ArtPower At UC San Diego Announces Its 2020-21 Season

ArtPower at UC San Diego has announced its 2020-21 season lineup.  Opening in October 2020 with a lineup that’s shorter, smaller, but equally robust as previous seasons, the program features 16 live performances by internationally renowned artists and ensembles, as well as a handful of virtual events in the fall of 2020.

Celebrating diverse cultures through performance

ArtPower celebrates the inclusion of a diversity in ideas, styles, and cultures and brings artists into direct conversation with the San Diego community.

“ArtPower values the art and culture of all races and ethnicities and is committed to bringing forward voices which represent the BIPOC experiences on our stages,” says Executive Director Jordan Peimer.

“ArtPower has always fiercely championed bringing voices from diverse cultures forward. You will find that during this coming season, our commitment has not wavered, and in facet is being stepped up. Being situated within UC San Diego, we see ArtPower as the opportunity for everyone, not just our students, to learn from these visions and voices,” says Executive Director Jordan Peimer.

Highlights include:

Rising stars in the jazz genre, including one of the most thrilling new vibraphonists in America, Joel Ross, will return to ArtPower as a headliner with his newly minted Good Vibes ensemble.

Trumpeter, musical director Sean Jone and choreographer, tap dancer, and vocalist Brinae Ali, have teamed up to create a piece that fuses elements of jazz, tap, hip-hop, and bebop to articulate the social vernacular of the African-American experience, inspired by the music and life story of Dizzy Gillespie.

This season, explore American music traditions with “The American Songster” Dom Flemons, who will take us through 100 years of early American popular music, as well as an evening of music and conversation that chronicles the extraordinary living culture of the blues with Corey Harris and Cedric Watson’s True Blues.

A.I.M (Abraham.In.Motion) returns to ArtPower this season with Artistic Director Kyle Abraham’s newest evening-length work, An Untitled Love. Comprised of the catalog of Grammy Award-winning R&B legend D’Angelo, this creative exaltation serves as a thumping mixtape celebrating our culture, family, and community.

This season will also showcase Dhalak Brathwaite, presenting his new work Adapting History—a musical that uses spoken word poetry to narrate the sometimes tense and strained history of our nation.

Noted activist, theologian, author, documentary filmmaker, and musician, Rev. Sekou will present a workshop on Arts & Activism.

And Ephrat Asherie will present her work in progress UnderScored, which explores the almost utopian pan racial/pansexual music scene at The Paradise Garage and other venues in the midst of the HIV crisis heavily affecting the LGBT and communities of color.

“ArtPower offers the chance to come together — across, educational, generational, and economic barriers—to thrill to a performance. In these bleak times, one has to believe in the power of art. We look forward, more than ever, to joining you in the theater and sharing our mutual passion for the arts, for life.”

Flexing with the times

In the light of Covid-19’s impacts around the world, there are many factors that may affect ArtPower’s 2020–21 season. The season will be on sale in quarterly increments. Our virtual fall performances (October–December 2020) will go on sale August 3. Live performances in January–March of 2021 will go on sale on November 1, 2020. And performances from April–May 2021 will go on sale on February 2, 2021. Refunds and exchanges will be available for all canceled or rescheduled performances.

When in-person events are possible, increased safety protocols will be established that accommodate the latest health guidelines and consider the health and safety of patrons, staff, and artists. All performances will be general admission to help accommodate the ever-changing landscape and allows us to be as flexible as possible.

ArtPower events take place in venues across the UC San Diego campus and around San Diego. For tickets and more information, visit here.

Stay healthy, San Diego!