My Fellow Gauchos,

When the lights came on in Campbell Hall that night, I remember thinking, “You have got to be kidding!”  In front of me was a group of some of the best banjo players in the world, including an aging legend named Ralph Stanley. That night, I joined a packed, intimate crowd to hear some of the best bluegrass music on the planet at a show called “Masters of the Banjo.” It was truly an inspiring, random and unique experience brought to UCSB by the Arts and Lectures department.

[media-credit id=20201 align=”alignleft” width=”247″][/media-credit]During my four years at UCSB, I was lucky enough to attend a number of incredibly diverse Arts and Lectures performances. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the program, each year UCSB puts together an incredible calendar of events that take place on and off campus. The events include everything from music to dance to film to fantastic readings/lectures.  I recently checked out their new calendar for 2010-11 and was incredibly impressed with the talent that is coming to UCSB. Some key dates I’d look into include a reading by John Lithgow on Oct. 25, Sankai Juku on Oct. 28, Blues at the Crossroads on Jan. 31, the Vienna Philharmonic on March 1 and David Sedaris on April 29.

The best part about these shows is that tickets for UCSB students are at a HUGE discount! You can see most shows for about $20 per ticket — with many performances even cheaper.  It’s a perfect date night or a night out with friends, and I guarantee it will create some awesome UCSB memories.
My recommendation for the week: take a look at the new 2010-2011 calendar of events at www.artsandlectures.sa.ucsb.edu and find an event that will inspire you!

Keep up the great work,

Adam W. Bloom