SPRING 2025
Alvin Ailey American Dance
Akram Khan
GIGENIS, the generation of the Earth, Apr 10
Dear Friends,
This spring, our theme of Imagination in Action is in full swing with visionary artists, trailblazing thinkers, and compelling performances.
Former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg (Apr 22) offers insights on leadership, transformation, and the road ahead.
World-class dance continues with a West Coast exclusive from London’s Akram Khan (Apr 10), featuring live music and a rare appearance by the choreographer, plus two electrifying nights of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (Apr 15 & 16).
Experience the return of beloved cultural ambassadors: Yo-Yo Ma (Apr 5) brings a profoundly personal evening, while Wynton Marsalis and his ensemble offer a stunning live performance set to the silent film LOUIS (May 17).
Southern rock powerhouse Larkin Poe (Apr 27) brings electrifying energy and bluesinfused sound for a night of raw, soulful music.
Justice for All brings newly added events like astronaut José Hernández (Apr 29) on his inspiring journey from migrant farmworker to space explorer.
Art lovers, mark your calendars! The return of Art | Architecture on Film (Apr 26 & 27) includes a free screening and panel with Oscar- and Grammy-winning director Morgan Neville, part of our Thematic Learning Initiative. Performance artist Marina Abramović (May 6) joins Pico Iyer for a rare conversation. And check out our creative take on this spring’s TLI book giveaway.
Spark your curiosity – on the pages to come and at the theater.
With deepest gratitude,
Celesta M. Billeci
Miller McCune Executive Director
65th Anniversary Season Sponsor
Community Partners
photo: Maxime
Celesta M. Billeci with soprano Julia Bullock
Hernández de Lipa;
photo
David
Bazemore
photo:
Members of
Alvin
Ailey
American Dance
Theater by
Dario Calmese
photo: Isaac Hernández de Lipa
Find Your Place at Arts & Lectures
Become a member today and enjoy a range of benefits all year long. (See page 29 for details)
1. A&L Ambassador Heather Sturgess and A&L Council member Tom Sturgess with psychotherapist Esther Perel 2. A&L Council member Susan McCaw and Major Sponsors Laura and Kevin O’Connor with historian Sir Niall Ferguson 3. A&L Community Partner Lou Buglioli and A&L Council members Natalie Orfalea and Jillian Muller with social psychologist Jonathan Haidt 4. A&L Partners Gary Bradhering and Sheraton Kalouria with comedian and environmentalist Baratunde Thurston 5. Major Sponsor Audrey Fisher and A&L Council member Tim Fisher with Pink Martini bandleader Thomas Lauderdale and lead vocalist China Forbes 6. A&L Partners Jill and Bill Shanbrom with pianists Víkingur Ólafsson and Yuja Wang
Arts & Lectures’ Thematic Learning Initiative (TLI) extends the conversation from the stage into the community, enriching lifelong learning and initiating dialogue and empowerment through special events, book giveaways and more.
2024-2025 Theme: Imagination In Action
For 65 years, Arts & Lectures has been a hotbed of art and ideas – a place where great minds and movers from across the globe converge. They leave us changed, challenged and ready to bust through our perceived limitations. Come behind the scenes, go beyond the barriers and discover the creative forces drawing outside the lines to redefine what we think is possible.
Spring Book Giveaway
The Marina Abramović Method Instruction Cards to Reboot Your Life
Taking some artistic license, our spring book giveaway is a unique set of 30 instruction cards by Marina Abramović that teach you the iconic performance artist’s method for reaching a higher consciousness and confronting life’s challenges. Featuring exercises Abramović herself developed, the method will help you focus, reconnect with the present and locate your highest creative potential.
FREE decks of cards will be available starting Monday, March 31 at Arts & Lectures’ Campbell Hall Box Office at UCSB and the Lobero Theatre Box Office (33 E. Canon Perdido St.) during business hours. Limit one per household; available while supplies last.
RELATED EVENT Marina Abramović in Conversation with Pico Iyer, May 6 (p. 22)
With thanks to our visionary partners, Lynda Weinman and Bruce Heavin, for their support of the Thematic Learning Initiative
Imagination In Action - Free Events
Community Dance Class: Alvin Ailey’s Revelations
Tue, Apr 15 / 11:15 AM -12:30 PM
Carrillo Ballroom, 100 E. Carrillo St. FREE (registration recommended)
Join UCSB Arts & Lectures for a community dance class focused on Alvin Ailey’s signature work, Revelations. Taught by members of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, participants will reminisce on their own life experiences to create dance. All ages and levels welcome.
RELATED EVENT Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Apr 15 & 16 (pp. 14-15)
A
Million Miles Away Film Screening
Wed, Apr 23 / 7 PM / Campbell Hall
FREE (registration recommended)
Inspired by the real-life story of NASA flight engineer and UCSB alum José Hernández, A Million Miles Away follows his decades-long journey from a rural village in Michoacán, Mexico, to more than 200 miles above the Earth in the International Space Station. (Alejandra Márquez Abella, 2023, PG, 121 min.)
RELATED EVENT José Hernández, Apr 29 (p. 21)
The House / This is Not a House Double Feature and Panel Discussion
Sat, Apr 26 / 5:30 PM / Paseo Nuevo Cinema, Theater #3
FREE (registration required; limited availability)
A widely-studied house of ideas meets a home born of the combined power of art, technology and play in two films featuring renowned Montecito residences. This Is Not a House screening will be followed by a panel discussion with filmmaker Morgan Neville, homeowner Bruce Heavin and architect Robin Donaldson, moderated by UCSB AD&A Museum curator Silvia Perea. (Gregg Goggin, 2024, 46 min. & Morgan Neville, 2023, 30 min.)
RELATED EVENT Art | Architecture on Film, Apr 26 & 27 (pp. 18-19)
photo: Paul Kolnik
Illuminating a wide spectrum of systemic injustice, the Justice for All programming initiative looks to today’s great minds and creators and to the courageous leaders across the globe who are forging a new path forward. Join us as we learn from those confronting uncomfortable questions, solving difficult problems, and guiding us all toward a more equitable world.
Hernández, Apr 29
May 7
Jason De León, May 15 Survival and hope at the U.S.-Mexico border
JUSTICE FOR ALL Lead Sponsors: Marcy Carsey, Connie Frank & Evan Thompson, Eva & Yoel Haller, Dick Wolf, and Zegar Family Foundation
JUSTICE FOR ALL UCSB Faculty Advisory Committee: Daina Ramey Berry, Dolores Inés Casillas, Charles Hale, Beth Pruitt, Susannah Scott, Je rey Stewart, Sharon Tettegah
José
From migrant farmworker to NASA astronaut
Laurie Santos,
Tools for coping during times of crisis
Isata
Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain
40th Anniversary Tour
Tue, Apr 1 / 8 PM / Campbell Hall
Tickets start at $42.50 / $15 UCSB students
“The best musical entertainment in the country.” The Independent (U.K.)
“Instrumental panache and affable singing with no small amount of inimitably British drollery.” The New York Times
Four decades (and 400 million plucks) since its founding, the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain continues to thrill audiences with off-beat humor and fourstringed virtuosity. With no drums, pianos, backing tracks, guitars, pitch shifters or electronic trickery, each performance is an astonishing revelation of the rich palette of orchestration afforded by ukuleles, fulsome vocals and a bit of whistling. Celebrate the 40th anniversary of this much-loved institution with a quirky, irreverent, white-knuckle shopping-trolley dash through every kind of musical genre.
Supporting Sponsor: Laura & Geof
Wyatt
Santa Barbara Favorite
photo: Stefan Mager
“I believe that art, music, and the humanities help us fulfill unwritten contracts. They help us sympathize with the human condition and examine how we relate to one other. They help us receive the wisdom of the past, they help us understand today’s problems, and they empower us to imagine a better world.”
– Yo-Yo Ma
Special Event!
An Evening with Yo-Yo Ma
Refl ections in Words and Music
Sat, Apr 5 / 7 PM / Arlington Theatre
Tickets start at $57 / $24.50 UCSB students
An Arlington facility fee is included in each ticket price (very limited availability)
Join cellist Yo-Yo Ma for an evening of music and words. In this one-night-only performance, Yo-Yo performs a special selection of his favorite pieces and shares stories about a life dedicated to music. Yo-Yo Ma’s multifaceted career is testament to his belief in culture’s power to generate trust and understanding. He strives to foster connections that stimulate the imagination and reinforce our humanity. This exceptional program will pair repertoire from the center of Yo-Yo’s musical firmament with reflections on how it has shaped his thinking about art, human nature and our search for meaning. Together, the cellist’s music and words ask us to consider what music is for, and how it can guide us on a path towards hope.
Great Performances Suite Sponsors:
G.A. Fowler Family Foundation
The Shanbrom Family Foundation
photo: Jason Bell
“A seriously sensational spectacle: as aesthetic as it is athletic, as comedic as it is grave, and all in all, a visceral delight.”
The Conversation (Australia)
“Impressive and sophisticated contemporary New Circus at its best.”
Berlin Morning Post (Germany)
Circa
Humans 2.0
Created by Yaron Lifschitz and the Circa Ensemble
Tue, Apr 8 / 7:30 PM / Lobero Theatre
Tickets start at $58.50 / $22 UCSB students
A Lobero facility fee is included in each ticket price
A symphony of acrobatics, sound and light, Humans 2.0 is next-level circus by the Australian contemporary troupe Circa. Created by the visionary Yaron Lifschitz, this innovative new work delivers tightly-woven choreography that is intimate, primal and deeply engaged with the challenge of being human. Bathed in an ever-changing palette of dramatic, expressive lighting, 10 phenomenally athletic performers build and dismantle intricate human towers, leap into one another’s arms and push their physical limits to previously unimagined extremes. Their explosively kinetic interaction is “so remarkable as to almost defy description” (The Guardian, U.K.).
photo: David Kelly
“With Owls, classical is alive and well.”
The New York Times
West Coast Debut Owls
Fri, Apr 11 / 7 PM / Hahn Hall
$47.50 / $10 UCSB students
Alexi Kenney, violin
Ayane Kozasa, viola
Gabriel Cabezas, cello
Paul Wiancko, cello
Program
Chick Corea: Children’s Song No. 12
Paul Wiancko: Vox Petra
Franghiz Ali-Zadeh: R qs
Couperin: Les Barricades Mystérieuses
Trollstilt (Monica Mugan and Dan Trueman): Ricercar
Paul Wiancko: When the Night
Terry Riley: Good Medicine
A quartet collective where each member is an artistic force in their own right, Owls has been dubbed “a dream group” by The New York Times for their original, visceral performances that defy expectations. Lovingly translating folk, jazz, minimalism, Baroque and new music into their distinctive instrumentation, the quartet will perform a wide-ranging program of works that foregrounds their inverted approach to the quartet repertoire. Their debut album, Rare Birds, was released on March 14.
Hear & Now Series Sponsors:
Linda Stafford Burrows
Dr. Bob Weinman
photo: Ashley Gellman
Only West Coast Appearance!
Akram Khan
GIGENIS, the generation of the Earth
Akram Khan, Director and Choreographer
Thu, Apr 10 / 7:30 PM / Granada Theatre
Tickets start at $48.50 / $20 UCSB students
A Granada facility fee is included in each ticket price
Returning to his roots to curate his first ensemble piece showcasing Indian classical dance, choreographer Akram Khan shares the stage with six renowned dancers and seven live musicians. Evoking our civilization’s collective memories, GIGENIS represents not just a performance but a profound statement – a testament to the enduring resonance of tradition in a rapidly changing world. Arts & Lectures joins The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., The Joyce Theater in New York and Sadler’s Wells in London in presenting this exclusive engagement.
photo: Julien Benhamou
Featuring Live Music
“GIGENIS is Khan’s most potent effort in years. The storytelling is impeccably clear.”
The New York Times
“GIGENIS is... a reconciliation between the past and the present times, a genuine celebration of our collective love for dance – boundless, timeless, as well as deeply rooted.”
– Akram Khan
Dance Series Sponsors: Margo Cohen-Feinberg, Barbara Stupay, and Sheila Wald
Presented in association with UCSB Department of Theater and Dance
photos: Maxime Dos
“There’s something generous about Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. It’s there in the dancing –full of skill, passion and a charismatic warmth.”
The Guardian (U.K.)
Two Nights! Two Programs!
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
Matthew Rushing, Interim Artistic Director
Tue, Apr 15 & Wed, Apr 16 / 7:30 PM / Granada Theatre
Tickets start at $53.50 / $20 UCSB students
A Granada facility fee is included in each ticket price
“The influence and importance of the company, to both the dance world and the culture at large, are wide and multifaceted.” San Francisco Chronicle
Experience “an American cultural treasure” (Chicago Sun-Times) as Alvin Ailey
American Dance Theater brings its unique blend of contemporary and classic movement to the stage. Showcasing a dazzling range of cultural influences and choreographic styles, the Ailey dancers merge virtuosic technique, palpable passion and “exquisite athleticism” (The Washington Post) into an irresistible stream of creative movement. The groundbreaking company returns with two vibrant programs, including one night (Apr 16) featuring founder Alvin Ailey’s beloved masterpiece Revelations.
“Every American owes it to him or herself to see the Ailey company perform Revelations. It is an American phenomenon.” – Oprah Winfrey
Tue, Apr 15
Program:
Matthew Rushing: Sacred Songs
Elisa Monte: Treading
Hans van Manen: Solo
Ronald K. Brown: Grace
Wed, Apr 16
Program: Hope Boykin: Finding Free
Lar Lubovitch: Many Angels
Alvin Ailey: Revelations
Lead Sponsor: Jody & John Arnhold
Supporting Sponsor: Linda Stafford Burrows
Dance Series Sponsors: Margo Cohen-Feinberg, Barbara Stupay, and Sheila Wald
Presented in association with UCSB Department of Theater and Dance
RELATED EVENT Community Dance Class with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (p. 5)
photos:
Dario Calmese
Just added!
“Leadership
is not about one’s title, but rather the ability to inspire, empower, and unite others towards a common purpose.”
– Pete Buttigieg
Former U.S. Secretary of Transportation
Pete Buttigieg
Making Sense of the 2020s: What the Rest of This Decade Will Require From Leaders in Policy, Politics & Communications
Tue, Apr 22 / 7:30 PM / Arlington Theatre
Tickets start at $45 / FREE for UCSB students (limited availability; registration required)
An Arlington facility fee is included in each ticket price
Pete Buttigieg joins us for a wide-ranging talk that will focus on his tenure as Secretary of Transportation; important policy areas including environmental sustainability and infrastructure; and a look ahead at some of the major issues confronting the current president. Drawing from his experience in the Biden-Harris Administration, he will discuss the urgent challenges facing our nation – from infrastructure and climate change to democracy itself – and why now, more than ever, participation matters. With honesty and insight, Buttigieg invites us to resist cynicism and stay involved in shaping the future.
Premier Sponsor: Sara Miller McCune
photo: Chuck Kennedy
Santa Barbara Debut
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder
Fri, Apr 25 / 8 PM / Campbell Hall
Tickets start at $22.50 / $15 UCSB students
“One of jazz piano’s most brazenly virtuosic players.” The New York Times
“Breathtaking displays of flat-out swing, funky grooving and classical references, often all in the same piece.” The Guardian (U.K.)
Check your expectations at the door for this night of wildly adventurous music from Hiromi and Sonicwonder. Mixing influences that range from Chick Corea to Frank Zappa and funk fusion, Hiromi follows her own musical path, attracting fans of all ages with compositions that run the gamut from Mozart to metal and beyond. Sonicwonder audiences have been known to stand and whoop in wonder at the intricate, catchy and powerful sound that pours out of this eclectic electric quartet. “I just want to keep exploring and trying new things,” Hiromi says, vowing that her best performance will be her next one. Sonicwonder’s latest album, Out There, drops on April 4.
Event Sponsor: Luci & Rich Janssen
Jazz Series Lead Sponsor: Manitou Fund
Presented in association with UCSB Department of Music
on the occasion of the
creates a hypnotic portrait of Anselm Kiefer, one
and
and
*Screening of This Is Not a House will be followed by a panel discussion with fi lmmaker Morgan Neville, homeowner Bruce Heavin and architect Robin Donaldson, moderated by UCSB AD&A Museum curator Silvia Perea
A cinematic journey into the mind of pioneering architect Eileen Gray and her battle with Le Corbusier. (Beatrice Minger and Christoph Schaub, 2024, 89 min.)
Wim Wenders
of the most innovative
important painters
sculptors of our time. (Wim Wenders, 2023, 94 min.)
Restored
100th anniversary of Man Ray’s first foray into filmmaking, Return to Reason combines four kindred early Ray films set to haunting and hypnotic new music by Jim Jarmusch and Carter Logan‘s SQÜRL. (Man Ray, 2023, 70 min.)
A documentary that explores the courage and creativity of female graffiti and street artists from around the world. (Alexandra Henry, 2021, 71 min.)
The life and times of Nam June Paik, the father of video art, who coined the phrase “Electronic Superhighway.” (Amanda Kim, 2023, 109 min.)
The definitive documentary on the maverick pioneer of modern architecture, R.M. Schindler, narrated by Meryl Streep. (Valentina Ganeva, 2024, 90 min.)
A portrait of iconoclastic artist Robert Irwin, whose investigations into the nature of perception have radically expanded the possibilities of what art can be. (Jennifer Lane, 2023, 93 min.)
“Larkin Poe are your next favorite performers.”
Forbes
“The new face of gutsy blues rock.”
American Songwriter
Roots Rockin’ Southern Sisters
Larkin Poe
with special guest Parker Millsap
Sun, Apr 27 / 7 PM / Arlington Theatre
Tickets start at $42 / $24.50 UCSB students
An Arlington facility fee is included in each ticket price
With serious slide guitar chops and Southern rock swagger, Georgia-bred multiinstrumentalist sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell hit audiences right in the heart. The blazingly self-assured music on their 2023 album Blood Harmony got them the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album; tracing their family lineage back to distant relative Edgar Allan Poe gave Larkin Poe its name. Imbuing their songs with equal parts soulful sensitivity and thrilling ferocity, Larkin Poe is an essential force shaping the identity of Southern rock for a new century. Their latest album, Bloom, was released in January.
Roots Series Sponsor: Laura & Geof Wyatt
photo: Robby Klein
“I’m not here to tell people how great I am. I’m here to share my story, to say, you’re no different than I am. I was able to do it, this is how I did it.”
–
José Hernández
Just added!
Engineer and Former NASA Astronaut
José Hernández
Reaching for the Stars: The Inspiring Story of a Migrant Farm Worker Turned Astronaut
Tue, Apr 29 / 7:30 PM / Campbell Hall
$20 / FREE for UCSB students
Born into a family of migrant farmworkers, José Hernández spent his childhood moving from field to field, dreaming of space. He didn’t speak English until he was 12, yet through resilience and dedication, he defied the odds – becoming an engineer, an astronaut and the first Mexican-American to travel to space. Determined to fulfill his dream, Hernández never gave up, ultimately serving as a flight engineer aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. Join us for an inspiring evening as UC Santa Barbara alum and UC Regent José Hernández shares his extraordinary journey from the fields to the stars, proving that perseverance can turn dreams into reality.
Event Sponsor: Susan & Bruce Worster
Presented in association with the following UCSB partners: Office of Education Partnerships and the Departments of Chicana and Chicano Studies, Engineering, and Mathematics
RELATED EVENT A Million Miles Away Film Screening (p. 5)
“The impact that Abramović has had on the contemporary art scene cannot be underestimated.”
Harper’s Bazaar
“By using the body as her medium, Abramović shows just how close art can get to life.”
The Guardian (U.K.)
Pioneering Performance Artist Marina Abramović
in Conversation with Pico Iyer
Tue, May 6 / 7:30 PM / Lobero Theatre
Tickets start at $48.50 / $20 UCSB students
A Lobero facility fee is included in each ticket price
Renowned conceptual artist Marina Abramović has pushed the boundaries of contemporary art, not just within performance art but across the entire spectrum of the art world. Since the 1970s, her cutting-edge work has explored the body, endurance, the relationship between the performer and audience, and the possibilities of the mind. Her iconic performances include The Artist Is Present, the MOMA retrospective which sparked an HBO documentary as well as collaborations with such pop icons as Jay-Z and Lady Gaga. “Her life, performances, body art, controversial experiments and celebrity status all contribute to a larger narrative that could be considered one grand piece of art, curated by Abramović herself” (Widewalls).
Speaking with Pico Series Sponsors:
Martha Gabbert, Robin & Roger Himovitz, Siri & Bob Marshall, and Laura & Kevin O’Connor
RELATED EVENT Spring Book Giveaway (p. 4)
photo: Marco Anelli
photo: Derek Shapton
Just added!
Yale Professor, Scientist and Host of The Happiness Lab
Dr. Laurie Santos
Thriving Through Crisis: How to Foster Happiness
When the World Feels Overwhelming
Wed, May 7 / 7:30 PM / Campbell Hall
$20 / FREE for UCSB students
“One easy thing we can all do right now is to shut off that fight-or-flight system through our breath… it’s built to get out of threats quickly, but we run it constantly.” – Dr. Laurie Santos
A psychologist and an expert on human cognition, its origins and the evolutionary biases that influence our all-too-imperfect life choices, Dr. Laurie Santos’ work centers around how behavioral change through positive psychology can lead to a happier and more fulfilling life. Host of the The Happiness Lab podcast and professor of Yale’s most popular course in over 300 years – Psychology and the Good Life – Santos will discuss the tools that science provides for managing stress and building a life of happiness, even when crisis looms large. Whether it’s the toll of environmental disasters and wildfires, the challenges of political instability or the anxiety that pervades modern life, Santos offers actionable insights for creating lasting positive change and provides practical habits to reduce stress, foster resilience and improve overall well-being, regardless of external pressures.
Presented in association with UCSB Departments of Anthropology, Chicana and Chicano Studies, and Sociology
photo: Marsland Michael
Anthropologist and 2024 National Book Award Winner
Jason De León
Uncovering the Stories at the U.S.-Mexico Border
Thu, May 15 / 7:30 PM / Campbell Hall
$20 / FREE for UCSB students
FREE copies of De León’s new book, Soldiers and Kings, will be available while supplies last (pick up at event, one per household)
“I refuse to live in a world without hope.”
– Jason De León accepting the 2024 National Book Award for Nonfiction
Join 2024 National Book Award-winner Jason De León as he explores the human consequences of U.S. immigration policies and shares stories of hope and resilience from the border. An expert on the study of migration across the U.S.-Mexico border, De León is an internationally recognized anthropologist, MacArthur fellow and the award-winning author of The Land of Open Graves and Soldiers and Kings. De León is also executive director of the Undocumented Migration Project, a collective that raises awareness about migration issues and helps families of missing migrants reunite with their loved ones. Don’t miss this urgent conversation on the human cost and potential solutions to the crisis of global border enforcement.
A book signing will follow the event
Presented in association with UCSB Department of Chicana and Chicano Studies, Department of Anthropology and Department of Sociology
Just added!
West Coast Premiere | 13-piece Jazz Ensemble
LOUIS
A Silent Film with Live Musical Performance by Wynton Marsalis and Cecile Licad
Sat, May 17 / 7:30 PM / Arlington Theatre
Tickets start at $52 / $16 UCSB students
An Arlington facility fee is included in each ticket price
LOUIS is a captivating blend of vintage cinema and contemporary musical brilliance. This unique event features a silent film based loosely on the childhood of Louis Armstrong, a pivotal figure in jazz history, brought to life with a live score composed and performed by the renowned jazz musician Wynton Marsalis, Cecile Licad and an 11-piece all-star jazz ensemble. Directed by Dan Pritzker and shot in beautiful sepia tones by Academy Awardwinning cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond as a modern reimagining of early silent film, LOUIS (originally released in 2010) is an homage to Louis Armstrong and the birth of American music. The grand alleys and cemeteries of 1907 New Orleans provide a backdrop of magic for 6-yearold Louis as he navigates the colorful intricacies of life in the city and acquires his first cornet. Winner of nine Grammy Awards and a Pulitzer Prize in music, Wynton Marsalis is one of the most outstanding jazz musicians and trumpeters of this – or any other – generation. A favorite among jazz musicians and audiences worldwide, he is a brilliant composer and a bandleader in the tradition of Duke Ellington, and the driving creative force behind Jazz at Lincoln Center’s creation and success. Don’t miss this nearly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience Wynton Marsalis in this very special immersive experience. The film is rated “R” – Restricted (Some Sexual Content)
Major Sponsor: Jody & John Arnhold
Jazz Series Lead Sponsor: Manitou Fund
Presented in association with UCSB Department of Music
photo: Rob Waymen Photography
Santa Barbara Debut
Tessa Lark, violin
Amy Yang, piano
Tue, May 20 / 7 PM / Hahn Hall
$47.50 / $10 UCSB students
Program
Bartók: Romanian Folk Dances
Ysaÿe: Sonata No. 4
Tessa Lark: Ysaÿe Shuffle
Tessa Lark: Jig and Pop
Kreisler: Chanson Louis XIII et Pavane
Kreisler: Syncopation
John Corigliano: Sonata for Violin and Piano
“Tessa Lark embodies joy in music making.” – John Corigliano, composer
Born and raised in Kentucky, versatile violinist Tessa Lark’s earliest musical influences were bluegrass and Appalachian folk. Her passion for fiddling led her well beyond these original interests, until in 2012 she won the Naumburg International Violin Competition, one of classical music’s highest honors. Since then she has pursued all facets of her wide-ranging musical talent, leading her to a Grammy nomination in 2020 for Best Classical Instrumental Solo and to her innovative 2023 release, The Stradgrass Sessions, featuring Jon Batiste, Edgar Meyer and Sierra Hull.
Supporting Sponsors: Allyson & Todd Aldrich
Marilyn & Dick Mazess
Hear & Now Series Sponsors: Linda Stafford Burrows
Dr. Bob Weinman
photo: Lauren Desberg
“Immensely
engaging players: a star duo is born.” The Independent (U.K.)
Back by Popular Demand
Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano
Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cello
Thu, May 29 / 7 PM / Campbell Hall
Tickets start at $32.50 / $10 UCSB students
Program
Mendelssohn: Cello Sonata No. 1
Fauré: Cello Sonata No. 1
Natalie Klouda: Tor Mordôn Poulenc: Cello Sonata
Since their April 2022 Santa Barbara debut, siblings Isata and Sheku Kanneh-Mason have shot to fame, joining the ranks of the classical world’s most sought-after musicians. Hailing from one of Britain’s most talented musical families, Isata is a recipient of the coveted Leonard Bernstein Award and an Opus Klassik award, and Sheku won the BBC Young Musician competition in 2016. The duo’s intuitive understanding and remarkable rapport will be on full display in this richly evocative recital exploring the legacy of late Romantic and modern chamber music.
Great Performances Suite Sponsors:
G.A. Fowler Family Foundation and The Shanbrom Family Foundation
Presented in association with UCSB Department of Music
photo: James Hole
UCSB Special Events
UCSB Reads Author Event
Ross Gay
The Book of Delights
Thu, May 8 / 7:30 PM / Campbell Hall
FREE (registration recommended)
Written daily over one year, Ross Gay’s The Book of Delights celebrates ordinary wonders through humorous poetic essays on a wide range of topics. From a high five with a stranger to cradling a tomato seedling on an airplane, Gay reveals how holding space for joy brings us closer together. Gay’s 2015 bestseller won a National Book Critics Circle Award.
Books will be available for purchase and signing, courtesy of Chaucer’s Books
Co-presented with UCSB Library as part of UCSB Reads 2025, with support from the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor
2025 Santa Barbara County ECONOMIC SUMMIT
Mon, May 12 / 4:30 PM-6 PM / Granada Theatre
Tickets start at $200 / $20 UCSB students
A Granada facility fee is included in each ticket price Ticket includes digital access to the 2025 Economic Outlook Publication and a post-event reception at the Michael Towbes Library Plaza
The annual Santa Barbara County Economic Summit features presentations by a panel of experts on the state of the economy and policy in Santa Barbara and California. The Santa Barbara County economic report will be delivered by Peter Rupert, director of the UCSB Economic Forecast Project. Presentations will be followed by a panel moderated by Peter Rupert.
Founding Sponsor:
U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management
Platinum Sponsor: Montecito Bank & Trust
Gold Sponsors: American Riviera Bank, Deckers, UCLA Health, UCSB Alumni Services, UCSB Foundation
Special Thanks: The Gretler Foundation
The Benefits of Giving
Your seat is waiting! Become a member and join a network of arts advocates that enable us to deliver remarkable programming on and off stage.
The Benefits of Giving
Invitation to a reception or meet-and-greet opportunity with a featured artist or speaker
Complimentary parking at all ticketed A&L events at UCSB Campbell Hall
Opportunity to introduce guests to Arts & Lectures with a pair of complimentary tickets to an A&L public event, as available
VIP Ticketing Concierge Service and Priority Seating
Complimentary ticket exchange when your plans change
Invitations to Producers Circle Receptions with featured artists and speakers
Access to Intermission Lounge in the McCune Founders Room during A&L performances and lectures at The Granada Theatre
Invitation to A&L’s exclusive Season Announcement Party
CircleofFriendsProducersCircleExecutiveProducersCircleLeadershipCircle
Leadership Circle includes all the bene ts of Executive Producers Circle plus your own personalized membership experience
Opportunity to attend master classes and other educational activities
Invitation to a member appreciation event
Recognition in A&L event programs or digital media
To inquire about membership or a customized Leadership Circle experience, please call Elise Erb, Director of Development, at (805) 893-5679
Access for ALL | Arts & Lectures Learning
Through Access for ALL, inspirational, dynamic learning experiences are possible for students and lifelong learners across classrooms, our community and the UCSB campus.
UCSB Students
• Classroom visits
• Master classes
• Panel discussions
• Lecture-demonstrations
• Discounted and free admission to A&L mainstage events
K-12
• Matinee field trips for students from across the county
• Assemblies
• Workshops
• Q&As
Lifelong Learners
• Thematic Learning Initiative (TLI): Extending the conversation through film screenings, special events and book giveaways
• Author signings
• Pre-show talks and post-show Q&As
• Community workshops
Access for ALL serves more than 30,000 students and community members annually.
Please consider a contribution to A&L’s award-winning educational outreach programs. Call Stacy Cullison, Senior Director of Development & Special Initiatives, at (805) 893-3755 to learn more.
photo 1: Isaac Hernández de Lipa; photos 2 & 3: David Bazemore
Frederik Øland of Danish String Quartet teaches a master class for UCSB students
Cirque Kalabanté visits Ellwood Elementary School
Grammy Award-winning musician Jacob Collier teaches a FREE master class for UCSB students
“Every child moved by art is a victory / inspired to learn history but also to make it / To shape it, to speak it / Until the world glows with sound.”
– Amanda Gorman, “House of Light”
Thank you to our Education and ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! Sponsors
Sara Miller McCune Arnhold A&L Education Initiative
Connie Frank & Evan Thompson
WILLIAM H. KEARNS FOUNDATION
Audrey & Timothy O. Fisher
Eva & Yoel Haller
Stone Family Foundation
Linda Stafford Burrows
Kath Lavidge & Ed McKinley
Dorothy Largay & Wayne Rosing
The Roddick Foundation
University Support:
Office of the Chancellor
Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor
¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! brings people together to share the rich cultural heritage of Latin America, serving more than 15,000 students and community members each year throughout Santa Barbara County.
Created in 2006 out of a commitment to arts access for all, Viva works with dozens of local partners to present high-quality artists who share their knowledge and passion. Schools, neighborhood spaces and community centers come alive in these free programs for youth and families.
¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! is a collaboration between UCSB Arts & Lectures, The Marjorie Luke Theatre, the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center and the Isla Vista School Parent Teacher Association serving Carpinteria, Santa Barbara, Goleta, Lompoc, Santa Maria, Guadalupe and New Cuyama.
Coming in Spring of 2025
Ballet Nepantla
May 16 - 18
Performances are FREE
(no registration required)
1. Dancers from Ballet Folklórico de Los Ángeles perform at Franklin Elementary School 2. La Santa Cecilia plays to a packed house at The Marjorie Luke Theatre 3. Mariachi Garibaldi performs a free concert at The Marjorie Luke Theatre 4. Young audience members enjoy a free family performance 5. Las Cafeteras performs a free concert at The Marjorie Luke Theatre
For nearly two decades, Viva has brought vibrant cultural performance and educational opportunities to the most underserved in Santa Barbara County. Join us in securing the future of this vital partnership for generations to come with a gift to the Viva Endowment Fund.
To learn more about giving to the Viva endowment, contact Elise Erb, Director of Development, at (805) 893-5679 for information.
photos: Isaac Hernández de Lipa
“Everyone should have access to art and music. Viva is awesome. It provides world-class musicians and artists to the community at no charge.”
– Salud Carbajal, U.S. Congressman
Representing California’s 24th District
UCSB Arts & Lectures Calendar, Issue # 2024-2025.3. This free publication is printed quarterly in fall, winter and spring. Arts & Lectures, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5030
Patron Information
How to Order
Online
www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu
Phone (805) 893-3535
Hours: Mon-Fri, 10 AM-5 PM
In Person
Campbell Hall Box Office on the UC Santa Barbara campus
Hours: Mon-Fri, 10 AM-5 PM
A fee is required to park on campus.
Questions?
(805) 893-3535
info@ArtsAndLectures.ucsb.edu
Ticket Donations and Exchanges
Ticket donations or exchange requests must be received at least two full business days prior to the event. Ticket exchanges are available to all patrons for a $5 fee per ticket (no exchange fee for subscribers and Producers Circle members). Tickets are exchanged at face value and are subject to availability. Tickets of a higher value exchanged for a lower value are considered an even exchange; tickets exchanged for a higher value need the difference paid. It is the policy of UCSB and the UC Regents that a modest portion of gifts and/or the income from gifts may be used to defray the costs of raising and administering funds.
Changed, Canceled and Postponed Events
All sales are final. No refunds or returns are permitted, except in the case of an event cancellation. Service charges may not be refundable. In the event of a cancellation, postponement, venue change or schedule change, the A&L Ticket Office will make every effort to notify the purchaser in advance. A&L will not be responsible for losses (monetary or otherwise) if we are unable to contact you in the event of such a change. Please make sure your current email address and phone number are on file with the A&L Ticket Office; they will be used to communicate event guidelines, ticketing info and other important updates.
Purchase of Tickets From Unauthorized Sources
UCSB Arts & Lectures assumes no liability for tickets purchased through unauthorized channels including Ticket Center, StubHub, Craigslist, santabarbaratheater.com and other secondary market or ticket broker services. We strongly advise against purchasing tickets from any source other than the Arts & Lectures Ticket Office, www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu, or the venue ticket office and official website. Tickets purchased from unauthorized sources may be stolen, counterfeit or otherwise compromised and, if so, are not valid for admission. If you are
Due to the nature of live events, artists, programs and prices are subject to change.
unsure if a ticket seller has been authorized to sell A&L tickets, please contact the Ticket Office prior to purchasing from that source. A&L does not replace tickets purchased through the secondary market.
Student and Youth Discounts
UCSB student-rate tickets are available to full-time UCSB students who have completed enrollment (one ticket per ID). A valid UCSB student ID is required at the time of purchase and at the event. “All Student” ticket holders must show current student ID at the event. “Youth” ticket holders of high school age may be asked to show ID at the event.
Fees
All tickets and orders are subject to service charges and/or facility fees. Ticket prices, service charges and facility fees are subject to change without notice.
Group Sales
Groups of 20 or more may take advantage of special rates for select events. Contact the A&L Ticket Office with inquiries.
Accessibility
A&L is committed to making events accessible to all who wish to enjoy them. Please contact the A&L Ticket Office in advance to ensure the best possible experience and receive information about accessible seating, assistive listening devices, large-print programs and other accommodations.
Suitability for Children
A&L’s performing arts season is designed primarily for adult audiences. Contact the ticket office if you have questions about the appropriateness of an event. All patrons, regardless of age, must have a ticket to enter the theater.
Late Seating
A&L makes every effort to begin events at the published start time. Late seating and re-entry will take place during appropriate points in the program determined by the artist. Reserved seats are not guaranteed after the event begins.
UC Santa Barbara
Smoke-Free and Tobacco-Free Policy
Under the authority of California Government Code 7597.1, smoking and the use of all tobacco products, the use of smokeless tobacco products, and the use of unregulated nicotine products (e.g., “ecigarettes”) are prohibited anywhere at all indoor and outdoor spaces managed by UC Santa Barbara.
Venues
A&L presents events at a variety of locations on the UCSB campus and around Santa Barbara. Visit the A&L website for specific venue details.
Parking at the UCSB Campus
A fee is required to park on campus. Purchase short-term parking on arrival at a permit dispenser (available in all campus parking lots) or using the ParkMobile app. License plate number required; select lots are closed to visitor parking. Parking for A&L’s Campbell Hall events can also be purchased online. Visit the UCSB Transportation & Parking Services website (www.tps.ucsb.edu) for more information.
California 93106-5030
