SAVE THE DATE!
April 1-13, 2025
Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts
Transforming Experiences
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 our community to enjoy performances, exhibitions, presentations, and interactive experiences. 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
View program notes within each individual event.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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!
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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!
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Ongoing Events & Exhibits
Lobby Hours
April 2: 6–9:30 p.m.
April 3: 6–9:30 p.m.
April 4: 5:30–9:30 p.m.
April 5: 7:30 a.m. – 2 p.m.; 5–9:30 p.m.
April 7: 6–9:30 p.m.
April 8: 10a a.m. – 1:30 p.m.; 5:30–9 p.m.
April 9: 7:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.
April 11: 4:30–10 p.m.
April 12: 9:30 a.m. – 10 p.m.
April 13: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
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Ongoing • Lobbies and public spaces throughout the center
One Small Step
In partnership with Central Florida Public Media, students in the Department of Writing and Rhetoric are capturing conversations between community members as part of “One Small Step.”
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Ongoing • Lobbies and public spaces throughout the center
Cultivation
This video essay by UCF Professor of English Cecilia Rodríguez Milanés was created from family photos and digitized Super 8 and VHS footage.
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Ongoing • Lobbies and public spaces throughout the center
Unified Visions: MFA Studio Art and Design Showcase
A collection of innovative and diverse works from the students of the MFA Studio Art & Design track, “Unified Visions” offers a glimpse into unique perspectives and creative processes.
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Ongoing • Lobbies and public spaces throughout the center
Our Stories, Our History: Voices from Central Florida
Discover personal histories and community stories in this exhibit from the Public History Initiatives of the UCF Department of History.
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Ongoing • Lobbies and public spaces throughout the center
Florida Prison Education Project: America's Carceral Landscape
Inspired by the carceral turn in art and art history, this exhibition considers art that exposes, challenges, and participates in the oppressive forces that mark the contours of America’s carceral landscape.
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Ongoing • Lobbies and public spaces throughout the center
Artful Moments from SVAD
Explore a selection of curated clips, interviews, photos, exhibitions, events and more from the School of Visual Arts and Design.
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Ongoing • Lobbies and public spaces throughout the center
Character Animation Posters
Explore the creative journey of 3D animation through the work of UCF SVAD students.
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Ongoing • Lobbies and public spaces throughout the center
Visual Alchemy: The Intersection of Reality and Imagination
The School of Visual Arts and Design’s Advanced Painting students create unique works for UCF Celebrates the Arts 2025.
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Ongoing • Lobbies and public spaces throughout the center
Theatre UCF Costume Exhibition: Bringing History to Life
U.S. History classes at UCF have been transformed by tangible artifacts and these historic costumes for students to examine, analyze and connect with historical narratives.
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Ongoing • Lobbies and public spaces throughout the center
The Creative Side of Holoportation Technology at UCF
See how UCF’s holoportation technology works through appearances by community members, artists and health professionals.
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Ongoing • Lobbies and public spaces throughout the center
ART & AUTISM
We invite the audience to see talent and creativity at its purest and to gain insight in the layers of expression that are woven into the layers of the autism spectrum.
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Ongoing • Lobbies and public spaces throughout the center
Rain Barrels from OUC's Water Color Project
Rain barrels designed by local students as part of OUC’s Water Color Project, which teaches the importance of water conservation through art, will be on display throughout the center.
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Ongoing • Lobbies and public spaces throughout the center
Creative Clash 2025 Exhibit
Explore the pieces created at UCF Celebrates the Arts 2025 on display in the lobby throughout the festival!
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Ongoing • Lobbies and public spaces throughout the center
Celebrating Chagall
A colorful sculptural art installation inspired by the paintings of Marc Chagall.
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Ongoing • Lobbies and public spaces throughout the center
2+2+2 Architecture Exhibit
A showcase featuring student work from the 2+2+2 Architecture Program, highlighting the talent of students from UCF, UF and Valencia College.
Show Your Support
UCF Celebrates the Arts is committed to keeping all performances and exhibits free or low cost for the community. And with your help, we can do so every year.
About the Festival
UCF Celebrates the Arts is an annual event that serves as a testament to the university’s commitment to fostering creativity and innovation. By bringing together artists and the Central Florida community, we aim to inspire a collective celebration of the arts. Sponsored in part by the State of Florida through the Division of Arts and Culture and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Thank You to Our Supporters
Thank You to Our Festival Partners