UCF Celebrates the Arts

A wise American once said that we choose to do great things not because they’re easy, but because they’re hard. And we all remember who that wise American was, don’t we? That’s right: Elle Woods, the lead character of Legally Blonde.

Okay, maybe President John F. Kennedy first said it. But Elle Woods is close enough in the context of UCF Celebrates the Arts, the University of Central Florida’s 12th annual marathon of performances, exhibitions, symposia and other special events at venues and open spaces in and around Dr. Phillips Center.

For two weeks every spring, the university takes over the downtown complex to highlight the great work that’s being done within its arts and humanities programs. This year the celebration runs from March 30 to April 12 with an eclectic roster of events at various times and locations—some free to attend and others requiring the purchase of a ticket.

This year, the 14-day affair has an underlying theme of boldness and the courage to innovate—qualities that are personified by the ever-plucky Woods, heroine of the 2001 film Legally Blonde and its Tony-nominated 2007 adaptation for Broadway (which is the version from which the “not because they’re easy” adage was plucked).

Five performances of the law-school romp by Theatre UCF are meant to demonstrate how Woods, a fashionista who rises to the challenge of earning a juris doctor degree thanks to her resilience and moxie (plus an adorable accessory dog), truly embodies the quest for intellectual growth.

Legally Blonde is set for Walt Disney Theater on Thursday, April 9, at 7 p.m.; Friday, April 10, at 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 11, at 1 and 7 p.m.; and Sunday, April 12, at 1 p.m.

But there’s much—and we really mean much—more to UCF Celebrates the Arts. The university maintains partnerships with two of the area’s largest professional theaters, and both are participating in related events.

Orlando Shakes, back after a one-year hiatus, will present What the Constitution Means to Me, the civically minded think piece by Heidi Shreck (Friday, April 10, at 7 p.m. in the Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater). And Orlando Family Stage is offering Yo, Ho, Ho! Let’s Go!, an interactive, pirate-themed adventure for kids ages 1 to 5 (Saturday, April 11, at 10 a.m. in the DeVos Family Room).

Music is always a major component of UCF Celebrates the Arts, and several perennial favorites are once again on the schedule.

Fresh from its participation in January’s National Collegiate Jazz Competition at New York’s prestigious Lincoln Center, the Flying Horse Big Band will debut An Artist’s Frame for Orlando—a new work composed by UCF jazz director and band leader Jeff Rupert.

That concert—set for Saturday, April 4, at 7:30 p.m. in Steinmetz Hall—will feature a guest artist who had not been announced at press time.

Meanwhile, the UCF Concert Band’s traditional performance for the deaf, hard of hearing and neurodivergent has changed its branding: Formerly known as Inclusive Knights, this year’s show is called Exceptional Knights: A Day at the Parks for greater synergy with the university’s track for Exceptional Student Education.

An inclusive, sensory-friendly collaboration between the university’s music and education students, Exceptional Knights—which will incorporate balloons, visual representations and opportunities for movement—is set for Tuesday, April 7, at 11 a.m. in Steinmetz Hall.

Speaking of synergy, the arts and sciences will collide in Music and the Brain, a concert performed by the Pegasus String Quartet. Listeners who volunteer to have their saliva collected before and after the roughly 50-minute program will contribute to an ongoing study on how music effects brain chemistry and activity.

The performance—set for Wednesday, April 8, at 7:30 p.m. in the DeVos Family Room—is the latest in a series of concert experiments masterminded by Dr. Kiminobu Sugaya, professor of medicine and head of neuroscience at the UCF College of Medicine, and Dr. Ayako Yonetani, professor of violin at the UCF College of Arts and Humanities.

Their efforts, funded by The Pabst-Steinmetz Foundation, are part of a larger initiative to combat Alzheimer’s disease. But if science can learn something along the way about the correlation between soothing sounds and a calm cranium, who wouldn’t want to surrender some spit?

One favorite entry on the event’s roster has been moved up this year: The whimsically named Composium—the capstone of the annual Young Composers Challenge—allows winners of the student competition from across the country to hear their works performed by the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Christopher Wilkens.

Because of scheduling conflicts, this year’s Composium will be held a month early, on Sunday, March 15, from noon to 4 p.m.

in Steinmetz Hall. “These kids are one in a million,” says Steve Goldman, the Winter Park philanthropist who conceived of the idea in 2004. “More like one in 10 million. A lot of them are already writing at the level of the most advanced adult composers I know of.”

Dr. Phillips Center is located at 445 South Magnolia Avenue, Orlando. For more information, call or visit the website.