Highlighting its multimillion-dollar economic footprint, an expansive multi-genre lineup, and a major push toward advanced venue accessibility, the Allied Solutions Center for the Performing Arts has unveiled a robust schedule of 74 performances for its upcoming season.
Flanked by the addition of two brand-new offerings — the JPMorganChase Spotlight Series and the Studio M Tribute Series — the upcoming schedule arrives alongside structural and technical upgrades designed to push the campus far beyond standard baseline accessibility codes.
In a recent interview, Allied Solutions Center President and CEO Jeff McDermott detailed a few of his personal programmatic highlights and the organization’s evolving mission as a nonprofit.
A Lineup for the Ages
While the 74-show lineup offers nearly a dozen genres, McDermott leaned heavily into personal nostalgia when discussing the pop-rock and legacy acts heading to the Payne & Mencias Palladium.
“I’m a kid of the ’60s and ’70s … Love The Monkees,” McDermott said, highlighting the booking of Micky Dolenz. “He is the last surviving Monkee. He puts on a great show. You think of Davy Jones as the lead singer of The Monkees, which he was. But Micky Dolenz was also a lead singer on a lot of their songs.”
McDermott expressed similar reverence for another mid-century icon. “Mavis Staples. I mean, she’s just iconic.”
Even when stepping outside his primary areas of musical expertise, McDermott noted the sheer gravity of the talent secured for the classical and songbook rosters, including the return of legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman.
“I have to admit, I’m not a classical connoisseur,” McDermott said. “I really enjoy it and Itzhak Perlman is the greatest living violinist, I think, undisputed in the world. He’ll be back with us. And then John Malkovich will be coming with the Vienna Academy Orchestra.”
The center’s newly minted Tribute Series will feature top-tier legacy acts honoring Paul McCartney, Michael Jackson and Billy Joel. This packaging follows the success of a recent, sold-out tribute to the Electric Light Orchestra by EVIL WOMAN – The American ELO that drew a crowd composed of an estimated 75% first-time visitors to the hall.
A Personal Connection to Hoosiers
One of the definitive highlights of the new Spotlight Series carries an intimate, behind-the-scenes connection for the executive. The center will host a 40th anniversary screening of the iconic sports film “Hoosiers,” capped by a live panel discussion with the film’s writer, director and members of the cast.
“The one maybe I’m most excited about, and this has a little bit of a personal history with me, is the screening of ‘Hoosiers,'” McDermott revealed. “As luck would have it, my son-in-law, his stepfather, is Maris Valainis. And Maris Valainis played Jimmy Chitwood in the movie ‘Hoosiers.’ So, Maris and I are in-laws.”
The anniversary event grew directly out of casual conversation.
“This all started with a discussion between Maris and me about, ‘Hey, wouldn’t this be kind of a cool thing to do?’ And then we realized it’s the 40th anniversary,” McDermott said. “And Maris said, ‘Well, you know, if you want to do a screening of it, I can probably get some of the guys together.’ And so, he’s bringing back one of the players, Brad Long, who played Buddy Walker in the movie. And he’s also bringing in the screenwriter Angelo Pizzo and the director of the movie, David Anspaugh, for a talkback.”
Series Traditions … Old and New
The center’s Encore and Holiday series will see the return of high-profile artists who have developed deep ties to the Carmel community. McDermott called securing R&B legend Gladys Knight and singer-songwriter Ben Folds a major victory for the campus.
“On our Encore Series, we’re bringing Gladys Knight back. I’m really looking forward to that,” McDermott said. “Ben Folds is coming back and will be in the Encore Series. Ben’s great. And just one of my favorite performers. Funny, talented, great songs, great storytelling.”
The Holiday Series is tracking to be the center’s “best ever,” featuring traditional staples like Dave Koz, Jon McLaughlin and Big Bad Voodoo Daddy alongside major returns and unique scheduling pivots. Notably, the center convinced its own artistic director and multi-Grammy nominee Michael Feinstein to bypass his usual winter residencies to perform at the Palladium for the holidays.
“Michael Feinstein for the first time is going to do a holiday performance,” McDermott said. “He typically is in New York but we’ve convinced him to do a holiday show here.”
Broadway star Leslie Odom Jr. and vocal trio Girl Name Tom will also return for festive performances. “Leslie Odom Jr. blew us away when he was here the first time. I’m so excited to have him back for a holiday show,” McDermott noted. “And then Girl Name Tom, who, when they were here, also blew us away.”
The holiday lineup will balance commercial ticket sales with community outreach, including a free patriotic performance by the U.S. Navy Band. “We try to have a military band every year, so that’ll be a free concert with the U.S. Navy Band here, which always brings an overflow crowd of veterans and great patriotic music,” McDermott said.
Accessibility, Infrastructure and Funding Integrity
McDermott emphasized that high-draw commercial shows directly subsidize the center’s non-revenue “mission programming.” Over the past two years, the center’s heavily subsidized or completely free arts education initiatives have served roughly 25,000 people, including a dedicated transportation fund that covers busing costs for under-resourced schools.
This mission focus recently prompted a rigorous, undercover accessibility audit led by a consultant with a mobility impairment. Though the campus was found to be 100% within legal compliance, McDermott rejected code as a mere starting point.
“Code is a minimum standard, and we want to be better than minimum,” McDermott said. The center has already implemented roughly 80% of the audit’s recommendations, including expanding accessible parking spaces, lowering door-activation buttons, and earning venue-wide certification through KultureCity for neurodivergent guests.
On the technical front, a city-funded overhaul of the venue’s 15-year-old, fixed lighting and sound infrastructure is paying immediate dividends. McDermott noted that the modern technical baseline has simplified the booking process for high-profile acts who previously passed on the venue due to audio constraints.
The financial realities of running the world-class arts destination as a nonprofit are backstopped by real numbers. Addressing the financial operations, McDermott expanded on the intentional efficiency metrics behind the venue’s regional footprint.
“We commissioned Hunden Partners out of Chicago to take a look at the value and quality of our management of this campus as a nonprofit. That study showed that this campus on its own, including six resident companies, generates over $23 million of economic impact for the city of Carmel annually,” McDermott said. “And if you broaden that to Hamilton County, it’s $27 million.”
McDermott pointed out that their data-backed operational model significantly outperforms competitive baselines across the country.
“Against peer organizations around the country, we come in at an efficiency rate of something like $57 per seat less than our average peer in the industry,” McDermott explained. “So not only are we very efficient in what we do, but as a nonprofit, because of contributed income and the support of the community, we operate at a very high rate of efficiency economically as well.”
More information about the 2026-27 season, accessibility, and other patron inquiries is available at thecenterpresents.org.