UCLA Live Spring Preview

Throughout the school year, UCLA Live invites a medley of popular and critically acclaimed artists and performers to galvanize the stage of Royce Hall with energetic concerts, compelling talks and otherwise engaging artistic performances. All tickets are $15 for UCLA students.

Carolina Chocolate Drops
plus special guest David Wax Museum
Friday at 8 p.m.
ROYCE HALL

Hailing from Durham, N.C., old-time string band Carolina Chocolate Drops made it big last year when the band won a Grammy for Best Traditional Folk Album. Carolina Chocolate Drops’ sound is steeped in nostalgia, as most instruments used by the band are not readily plugged into an outlet or an amplifier.

Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet
Regina van Berkel’s “Simply Marvel,” Crystal Pite’s “Grace Engine” and Alexander Eckman’s “Hubbub”
April 27 at 8 p.m.
ROYCE ALL

The graceful athleticism and innovative aesthetic of the New York-based company Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet daringly reinterpret modern choreography to present vital and exciting performances. The company will present the West Coast premieres of the Netherlands’ Regina van Berkel’s “Simply Marvel” and also Crystal Pite’s “Grace Engine.”

David Sedaris
May 2 at 8 p.m.
ROYCE HALL

Every year, American writer David Sedaris, “known as one of the world’s most savage humorists,” visits UCLA at Royce Hall to read from his unpublished works-in-progress to a frequently sold-out crowd. Sedaris, the author of acclaimed works such as “Me Talk Pretty One Day” and “When You Are Engulfed in Flames,” also takes the chance to turn the audience’s attention to the works of other authors whom he admires. Fans will have a chance to get books signed with the author after the event.

Seun Kuti & Egypt 80
April 20 at 8 p.m.
ROYCE HALL

Son of afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti and brother to successful musician Femi Kuti, Seun Kuti is known for leading his father’s former band, Egypt 80. Kuti’s latest album, “From Africa With Fury” was produced by English producer Brian Eno. Much like his father’s, Kuti’s music is dedicated to social and political progress.

The Pacifica Quartet
Beethoven and Shostakovich
April 11 at 8 p.m.
ROYCE HALL

The Grammy-winning Pacifica Quartet, who has been appointed as quartet-in-residence at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, will perform Beethoven’s Quartet in C minor, Op. 18, No. 4, and Quartet in E minor, Op. 59, No. 2, along with Shostakovich’s stirring Quartet No. 9 at Royce Hall. The quartet also received the Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance in 2009.