St. Croix Valley Opera presents Cabaret Night at The Phipps! On the Funny Side: The Songbook Laughs
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Date and Time
Saturday Apr 11, 2026
7:00 PM - 9:00 PM CDT
Saturday, April 11, 2026
7:00 pm
Location
The Phipps Center for the Arts
109 Locust St, Hudson, WI 54016
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Fees/Admission
Tickets $20-$32
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Website
Contact Information
Phipps Center for the Arts
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Description
On the Funny Side: The Songbook Laughs
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Saturday, April 11, 2026
7:00 PM
The Phipps Center for the Arts, Hudson, WI
Featuring all the comic flavors to be found in classic pop and jazz, this show covers the gamut from Mel Brooks to Tom Lehrer, the wit of Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter, Frank Loesser and Noel Coward. Maud Hixson and Rick Carlson find the funny bones in the Great American Songbook. Hosted by Jennifer Eckes.
Maud Hixson
Hailed as “gently virtuosic” (All About Jazz), Maud Hixson is a devoted exponent of great songs, ranging from the classic Great American Songbook to the often unsung or forgotten compositions awaiting rediscovery. Based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Maud made her Guthrie Theater debut in the Noel Coward revue Coward’s Women, also appearing in Park Square Theater’s The Soul of Gershwin. She teamed with Sir Richard Rodney Bennett in 2012 for the long-running Midtown Jazz at Midday concert series at Saint Peter’s and debuted her show Skyscraper Wits in London and New York in 2015. She has made three appearances at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Hall for the New York Cabaret Convention, presented by the Mabel Mercer Foundation. Maud received a Next Step Grant from the McKnight Foundation in 2015 and is the recipient of four Artist Initiative grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board, one of which supported the research for her album comprised of compositions by Broadway composer Michael (Mickey) Leonard. Permanent Moonlight: Songs of Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, earned a 2024 Bistro Award. Her newest recording, When Winter Comes, was released in 2025.
Rick Carlson
Rick Carlson taught himself to play the piano by studying the vast works of Count Basie and Duke Ellington and capitalizing on a long string of happy accidents. He has also perfected the art of “circular drinking”, whereby he can sip martinis uninterrupted while still playing a cohesive piano solo.
He has been the pianist for the Wolverines Big Band since 1980. He has performed on concert stages in London and New York City, and has appeared with Count Basie drummer Butch Miles, horn stars Warren Vaché, Delfeayo Marsalis, Evan Christopher and Wycliffe Gordon.
His credits as musical director, arranger and pianist include the Guthrie Theater presentation of “Coward’s Women”, the Capri Theater “Legends Series” and in various concert and cabaret presentations internationally. He once opened for Rosemary Clooney, accompanied Kathryn Crosby in various cabaret shows, and counts Madeleine Peyroux among his many unwitting fans.
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