supervised the recording of the group’s first two albums. Away from the group, in 1986, he had also made the first recording of “Chan Chan” with Compay Segundo - the song the pair of them would revive together a decade later as the atmospheric opening track of the Buena Vista Social Club album.
He has collaborated with icons of international music such as Manu Dibango, Charlie Musselwhite, Ry Cooder or Toumani Diabate among others and has been claimed by contemporary Spanish musicians such as Bunbury and more recently C. Tangana.
Thank you to our Overture Presents sponsors
-
Title Partner
-
Title Partner
-
Community Partner -
Leading Partner
-
Leading Partner
Supporting Partners
-
-
-
-
-
-
Charles & Barbara Saeman
-
Jeff & Tiffany Mack
Upcoming Music Events
-
April 4
Saturday
2025/26 Season, Music, Overture Presents, Theater An Evening with Audra McDonald
Overture Hall
Overture Center is honored to welcome the incomparable Audra McDonald to Madison for an unforgettable evening of music and artistry. The Tony, Grammy and Emmy winner stands alone as one of the most celebrated performers of our time.
7:30 PM -
April 10 - April 12
Classical Music, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Music LA Guitar Quartet
Overture Hall
Peruvian composer Jimmy López’s “Fiesta! Four Pop Dances for Orchestra” is a vibrant and exhilarating celebration of life, culture and happiness. Filled with pulsating rhythms, bold colors and infectious energy, it draws from the rich traditions of Latin American music and ends with a blazing techno finale.
Multiple Showtimes -
April 11
Saturday
Dance, Family Friendly, Free Events, Kids in the Rotunda, Music Limanya Drum and Dance
Rotunda Stage
Performing traditional music from Guinea and Mali, West Africa, Limanya Drum and Dance Ensemble incorporates song, dance, drum and theater into high-energy entertainment for all audiences.
Multiple Showtimes -
April 17
Friday
Classical Music, Music, Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra Masterworks V - Schumann in Spring
Capitol Theater
Closing the 2025/26 Masterworks season is an evening of works known for their virtuosic demands and lush expressive beauty.
7:30 PM -
April 17
Friday
Classic Rock, Family Friendly, Music, Popular Music The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight
Overture Hall
The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight presents a spellbinding 90-minute spectacle that infuses iconic rock and metal anthems with a hauntingly beautiful energy. Witness the unexpected union of classical music and metal.
8:00 PM -
April 18
Saturday
Dance, Family Friendly, Free Events, Kids in the Rotunda, Music Duke Otherwise
Rotunda Stage
Don’t miss the wildly entertaining Duke Otherwise! This playful wordsmith, spirited performer and captivating tap dancer brings music and laughter to audiences of all ages.
Multiple Showtimes -
April 23
Thursday
2025/26 Season, Cabaret, Music, Overture Presents Patti Murin: Once Upon a Stage
Capitol Theater Stage
Broadway star Patti Murin invites you on a journey through the music that has shaped her illustrious career. Murin brings her signature warmth, themes of love, resilience and the power of dreams—weaving in heartfelt reflections on motherhood and its impact on her life and artistry.
6:30 PM -
April 24 - April 26
Classical Music, Madison Opera, Music, Theater Così fan tutte
Overture Hall
Two sisters, two suitors and a drunken wager about the nature of fidelity—what could possibly go wrong? Mozart’s deliciously risqué romantic comedy is full of sublime arias, sparkling ensembles and the complications that ensue when young love and flirtation encounter reality.
Multiple Showtimes -
April 24
Friday
2025/26 Season, Music, Overture Presents, Up Close Llewellyn Sanchez-Werner
Capitol Theater Stage
Hailed as a “gifted virtuoso” (San Francisco Chronicle) with “masterful technique and a veritable deluge of sonorities” (La Presse Montreal), pianist Llewellyn Sánchez-Werner captivates audiences worldwide with his mesmerizing artistry and profound musical storytelling.
8:00 PM -
April 25
Saturday
Family Friendly, Free Events, Kids in the Rotunda, Music Lullaby Project
Rotunda Stage
Join local musicians and teaching artists for a very special day of sharing songs created for the little ones in your life.
Multiple Showtimes -
April 25
Saturday
2025/26 Season, Music, Overture Presents, Popular Music Take 6
Capitol Theater
Experience the genius of Take 6, the most awarded a cappella group in history! Don’t miss the extraordinary vocal orchestra that continues to amaze audiences with their enduring legacy of harmony, faith and friendship.
7:30 PM -
May 1
Friday
Music The MadHatters A Cappella Spring Show
Capitol Theater
With their unmistakable attire in their Wisconsin red jackets, the MadHatters A Capella Spring Show brings everyone together to clap their hands and stomp to the beat.
7:00 PM -
May 1 - May 3
Classical Music, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Music Voices Eternal
Overture Hall
Our reimagined subscription season finale created by John DeMain is an uplifting program bringing to life moments from the MSO’s history, intimate connections to the world of opera, and highlights from his transformational tenure as Music Director. He opens the concert with Wagner’s glorious Prelude to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, played by the Madison Civic Symphony in 1926.
Multiple Showtimes -
June 13 - June 14
Classical Music, Free Events, Madison Symphony Orchestra, Music A Community Gift and Dream — for the Love of Music
During this free, two-day festival celebration, MSO musicians and diverse community groups will perform on a rotating schedule throughout Overture Center for the Arts. The Sunday concert features some of the “greatest hits” of classical music and will be the final concert Maestro John DeMain conducts as Music Director.
Multiple Showtimes -
August 25
Tuesday
2025/26 Season, Music Bonnie Raitt: Live 2026
Overture Hall
Bonnie Raitt returns to Overture Center with her acclaimed tour “Bonnie Rait: Live 2026,” bringing one of the most celebrated voices in American music back to Madison.
7:30 PM