Creating Hope and Justice for All with UCSB Arts & Lectures 2021-22 Season

In an outdoor gathering at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum on August 31, UCSB Arts & Lectures announced its 2021-2022 season with guests including Julián Castro, Roxane Gay, Jason Isbell, Yuja Wang, and Wynton Marsalis. The season, which begins on October 10 with Julián Castro at UCSB’s Campbell Hall, will continue in its opening week with a concert by the Wood Brothers at The Granada Theatre on Tuesday, October 12, a recital at the Rockwood by the Danish String Quartet on October 14, and a special show at Campbell Hall on Friday, October 15, with Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra performing Fandango at the Wall. Inspired by the annual Fandango Fronterizo Festival at the Tijuana–San Diego border, O’Farrill and his orchestra have teamed with the Villalobos Brothers to create a multimedia, transnational program blending the music of Mexico with jazz and classical influences. 

Julián Castro’s lecture, which is titled Waking Up from My American Dream, initiates the Justice for All thread of the season’s programming. Following on the success of last season’s Race to Justice series of conversations with prominent African-American artists and scholars, Justice for All will widen the scope of the discussion to include such luminaries as cultural critic Cathy Park Hong on November 18, Harvard professor Annette Gordon-Reed on November 10, and best-selling author Roxane Gay on February 25, 2022. The series reaches a conclusion in April 2022 when violinist Jennifer Koh and vocalist Davóne Tines will perform the world premiere of their new project, Everything Rises: A Musical Reckoning. 

In accordance with the organization’s long-standing commitment to open access, ticket holders who for any reason feel reluctant to attend Arts & Lectures events in person will be able to watch them at home through simultaneous streaming coverage. Series packages are available now at special prices. These offerings include a spectacular set of dance performances, including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Joffrey Ballet, and Memphis Jookin’ with Lil Buck. Fans of classical music have much to be thankful for, with appearances by Yuja Wang with Leonidas Kavakos, Joshua Bell, and pianist Daniil Trifonov. The Soul of America series includes the Brothers Wood and Punch, along with Amythyst Kiah, a Béla Fleck bluegrass supergroup, and Wynton Marsalis leading the inimitable Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra.

For a complete schedule and further information regarding the wide range of Arts & Lectures offerings, visit artsandlectures.ucsb.edu.  

This edition of ON Culture was originally emailed to subscribers on April 12, 2024. To receive Leslie Dinaberg’s arts newsletter in your inbox on Fridays, sign up at independent.com/newsletters.