A Season of Grand Ideas and World-Class Talent

Miller McCune Executive Director of UCSB Arts & Lectures Meghan Bush recently replaced Celesta Billeci, who had spent 25 years at the helm, but shifts have been subtle at one of the area’s largest arts programmers. 

“Arts & Lectures (A&L) is a really well-established, well-oiled machine and a very strong brand, one that I was really fundamental in helping to build,” says Bush, who had risen to associate director in her two decades at the organization. “We want to keep the momentum and maintain the quality of what is already one of the best performing arts and lectures presenters in the country.” 

Indeed, A&L’s calendar for the current 2025-26 season continues to punch above Santa Barbara’s small city weight, with programming that consistently rivals a major metropolis like New York, Chicago, or London. Highlights of another astonishing season include classical icons Yo-Yo Ma and Itzhak Perlman, dance masters Kyle Abraham and Tiler Peck, pop stars, jazz heroes, and top-flight speakers and authors. Events take place in a variety of venues throughout the Santa Barbara area.

But beyond the glitz and glamour of the main stage productions lies A&L’s arts education and community engagement programs, initiatives that bring the arts to schools and students to the theaters.

“It’s Arts & Lectures’ best-kept secret,” says Bush. “It’s not something we advertise, but we reach more than 25,000 people every year.”

Access for ALL, an acronym for Arts & Lectures Learning, busses thousands of K-12 students to downtown theaters to enjoy events featuring A&L’s mainstage artists and speakers geared especially for them.

“Many of these kids have never been to a theater before and they’re just awestruck at the opportunity to see a performance, or hear a scientist or astronaut talk,” Bush says. “Then they get to participate and ask questions.” And A&L’s Arts Up-Close program brings the artists or speakers directly into classrooms. 

A&L’s Thematic Learning Initiative, aimed at adults, boasts book giveaways and community classes such as Michelle Dorrance teaching tap at Carrillo Rec Center, or Alvin Ailey dancers sharing the steps for its famous Revelations.

Another point of pride for A&L is its iViva el Arte de Santa Barbara! partnership that serves more than 15,000 community members annually with free performances and educational outreach opportunities that celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Latin America. 

“We want to offer people who may have been motivated or inspired by a performance to take it to the next level,” Bush says. “It’s impact beyond the stage. That’s part of our responsibility to the community.”