UCSB Arts & Lectures

What UCSB Arts & Lectures does

UCSB Arts & Lectures is a non-profit performing arts presenting organization and department of the University of California, Santa Barbara, governed by The Regents of the University of California. Founded in 1959, it presents more than 100 public events annually across dance, classical and contemporary music, jazz, theater, lectures, and film, operating as the largest and most influential arts and lectures organization between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Its core products are curated subscription series (Dance, Great Performances A/B/Suite, Word of Mouth, Americana, Jazz, Global Sounds, Hear & Now, Speaking with Pico, Vanguard, Family Time, plus Create Your Own and The WORKS flexible packages), single-event tickets, and free programming including Free Summer Cinema at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse Sunken Garden and ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! community concerts.

The business model combines four revenue streams: ticket sales (subscription packages at $165-$677 plus group sales for 20+ attendees), individual donations through tiered giving programs ($100-$10,000+ plus monthly and legacy/planned giving), corporate and foundation sponsorships, and government arts funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, California Arts Council, and Santa Barbara County Office of Arts & Culture. Educational programs — Arts Adventures and Arts Up-Close for K-12, MUSE for UCSB students, and the Thematic Learning Initiative — extend audience development and community reach, serving 5,000+ K-12 students and 15,000+ community members annually through Viva el Arte. Programming runs across six Santa Barbara-area venues (Campbell Hall, Granada Theatre, Arlington Theatre, Hahn Hall, Lobero Theatre, Santa Barbara County Courthouse) on a web-based digital ticketing platform with a dynamic QR-code ticket wallet.

The organization serves four primary customer segments: UCSB students (discounted/free admission), K-12 students and schools (field trips and classroom workshops), general public and community members (subscription and single-ticket buyers), and Latinx/underserved populations served through Viva el Arte. Donor development is led by a Managing Director and Senior Director of Development with an Arts & Lectures Council of named co-chairs and Ambassadors, and the executive team is led by the Miller McCune Executive Director. Technical infrastructure is conventional event-presenting tooling; no AI/ML capabilities are evident in the disclosed stack.

Name

UCSB Arts & Lectures

Legal name

UCSB Arts & Lectures (Arts & Lectures)

Website

https://artsandlectures.ucsb.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UCSB Arts & Lectures is a non-profit university arts presenter, founded 1959, that presents 100+ performing arts and lecture events annually across Santa Barbara County, serving subscription ticket buyers, UCSB and K-12 students, and Latinx communities through education and free outreach programs funded by tickets, donations, sponsorships, and government arts grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Performing Arts Presentations

NAICS

Theater Companies and Dinner Theaters (711110)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Performing Arts Programs (Band, Choir, Orchestra, Theater) (EDAJAJAE), University & Educational Venue Operations (Auditoriums, Campus Arenas) (MPAGALAI)

Keywords

• Performing arts presentations
• Subscription ticketing series
• Arts education programs
• Community cultural outreach
• Lecture and concert series

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Barbara

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Single tickets, subscription series packages, and group sales. Curated series offer up to 25% savings; Create Your Own series offers 10% off for 4+ events; The WORKS package offers 30% off 50+ events
2. Individual Donations: Tax-deductible contributions at various levels: Circle of Friends ($100-$1000), Producers Circle ($2500), Executive Producers Circle ($5000), Leadership Circle ($10000). Monthly giving options available.
3. Planned/Legacy Giving: Estate planning gifts through charitable remainder trusts, charitable gift annuities, and bequests. Legacy Circle recognition for planned gift donors.
4. Sponsorships: Corporate and foundation sponsors for specific programs, venues, and events including education sponsors and community partners

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

UCSB Arts & Lectures is a university-based performing arts presenting organization that curates and presents more than 100 live events annually — including concerts, dance, theater, lectures, and film — sold through subscription series packages and individual ticketing. It supplements ticketed programming with free community offerings (Free Summer Cinema, ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara!) and educational outreach programs (Arts Adventures, Arts Up-Close, MUSE, Thematic Learning Initiative) serving K-12 students, UCSB students, and the broader Santa Barbara community.

Product overview

UCSB Arts & Lectures operates as a performing arts presenting organization offering a comprehensive portfolio of products and services. The core offering consists of ticketed events across multiple subscription series packages: Dance Series, Great Performances A/B/Suite, Word of Mouth (lectures), Americana, Jazz, Global Sounds, Hear & Now, Speaking with Pico, Vanguard, and Family Time series—allowing patrons to purchase curated multi-event packages with savings up to 25%. Individual single tickets are also available. Free programming includes the Summer Cinema outdoor film series and ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! community cultural performances. Educational initiatives encompass Arts Adventures and Arts Up-Close for K-12 students, MUSE for UCSB students, and the Thematic Learning Initiative for lifelong learners. Supporting infrastructure includes a Digital Ticket Wallet for mobile ticket management and various giving programs (Circle of Friends, Producers Circle, Legacy Giving). The organization presents events at multiple Santa Barbara venues including Campbell Hall, The Granada Theatre, Arlington Theatre, Hahn Hall, Lobero Theatre, and Santa Barbara County Courthouse.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara!: A free community concert series bringing Latin American cultural heritage to Santa Barbara County schools and neighborhoods, serving over 15,000 community members annually.

Products and services

• Dance Series Subscription A curated subscription series featuring dance performances from companies including Akram Khan Company, Sankai Juku, The Joffrey Ballet, GALLIM, and Camille A. Brown & Dancers, offering up to 25% savings. Series package price $483.
• Great Performances A Series Subscription A curated classical music subscription featuring Lang Lang, Nemanja Radulović & Double Sens, Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, and Leif Ove Andsnes. Series price $362 (20% savings).
• Great Performances B Series Subscription A curated classical music subscription featuring Les Arts Florissants, Hilary Hahn with Matthias Goerne and Yekwon Sunwoo, Danish String Quartet, and Yuja Wang. Series price $357.
• Great Performances Suite Subscription A comprehensive music subscription combining all Great Performances A and B series events with additional performances. Series package price $677.
• Word of Mouth Series Subscription A lectures and conversations subscription featuring Scott Galloway, Anne Applebaum, Christopher Wray, Kara Swisher, and Hakeem Oluseyi discussing contemporary ideas and society. Series price $316.
• Americana Series Subscription An American roots music subscription featuring Punch Brothers, Lyle Lovett, Rosanne Cash with John Leventhal, and Cedric Burnside. Series price $284.
• Jazz Series Subscription A jazz music subscription featuring Terrace Martin, Stanley Clarke & Hiromi, Don Was & The Pan-Detroit Ensemble, and Sunny Jain. Series price $204.
• Global Sounds Series Subscription A world music subscription featuring Clarice & Sérgio Assad, Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández, and Niladri Kumaar. Series price $165.
• Hear & Now Series Subscription A contemporary classical and chamber music subscription featuring CelloGayageum, Viano Quartet, JIJI, and Himari with Chelsea Wang. Series price $166.
• Speaking with Pico Series Subscription A literary and conversation series hosted by Pico Iyer featuring Yiyun Li, Michael Pollan, Margaret Atwood, and John McEnroe. Series price $233.
• Vanguard Series Subscription A contemporary and avant-garde performance series featuring Meow Meow, The Surge: An Ode to Sinéad O'Connor, and Gravity & Other Myths. Series price $182.
• Family Time Series Subscription A family-friendly performance series featuring Circa's Duck Pond, OCEAN in Concert, and Manual Cinema's Leonardo! show. Series price $203; Youth Series $76.
• Create Your Own Series Subscription A flexible subscription allowing patrons to select four or more eligible events for a 10% discount.
• Free Summer Cinema A free outdoor film series held at the Santa Barbara County Courthouse Sunken Garden featuring classic films including Pretty in Pink, Say Anything..., La Bamba, Rushmore, Love & Basketball, Napoleon Dynamite, and Hairspray.
• ¡Viva el Arte de Santa Bárbara! A free community program bringing Latin American cultural heritage performances to underserved communities, serving 15,000+ students and community members annually through 55 free concerts, school workshops, and assemblies.
• Arts Adventures (K-12 Program) Field trip program for local K-12 students to attend performances by notable artists and thinkers at various venues.
• Arts Up-Close (K-12 Program) Program bringing artists and speakers into classrooms with workshops, Q&As, and assemblies for local schools.
• MUSE (UCSB Student Program) Master classes, workshops, and lecture-demonstrations for UCSB students featuring renowned musicians, dancers, and authors.
• Thematic Learning Initiative (TLI) Free community learning program extending conversations from performances into the community through special events, book giveaways, and discussions.
• Digital Ticket Wallet A digital ticketing system enabling mobile ticket access via dynamic QR codes that refresh every 30 seconds, ticket sharing between users, and contactless entry management.
• Donations and Membership Program Tax-deductible contribution options including Circle of Friends ($100–$1,000), Producers Circle ($2,500), Executive Producers Circle ($5,000), and Leadership Circle ($10,000) with various donor benefits. Monthly giving options available.
• Legacy Giving Program Planned giving options including charitable remainder trusts, charitable gift annuities, and bequests to support long-term organizational sustainability, with Legacy Circle recognition for planned gift donors.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100+ public events annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Marjorie Luke TheatrecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presenting partner for Viva el Arte de Santa Barbara program, hosting free community concerts at Marjorie Luke Theatre venue in Santa Barbara
• Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presenting partner for Viva el Arte de Santa Barbara program, serving the Guadalupe and Nipomo communities with cultural performances
• Isla Vista School Parent Teacher AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational partner for Viva el Arte program, hosting free school performances and workshops at Isla Vista Elementary
• National Endowment for the ArtscoreOthersFederal arts funding supporting Viva el Arte de Santa Barbara program and general A&L programming
• California Arts CouncilcoreOthersState arts funding supporting Viva el Arte de Santa Barbara program and general A&L programming
• National Dance ProjectminorOthersGrant funding for dance programming and presentations
• Santa Barbara County Office of Arts & CulturecoreOthersRegional arts funding and Free Summer Cinema presenting association partner
• UCSB Department of Theater & DancecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-presenting partner for dance performances including Doug Varone and Dancers Education/Performance Project with student participation
• Wadi AlFann, Valley of the Arts, AlUlaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioning partner for Akram Khan Company's Thikra: Night of Remembering
• Santa Barbara SymphonycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMusical accompaniment for OCEAN in Concert performance, performing live with film
• UCSB Office of Education PartnershipscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment/University partner supporting Viva el Arte and general educational outreach

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Stanford Live: Stanford University's presenting organization at Bing Concert Hall and Memorial Auditorium. Comparable university-based presenter with subscription series, K-12 outreach, and world-class artist programming.
• Krannert Center for the Performing Arts: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's performing arts presenter with four venue complex. University-affiliated multi-venue presenter offering subscription ticketing and K-12 educational programs.
• Celebrity Series of Boston: Non-profit performing arts presenter offering subscription series across music, dance, and spoken word. Long-established presenter (founded 1938) with parallel subscription and educational outreach model.
• UCLA Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA): UCLA's flagship presenting organization booking dance, music, and theater at Royce Hall and other campus venues. Same UC-system university-affiliated presenter model with subscription ticketing and K-12/community education programs.
• Cal Performances: UC Berkeley's performing arts presenter, operating with a similar subscription-series model, multi-venue programming, and university-based educational outreach. Most directly comparable peer given parallel UC affiliation and presenter (not producer) model.
• Meany Center for the Performing Arts: University of Washington's presenting organization with subscription series and educational programming. Same university-presenter model with similar mix of classical, contemporary, world, and dance programming.

Regional players

• Lobero Theatre: Historic Santa Barbara performing arts venue that A&L uses for select programming. Local performing arts venue/presenter operating in the same Santa Barbara market with overlapping concert programming.
• The Broad Stage (Santa Monica College): Southern California performing arts presenter based at Santa Monica College with similar subscription and educational programming. Operates in a different geography (LA County) but with comparable presenter model and educational outreach.

Broad incumbents

• Lincoln Center Presents: Broad multi-venue performing arts presenter encompassing multiple resident organizations. Massive scale and venue ownership model, but overlapping presenter/programming function.
• Carnegie Hall Presents: Major performing arts presenter in NYC presenting 100+ events per season across multiple venues. Larger and broader portfolio than A&L but operates in the same presenter/programming category with subscription ticketing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ArtsandLectures
• Facebookfacebook.com/artsandlectures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UCSB Arts & Lectures