INTERVIEW: Strings Unleashed: Lindsey Stirling Brings Her Wild Side with Duality Untamed Summer Tour
07/13 @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC)
**This review originally appeared in our July 2026 print issue**
Photos by Heather Koepp
“Sometimes all you need is that one song that makes you feel like you understand yourself and you’ve tapped into something that excites you…”
Trailblazer, icon, and innovator: Lindsey Stirling’s legacy as a multi-platinum violinist, dancer, and aerialist continues to defy anyone’s limits and definitions. Stirling’s Duality Untamed 2026 Summer Tour, featuring special guest PVRIS, arrives at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) on July 13 and is reimagining the concert experience for an unforgettable night of music.
“When you go to a place that you know is reputable for having great sound and making that a priority, it is awesome,” says Stirling regarding her upcoming show. “It’s just an extra boost of confidence as a performer, and I know it makes a world of difference to the audience.”
“Untamed,” the fifth track off Stirling’s 2024 album Duality, captures the dramatic essence of this concert tour. She calls this album a ‘beautiful freedom,’ a gift from her soul to her listeners. The dynamic tension between strength and vulnerability, courage and fear, that runs like a current throughout the album is fully unleashed with “Untamed.”
“‘Untamed’ was the first song that I wrote that was like ‘I got it,’” she recalls. “It was a huge moment for me because I had been writing for a month and I just couldn’t find a sound. I couldn’t find a thread to pull. Sometimes all you need is that one song that makes you feel like you understand yourself and you’ve tapped into something that excites you; then you can use it as a blueprint.”
Stirling admits that she doesn’t find the ‘windowless studio,’ where she painstakingly pores over the mixes, to be her place of true inspiration. Reading books like Glennon Doyle’s Untamed, attending concerts, and meeting people who excite her sparked the concept of discovering the ‘wild self’ within a person.
“The world is always putting us in boxes, telling us how we should look, how we should dress, how we should act, what women should do, and what men should do,” muses Stirling. “‘Untamed’ makes me feel like the wild version of myself.”
Touring nurtures her creative soul, creating an endless feedback loop. When writing a song, she can envision how it will be staged or what costumes to wear in the music video. Duality and Duality Untamed is the product of her imagination and the gateway to new ideas.
“I’ve always tried to capture my heart and my soul in music,” she says. “I think I was able to get a little better at it with every album. When I found this album in my heart, it’s from years of working and trying to be vulnerable, and it came out a little stronger.”
During Duality Untamed, Stirling knows how to perform a balancing act — occasionally from several feet off the ground — but also musically. Duality’s fluid genres are expertly styled onstage, such as performing the bold and fierce song “Evil Twin” to deep red colors and jaw-dropping aerialism. Immediately after, the most serene song on the album, “Serenity Found,” envelops the viewer in a hushed and dream-like world.
“There are all of these moments in the show where visually I try to capture the storytelling idea of two opposing things, either back to back or existing simultaneously,” she notes. “That was fun to play with.”
Stirling is also debuting new apparatuses on this tour, including a new hammock and double-hoop routine, between herself and one of her dancers. Whether she is standing so still that the crowd falls silent enough to hear a pin drop, soaring above them, or mesmerizing the audience with the storytelling in her costumes, every choice Stirling makes is intentional.
Stirling is excited to bring up how the show will be utilizing a video wall, which they haven’t featured in several years. “It can be such a tool for storytelling and world-building,” she says, describing how she is personally selecting the visuals for it.
Even the VIP meet-and-greet for fans reflects the amount of care that Stirling puts into every aspect of crafting a perfect concert experience. Fans will see up-close many of the set pieces, costumes, and the violins that have defined her legacy as a visual storyteller.
The tour is about more than just Stirling’s music — she shines a spotlight on the crew, dancers, and band members who have been with her for over a decade. Additionally, for the past several years, her tours have donated $1 from every ticket sold to her foundation, The Upside Fund.
“It adds up, which is amazing,” she confirms. “I’m so grateful and want to remind my fans that by coming, you’re donating to charity. We’ve raised a substantial amount of money to get people out of medical debt. It’s really special to me — I’m proud of what my fans and I have done together.”
The responsibility of her fanbase is a privilege to her; they are on this journey with her, and Stirling is constantly working on how to put on the most transcendent show possible.
“It’s so rewarding to hear from my fans that thought this was my best show and tour yet,” she remarks. “I’ve toured for 15 years, and I’ve done a lot of things I’m really proud of. Sometimes you feel like, ‘How do I outdo this?’ I guess it’s not about outdoing yourself. It’s about finding new ways to be excited and to excite your audience.”
Devoted fans —over 14 million on YouTube alone — have been drawn to Stirling’s story of perseverance and persistence. Many find strength in her music, like American gymnast Suni Lee while performing to "Eyes of the Untold Her" at the Paris Olympics. Meanwhile, others aspire to emulate Stirling when picking up the instrument for the first time.
“There’s no greater compliment than to think that you gave somebody courage,” says Stirling. “I think back to all the countless people that have inspired me, whether it’s artistically or just through their own bravery.”
When Stirling looks out at the audience every night on tour, the eyes shining back at her are more than just concert attendees; they are a physical manifestation of her undeniable legacy.
She expresses herself with the same heartfelt honesty as the music she creates: “If I can be a part of that legacy and pass that torch to my fans or the people that I meet along the way, that’s all that I can hope for.”