UB Center for the Arts 2025–26 Season is Under Way
With the beginning of a new academic year at the University of Buffalo comes the announcement of the 2025-26 concert season. This year’s concert roster has everything from legendary jazz musician Herbie Hancock to Grammy award-winning vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth. There is a little something for everyone at UB this season.
If you’re a fan of cowboy boots and your trusty four-by-four, then you’ll love Stars with Guitars. Brought to the University of Buffalo, 106.5 WYRK and Transitowne DODGE-RAM, Stars with Guitars is a night chock full of acoustic country tunes that’ll be sure to tickle anyone’s fancy. This event features artists like Canadian singer Josh Ross, American recording artist Lee Brice, the Nashville bombshell Runaway June, and Kentucky-born musician Dillon Carmichael. Stars with Guitars covers all the bases in terms of sub-genres of country. Carmichael is likely influenced by the bluegrass music of the Kentuckiana region, with Canadian roots, and Ross draws on the music of Appalachia. There’s even country music from the heart of the genre, Nashville, Tennessee. Don’t miss this must-see event at 7:30 PM, Wednesday, September 17th at the UB Center for the Arts.
Emphasizing the diverse palette of music being performed this season at UB, we have the multi-platinum and Grammy award-winning reggae/soul artist Joss Stone stopping by for her 2025 USA Tour. Less is More: an evening with Joss Stone is going to be a stripped-down presentation of her earlier music all the way up to her latest single “Loving You.” With a brand new album coming soon, it’s likely there were some previews of new songs (no promises). Be sure to catch Joss Stone at the UB Center of the Arts, at 7:30 PM, Wednesday, October 1st.
If you’re looking for a modern spin on a chamber music ensemble, then the Vitamin Quartet could be just for you! Instead of classical standards, the Vitamin Quartet brings original arrangements of music by Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift, BTS, The Weeknd and many more. The Vitamin Quartet has been mixing modern pop music with the distinguished flavor of the string quartet for longer than the hit Netflix show Brigerton has been on the air, scoring a part of the music production in the series. See their era-defying performance at 7:30 PM, Tuesday, October 7th at the UB Center of the Arts.
On the topic of popular television, there are two separate performances that may catch your eye. Both Avatar: The Last Airbender in concert and Twilight in concert will be coming to the UB Center for the Arts this Fall. From the success of performances of the soundtracks of John Williams’ films, Hans Zimmer films, The Harry Potter series, The Lord of the Rings, and countless others, these performances are sure to blow you away. The perfect mixes of visual and audio media feature a full-size cinema screen accompanied by a professional Orchestra, both hinting at some exclusive content included in the experience. Avatar: The Last Airbender in concert comes to UB at 7:30 PM, Wednesday, October 8th. Twilight in concert comes to UB much later in the season at 7:30 PM, Friday, November 14th.
One of the world’s leading chamber music ensembles, Belcea Quartet, will be bringing a mix of romantic and contemporary classical genres to the Lippes Concert Hall, at 7:30 PM, Saturday, October 18th. Performing everything from the lavish compositions of Mozart to the mysterious style of Anton Webern, The Belcea Quartet will inspire you to pick up that violin or viola you haven’t touched since high school.
Starting off the month of November is Jazz legend Herbie Hancock, whose fourteen Grammy awards should convince you to free up your afternoon. Now having over seven decades of music-making under his belt, Hancock shows no signs of slowing down in his pursuit to keep crowds coming back. This concert is bound to sport a little bit of everything from his illustrious career in Jazz and Funk. Be sure to get a ticket to see Herbie Hancock at the UB Center of the Arts at 7 PM, Sunday, November 2nd.
During the following week, Grammy award-winning Macy Gray will be at UB celebrating the 25th anniversary of her debut album “On How Life Is.” This album is one of great importance in the merging of soul and pop genres, and it’s sure to bring the warmth Macy Gray audiences have come to expect. Catch her at the UB Center of the Arts at 7:30 PM, Thursday, November 13th.
For a unique experience, the sensational vocal group Roomful of Teeth is coming to the Lippes Concert Hall at 7:30 PM, Tuesday, February 3rd. This contemporary vocal ensemble has never had an issue testing the bounds of the human voice in their performances, leaving audiences floored. Their artistic mission speaks for itself: to “mine the expressive potential of the human voice.” I can say as an ex-music composition student, I will not miss this concert!
So far, we’ve had guitars, vocalists, bowed strings, and orchestras, but hardly any piano; UB wasn’t about to let that slide. To begin the month of March, classical pianist Gilles Vonsattel will be performing a solo recital full of classics, along with contemporary works. The New York Times calls Vonsattel’s programs “tightly conceived and passionately performed… a study in intensity.” See where music on the piano has been and how far it has come at Lippes Concert Hall at 7:30 PM, Friday, March 6th.
The diversity keeps coming! Afro-Cuban jazz fusion group, the Dafnis Prieto and the Sí o Sí Quartet, will be coming to UB for two nights to get you dancing and invigorated on the innovative grooves of Latin jazz. Once again critically acclaimed, The New York Times praises Prieto’s music as “a marvel of acrobatic musicianship.” This performance will be sure to make you expand your musical horizons, giving you a glimpse into the innovations of Cuban influence on jazz fusion. Catch this must-see concert at Lippes Concert Hall at 7:30 PM, March 27th and 28th.
Another extremely talented string quartet winds down the concert season. The Jerusalem Quartet will be performing lively interpretations of Haydn, Mozart, and Janáček, adding to the repertoire covered earlier by the Belcea Quartet. Having won awards such as the Diapason d’Or and the BBC Music Magazine Award for chamber music, the Jerusalem Quartet is sure to astound. Finish off the season strong with this beautiful program at Lippes Concert Hall at 7:30 PM, Wednesday, April 29th.
While this article only covers music-related events at The University of Buffalo, there are still more events worth seeing. Plays and musicals such as Sondheim’s Into The Woods and Shakespeare’s Macbeth; comedians and magicians; there truly is something for everyone.
I would also be remiss to not mention the UB student and faculty features going on this year, all of which can be found on the University of Buffalo Department of Music website. I hope you’ve put some new items in your calendar. Have a great 2025-26 UB concert season!
