About Us

MISSION

MISSION

To present performing and media arts that engage, energize, and transform the diverse cultural life of the University and San Diego.

VISION

To develop more empathetic students and community members that are better prepared to engage in the world around them through their participation in high quality artistic programs that broaden thinking and awareness, deepen understanding, and encourage new dialogues across UC San Diego and the community.

A wide-angle view from behind a large audience of students, most wearing red uniforms, seated in a darkened auditorium and facing a stage. The stage is dimly lit with musical instruments and equipment visible, and a few figures standing to the right. On either side of the stage, the red velvet curtains are illuminated by heart-shaped projections featuring the word "art" in white.

WELCOME

Welcome to the
2026–27 ArtPower Season

Dear Friends,

We’re so excited to share ArtPower’s 2026–27 season with you.

This year, we invite you to follow curiosity and find connection.

Whether it’s a sound, a story, or an idea that draws you in, every performance offers the opportunity for unexpected discovery. Throughout the season, artists honor tradition while pushing creative boundaries, exploring heritage, identity, memory, and belonging.

From Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Susie Ibarra’s CHAN: Sonnets and Devotions in the Wilderness, which reimagines Filipino musical traditions, to Tony Award-winning choreographer Sonya Tayeh’s The Surge, inspired by the music and legacy of Sinéad O’Connor, curiosity takes many forms. CONTRA-TIEMPO’s world-premiere dance work Roots of Loving Us explores family as both inheritance and action, while Ritchie Forever celebrates the enduring influence of Ritchie Valens through a vibrant collective of Los Angeles musicians and performers.

Collaboration is another hallmark of the season. In Feathered Creatures, sitar virtuoso Purbayan Chatterjee and guitarist Mark Lettieri blend Indian classical traditions with modern jazz and rock ’n’ roll, while Charlie Hunter and Ellie Feingold demonstrate the creative possibilities that emerge when artists share ideas and influences.

As part of ArtsConnect, UC San Diego’s campus-wide arts initiative, ArtPower brings artists, students, and audiences together in concert halls, theaters, classrooms, and outdoor gathering spaces, creating opportunities for discovery, conversation, and connection.

We’re equally committed to making every experience welcoming and accessible. Whether you’re attending your first performance or returning as a longtime supporter, you’ll find world-class jazz, chamber music, global traditions, dance, family programming, and genre-defying new work.

Not sure where to begin? Our curated ticket packages make it easy to explore the season, whether you’re drawn to familiar favorites or eager to discover something new.

We look forward to welcoming you throughout the year.
Follow curiosity. Find connection.

Colleen Kollar Smith
Executive Artistic Director

Liz Bradshaw
Director, Artistic Programming

Albert Agbayani
Assistant Director of Artistic Planning and Outreach

Four people pose together outdoors on the UC San Diego campus in front of wide, light-colored stone amphitheater seating. From left to right: a woman with curly blonde hair wearing a green jacket and jeans; a woman with glasses and dark hair wearing a pink blazer, seated on a stool; a woman with long dark hair wearing a striped blazer; and a man with short dark hair wearing a brown cardigan. All four are smiling warmly.

A NOTE FROM THE CHANCELLOR
Since its inception, UC San Diego has nurtured a spirit of curiosity, creative problem solving, and diverse and inclusive collaboration to meet the needs of its campus and regional community. This ethos has created a
university evolving and transformed— a destination for globally ranked education, leading edge research, nationally recognized healthcare and world-class arts and culture. Our new performance venues and exhibit spaces, dynamic program offerings curated by ArtPower, and increased connectivity with the UC San Diego Blue Line Trolley have expanded opportunities for deeper community connections and inspired artistic exploration. The result? Lively, engaging and exciting
cultural offerings that showcase the very best of our dynamic, multicultural region.

Our innovative arts and culture programming offer something for everyone. We invite you to join us soon to enjoy dance and musical performances at the Epstein Family Amphitheater, witness global music artists and up-and-coming jazz musicians at The Loft, or experience world-class chamber music and innovative artists through ArtPower’s programming. Wherever your curiosity leads you, we look forward to welcoming you to campus soon. Thank you for your continuous support of ArtPower and UC San Diego.

Pradeep K. Khosla
Chancellor, UC San Diego

UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla stands outdoors on campus, smiling warmly at the camera with one hand in his pocket. He has short gray hair and a mustache, and is dressed in a dark blazer over a white collared shirt. Behind him, the distinctive brutalist concrete curves of Geisel Library are visible, slightly out of focus.

STAFF

STAFF

CAMPUS PERFORMANCES AND EVENTS STAFF

Executive & Administration
Colleen Kollar Smith, Executive Director
Anthony Tran ’09, Associate Director
Liz Bradshaw, Director, Artistic Programming
Sam McLaughlin, Director of Technical Production & Operations
Joanna Christian ‘06, Associate Director of Marketing & Communications
Chelsea Kaufman, Associate Director of Strategy and Operations

Programming & Outreach
Albert Agbayani, Assistant Director of Artistic Planning and Outreach
Jenna Ingrassia-Knox, Artistic Program Manager
Kathryn Sturch, Artist Liaison

Guest Services & Box Office
Ahmed Dents, Guest Services Manager
Sean Nash, Guest Services Manager

Technical Production
Courtney Austin Clifford, Head of Video
Heidi Gaare, Head of Audio
Brent McDannald, Head of Lighting

Production Management
Kyle Knightford, Production Manager
Lauren Tennison ’22, Production Manager

Front of House Operations
Simonne Dabronne ’22, MIA ’23, Front of House Manager

Student Engagement
Buu Huynh ‘08, Interim Assistant Director
Andy Tran ‘19, Event Manager

Advancement
Paulyne Becerra, Executive Director of Development, Student Success and Parent Programs Alumni, Annual Giving and Pipeline Development

Finance
Doug Carlone, ArtsConnect and Activation Business Officer
Jennifer Mancano, Events & Performing Arts Business Manager
Rhonda Faye, Business Manager

EMPLOYMENT

ArtPower supports the academic and career development of UC San Diego students through a variety of student assistant positions in programming, event management, marketing, production, and community outreach. For more information, email artpower@ucsd.edu.

A candid photo of a mixed-age audience seated in a theater with warm overhead lighting and deep red curtains in the background. In the foreground, several audience members are visibly smiling and conversing, appearing relaxed and engaged. The theater seating extends back into the frame, showing a full house

CONTACT

TICKET SALES: 858-534-TIXS (8497)
GENERAL INQUIRIES: ARTPOWER@UCSD.EDU

For Marketing/Press Inquiries:
joanna@ucsd.edu / 858.230.0943

For Development Inquiries:
artpower@ucsd.edu

For Box Office:
boxoffice@ucsd.edu

 

MAILING ADDRESS

ArtPower at UC San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive #0029
La Jolla, CA 92093-0029

A wide-angle, long-exposure night photograph of a bustling outdoor plaza at Price Center on the UC San Diego campus, filled with a large crowd of people, their motion blurred by the slow shutter speed, creating a sense of energy and movement. The scene is illuminated by vivid multicolored lights — greens, purples, yellows, and reds — emanating from surrounding buildings and installations. The distinctive glass-fronted Price Center building glows in the background, flanked by trees and additional lit structures. The dramatic cloudy night sky above adds to the dynamic atmosphere.