Austin City Limits is thrilled to announce an exclusive worldwide livestream of virtuoso trumpeter, pianist, composer, and bandleader Arturo Sandoval’s highly anticipated Season 52 taping on Friday, September 25th. His live performances are the stuff of legends—he has lit up the stage at the Oscars, GRAMMY Awards and Billboard Awards, dazzling audiences with breathtaking technique and sheer joy, and now he joins us in Austin, TX for a very special ACL Season 52 taping.
For one night only, fans everywhere can experience Arturo Sandoval’s Austin City Limits debut live from Austin, Texas. Streaming free exclusively at YouTube.com/AustinCityLimitsTV, the livestream begins at 9 p.m. ET/ 8 p.m. CT and offers music fans a rare opportunity to experience an Austin City Limits taping as it happens. ACL’s exclusive livestreams give viewers around the world a front-row seat to the magic of one of television’s most iconic music stages.
Available only during the live event, the full-set performance livestream offers fans an early preview of Sandoval’s hour-long Season 52 episode ahead of its PBS broadcast premiere, set to release the second half of ACL’s expanded Season 52 in January 2027.
Arturo Sandoval is one of the most respected and renowned musicians of our time. A virtuoso trumpeter, pianist, composer, bandleader, and fearless innovator, his artistry has captivated millions around the globe. Sandoval’s live performances are the stuff of legend—he has lit up the stage at the Oscars, GRAMMY Awards and Billboard Awards, dazzling audiences with breathtaking technique and sheer joy. The accolades match the legend: 10 GRAMMY Awards, six Billboard Awards, an Emmy Award, the Hispanic Heritage Award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, bestowed by President Obama, a Kennedy Center Honor, and a Latin GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award.
A protégé of legendary jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, Sandoval is one of the world’s foremost entertainers, having spent a lifetime redefining what is possible on the trumpet and far beyond. His collaborators form a dazzling constellation of stars, including Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Stevie Wonder, Celia Cruz, Plácido Domingo, John Williams, Alicia Keys, Pharrell Williams, Ariana Grande, among many others. His remarkable life story—escaping political oppression in Cuba to achieve international acclaim—is a testament to the power of music to break barriers. The Washington Post raves, “The music of Arturo Sandoval is what freedom sounds like.”
A tireless creative force, Sandoval’s latest album, SANGÚ, finds the maestro at his most fearless and deeply rooted. A vibrant musical statement of ancestry, artistic freedom and groove, the album returns to the electrifying pulse of Afro-Cuban rhythm, where ancestral spirit, raw groove and masterful collaboration collide. SANGÚ draws on the Afro-Cuban traditions, Cuban phrasing, bebop fire, funk and fearless improvisation that have shaped Sandoval’s singular musical language, while pushing his sound into thrilling new territory. Both timeless and strikingly modern, SANGÚ is a powerful contemporary statement from a living legend who continues to evolve, explore and make music on his own terms.