By Mimi Sells

May 1, 2025

If you’ve  been in San Diego long enough, you surely know about the La Jolla Playhouse and its award-winning  theatre productions.

But the big secret I’m about  to reveal is that UC San Diego also hosts a powerhouse program of live music, dance and other performances year round. The campus offers multiple performance venues ranging from intimate, clubby spots to a gorgeous new outdoor amphitheatre that seats 2000+!   And all performances welcome the public with great prices and season ticket options.

So Many Venues!

Recently, the ArtPower staff took some media people like me on a tour of their venues.  I had no idea there were so many ways to enjoy live music on campus, starting with:

The Conrad Prebys Music Center in the Department of Music has a 400 seat concert hall as well as a smaller lecture hall and lab theatre. The large hall is an acoustic gem designed to ensure every seat in the room enjoys the same acoustic experience.

The Mandeville Auditorium was designed in the striking Brutalist style by acclaimed architect A. Quincy Jones in 1975. Concerts here can hold up to 764 people.

The Price Center. Two ballrooms in the spacious Student Center offer venues for 400-850 people. The Loft, tucked away in the Center offers a jazzy/coffee house feel for its intimate encounters with small bands and singular performers.

The Epstein Family Amphitheatre is the newest and splashiest venue offering outdoor concerts with amazing acoustics. We heard Corinne Bailey Rae on our visit and even a light drizzle couldn’t wash out the great energy of the performers onstage or the enthusiasm of slightly soggy audience.  It’s an incredible venue! 

Now that you know UCSD offers lots of places to hear live music, you surely will want to know who’s actually playing there now.

The good news is that there are many  great performances still available in the current season that concludes at the end of May. Here’s just some of what’s up next. You can see all  the offerings and buy tix online at artpower.ucsd.edu

Phil Cook May 9 at the Loft. Music and storytelling from a master

Middle Aged Jam Dad Jam Band, May 17 at the Epstein Family Amphitheater

Harlem Gospel Travelers, May 22 at the Loft.  Vintage gospel soul sounds.

Summer Programming Ahead!

Here’s a little tease of what’s  in store for the Summer season.

Yachtley Crew, July  11

The nautical-clad “Titans of Soft Rock,” Yachtley Crew, will launch ArtPower’s summer season. For the uninitiated, Yacht Rock is a revival of the smooth soft rock and Top 40 hits from the late ’70s to early ’80s—now a nationwide sensation. 

Nathan Chester, August 23

Chicago native turned Nashville mainstay, Chester captured the hearts of millions of viewers on season 25 of NBC’s “The Voice.”

DCOM: Live!,  August 2

Celebrate the iconic magic of Disney Channel Original Movies with DCOM: Live! Experience a tribute concert journey through music, dance, and nostalgia, featuring hits from High School Musical, Camp Rock, as well as The Jonas Brothers, Hannah Montana, Lizzie McGuire, and SO many more! 

Why ArtPower?

For a little more insight on the mission and programming at UC San Diego, I posed a few questions to Colleen Kollar Smith, Executive Director of the newly created Campus Performance and Events Office.

When did ArtPower begin and what was the goal?

ArtPower at UC San Diego began 21 years ago when a group of faculty members, seeking live concerts in San Diego, pooled their own funds to launch a chamber music series. Since then, ArtPower has expanded to include a wide range of genres, including dance, jazz, global music, spoken word, and more. 

How does ArtPower contribute to the San Diego Arts scene and as a part of the University community?

ArtPower at UC San Diego contributes to the vibrancy of San Diego’s arts scene by presenting a compelling lineup of national and international artists across music, dance, theater, and interdisciplinary performance. Our mission is rooted in creating meaningful artistic encounters that not only entertain but also connect communities and foster dialogue.

Through initiatives like our Launchpad program, we support the development of new works—most recently DCOM Live, which for those not familiar stands for Disney Channel Original Movies! This program is specifically designed to help local artists develop original work with the goal of launching it to have a life of its own beyond UC San Diego. We presented a working version of DCOM Live for free to UC San Diego students, and the show will return this summer for a public performance. This one is for fans of Zombies, Hannah Montana, Cheetah Girls, and more!

We take great pride in our community and educational engagement as part of each season. We regularly host K–12 matinees, inviting young students into the world of live performance and give UC San Diego students the opportunity to experience master classes in the worlds of dance to chamber music, to improv comedy; to engage in intimate conversations with writers and world class journalists and perform on stage as part of our celebrate the arts program! 

With all the growth and visibility of UC San Diego in recent years, how would you describe the impact of its arts programming?

The arts have been a crucial part of UC San Diego and we are proud of our world-renowned academic programs as well as unique offerings like the Stuart Collection and the Craft Center. Over the past three years, we’ve seen remarkable growth in ArtPower’s reach and impact—especially with the addition of the Epstein Family Amphitheater, which has given us the capacity to host larger, high-profile performances right at the campus gateway. Sold-out shows like Vitamin String Quartet and The Second City have brought in new audiences, many of whom are discovering ArtPower for the first time.

We also made a shift by eliminating the ticket cost for UC San Diego students—removing a key barrier to access. Since doing so, we’ve seen a significant increase in student engagement. Every time someone purchases a ticket to an ArtPower event, they’re not just buying a seat—they’re helping support free access to the arts for our students. That impact goes beyond the stage and audience. Our students are changemakers. That’s not an exaggeration. They’re in labs, studios, and classrooms working on solutions to the world’s greatest challenges—not just today’s, but tomorrow’s too. 

We believe strongly that the arts must be a part of that journey. Art cultivates empathy, curiosity, and creativity, and sometimes it simply provides balance. We’re proud that ArtPower can be part of what shapes and supports the holistic student experience at UC San Diego.

More Info and tix

Last but not least, getting onto the UC San Diego campus couldn’t be easier. There’s plenty of parking at the nearby Gilman Garage.  But, better still, the San Diego Trolley takes you practically to the doorstep of the Epstein Amphitheater and an easy walk to the other venues.  Why drive when you can be an easy rider right onto campus?!

Get your tickets for music and events you won’t see anywhere else in San Diego.