News Archive - Erika Johnson

Farfy Foundation Gift Spurs Student-Led Music Festival

Thanks to a gift from Marco Londei and Liquin Wang—founders of the Farfy Foundation—undergraduate students will have the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of creating a musical production through a new course in UC San Diego’s Department of Music that will culminate in a student-produced music festival on campus in May 2025.

UC San Diego’s Mandeville Art Gallery Receives Grant from New York-Based Teiger Foundation

Since 1966, UC San Diego’s Mandeville Art Gallery has presented highly experimental contemporary art within the context of a major research university and the greater region. The gallery also serves as a laboratory for learning about curatorial practice, with programs for students to gain hands-on skills in museum studies.

Hypnotic Art Installation Celebrates Black Movement and Liberation

This summer, Mandeville Art Gallery at UC San Diego presents a new video commission called "The Portal's Keeper," which explores liberated Black realities by artist LaJuné McMillian.

Associate Professor of Literature Brandon Som Wins Pulitzer Prize in Poetry

Love and respect anchor the words written by Associate Professor of Literature Brandon Som in his latest work, “Tripas: Poems,” which garnered the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in Poetry. Department of Music alumna Mary Kouyoumdjian's multimedia work “Paper Pianos," which melds music and audio documentary with first-person stories of refugees, was also named a Pulitzer Prize finalist in Music this year.

Composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir Allures Listeners with Otherworldly Orchestras

UC San Diego music alumna Anna Thorvaldsdottir has been described by NPR as “one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary music.” She recently won the 2024 CHANEL Next Prize and just premiered her newest orchestra METAXIS.

UC San Diego Student Selected for National Public Service Scholarship

Junior John Paculdo Koenigshofer is one of 20 students selected from 700 applicants across the nation to become a Key into Public Service Scholar by The Phi Beta Kappa Society, a national academic honor society that advocates for the value of a liberal arts and sciences education.

A Showcase to Celebrate Cinematic Ingenuity

More than two dozen UC San Diego student, staff and faculty filmmakers have received fellowship funding from the Suraj Israni Center for Cinematic Arts to pursue their unique film ambitions. On May 25, the campus and local community are invited to attend the inaugural Suraj Israni Center Fellowship Forum to discover and celebrate their diverse cinematic visions.

Four Alumni Capture Coveted Tony Nods

Four of UC San Diego’s Department of Theatre and Dance alumni are among the talented directors, actors and scenic designers to be nominated for a 2024 Tony Award. And one of their works—a new musical by singer Alicia Keys called “Hell’s Kitchen”—crowns the list as the musical with the most Tony Award nominations.

High School Program Offers Free College Credits at UC San Diego

In June 2023, hundreds of San Diego high school students participated in Discover UC San Diego, an innovative pilot program that offers free, online college courses delivered by the university’s faculty.