Experience the innovative spirit of UCF at this year's UCF Celebrates the Arts from April 1 - 13
- Alastair Mac
- Apr 1
- 7 min read
Experience the innovative spirit of UCF through creative presentations that push the boundaries of traditional art forms.
Year-round on the UCF campus, students are immersed in the technology, theory, design, performance, and practical application required for them to be the next generation of creative leaders.
Every April, they converge at Dr. Phillips Center for a two-week cultural extravaganza, allowing the local community to enjoy performances, exhibitions, presentations, and interactive experiences.
This year's UCF Celebrates the Arts takes place from April 1 - 13, and with a focus on accessibility, affordability, partnership, and diverse offerings, UCF Celebrates the Arts is a unique opportunity to experience the creative side of UCF.
SCHEDULED EVENTS
Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 6:30 p.m. • Steinmetz Hall
From Studio to Stage: Proactive Practices to Prevent Dance Injuries
Join Dr. Colby Mangum and Evyn Callahan from the UCF College of Health Professions and Sciences before An Evening of Dance for a free talk about artist and dancer health and safety.
April 1 – April 2, 2025 • Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater
Knight to Shine 2025
The spotlight is on the graduating musical theatre students as they take the stage for an evening of cabaret style performances. Enjoy songs from contemporary musical theatre, popular music and even a few surprises!
Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 7:30 p.m. • Steinmetz Hall
Knights Move From Within: An Evening of Dance
Experience the artistry and creativity of UCF dancers and choreographers. Featuring original works in a variety of styles, this showcase celebrates storytelling and creativity through movement.
Wednesday, April 2, 2025, 7:00 p.m. • DeVos Family Room
The Life and Work of Marc Chagall
Learn about the life and work of artist Marc Chagall, who revisited the theme of the “fiddler on the roof” throughout his career.
Thursday, April 3, 2025, 7:00 p.m. • DeVos Family Room
Architecture Showcase & Awards
Enjoy a full evening showcasing student work, a presentation with AIA National Firm of the Year Quinn Evans Architects, scholarship awards and more!
Friday, April 4, 2025, 7:00 p.m. • DeVos Family Room
Write of Passage 2025: Creative Writing MFA Student Reading
Enjoy readings from the graduating students of UCF’s creative writing MFA program hosted by the UCF Department of English.
Friday, April 4, 2025, 7:30 p.m. • Steinmetz Hall
Flying Horse Big Band Swings Basie and Ellington
UCF’s chart-topping big band plays classics from Count Basie and Duke Ellington.
Saturday, April 5, 2025, 8:00 a.m. • Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater
UCF-Orlando Orchestra Invitational
New this year! Six of Florida’s top middle school and high school orchestras have been selected to participate in UCF Orchestra's inaugural invitational. Held in Dr. Philips Center’s world class performance facilities, students get the opportunity to learn from, and perform for, nationally recognized music educators.
Saturday, April 5, 2025, 5:00 p.m. • Seneff Arts Plaza
Creative Clash
Get ready for an electrifying art showdown! Watch as talented artists armed with nothing but markers race against the clock to create stunning large-format artwork.
Saturday, April 5, 2025, 7:00 p.m. • DeVos Family Room
Graphic Design & Animation Showcase
A showcase of works by graduating seniors from UCF’s SVAD nationally ranked Emerging Media BFA program.
April 5 – April 6, 2025 • Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater
UCF Opera presents Cendrillon
UCF Opera students to sing “Cendrillon” by Pauline Viardot – in French with English supertitles.
Saturday, April 5, 2025, 7:30 p.m. • Steinmetz Hall
UCF Symphony Orchestra: Earth and Stars
The UCF Symphony Orchestra performs music inspired by our planet and its celestial surrounding, including contemporary works and Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2.
Sunday, April 6, 2025, 2:00 p.m. • DeVos Family Room
PIXEL: The Future of Performing Arts and Simulation with Digital Twins
Discover the cutting-edge technology and data-driven tools behind today's performing arts center research, design and operations.
Monday, April 7, 2025, 7:30 p.m. • Steinmetz Hall
UCF Percussion Ensemble
The UCF Percussion Ensemble partners with Brazilian composer Ney Rosauro, Francisco Abreu, Tutti Choir Brasilia, and the UCF Singers for an electrifying evening of music.
Tuesday, April 8, 2025, 11:00 a.m. • Steinmetz Hall
Inclusive Knights
The UCF Concert Band's "Out of This World" concert offers an inclusive, sensory-friendly experience for all, including the Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and neurodivergent communities. Lasts 50 minutes, no intermission.
Tuesday, April 8, 2025, 7:00 p.m. • Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater
Project Spotlight “Murder at the Mirage Hotel”
Project Spotlight, UCF’s only student developmental theatre organization, presents an original and thrilling murder mystery play by UCF student Joseph Fields.
Tuesday, April 8, 2025, 7:00 p.m. • DeVos Family Room
A Tribute to Maestro Pablo Casals
Learn about extraordinary cellist Pablo Casals, widely recognized among the 20th century’s greatest musicians.
Wednesday, April 9, 2025, 8:00 a.m. • Steinmetz Hall
Music for All UCF-Orlando Concert Band Invitational
Top school band programs selected from throughout the Southeast perform throughout the day in the Dr. Phillips Center’s world class performance spaces.
Wednesday, April 9, 2025, 7:00 p.m. • Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater
Pegasus String Quartet: Transfigured Night
Pegasus String Quartet at Dr. Phillips Center! Villa-Lobos, Mozart’s “Dissonance,” and Schoenberg’s Verklärte Nacht. A night of boundary-pushing chamber music. Don’t miss it!
Wednesday, April 9, 2025, 7:00 p.m. • DeVos Family Room
The Body’s Voice: Luca Vullo Shares Italy’s Silent Language
“The Body’s Voice” is a fun and heartfelt show where Luca Vullo brings Italy’s silent language to life. Often referred to as the “Ambassador of Italian gestures,” Luca has over a decade of experience teaching masterclasses on this subject at more than 70 international universities.
Wednesday, April 9, 2025, 7:30 p.m. • Steinmetz Hall
Premieres & Collaborations
The UCF Bands present an evening of powerful and impactful music for wind orchestra, including three premieres and guest artists and a guest ensemble.
April 10 – April 13, 2025 • Walt Disney Theater
Fiddler on the Roof
Experience the timeless magic of Fiddler on the Roof, a cherished theatrical masterpiece brought to life by Tony winner Joseph Stein and Pulitzer Prize winners Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick.
Thursday, April 10, 2025, 6:00 p.m. • DeVos Family Room
The Jews of Europe: A People Apart
Join Kenneth Hanson, UCF Professor of Judaic Studies, for a pre-show talk before the opening performance of Fiddler on the Roof.
Thursday, April 10, 2025, 7:30 p.m. • Steinmetz Hall
UCF Choir Invitational Concert
200+ high school students and the UCF Singing Knights unite for a mass choir concert.
Thursday, April 10, 2025, 7:30 p.m. • DeVos Family Room
The Roots of Entrepreneurship in Parramore, 1870-1965
The Roots of Entrepreneurship in Parramore is a digital exhibit exploring how entrepreneurs in Orlando’s Parramore district created infrastructure to move and shape the future.
Friday, April 11, 2025, 7:30 p.m. • Steinmetz Hall
Mozart’s Requiem: A Journey Through Mortality and Hope!
This powerful work, exploring themes of life, death, and hope, will be performed by a combined ensemble of UCF choirs, the Orlando Choral Society, select members of the UCF Orchestra, and esteemed faculty of the UCF Voice department.
Saturday, April 12, 2025, 10:00 a.m. • Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater
Harper's Bedtime Story
The UCF New Music Ensemble invites you to experience a bedtime story the way you never have before!
Saturday, April 12, 2025, 11:00 a.m. • DeVos Family Room
Dinosaur Dance Party
Dinosaur Dance Party is a 30-minute celebration of dinosaurs, music, and movement. Get ready to party, because everyone knows dinosaurs love to dance!
Saturday, April 12, 2025, 12:00 p.m. • Seneff Arts Plaza
UCF Mobile Health
Visit UCF’s new Mobile Health Clinic for hearing and heart screenings and information on living your healthiest life.
Saturday, April 12, 2025, 1:00 p.m. • Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater
Character Animation & Animation VFX Premieres
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.
Saturday, April 12, 2025, 2:00 p.m. • DeVos Family Room
Let’s Go Camping!
Join best friends Happy Camper and Fuzzy on an adventure in "Let's Go Camping!" Told through music, puppetry, and creative play, this interactive experience is designed for 2 to 5-year-olds.
Saturday, April 12, 2025, 7:30 p.m. • Steinmetz Hall
A Gershwin Celebration
Step into a world of timeless melodies and captivating rhythms as UCF musicians pay tribute to George and Ira Gershwin. Join us for a special evening with UCF friends, faculty, and alumni who will bring the composers’ music to life.
Saturday, April 12, 2025, 7:30 p.m. • DeVos Family Room
A.I. Cabaret: Late Night with Artificial Intelligence
Join a talented ensemble of UCF student performers and designers for a late-night-style variety show created in collaboration with artificial intelligence. Featuring UCF undergraduates and graduates from the Theatre Department and the Texts and Technology PhD Program, supported by UCF theatre and design faculty. Based on work done as part of the "Topics in Technical Theatre" course.
Saturday, April 12, 2025, 7:30 p.m. • Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater
A Symphony of Voices
Join us for a captivating choral concert featuring the UCF Tenor/Bass Choir (TeBa), UCF Chamber Choir, and UCF Community Choir. Immerse yourself in a diverse repertoire spanning classical masterpieces to contemporary compositions.
Sunday, April 13, 2025, 12:00 p.m. • Steinmetz Hall
National Young Composers Challenge
The best young composers in the country converge in Orlando to hear their work performed by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, under the baton of maestro Christopher Wilkins. The National Young Composers Challenge Composium is part concert, part masterclass, part competition, and guaranteed to be thrilling from start to finish.
Sunday, April 13, 2025, 1:00 p.m. • Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater
The Last Firefly
Theatre UCF’s Theatre for Young Audiences graduate program brings to life Naomi Iizuka’s electrifying mythical tale of Boom, son of Thunder.
UCF Celebrates the Arts is an annual event that serves as a testament to the University of Central Florida’s commitment to fostering creativity and innovation. By bringing together artists and the Central Florida community, the university aims to inspire a collective celebration of the arts.
For more information on UCF Celebrates the Arts, and to purchase tickets: https://cah.ucf.edu/events/celebrates/#schedule.
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