Free UC San Diego student-only event as part of UC San Diego Welcome Week
Stop by the Epstein Family Amphitheater to learn all about arts on campus. Talk to representatives from campus arts departments, academic departments, and student organizations and learn how you can be involved in the arts at UC San Diego.
Participating organizations include: Campus Performances and Events Office (ArtPower, Campus Events, Epstein Family Amphitheater, The Loft), Stuart Collection, Department of Music, Theatre & Dance Department, Visual Arts Department, University Centers, La Jolla Playhouse, La Jolla Symphony and Chorus, Mandeville Art Collective, Institute of Arts and Humanities, Muir Musical, Triton A Cappella Community, and more!
Queen Nation is the undisputed #1 ranked Queen Tribute Act in the United States and currently reigns as the all-time performance champions and crowned the kings of the Queen tributes. Over the past two decades, Queen Nation has notched over 1,250 shows and attracted 2.5 million viewers worldwide.
Queen Nation is recognized as the most popular, accurate, and highest-grossing fully-costumed re-creation of a vintage Queen concert in the US. Comprising four musicians to reflect the original Queen lineup, the band performs in detailed 70s & 80s Queen-era costumes. All of this is presented in a live 90-minute concert experience, with note-for-note renditions of classic Queen songs.
Frontman Gregory Finsley’s voice and energy emulate Freddie Mercury, while playing piano live during all shows. Queen Nationpromises a seamless show without interruptions or cheesy props, focusing on delivering a pure vintage Queen show every time they take the stage.
Queen Nation’s straightforward creed highlights their commitment to authenticity for Queen fans worldwide.
2023 Tribute Artist of the Year Nominee (Josie Awards at Grand Ole Opry) Legends in Concert CHER Tribute Artist Lisa McClowry’s stunning portrayal of the Goddess of Pop is the main attraction of this Broadway-style live stage show. Why? Because Lisa has every aspect of playing CHER down pat: the singing and speaking voice, the walk, the talk, the costumes, the makeup, the mannerisms. Nothing is overlooked. This theatrical extravaganza incorporates dynamic dialogue, humor, seriously fun audience participation, eight costume changes and video projections with amazing visuals and animations. Performed to a live band or tracks, the show is like having the real CHER strut her stuff on your stage.
It’s time for Animaniacs…IN CONCERT! Join the voices of Animaniacs—the iconic animated Warner Bros series (produced by Steven Spielberg)—for a “zany, animany and totally insaney” evening as they perform the world-famous songs from the beloved cartoon series backed by the original projected animation.
Animaniacs: In Concert stars the show’s original Emmy-winning composer, Randy Rogel, on piano and the voice-talents of Emmy winner Rob Paulsen (Yakko & Pinky on Animaniacs; Raphael on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and Maurice LaMarche (The Brain on Animaniacs; The King in Disney’s Frozen; Kif & Calculon on Futurama).
Animaniacs remains as topical and relevant today as it was when the TV series debuted in the early 1990’s. With new episodes currently streaming on HULU, Animaniacs is a multi-generational animated favorite with universally-recognized hit songs. Fans of all ages will experience Animaniacs like never before…especially those who grew up watching the series. As its creators say, “Animaniacs in Concert is for the adults—it’s hip, it’s funny…but kids will love it, too!”
San Francisco’s Super Diamond is unquestionably one of the most popular live shows at major nightclubs, theaters, ballrooms, and public events throughout the United States. For over a decade the band has consistently performed sold-out shows at venues such as Irving Plaza in New York, 930 Club in Washington, D.C., The House of Blues in Chicago, Bimbo’s in San Francisco, The Belly Up in San Diego and Aspen, Ogden Theater in Denver, Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Showbox in Seattle, and other House of Blues venues in Los Angeles, San Diego, Cleveland, and Dallas, to name but a few.
Super Diamond front man, “The Surreal Neil” Randy Cordeiro, astonishes audiences with his live interpretation of the “real Neil.” Randy created the charismatic character when he discovered he had the ability to capture not only Neil Diamond’s voice, but also his mannerisms and performance style. Randy formed Super Diamond with founding members Matt Tidmarsh (bass), Rama Kolesnikow (keyboards), and his childhood friend James Terris (keyboards), and soon after attracted the stellar talents of guitarist Erik Schramm and drummer Vince Littleton.
Super Diamond delivers a glittering, smoke-filled show performing Neil’s power ballads and up-tempo hits with unrestrained enthusiasm. Incorporated into Super Diamond’s “Alternative Neil Diamond Experience” show are the band’s own unique arrangements, mash-ups, and references to classic rock songs. The show is pure entertainment—classic music combined with fun, energy, and passion—creating nostalgia for the good old days and excitement for today’s generation.
Born in Mexico City, 4-time Grammy Award winner Antonio Sánchez began to play the drums at age five and performed professionally as a teen in Mexico’s Latin, jazz and rock scenes—when he wasn’t participating as a member on Mexico’s Junior National Gymnastics Team. He later pursued a degree in classical piano at the National Conservatory in Mexico and in 1993 enrolled in Berklee College of Music and New England Conservatory, where he graduated magna cum laude in Jazz Studies.
Following nine albums and 18 years as one of the most cherished of Pat Metheny’s collaborators, Sánchez has also recorded and performed with Gary Burton, Michael Brecker, Charlie Haden and Chick Corea. In 2014 Sánchez’s popularity soared when he scored Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman which ended up garnering four Academy Awards (including Best Picture).
Today, Sánchez is among the most sought-after jazz drummers in the world and has been Modern Drummer’s “Jazz Drummer of the Year” on multiple occasions. His new album SHIFT – Bad Hombre Vol. II, featuring Dave Mathews, Trent Reznor and a host of other guest artists, will be released on Warner Bros this August.
“More than a hip isolating dance ensemble…CONTRA-TIEMPO pushes boundaries” —Washington Post
CONTRA-TIEMPO’s ¡azúcar! is a courageous naming of, confrontation with, and intentional obliteration of the often unspoken undercurrent of anti-Blackness in latinidad. Questions are continuing to drive the process as we begin to understand the complicated history of sugar and the messages from our ancestors. What does it feel like to individually and collectively heal, what does it move like? Twenty brilliant artists and collaborators take audiences through a journey of Celia Cruz’s vibrations, unearthing history embedded in our bodies. Through ¡azúcar!, CONTRA-TIEMPO explores ancestral wisdoms about a plant that once aided in our healing, used as a way to sweeten medicinal concoctions, now extracted, refined, and used as weaponized poison. This courageous work is rooted in and inspired by the sacred feminine, personal narratives of food, labor, community, sabor, and explorations of “familying” and healing as practices.
CONTRA-TIEMPO is a bold, multilingual Los Angeles-based activist dance theater company that creates communities where all people are awakened to a sense of themselves as artists and social change agents who move through the world with compassion, confidence, and joy.
The Little Mermen are the ultimate Disney tribute concert for Disney fanatics of all ages. The band’s repertoire covers nearly a century of musical canon, including favorites from The Little Mermaid, Mary Poppins, Frozen and Encanto. The group performs in full costume with band members dressing up as characters from the films. They tour nationally, having recently shared festival stages with Stevie Nicks, Green Day and Joan Jett. The Little Mermen invite you to be their guest for a magical experience jam-packed with nostalgic fun & rockin’ sing-alongs!
Get ready for an electrifying tribute to the iconic love story of Johnny Cash and June Carter! Starring Charles Evans Jr. as Johnny Cash and Caitie Grady as June Carter, “Because You’re Mine” brings to life the timeless hits that defined a generation.
From the legendary duets like “Jackson” and “Long Legged Guitar Pickin’ Man” to Johnny Cash’s chart-toppers such as “Folsom Prison Blues” and “Ring of Fire”, this celebration of the extraordinary legacy of these beloved artists will have you singing along and dancing in your seats.
Charles Evans Jr. channels the Man in Black himself, delivering the deep, resonant vocals that made Johnny Cash a legend and Caitie Grady’s vibrant energy and pitch-perfect renditions will transport you back to a time when June Carter dazzled audiences worldwide.
Red Baraat is a pioneering band from Brooklyn, New York. Conceived by dhol player Sunny Jain, the group has drawn worldwide praise for its singular sound, a merging of hard driving North Indian bhangra with elements of hip-hop, jazz and raw punk energy. Created with no less a purposeful agenda than manifesting joy and unity in all people, Red Baraat’s spirit is worn brightly on its sweaty and hard-worked sleeve.
Reemerging in 2021 with a renewed focus, energy and sound, Red Baraat headlined the Wolf Trap Performing Arts Center with master percussionist, Zakir Hussain, performed at the Dubai World Expo, and toured its 10th annual Red Baraat Festival of Colors.
