April 5-16, 2022
Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
Every year, UCF brings its best and brightest artists to Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts for a large-scale celebration of the things that make our world more interesting and beautiful. This year, UCF Celebrates the Arts is bigger than ever, with a multi-day production of an award-winning, family-friendly musical, concerts in the new Steinmetz Hall, lectures and discussions, multimedia events, chamber music, an expanded visual arts presence and more surprises to delight you.
Schedule is subject to change.
Scheduled Events
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Tuesday, April 5, 2022, 6:00 p.m. • Online
Honoring Indigenous Expression with Natalie Diaz
Natalie Diaz, a Mojave-Latina MacArthur Foundation fellow and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet of Postcolonial Love Poem, will virtually present her work.
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Wednesday, April 6, 2022, 7:30 p.m. • Steinmetz Hall
UCF Percussion Ensemble featuring Escape Ten Duo
As a featured event of the Percussion Festival, this concert will feature performances by the UCF Percussion Ensemble and guest artist Escape Ten.
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Friday, April 8, 2022, 7:30 p.m. • Steinmetz Hall
Jazz and the American Spirit featuring the Flying Horse Big Band
Join UCF’s chart-topping Flying Horse Big Band for an evening of music and celebration of the vibrant “American Spirit.”
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April 8 – April 10, 2022 • Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater
UCF Opera presents 'Mozart First and Last!'
UCF Opera presents an adaptation of two works from early and late in Mozart's career.
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Saturday, April 9, 2022, 12:00 p.m. • DeVos Family Room
Orlando REP presents 'Yo, Ho, Ho! Let's Go!': Theatre for the Very Young
"Yo, Ho, Ho! Let’s Go!" is a 30-minute adventure with a pirate on the high seas following a treasure map! Parrots, crabs, mermaids and more join the fun.
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Saturday, April 9, 2022, 3:00 p.m. • Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater
UCF Animation Showcase
Enjoy a series of award-winning short, animated films from students in the graduate and undergraduate programs in the School of Visual Arts and Design.
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Saturday, April 9, 2022, 6:00 p.m. • DeVos Family Room
Poetry & Spoken Word
Hear from some of UCF’s finest poets and spoken word artists.
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Saturday, April 9, 2022, 7:30 p.m. • Steinmetz Hall
UCF Symphony Orchestra: An Exploration of Sea and Land
Explore our oceans and our lands with the UCF Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Chung Park.
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Saturday, April 9, 2022, 8:00 p.m. • Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater
Boricua Soy Yo – History, Identity and Culture
Boricua Soy Yo is a documentary series that looks into Puerto Rican history, the island’s relationship with the United States, and the cultural identity of Puerto Ricans living on the mainland.
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Sunday, April 10, 2022, 12:00 p.m. • Steinmetz Hall
National Young Composers Challenge Composium
Meet the next generation of composers!
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Sunday, April 10, 2022, 12:00 p.m. • DeVos Family Room
Earth Explorers: Choose Your Own Expedition
UCF Theatre for Young Audiences graduate students present a devised performance to explore and celebrate our earth, its resources and our relationship with our environment
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Monday, April 11, 2022, 6:00 p.m. • DeVos Family Room
Stage Combat Demonstration
Peek behind the curtain to see how fights and dramatic scenes are created on stage.
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Monday, April 11, 2022, 7:30 p.m. • Steinmetz Hall
Knight to Shine 2022: A Musical Theatre Showcase
The spotlight is on our senior Musical Theatre students as they take the stage for an evening of cabaret style performances!
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Monday, April 11, 2022, 8:00 p.m. • Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater
Orlando Shakes presents 'Fairview'
Orlando Shakes brings one of its popular Playfest plays to life in a staged reading of "Fairview" by Jackie Sibblies Drury, featuring professional actors and Theatre UCF students.
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Tuesday, April 12, 2022, 6:00 p.m. • DeVos Family Room
Architecture Talk
A talk with a guest architect and presentations of work from UCF, UF and Valencia architecture students
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Tuesday, April 12, 2022, 7:00 p.m. • Steinmetz Hall
UCF New Music Ensemble
Explore what’s next in music in a concert of new works written by UCF composers and performed by UCF musicians.
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Tuesday, April 12, 2022, 8:30 p.m. • Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater
Cellobration 2022
Join UCF Professor David Bjella and the UCF Cello Choir in a celebration of the cello, featuring works of Villa Lobos, Faure, Fitzenhagen, Beethoven, Michael Kamen and Michael Jackson!
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Wednesday, April 13, 2022, 7:30 p.m. • Steinmetz Hall
UCF Bands: Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band
The UCF Wind Ensemble and Symphonic Band present an exciting evening of diverse and expressive music that explores various genres and styles. Included on the program will be two world premieres: “Echo Chamber,” by UCF composer Alex Burtzos and “Zodiac Concerto II,” composed by Jim Stephenson and featuring guest artists Roger Oyster, Principal Trombone with the Kansas City, and William Caballero, Principal Horn with the Pittsburgh Symphony.
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Thursday, April 14, 2022, 6:00 p.m. • Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater
Brass Chamber Ensembles
This concert features UCF Brass student chamber ensembles, including the UCF trumpet ensemble, the UCF horn ensemble, the UCF trombone ensemble, the UCF tuba/euphonium ensemble, the Colbourn Brass Quintet and the Pegasus Brass Quintet.
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April 14 – April 16, 2022 • Walt Disney Theater
Shrek The Musical
A grumpy green ogre and fairy-tale favorites thrown into a jam-packed hilarious musical adventure perfect for the entire family.
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Thursday, April 14, 2022, 7:30 p.m. • Steinmetz Hall
Pegasus String Quartet and Beethoven Septet
The Pegasus String Quartet, UCF’s graduate string quartet under the direction of Ayako Yonetani, makes its Steinmetz Hall debut.
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Friday, April 15, 2022, 6:00 p.m. • DeVos Family Room
Cast in Bronze and Chiseled Out of Stone: The Story of the Caribbean as Told by Its Statues
A dynamic, informative and entertaining presentation that offers a flash course in Caribbean history as told by the region's statues in eight mini-chapters.
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Friday, April 15, 2022, 7:30 p.m. • Steinmetz Hall
UCF Choir Concert
The UCF Chamber Singers, SoAl and TeBa choruses, and the University Singers, along with the new UCF Community Choir and Children’s Choir, sing songs of unity, joy and friendship.
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Friday, April 15, 2022, 8:00 p.m. • Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater
Woodwind Chamber Ensembles
This concert features UCF’s student chamber groups from the woodwind area, including the oboe trio, woodwind quintet, bassoon ensemble, flute choir, saxophone ensemble and clarinet choir.
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Saturday, April 16, 2022, 4:00 p.m. • Della Phillips Grand Lobby
Creative Clash
Artists armed with black markers race against the clock to create large-format artwork.
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Saturday, April 16, 2022, 6:30 p.m. • DeVos Family Room
Graphic Design & Experimental Animation Showcase
A pop-up event showcasing the work from graduating seniors in the emerging media programs!
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Saturday, April 16, 2022, 7:30 p.m. • Steinmetz Hall
UCF National Choir Festival
Artistic journeys start with education!
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Saturday, April 16, 2022, 8:00 p.m. • Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater
Project Spotlight presents 'As It's Written'
Project Spotlight is producing a new work by theatre student Caroline Hull.
Ongoing Events & Exhibits
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Ongoing • Lobbies and public spaces throughout the center
Spectral Evidence
This exhibit demonstrates expressions by artists on the autism spectrum, who see life from a different perspective.
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Ongoing • Lobbies and public spaces throughout the center
Emergence: Creative Clash 2021
View the pieces created at UCF Celebrates the Arts 2021, themed "Emergence," on display in the lobby all week!
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Ongoing • Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater
Character Animation Shorts
Select Character Animation Shorts will be shown before various events throughout the week!
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Ongoing • Lobbies and public spaces throughout the center
UCF Coastal Vision – Resilient Coastal Communities & Ecologies
Experience the cutting-edge research being undertaken by UCF Coastal, a bold new research center comprising a stellar group of core interdisciplinary faculty.
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Ongoing • Lobbies and public spaces throughout the center
Illuminating the Darkness: Our Carceral Landscape
This exhibition from the Florida Prison Education Project presents a selection of work from artists whose practice is informed by their experiences with the criminal justice system to shine a light on the ways in which mass incarceration affects us all.
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Ongoing • Lobbies and public spaces throughout the center
Costume Display: Celebrating the Costumes of Dan Jones
Theatre UCF remembers costume shop manager Dan Jones with a display of his designs and constructions from over the years.
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Ongoing • Della Phillips Grand Lobby
Visual Tales
Can you guess the fairy tale that inspired each of the 6-ft. sculptures in this visual storytelling exhibition?
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Ongoing • Lobbies and public spaces throughout the center
The Beethoven Project (A New Light)
Experience phenomenal artworks presented by the graduate students in the Animation and Visual Effects Master of Fine Arts program in the School of Visual Arts and Design at UCF.
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Ongoing • Seneff Arts Plaza
SNAP! CITY UNSEEN AR[T] Experience
Four augmented reality public art installations to be experienced outdoors prior to entering events in Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
Show Your Support
UCF Celebrates the Arts is committed to keeping all performances and exhibits free or low cost for the community. And with your help, we can do so every year.
Giving Opportunities
Sponsor the Festival
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
UCF Celebrates the Arts, a festival showcasing creativity, innovation and collaboration from Orlando’s hometown university, occurs annually at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts in April. The event is hosted by the UCF College of Arts and Humanities and features the faculty and students from the School of Performing Arts and the School of Visual Arts and Design, as well as work from the humanities departments and other units from around the university. Partnership, one of UCF’s long-standing values, is brought front-and-center at UCF Celebrates the Arts, with many events showcasing the collaborative nature of the university and demonstrating how UCF is both in and of the Central Florida community.
