UCSB Arts & Lectures announces 65th anniversary season

Distinguished for the extraordinary quality of its programming and for handling both performing arts and lectures with equal aplomb, UCSB Arts & Lectures is a powerhouse among presenting organizations. And they’ve done it again. From Yo-Yo Ma to Lil Buck and from Yung Pueblo to Father Gregory Boyle, the just-announced 65th anniversary 2024-2025 season at Arts & Lectures promises to provide something for everyone. 

“More than a milestone — it's a time to reflect on the organization's storied past and celebrate with our friends and supporters,” said Miller McCune Executive Director Celesta M. Billeci. “It's also a time to look ahead and imagine what the next 65 years can bring."

The season opens Oct. 1 at the Arlington Theatre with Snarky Puppy, a fiercely popular large ensemble that combines the best features of contemporary jazz, funk and jam-based music in one hard-grooving package. Other early season highlights include HARAWI, a performance featuring superstar soprano Julia Bullock and dancers from the American Modern Opera Company (Oct. 4), a lecture by Salman Khan, the founder of Khan Academy (Oct. 5) and a double bill concert pairing the roots music legend Mavis Staples with rising stars The War and Treaty (Oct. 8). 

Series subscriptions are now available on the UCSB Arts & Lectures website. Single tickets go on sale Friday, Aug. 2 at 10 a.m

Dance has traditionally been a central component of Arts & Lectures' offerings, and the 2024-2025 series may be the strongest yet. Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan kicks things off with “13 Tongues,” a fantastic spectacle based on Taiwanese folklore set amid Taipei's vibrant night markets (Nov. 2). Dorrance Dance follows in December with “The Nutcracker Suite,” a tap adaptation of Tchaikovsky's holiday classic set to music by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn (Dec. 5). 

Pico Iyer is back with another season of the popular “Speaking with Pico” series, opening with poet, meditator and social media phenomenon Yung Pueblo and including eco-novelist Richard Powers and performance artist Marina Abramović. The “Word of Mouth” series features other intriguing speakers, like Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna and chef and cookbook author Yotam Ottolenghi (Oct. 14). 

The 65th anniversary season also features appearances by longtime friends of Arts & Lectures and returning performers, including Yo-Yo Ma (April 5) and Wynton Marsalis (May 17), and dance icons Twyla Tharp Dance (Feb. 11) and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (April 15 and 16). 

A complete current list of events is available on the Arts & Lectures website. More events will be added throughout the season.