This winter, UCSB Arts & Lectures invites you to revel in connections between artists, and to explore our relationships to ourselves, to one another, to our heritage, to our earth.
Relationship therapist Esther Perel (Jan 14) brings us a highly interactive live event. Explore the intricacies of modern love, and flirt with curiosity as the evening unfolds.
Twyla Tharp Dance’s Diamond Jubilee (Feb 11) features the renowned choreographer’s first collaboration with composer Philip Glass in four decades, co-commissioned by A&L.
The Yuja Wang and Víkingur Ólafsson (Feb 28) piano duo has critics raving about their five-star partnership.
DoosTrio (Feb 19) brings together three musicians whose friendship is as powerful as their artistry in an enchanting evening of music rich in history and contemporary interpretation.
Our relationship with nature takes center stage with leading conservationist Kristine McDivitt Tompkins (Feb 12) discussing her efforts to rewild land on a massive scale, and the ever-optimistic Baratunde Thurston (Feb 27) exploring climate justice and environmental stewardship.
Our dear friend Pico Iyer (Jan 30) has a new book out in January. Pick up your FREE copy of Aflame: Learning From Silence at what promises to be an insightful Q&A and book signing through our Thematic Learning Initiative.
Plus so much more. Discover what inspires you in the pages ahead, and better yet, at the theater.
With deepest gratitude,
Celesta M. Billeci
Miller
McCune Executive Director
65th Anniversary Season Sponsor
Community Partners
Father Gregory Boyle with Celesta M. Billeci
Bazemore;
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment with Julia Bullock, Jan 21 / Lobero Theatre
Find Your Place at Arts & Lectures
Become a member today and enjoy a range of benefits all year long. (See page 37 for details)
1. A&L Council member Lynda Weinman and A&L Program Advisor Bruce Heavin with bestselling author Anne Lamott
2. A&L Season Sponsor Sara Miller McCune and A&L Community Partner Natalie Orfalea with educational technology pioneer Salman Khan 3. A&L Partner John MacFarlane, Dylan MacFarlane and A&L Council member Patty MacFarlane with Nobel Prize-winning scientist Dr. Jennifer Doudna 4. Major Sponsor John Arnhold, UCSB Women’s Tennis team members and UCSB Women’s Tennis Associate Head Coach Maggie Kane with groundbreaking movement artists Lil Buck and Jon Boogz
5. A&L Partner Chuck Zegar and A&L Council Member Merryl Zegar with legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman
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.
Winter Book Giveaway
Aflame: Learning from Silence
by Pico Iyer (Released Jan 2025)
Pico Iyer has made more than 100 retreats at a Benedictine monastery in Big Sur. He says, “Sitting in a radiant silence above the sea feels like liberation, reminds you of what really matters and sends you back into the world with a fresh sense of energy and direction. But the ultimate secret of stepping away from the world is that it allows you to act with more compassion, selflessness and hope. Clear vision leads to clearer action.”
FREE copies will be available at the Author Q&A and Book Signing with Pico Iyer on Jan 30 at Santa Barbara Wine Collective. See details on page 5. Books available while supplies last.
With thanks to our visionary partners, Lynda Weinman and Bruce Heavin, for their support of the Thematic Learning Initiative
Imagination In Action - Free Events
Wild Life Documentary Screening
Tue, Jan 28 / 7 PM / Campbell Hall / FREE (registration recommended)
Follow conservationist Kristine McDivitt Tompkins on an epic love story as she and entrepreneur Doug Tompkins leave behind the successful outdoor brands they helped pioneer (Patagonia, The North Face, Esprit) and turn their attention to a visionary effort to effect the largest private land donation in history. (Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin, 2014, 115 min.)
RELATED EVENT Kristine McDivitt Tompkins, Feb 12 (p. 21)
Pico Iyer
Author Q&A and Book Signing
Thu, Jan 30 / 6 PM / FREE (registration recommended) Santa Barbara Wine Collective 131 Anacapa Street, Suite C
Pick up your free copy of our winter TLI book giveaway, Pico Iyer’s Aflame, and stay for a brief conversation and signing with the author. Enjoy no-host offerings from Santa Barbara Wine Collective and neighboring restaurants.
RELATED EVENT Richard Powers in Conversation with Pico Iyer, Feb 23 (p. 24)
Hope in the Water, Episode 1 Screening and Q&A
Tue, Feb 18 / 7 PM / Campbell Hall / FREE (registration recommended)
Explore the groundbreaking work of dedicated fishers, aqua farmers and scientists who are attempting what was once thought impossible. In Episode 1, “The Fish in the Sea,” discover new approaches to sustainable fishing on the open ocean. Stay for a Q&A with a panel of local experts from the series. (Brian Peter Falk, 2024, 55 min.)
RELATED EVENT Baratunde Thurston, Feb 27 (p. 26)
Look for additional events to be added throughout the season.
Kicking off this Winter!
Hear & Now series
Catch rising stars in an intimate setting –every Hear & Now concert is a Santa Barbara debut!
Alexander Malofeev, piano
Fri, Jan 24 / 7 PM / Hahn Hall
Schubert: Drei Klavierstücke
Kabalevsky: Sonata No. 3 in F Major, op. 46
Janáček: In the Mists
Liszt: Funérailles, S. 173
Scriabin: 4 Preludes, op. 22
Scriabin: Fantasie, op. 28
Imani Winds and Boston Brass
Sun, Feb 2 / 4 PM / Hahn Hall
Two exemplary quintets join forces for a night of rollicking musical entertainment. Featuring a new work by Arturo Sandoval.
Owls
Fri, Apr 11 / 7 PM / Hahn Hall
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
Tessa Lark, violin
Amy Yang, piano
Tue, May 20 / 7 PM / Hahn Hall
This versatile winner of the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Classical Instrumental Solo is also a shining star of contemporary bluegrass. Expect fi ddle fi reworks!
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.
Tommy Orange, Jan 29
Highlighting the complexities of Indigeneity
Baratunde Thurston, Feb 27
Promoting climate justice
Naomi Shihab Nye, Feb 4
Celebrating Palestinian heritage and cultural difference
Facing the Falls, Mar 11
Advocating for a more accessible world
Look for additional events to be added throughout the season.
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, Charles Hale, Beth Pruitt, Susannah Scott, Jeffrey Stewart, Sharon Tettegah (805) 893-3535
www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu
Wynton Marsalis Ensemble, May 17
LOUIS: A Silent Film with Live Musical Performance
Circa, Humans 2.0, Apr 8
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Apr 15 & 16
Larkin Poe, Apr 27
“The quality of our relationships determines the quality of our lives.”
– Esther Perel
An Evening with Esther Perel
The Future of Relationships, Love & Desire
Tue, Jan 14 / 7:30 PM / Arlington Theatre
Tickets start at $47 / $24.50 UCSB students
An Arlington facility fee is included in each ticket price
Join Esther Perel for an evening unlike any other as she helps us rethink how we connect, how we desire and even how we love. With her signature wit and captivating charm, Perel will interact with the live audience to talk about desire, heartbreak, sex and other topics we usually only discuss with the lights off. Described by Nylon Magazine and The Today Show as an epic 2,000-person group date, this is your invitation to meet Esther Perel in real life, explore the intricacies of modern love and flirt with curiosity as the evening unfolds.
Dr. Jennifer Doudna
Lead Sponsor: Heather & Tom Sturgess
New York Times Bestselling Author and Relationship Therapist
photo: Leeor Wild
Santa Barbara Debut
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Julia
Bullock,
soprano
Tue, Jan 21 / 7 PM / Lobero Theatre
Tickets start at $68.50 / $22 UCSB students
A Lobero facility fee is included in each ticket price
Arrive early for a pre-concert talk by Arts Writer Charles Donelan at 6 PM
“Britain’s indisputably best period instrument ensemble.”
The Independent (U.K.)
Brilliant star soprano Julia Bullock is joined by 23 musicians from the famed Baroque ensemble Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE). Founded in 1986, the OAE employs period instruments to realize historically-informed performances of rare beauty. The evening’s program features showpieces by Vivaldi, Bach and Pachelbel alongside arias by Handel, Lully, Rameau and Purcell that highlight Bullock’s “deeply rich and richly deep” soprano (Los Angeles Times). Although Bullock is renowned for her performances of Baroque opera roles at such international venues as the Royal Opera House in London and the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, this special program represents the first opportunity for U.S. audiences to experience this aspect of her artistry.
Great Performances Suite Sponsors:
G.A. Fowler Family Foundation The Shanbrom Family Foundation
Presented in association with UCSB Department of Music
Julia Bullock Vocal Master Class with UCSB students
Wed, Jan 22 / 10 AM - 11:30 AM
Lehmann Hall, Music Academy of the West FREE and open to public observation
OAE Strings Master Class with UCSB students
Wed, Jan 22 / 1 PM - 2:30 PM
Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall, UCSB FREE and open to public observation
“Malofeev is a marvel to witness, showcasing impeccable technique that seems to transcend the limitations of the instrument itself.” Bachtrack
Program
Schubert: Drei Klavierstücke, D. 946
Kabalevsky: Sonata No. 3 in F Major, op. 46
Janáček: In the Mists
Liszt: Funérailles, S. 173
Scriabin: 4 Preludes, op. 22
Scriabin: Fantasie, op. 28
High-octane Keyboard Virtuosity
Alexander Malofeev, piano
Fri, Jan 24 / 7 PM / Hahn Hall
Tickets $47.50 / $10 UCSB students (very limited availability)
“Malofeev’s artistry is truly remarkable for a young pianist who is at the beginning of what hopefully will be a long and fruitful career.” Boston Classical Review
Russian pianist Alexander Malofeev came to international prominence a decade ago when he won the International Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians at age 13. He has since established himself as one of the most prominent pianists of his generation, with a reputation for meticulous technique and a searching, fiery intensity of interpretation. He received repeated standing ovations at Tanglewood for a performance The Boston Globe called “lyrical, sensitive and haunted,” adding that “he brought down the house.”
Hear & Now Series Sponsors:
Linda Stafford Burrows
Dr. Bob Weinman
Presented in association with UCSB Department of Music
Humorist and New York Icon
Fran Lebowitz
Sat, Jan 25 / 7:30 PM / Campbell Hall
Tickets start at $37.50 / $15 UCSB students (very limited availability)
“Success didn’t spoil me. I’ve always been insufferable.”
– Fran Lebowitz
“On every level, she breaks the rules, and her late-life mainstream celebrity, attained simply by being – to be frank – a grumpy old lady, is the most glorious example of that. She deserves all the accolades.” The Guardian (U.K.)
Sharp-tongued, quick-witted and with a disarmingly world-weary persona, Fran Lebowitz enjoys a reputation as one of today’s great raconteurs. A cultural critic and talk show regular, she was featured in Martin Scorsese’s HBO documentary Public Speaking and his recent Emmy-nominated Netflix series Pretend It’s a City. An American original and purveyor of urban cool, the cultural satirist and author is pointed, forthright, unapologetically opinionated and known for her dry social commentary on American life. With her irreverent spirit, Lebowitz taps an endless supply of hilarious one-liners to skewer the vanities of contemporary life.
Books will be available for purchase and signing, courtesy of Chaucer’s Books
Event Sponsor: Marcia & John Mike Cohen
Pulitzer Prize Finalist
An Evening with Tommy Orange
Wed, Jan 29 / 7:30 PM / Campbell Hall
Tickets $20 / FREE for UCSB students
FREE copies of Orange’s new book, Wandering Stars, will be available while supplies last (pick up at event, one per household)
“Tommy Orange is building a body of literature that reshapes the Native American story in the United States. Book by book, he’s correcting the dearth of Indian stories even while depicting the tragic cost of that silence.” The Washington Post
Tommy Orange is the author of the bestselling There There, a thrilling multi-generational story about a side of America few of us have ever seen: the lives of urban Native Americans. Orange, a citizen of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for There There and was longlisted for the Booker Prize for his latest novel, Wandering Stars. He shows us violence and recovery, hope and loss, identity and power, dislocation and communion, and the beauty and despair woven into the history of a nation and its people.
With support from the Harold & Hester Schoen Arts & Lectures Endowment
Presented in association with the following UCSB partners: American Indian and Indigenous Collective; Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; and Department of English
Timeless Classics Plus Folk Music of the North Sea
Danish String Quartet
Fri, Jan 31 / 7 PM / Campbell Hall
Tickets start at $27.50 / $15 UCSB students
“They could be grounded in their tone or mystical. They allowed time to stand still, and they could assume the pose of excitingly aggressive rockers. They did it all.”
– Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times
Program
Shostakovich:
String Quartet No. 3 in F Major, op. 73
Mozart: Divertimento in F Major, K. 138
Stravinsky: Three Pieces for String Quartet
O’Carolan: Three Melodies
Folk Music
Longtime friends and virtuosic musicians, these self-described “relatively bearded Scandinavians, sometimes mistaken for Vikings” have been playing as a quartet for more than 20 years. One of today’s most highly-acclaimed and in-demand classical quartets, the Danish is renowned for impeccable musicianship, sophisticated artistry, exquisite clarity of ensemble and, above all, an unmatched ability to play as one. This wide-ranging program combines works from the classical quartet repertoire with medieval Irish melodies and Nordic folk.
Event Sponsor: Anonymous
Great Performances Suite Sponsors:
G.A. Fowler Family Foundation
The Shanbrom Family Foundation
Presented in association with UCSB Department of Music
Danish String Quartet
Master Class with UCSB students
Thu, Jan 30 / 4:30 PM - 6 PM
Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall, UCSB FREE and open to public observation
photo: Caroline Bittencourt
“There is certainly no group out there quite like Imani Winds. The virtuosic quintet finds ways to combine the sounds of the past with futuristic innovations in a manner that makes it impossible to put them in a box.”
The Oberlin Review
“To say the performers are spectacular and technical musical wizards is an understatement.”
Charleston Today on Boston Brass
An Epic Quintet Collaboration
Imani Winds and Boston Brass
Sun, Feb 2 / 4 PM / Hahn Hall
Tickets $52.50 / $10 UCSB students
Two powerhouse ensembles join forces to create an all-star collaboration featuring a new piece by the iconic, multi-Grammy-winning musician and composer Arturo Sandoval. In this night of rollicking musical entertainment, woodwind quintet Imani Winds, winner of the 2023 Grammy Award for Best Classical Compendium, meets Boston Brass, the one-of-a-kind quintet expert at blowing away genre boundaries. Imani Winds has been nominated again this year for a second Grammy in the Best Classical Compendium category. The program will include popular favorites by Stevie Wonder and Leonard Bernstein, along with music by Dmitri Shostakovich, J.S. Bach, Astor Piazzolla and modern masters Paquito D’Rivera and Lalo Shifrin.
Hear & Now Series Sponsors:
Linda Stafford Burrows
Dr. Bob Weinman
photo:
Just added!
Award-winning Palestinian-American Poet
An
Evening with
Naomi Shihab Nye
Tue, Feb 4 / 7:30 PM / Campbell Hall
Tickets $20 / FREE for UCSB Students
“Naomi Shihab Nye has borne witness to the complexities of cultural difference that connect us as human beings, evidencing a firm commitment to the poet as bearer of light and hope.” – Afaa Michael Weaver, Chancellor, Academy of American Poets
Naomi Shihab Nye has spent more than 40 years traveling the country and the world as a self-described “wandering poet.” Born to a Palestinian father and an American mother, Nye grew up in St. Louis, Jerusalem and San Antonio. In October, Nye received the 2024 Wallace Stevens Award for lifetime achievement from the Academy of American Poets.
“Her body of work is a rare and precious living entity in our time,” praised the Academy’s Chancellor, “when the tragic conflict between Gaza and Israel threatens to deepen wounds and resentments everywhere.”
Books will be available for purchase and signing, courtesy of Chaucer’s Books
Presented in association with the following UCSB partners:
Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Departments of English and Religious Studies
photo: Michael Nye
“Between explosive drumming and dance routines, the group delivered mind-blowing acrobatic sequences with extraordinary precision.”
VICE magazine
“High-flying, jaw-dropping performances that will amaze the whole family.”
The Georgia Straight
Featuring Live Music
Cirque Kalabanté
Afrique en Cirque
Thu, Feb 6 / 7:30 PM / Lobero Theatre
Tickets start at $53.50 / $34 youth (18 & under) / $19.50 UCSB students
A Lobero facility fee is included in each ticket price (very limited availability)
Get ready for an unforgettable journey with Afrique en Cirque, created by Guinean artist and former Cirque du Soleil and Cirque Éloize performer Yamoussa Bangoura. With spectacular strength and agility, the acrobats of Cirque Kalabanté execute gravity-defying moves and human pyramids accompanied by the sounds of live kora, percussion and Afro-jazz music. Filled with colorful costumes and impressive scenery, this joyful evening of dazzling circus arts is fun for the whole family.
photo:
Santa Barbara Debut Lakecia Benjamin and Phoenix
Fri, Feb 7 / 8 PM / Campbell Hall
Tickets start at $22.50 / $15 UCSB students
“Lakecia Benjamin plays jazz that is sprinkled with the rich flavors of funk and soul – she’s a crafty traditionalist who remains in step with the rhythms of the young generation.” The New Yorker Saxophonist, composer and arranger Lakecia Benjamin fuses soul and hiphop with a strong foundation in the canon of modern jazz. The Manhattan native has worked with an impressive roster of jazz greats, including Clark Terry, Reggie Workman, Gregory Porter and Christian McBride. Her 2023 release, Phoenix, earned Grammy nominations in two categories – Best Jazz Instrumental Album and Best Jazz Performance for her original composition “Basquiat.”
Benjamin’s latest album, Phoenix Reimagined (Live) was nominated for two Grammy Awards this year: Best Jazz Instrumental Album and Best Jazz Performance. Fans of John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter and Ornette Coleman, listen up – there’s a new horn in town, and she’s ready to roar.
Jazz Series Lead Sponsor: Manitou Fund
Presented in association with UCSB Department of Music
Double Grammy Nominee in 2024
photo: Elizabeth Leitzell
Award-winning Historian
Sir Niall Ferguson
Why We Study History: Standing at the Crossroads of Past, Present and Future
Sat, Feb 8 / 4 PM (note special time) / Granada Theatre
Tickets start at $33.50 / FREE for UCSB students
A Granada facility fee is included in each ticket price
“[Ferguson has a] knack for making long-ago events as vivid and visceral as the evening news, for weaving anecdotes and small, telling details together with a wide-angled retrospective vision.” The New York Times
“Ferguson’s grasp of economic history is admired even by his critics.” The Guardian (U.K.)
One of the world’s foremost historians and provocative commentators on global politics and economics, Niall Ferguson is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and a senior faculty fellow of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard. He is the author of 16 books chronicling a wide range of political and socioeconomic topics, from how the West handles disasters to the life of Henry Kissinger. With erudition, eloquence and humor, Ferguson puts today’s economic shifts, social changes and political disruptions into historical perspective, using the past as a roadmap to the future.
Major Sponsors:
Susan McCaw
Laura & Kevin O’Connor
“Tharp is America’s crossover dance queen… She melds classical ballet with modern dance, avantgarde experiment with Broadway pizzazz, technical rigor with off-the-cuff attitude, uptown glamor with downtown grit.”
The Guardian (U.K.)
Featuring a New A&L Co-commission
Twyla Tharp Dance
60th Anniversary - Diamond Jubilee
Featuring Live Music Performed by Third Coast Percussion
Tue, Feb 11 / 7:30 PM / Granada Theatre
Tickets start at $48.50 / $20 UCSB students
A Granada facility fee is included in each ticket price
Twyla Tharp is an American dance legend renowned for crafting accessible, impeccable, startlingly original works that expand the boundaries of ballet and modern dance. Celebrating her 60th anniversary as a choreographer, this Diamond Jubilee program features Tharp’s Oliviernominated triumph, Diabelli, set to Beethoven’s masterpiece of the same name. Rounding out the evening is SLACKTIDE, Tharp’s first partnership with Philip Glass in nearly 40 years. Co-commissioned by Arts & Lectures, the piece is inspired by the composer’s Aguas de Amazonia and performed to live music by Grammy-winning Third Coast Percussion.
Lead Sponsor: Jody & John Arnhold
Dance Series Sponsors: Margo Cohen-Feinberg, Barbara Stupay, and Sheila Wald
Made possible by gifts to the A&L Commission of New Work Endowment Fund
Presented in association with UCSB Department of Theater and Dance
Just added!
The Most Prolific Private Conservationist
in History
Kristine McDivitt Tompkins
Rewilding on a Continental Scale
Wed, Feb 12 / 7:30 PM / Campbell Hall
$25 / FREE for all students (with valid ID)
“Whoever you are, wherever your interest lies, whatever you’ve fallen in love with, get out of bed every morning and do something. Act, step into the fray – fight for a human society in balance with the natural world.”
– Kristine McDivitt Tompkins
Kristine McDivitt Tompkins is an American conservationist, the president and co-founder of Tompkins Conservation and former CEO of Patagonia. For three decades, she has preserved wild beauty and biodiversity by creating national parks, restoring wildlife, inspiring activism and fostering economic vitality as a result of conservation. Tompkins has protected nearly 15 million acres of parklands in Chile and Argentina, has created or expanded 15 national parks, including two marine parks, and is working to restore dozens of endangered or locally extinct species including the jaguar and the red-and-green macaw. The recipient of numerous honors, Tompkins was the first conservationist to be awarded the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy.
Presented in association with UCSB Bren School of Environmental Science & Management and Environmental Studies Program
RELATED EVENT Documentary Screening: Wild Life, Jan 28 (p. 5)
“Nobody wields a pipa like Wu Man, the reigning virtuoso on the ancient four-stringed instrument.” NPR
“One of the greatest musicians I’ve ever had the privilege to know and to work with.”
– Yo-Yo Ma on Kayhan Kalhor
“Sandeep Das’ virtuosic playing injected discreet surges of rhythmic adrenaline.”
With a name inspired by the transliteration of the Farsi word for friend, DoosTrio’s Kayhan Kalhor, Wu Man and Sandeep Das join together in a new collaboration that highlights the ancient traditions of Iran, China and India in a distinctly 21st century program. A virtuoso on the kamancheh, Kalhor has been uniquely influential in popularizing Persian music in the West. Wu Man is the world’s premier pipa virtuoso and a leading ambassador of Chinese music. A Guggenheim Fellow and a Grammy winner, tabla master Das debuted at age 17 with legendary sitar player Ravi Shankar and has since built a prolific international reputation spanning three decades.
Presented in association with UCSB Department of Music
Social Psychologist and Author
Jonathan Haidt
The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness
Thu, Feb 20 / 7:30 PM / Arlington Theatre
Tickets start at $18 / FREE for UCSB students
(very limited availability)
An Arlington facility fee is included in each ticket price
“The shift in kids’ energy and attention from the physical world to the virtual one, Haidt shows, has been catastrophic.” The New York Times
Jonathan Haidt discusses why Gen Z (born after 1995) has such extraordinary rates of mental illness. He explains how their loss of independence and free play in the 1990s combined with the move to a fully phone-based childhood in the early 2010s to cause a collapse of mental health. He presents more than a dozen mechanisms by which this “great rewiring of childhood” has interfered with children’s social and neurological development, covering everything from sleep deprivation to attention fragmentation, addiction, loneliness, social contagion, social comparison and perfectionism. Most importantly, Haidt issues a clear call to action, proposing four simple rules that might end this epidemic of mental illness and restore a more humane childhood.
Event Sponsors:
Jillian & Pete Muller
Natalie Orfalea Foundation & Lou Buglioli
photo: Jayne Riew
“One of our country’s greatest living writers. He composes some of the most beautiful sentences I’ve ever read. I’m in awe of his talent.”
– Oprah Winfrey
Pulitzer Prize-winning Environmental Novelist
Richard Powers
in Conversation with Pico Iyer
Sun, Feb 23 / 7:30 PM / Campbell Hall
Tickets start at $32.50 / $10 UCSB students
Includes a copy of Powers’ new book Playground (pick up at event) “A soft-spoken eco-warrior and environmental prophet.”
The New York Times
Operating at the intersection of culture, the environment and technology, novelist Richard Powers has constructed an oeuvre rivaling that of any American writer. The Overstory, his visionary narrative account of the deep time embedded within the Earth’s forests, earned the 2019 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. In his new novel, Playground, Powers does for the ocean what The Overstory did for forests, portraying the Pacific’s last wild regions in give and take with humanity’s ongoing project to subdue them. Throughout his prolific writing life, Powers has expressed unbridled curiosity, which has propelled him from his early days as a computer programmer to his current place atop the pantheon of speculative fiction creators.
Speaking with Pico Series Sponsors: Martha Gabbert, Robin & Roger Himovitz, Siri & Bob Marshall, and Laura & Kevin O’Connor
Presented in association with UCSB College of Creative Studies
“MOMO… is breathtaking. It has clarity, precision and economy, simplicity and depth, a secret.”
Globes (Israel)
Acclaimed
Contemporary Dance From Israel
Batsheva Dance Company
MOMO
Choreography by Ohad Naharin
Tue, Feb 25 / 7:30 PM / Granada Theatre
Tickets start at $48.50 / $20 UCSB students
A Granada facility fee is included in each ticket price
“The company has ascended to the upper echelons of contemporary dance.” The New York Times
A titan of contemporary dance and creator of the Gaga movement language, Ohad Naharin brings his powerhouse Tel Aviv-based company back to Santa Barbara with MOMO. Laurie Anderson and Kronos Quartet’s Landfall and Philip Glass’ Metamorphosis provide the slowsimmering musical backdrop to this daring new work. MOMO has two souls, with separate yet conjoined narratives running alongside one another, hypnotic and intense. Through it all, a shared passion of deep sorrow and beauty unfolds on stage.
Due to the nature of this event, late seating will not be permitted
Lead Sponsor: Jody & John Arnhold
Dance Series Sponsors: Margo Cohen-Feinberg, Barbara Stupay, and Sheila Wald
Presented in association with UCSB Department of Theater and Dance
photo:
Just added!
Emmy-nominated Environmentalist and Cultural Critic Baratunde
Thurston
Climate Justice and Environmental Stewardship
Thu, Feb 27 / 7:30 PM / Campbell Hall
Tickets $20 / FREE for UCSB students
“We still have time to minimize harm, save millions of lives, and keep our planet livable, while improving the underlying structures that created this mess in the first place.”
– Baratunde Thurston
Bestselling writer and commentator Baratunde Thurston tells stories of interdependence through our relationship with nature, each other and technology. He is the Emmy-nominated host of PBS’ America Outdoors, featured host of Hope in the Water (also on PBS), author of the bestselling book How to Be Black and creator of the How to Citizen and Life with Machines podcasts. Renowned for his ability to synthesize themes of race, culture, politics and technology with intelligence, compassion and humor, Thurston will explore opportunities for climate-concerned individuals to take meaningful community-driven action.
Event Sponsor: Patricia & Paul Bragg Foundation
Presented in association with UCSB Bren School of Environmental Science & Management and Environmental Studies Program
RELATED EVENT Screening and Q&A: Hope in the Water, Episode 1, Feb 18 (p. 5)
An Unprecedented Two-piano Collaboration Yuja Wang, piano Víkingur
Ólafsson, piano
Fri, Feb 28 / 7 PM / Granada Theatre
Tickets start at $48.50 / $20 UCSB students
A Granada facility fee is included in each ticket price
“Their tempo was blistering. For minutes at a time, Wang’s fingers moved so quickly they blurred. Ólafsson’s bass pedal notes were thunderous. It’s hard to imagine a more viscerally thrilling performance.” The Guardian (U.K.)
Program
Berio: Wasserklavier
Schubert: Fantasia in F minor for Four Hands
Cage: Experiences No. 1
Nancarrow (arr. Thomas Adès): Study No. 6
John Adams: Hallelujah Junction
Arvo Pärt: Hymn to a Great City Rachmaninoff : Symphonic Dances
Yuja Wang and Víkingur Ólafsson join forces for an unforgettable night of four-handed keyboard mastery. Lauded for her charismatic artistry, emotional honesty and captivating stage presence, Wang is a regular with the world’s top symphony orchestras and was named Musical America’s Artist of the Year in 2017. An acclaimed visionary interpreter of such monuments of the piano repertoire as J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations, Ólafsson has received Opus Klassik’s Solo Recording Instrumental of the Year twice since his debut with Deutsche Grammophon in 2017.
Great Performances Suite Sponsors: G.A. Fowler Family Foundation
The Shanbrom Family Foundation
“Sorkin is part of a new breed of entrepreneurial journalists, blazing an unmatchable trail in their respective areas of expertise and using the power of technology to do so.” The Telegraph (U.K.)
Award-winning Business and Finance Journalist
Andrew Ross Sorkin
Bestselling Author of Too Big to Fail | Founder and Editor-at-Large of The New York Times’ “DealBook” | Co-creator of Showtime’s Billions
Sat, Mar 1 / 7:30 PM / Campbell Hall
Tickets start at $22.50 / FREE for UCSB students
“Great stories are still just great yarns. News remains the best human drama ever.” – Andrew Ross Sorkin
Dubbed “The Oracle” for his insights into business and policy, Too Big to Fail author and Billions co-creator Andrew Ross Sorkin has long been a leading voice about Wall Street and corporate America. Sorkin lends his journalistic excellence to nuanced long-form conversations with the world’s biggest newsmakers at his annual DealBook Summit, where his recent guests included Sam Altman, Jeff Bezos, President Bill Clinton, Alex Cooper and Serena Williams. On the heels of this year’s highly-anticipated summit, and fresh from the Annual Meeting of The World Economic Forum in Davos, Sorkin shares incisive observations from unprecedented access to the most influential figures shaping the world today.
Supporting Sponsors:
Jennifer & Jonathan Blum
Laura & Geof Wyatt
Presented in association with UCSB Economic Forecast Project
photo: Mike Cohen
Celebrating 33 Years in Santa Barbara Two Nights! Two Programs!
Just added!
Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour
Wed, Mar 5 & Thu, Mar 6 / 7 PM (note earlier start time) / Arlington Theatre
An Arlington facility fee is included in each ticket price
Curated and hosted by Roman Baratiak, A&L Associate Director Emeritus
The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour returns for two nights of exhilarating mountain adventures at larger-than-life scale. Featuring the world’s best films on subjects ranging from ice climbing and extreme alpinism to mountain culture and the environment, the tour delivers adrenaline-packed thrills alongside profound messages about human potential and the natural world. An entirely different program of films (TBA) screens each night.
Major Local Sponsor: Justin Brooks Fisher Foundation
The Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour is presented by Banff & Lake Louise Tourism and Rab and is sponsored by Kicking Horse Coffee, Oboz Footwear, YETI, World Expeditions, The Lake Louise Ski Resort & Summer Gondola, and BUFF
French Alps, photo by Jordan
Manoukian
Just added!
From Executive Producers Hillary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton
Facing the Falls
Screening and Q&A with the
Filmmakers
Tue, Mar 11 / 7:30 PM / Campbell Hall / FREE (registration recommended)
“You don’t realize the limits of what human beings can do unless you’re tested.” – Cara Yar Khan
“Facing the Falls dares viewers to challenge their perception of what people with disabilities are capable of.” People Magazine
Facing the Falls chronicles international disability rights advocate and entrepreneur
Cara Yar Khan’s quest to live an extraordinary life and shatter stigma against people living with disabilities. Deep in the throes of an aggressive muscle-wasting disease and no longer able to walk unassisted, Yar Khan ventures out on a daring, 12-day expedition through the Grand Canyon. In this story of fear, hubris, courage and perseverance against the odds, the expedition team grapples with the remote wilderness and comes face to face with their individual demons and insecurities. Co-produced by UCSB’s Wendy Eley Jackson. (Facing the Falls: Celia Aniskovich, 2024, 34 min.)
Presented in association with the following UCSB partners: College of Creative Studies; Disabled Students Program; Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; and Department of Film and Media Studies
Just added!
Six-time Grammy Winner
An Intimate Evening with
Jason Isbell
Sat, Mar 15 / 7:30 PM / Arlington Theatre
Tickets start at $57
$29.50 UCSB students
An Arlington facility fee is included in each ticket price (very limited availability)
“With his honeysuckle drawl and unrivaled knack for lyrical detail, Jason Isbell is arguably the most revered roots-rock singer-songwriter of his generation.” Rolling Stone
Widely-regarded as “one of the best songwriters in the country” ( The New York Times), six-time Grammy Awardwinning musician Jason Isbell returns to the Arlington Theatre for an intimate solo performance. On the heels of his latest release with his band the 400 Unit, Live from the Ryman, Vol. 2, Isbell takes to the stage with just a guitar and his extraordinary catalog of heartfelt songs, including “Cover Me Up,” “Dreamsicle” and the Grammy’s Best American Roots Song of the year for 2023, “Cast Iron Skillet.”
Coming in Spring 2025
April
Tue, Apr 1
Sat, Apr 5
Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain
An Evening with Yo-Yo Ma, Reflections in Words and Music
Tue, Apr 8 Circa, Humans 2.0
Thu, Apr 10 Akram Khan GIGENIS, the generation of the Earth
Sat, Apr 26 & Sun, Apr 27 Art | Architecture on Film
Sun, Apr 27 Larkin Poe
May
Tue, May 6 Marina Abramović in Conversation with Pico Iyer
Thu, May 8 Ross Gay - UCSB Reads Author Event The Book of Delights
Sat, May 17 Wynton Marsalis Ensemble LOUIS: A Silent Film with Live Musical Performance
Tue, May 20 Tessa Lark, violin
Thu, May 29 Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano Sheku Kanneh-Mason, cello
Hiromi’s Sonicwonder
Apr 25
photo: Mitsuru
Nishimura
Just added!
Ross Gay
The Book of Delights
UCSB Reads Author Event
Thu, May 8 / 7:30 PM / Campbell Hall
FREE (registration recommended)
“The delights Gay extols here feel purposeful and imperative as well as contagious in their joy.” The New York Times Book Review
UCSB Reads’ 2025 selection, The Book of Delights by Ross Gay, is a New York Times bestselling collection of essays celebrating small, ordinary wonders. Written daily over one tumultuous year, Gay’s humorous, poetic and philosophical essays cover a wide range of topics. From a high five with a stranger to cradling a tomato seedling aboard an airplane, Gay reveals how staking out a space for joy brings us closer together. Gay won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Poetry in 2015, the Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award in 2016 and the PEN/Jean Stein Award in 2021.
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
photo: Natasha Komoda
Nuevo Cinemas, Theater #3
Saturday, April 26
on the occasion of
creates a
and important
portrait of Anselm Kiefer, one
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
hypnotic
of the most innovative
painters
sculptors of our time. (Wim Wenders, 2023, 94 min.)
Restored
the 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.)
How to Order
Online
www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu
Phone
(805) 893-3535
Hours:
Mon-Fri, 10 AM-5 PM Sat, 12 PM-4 PM (Oct-May)
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
photo: Lauren Desberg
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 u
Complimentary parking at all ticketed A&L events at UCSB Campbell Hall u
Opportunity to introduce guests to Arts & Lectures with a pair of complimentary tickets to an A&L public event, as available u
VIP Ticketing Concierge Service and Priority Seating u u
Complimentary ticket exchange when your plans change u u
Invitations to Producers Circle Receptions with featured artists and speakers u u
Access to Intermission Lounge in the McCune Founders Room during A&L performances and lectures at The Granada Theatre u u
Invitation to A&L’s exclusive Season Announcement Party u u
Opportunity to attend master classes and other educational activities u u
Invitation to a member appreciation event u u u
Recognition in A&L event programs or digital media u u u
To inquire about membership, please call Rachel Leslie, Membership Director, at (805) 893-3382
Leadership Circle includes all the benefi ts of Executive Producers Circle plus your own personalized membership experience
To inquire about 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.
photos: David Bazemore
“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”
UCSB Strings Master Class with the Juilliard String Quartet
Lil Buck and Jon Boogz teach a pop and lock workshop for Santa Barbara High School dance students
Thank you to our Education and ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! Sponsors
Arnhold A&L Education Initiative
Connie Frank & Evan Thompson
WILLIAM H. KEARNS FOUNDATION
Sara Miller McCune
Michelle Dorrance leads a tap dance workshop for Santa Barbara Dance Arts
Audrey & Timothy O. Fisher
Eva & Yoel Haller
Stone Family Foundation
Linda Stafford Burrows
Kath Lavidge & Ed McKinley
Dorothy Largay & Wayne Rosing
University Support:
Office of the Chancellor
Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor
Office of Education Partnerships
¡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.
Coming in Winter of 2025
La Santa Cecilia
January 24-26
Las Guaracheras
March 14-16
1. Dancers from Ballet Folklórico de Los Ángeles perform at Franklin Elementary School 2. Ballet Folklórico de Los Ángeles performs a free concert at The Marjorie Luke Theatre 3. Members of Ballet Folklórico de Los Ángeles with Viva Coordinator Alíz Ruvalcaba and her family
4. Young audience members enjoy a free family performance
5. Charro Esteban Escobedo delights audiences at The Marjorie Luke Theatre 6. Mariachi Reyna de Los Angeles performs a free concert at The Marjorie Luke Theatre
¡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.
Performances are FREE (no registration required)
Learn more about the awardwinning ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! program. Call Jenna Hamilton-Rolle, Director of Education & Community Engagement, at (805) 893-5829 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 # 2024-2025.2. 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.
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.
