Arts and Music (Video)

Enjoy this flight from space over the Patagonia mountains of Chile and Argentina, while listening to the Stardust Sinfonia, a German trio playing flute, vibraphone and harpsichord. The music floats above – a peaceful Aria from Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Stardust Sinfonie performs live in theaters and planetaria in Europe. They show photos and movies of Earth, as astronaut Gerhard Thiele shares hi...

Astronauts feature powerful ONE EARTH MISSION - Unite with Music movie, with Maestro Seiji Ozawa, Saito Kinen Orchestra, and a dramatic Earth fly-over. In his last public performance (Nov 23, 2022) Maestro Seiji Ozawa conducts the Saito Kinen Orchestra (SKO) with Beethoven’s Egmont Overture, as a historical first orchestra performance broadcast directly to the International Space Station (ISS). Ma...

A glimpse of gospel, jazz, and soul from the great legends is what inspires the sound of pianist Theron Brown’s music. But the reason he plays is to encourage and influence people through his talents. Originally from Zanesville, Ohio, Theron currently resides in Akron, Ohio, where he is Professor of Practice at The University of Akron teaching jazz piano, and the program coordinator for Curated St...

Humpback whales sing their own special kind of music. Recorded by Paul Knapp, Jr, the songs are unique and mysterious. The compelling view from the International Space Station shows the beauty of the Caribbean Sea, the surrounding lands and islands, and the wistful clouds – the natural environment of the marvelous whales. We're left to wonder what the whales convey with their strange sounds. Serie...

Earl Thomas was born into a musical family in rural Tennessee and grew up in a house brimming with music. His father was a bluesman and his mother was a gospel singer, so music is in his veins. He stumbled into the music industry by accident, which led to a vibrant 30-year career that is steeped in African American tradition and culture. His music is a potent mix of the traditional and contemporar...

Enjoy this mesmerizing montage of photos and music celebrating One Earth. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station Expedition 70 took these artistic photos in wonderfully diverse shades of blue in December, 2023. Steve Thomas crafted this musical guitarscape to resonate with the lovely blues of our planet. Series: "Arts Channel " [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 40324]

Artist Jeff Koons is renowned for his provocative and often kitschy sculptures that blend pop culture, consumerism, and art history. His works often feature oversized and glossy renditions of everyday objects, from balloon animals to household items, challenging the boundaries between high and low art while eliciting questions about mass production and cultural value. Koons talks with Kathryn Kanj...

UC Santa Barbara professor of art Lisa Jevbratt explores the history of invasive plants through textiles and data visualization in her new exhibition, Interlopings. Series: "UC Santa Barbara News" [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 40208]

Yale Strom’s Hot Pstromi is a U.S.-based klezmer ensemble. Much of the repertoire comes from Strom's many years of ethnographic research he has conducted in Eastern Europe. Many of the melodies and Yiddish songs come from Jews and Roma who played before and after the Holocaust and that Strom interviewed and with whom he performed. The band’s New York-based lineup includes: Peter Stan, Norbert Stac...

Artist Shana Moulton’s other self, ‘Cynthia,’ seeks enlightenment through song, shopping and exercise. Performing the misadventures of her semi-autobiographical alter ego, artist Shana Moulton has drawn attention in the field of new media studies. Over two decades, Moulton, a professor of time-based arts at UC Santa Barbara, has used physical comedy to interpret her artistic creation, “Cynthia,” a...

The Universe is full of such wonderful mysteries. We know why we have Aurora, as the sun’s energy interacts with the upper atmosphere. But why such beauty in this shimmering dance? Perhaps music can reveal inner harmonies, and help us appreciate these mysteries with awe and joy. French musician Catherine Brisset plays the cristal Baschet, a unique glass keyboard with fanciful metal shapes to help...

Quetzal is a Grammy award-winning ensemble of highly talented musicians, joined for the goal of creating good music that tells the social, cultural, political, and musical stories of people in struggle. Martha Gonzalez (lead singer, percussionist, and songwriter) calls it an “East LA Chicano @ rock group,” summing up its rootedness in the complex cultural currents of life in the barrio, its social...

Quetzal is a Grammy award-winning ensemble of highly talented musicians, joined for the goal of creating good music that tells the social, cultural, political, and musical stories of people in struggle. Martha Gonzalez (lead singer, percussionist, and songwriter) calls it an “East LA Chicano @ rock group,” summing up its rootedness in the complex cultural currents of life in the barrio, its social...

Astronauts on the International Space Station see 16 moonsets every day - that's because the ISS orbits Earth every 92 minutes. Here, as the ISS travels away from the horizon, the moon sets in a serene and brief path, a colorful horizon of deep red and blue fading into the clouds of dusk. We also see the planet Venus as a small bright light left of the moon. For the music, organist Brian Hoffman p...

A fixture in the local music scene since 1974, Gene Perry was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, and was one of the earliest pioneers of Afro-Cuban and Afro-Caribbean music in San Diego. His ensemble, Rumba Ketumba, is composed of a mixture of San Diego natives and musicians from around the world. Rumba Ketumba plays a high-energy mixture of Afro-Latin, Caribbean, Spanish Rumba, and other dance rhythm...

An electrifying harmonizer, Lisa Sanders’ heartfelt songs are genuine with deep meaning and conviction. Her music conveys a style that can only be described as soulful country blues, integrating influences of folk-pop, gospel, rock, and jazz. Writing, singing, and producing from her heart in nearly every genre for over three decades, Sanders continues to make an impact in the musical world. Joinin...

Dr. Sian Proctor, astronaut, geoscientist, pilot and poet, flew on the first all-private mission to Earth orbit, on SpaceX Dragon. While in orbit, she found time to observe our beautiful planet, and wrote “Earth Light,” a poem about her mesmerizing experience. The poem captures the emotional impact of orbiting Earth - of being “bathed in Earth light.” Series: "Arts Channel " [Humanities] [Arts and...

He is often referred to as the "God of Manga" and the "Father of Anime", Osamu Tezuka was a pioneering Japanese manga artist, animator, and film producer. His work laid the foundation for modern manga and anime, influencing countless creators and shaping the industry as it is known today. Tezuka founded Mushi Production, one of the first anime studios in Japan, where he produced the first Japanese...

This creative program invites musicians to interact with sounds recorded from the depths of the ocean. UC San Diego music professor and Qualcomm Institute Research Artist-in-Residence Lei Liang explores his composition "Six Seasons" with Marco Fusi, a renowned string player who has performed “Six Seasons,” and Joshua Jones, a project scientist with the UC San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanogra...

Earl Thomas was born into a musical family in rural Tennessee and grew up in a house brimming with music. His father was a bluesman and his mother was a gospel singer, so music is in his veins. He stumbled into the music industry by accident, which led to a vibrant 30-year career that is steeped in African American tradition and culture. His music is a potent mix of the traditional and contemporar...

Pathway to the Center musically describes walking a labyrinth. Set to Bach's Cello Suite 1 in G Major, performed by harpist Laura Zaerr, the journey from the ISS takes you from serene clouds to the eye of a hurricane and back to serenity. Series: "Arts Channel " [Arts and Music] [Show ID: 40229]

An American animator, film director, and producer, Max Fleischer is best known for creating some of the most iconic animated characters and for pioneering several animation techniques that have had a lasting impact on the industry. Fleischer is responsible for creating Betty Boop, Popeye the Sailor, and Koko the Clown, and was one of the leading figures in the early days of American animation, alo...

Tucked near the Art Department buildings on the south side of the UC Santa Barbara campus, the Art, Design & Architecture Museum is host to two important art collections, a fine art collection of over 10,000 eclectic pieces, and the Architecture and Design Collection, with close to two million pieces of architectural history and archives. With the ADC celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2023, we t...

A fixture in the local music scene since 1974, Gene Perry was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, and was one of the earliest pioneers of Afro-Cuban and Afro-Caribbean music in San Diego. His ensemble, Rumba Ketumba, is composed of a mixture of San Diego natives and musicians from around the world. Rumba Ketumba plays a high-energy mixture of Afro-Latin, Caribbean, Spanish Rumba, and other dance rhythm...

An electrifying harmonizer, Lisa Sanders’ heartfelt songs are genuine with deep meaning and conviction. Her music conveys a style that can only be described as soulful country blues, integrating influences of folk-pop, gospel, rock, and jazz. Writing, singing, and producing from her heart in nearly every genre for over three decades, Sanders continues to make an impact in the musical world. Joinin...