ArtPower to Open Expanded 20th-Anniversary Season with Madison McFerrin

ArtPower at UC San Diego is expanding the variety of its slate in honor of its 20th anniversary season, which starts Thursday.

The series, continuing through May, has included performances across multiple genres, including chamber music, jazz, dance and global music. This year, audiences will see the addition of family, literature and holiday performances, as well as a student-curated series. 

First up for the new season: Madison McFerrin at 8 p.m. Thursday at The Loft. The daughter of Bobby McFerrin mixes a cappella, electronic pop, jazz and soul.

Tickets for McFerrin start at $30.

“We are proud to showcase a tapestry of artistic expression that connects the cultural landscape of UC San Diego to the greater region and vice-versa,” says Colleen Kollar Smith, executive director of UC San Diego’s Campus Performances and Events office.  

Upcoming performances – there are nearly 40 on the season – include UC San Diego alumna Em Beihold on Oct. 20, and, the following day, the first birthday party for the Epstein Family Amphitheater with George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic.

ArtPower at UC San Diego also shares its 20th anniversary with the world premiere of Jersey Boys at the La Jolla Playhouse.

To mark the occasion, stars of the original Jersey Boys production will return to La Jolla, where it all began. The Midtown Men appear on Dec. 16 at the Epstein Family Amphitheater to perform hits by the Four Seasons and holiday classics. 

UC San Diego is committed to creating artistic engagement opportunities beyond the stage and amplifying the work of its faculty, students and alumni. This year, St. Lawrence will conduct a residency with the Music Department and Professor Lei Liang. The culmination includes a public concert by St. Lawrence and pianist Steven Banks on May 10, 2024. 

ArtPower at UC San Diego’s popular Jazz series also will grow to five events, including the San Diego premiere of musical poet Aja Monet; a Mardi Gras concert by Delfeayo Marsalis and the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, and a screening of the 2015 Academy Award Best Picture winner, Birdman, with Antonio Sánchez performing his original percussive score live.

In addition, during the statewide California Festival: A Celebration of New Music, ArtPower at UC San Diego will present two pieces, including Carlos Simon’s Requiem for the Enslaved,  a musical tribute to commemorate the stories of 272 enslaved men, women and children sold in 1838 by Georgetown University.

The Manhattan Transfer also will appear Dec. 13 as part of their 50th anniversary and final tour.

ArtPower at UC San Diego continues to present K-12 programs, including a full Family Series open to the public, designed to introduce the youngest members of the community to the arts in a comfortable and accessible environment.

Planned family shows include “Animaniacs Live in Concert,” the Little Mermen, and Sonia de los Santos.