Public Appearances
UCA Public Appearances is a division of the University’s College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. Its primary responsibility is to develop and present performing arts programming to the entire Central Arkansas community. These events are primarily held at Reynolds Performance Hall and Windgate Center for Fine and Performing Arts
Department of Music
The UCA Department of Music is an artistic community of over 220 music majors who participate in over 25 different student ensembles that include the spirited Bear Marching Band, the electrifying Conway Symphony Orchestra, the award-winning Concert Choir, and a host of other large and small ensembles. Our music ensembles have traveled to Spain, Japan, England, Italy, China, and Austria, and the UCA Wind Ensemble recently performed at Carnegie Hall. UCA boasts a faculty of 50 artists, music academicians, and staff who have studied at the most prestigious universities and conservatories in the world. With a specialist for every aspect of the music curriculum, the Department of Music makes it possible for students to reach their highest potential.
Conway Symphony Orchestra
The Conway Symphony Orchestra provides high-quality, professional musical performances and educational programs for the Central Arkansas community. The orchestra is comprised of approximately 75 musicians, pre-professional music students from the University of Central Arkansas and professional musicians from the region. The CSO is conducted by Maestro Israel
Getzov, Director of Orchestras at UCA, conductor of Little Rock Winds, and Artistic Advisor at Orquesta Filarmónica de Santa Cruz de la Sierra.
Originally a joint project of the music departments at Hendrix College and the University of Central Arkansas, the CSO played their debut concert in 1984. Now in its 39 th season, the CSO performs six concerts per season, including four subscription concerts, a free “Concert in the Park” each September, and often a contracted performance as part of the UCA Public Appearances series. The CSO is proud to have vibrant community and educational outreach programs providing free performances in schools, community spaces, and senior living facilities in the Central Arkansas area.
Conway Symphony Orchestra Events
Department of Theatre
The theatre program has an emphasis on collaboration and process and grounds each student in the fundamentals of acting, directing, design, technical theatre, and dramaturgy, and allows pursuit of advanced specialty in each of these areas. The program seeks to connect theatre study and practice to its historical and social contexts, and encourages students to engage with their communities and with the wider world. The Theatre program celebrates the UCA Core values of Critical Inquiry, Communication, Responsible Living, and Diversity.
UCA Theatre promotes excellence in the classroom and on the stage. Students are given production opportunities to direct, stage manage, dramaturg, or take the lead in scenic, costume, lighting, sound, properties, and/or makeup design. Our program is co-curricular, providing a creative forum where theories taught in the classroom can be applied.
Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre
Arkansas Shakespeare theatre produces a selection of the Bard’s plays, along with other productions, during its annual summer festival in Conway, Arkansas. The festival has been featured in The New York Times and is a major educational force in Arkansas.
This professional company brings respected and experienced Shakespearean actors to Arkansas for each season, producing vibrant, engaging, lively and provocative performances for all Arkansans.
Arkansas Shakespeare Theatre Events
Department of Art and Design
The Department of Art and Design views educational achievement as both an individual and collective responsibility. Offering a variety of undergraduate programs in art, the department directs the educational progress of students toward quality research, creative practice, and public service. Art uniquely transforms those who create and those who respond. The department uses the transformative value of art to connect members of the community, enhancing and enriching lives, and making us more conscious of ourselves and others in the world. In order to achieve this mission, the department has set the following goals:
- To challenge students with an intensive curriculum characterized by individualized instruction.
- To reward faculty who demonstrate excellence in teaching, scholarly and creative endeavors, and community service.
- To maintain facilities and resources that foster opportunities to experience the creation, exhibition, and study of the visual arts.
- To provide opportunities for community involvement and broaden public awareness of the visual arts.
Department of Art and Design Events
Artists in Residence
The College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences provides an annual Artists in Residence Season for our students and community. Residencies bring professional performing and visual artists, composers, creative writers, and filmmakers to the UCA campus for one or more days for the purpose of expanding student learning experiences. They offer the general student body exhibits, lectures, performances, readings, and screenings that enlarge awareness and appreciation of the arts, and provide students participating in the arts with master classes, presentations/discussions, and workshops that enhance understanding and professionalism.