Hip-Hop Meets Symphony: Kendrick Lamar x Stravinsky in a One-Weekend-Only Phoenix Event May 29-30

Furious Styles Crew to Perform Prior to Concert

Get Tickets Soon! Final Performance for 2025-26 Season Expected to Sell Out

The Phoenix Symphony closes its season with a bold, genre-defying event as Pulitzer Prize-winning artist Kendrick Lamar meets the music of Igor Stravinsky in Steve Hackman’s STRAVINSKY X KENDRICK LAMAR, a groundbreaking, innovative performance led by music visionary Steve Hackman, a daring voice intent on redefining art music in the 21st century.

Steve Hackman’s STRAVINSKY X KENDRICK LAMAR seamlessly weaves Stravinsky’s Petrouchka with Lamar’s DAMN., creating a continuous narrative that fuses classical music, rap, and vocal performance. Featuring five virtuosic soloists alongside The Phoenix Symphony, the performance pairs iconic tracks including “HUMBLE.,” “DNA.,” “LOVE.,” and “FEAR.” with Stravinsky’s vivid orchestral score.

Both works explore identity, fame, and inner conflict, following central characters who struggle between acceptance and isolation. As Stravinsky’s puppet Petrouchka comes to life, audiences experience the parallel emotional journey of Lamar’s alter ego, Kung Fu Kenny, in a striking, scene-by-scene synthesis.

More than a concert, the evening is a full cultural experience. The night begins at 6:30 p.m. with a high-energy lobby pre-show by Furious Styles Crew, featuring dance, DJing, and street art as part of the Symphony’s Preludes series, sponsored by SRP.

Hackman, known for his innovative genre-blending productions, has created acclaimed works combining classical music with artists including Tupac Shakur, The Notorious B.I.G., Radiohead, Beyoncé, and Drake. His previous Phoenix Symphony appearances—including Beethoven X Beyoncé and Resurrection Mixtape—have drawn enthusiastic, diverse audiences and frequent sellouts.

“I’m so thrilled to be able to come to Phoenix to work with the Phoenix Symphony year after year,” said Hackman. “Stravinsky X Kendrick Lamar combines the music of two of the most explosively brilliant and creative musical voices that this world has ever seen. I am so excited for the audience to hear The Phoenix Symphony, and our five virtuoso soloists play this imaginative and daring music.”

Phoenix Symphony President and CEO Peter Kjome added, “We’re closing the season with something truly unforgettable. If you haven’t been to the Symphony in a while — or ever — this is the moment to experience it in a completely new way.”

Tickets to Steve Hackman’s STRAVINSKY X KENDRICK LAMAR are expected to sell out soon. For more information or to buy tickets, phoenixsymphony.org.

7:30 p.m. May 29 & May 30
STRAVINSKY X KENDRICK LAMAR
Symphony Hall
phoenixsymphony.org

Event subject to change without notice.