Student Alumni Association, Alumni Association announce Spring Sing cancellation
Sketch comedy group Company moves in synchrony as it performs at last year’s Spring Sing, which was held at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. Originally scheduled for May 17, this year’s event will have a behind-the-scenes reel to be released at an unknown date in place of a live performance. (Megan Cai/Photo editor)
By Leydi Cris Cobo Cordon
May 13, 2024 6:36 p.m.
This post was updated May 14 at 8:08 p.m.
The 2024 Spring Sing performance is canceled.
The Student Alumni Association’s annual event was slated to take place May 17 at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. After law enforcement raised concerns about safety, the organizers said they were forced to call off the event, in a Thursday statement obtained by The Bruin. The 13 acts will be featured in a behind-the-scenes reel instead.
In an emailed statement obtained by The Bruin, the director of the Alumni Scholars Program George Brown told Alumni Scholars about the event’s cancellation Friday, while acknowledging the work done by the SAA and the 171 students involved in this year’s Spring Sing. Brown said a behind-the-scenes reel would be shared in the coming future and announced that ticket sales would be refunded.
“One week from today, we were scheduled to come together at the Los Angeles Tennis Center in celebration of Bruin creativity and talent,” Brown said in the statement. “However, after much deliberation, we have made the difficult decision to cancel Spring Sing 2024.”
At 5:57 p.m. Monday, an email from the SAA and Alumni Association confirmed the event’s cancellation and informed ticket holders that they would be refunded. The email also reiterated that there will be a behind-the-scenes reel released in place of the event at an undetermined date.
[Related: Dave Grohl named 2024 UCLA Spring Sing George and Ira Gershwin Award winner]
Last month, Dave Grohl was named the 2024 Spring Sing George and Ira Gershwin Award Recipient. The Hall of Fame inductee would have been honored at the in-person competition, which would also have been governed by celebrity judges. The event was previously held online in 2020 and 2021 following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This news follows a week of remote instruction, which a May 6 BruinAlert cited was due to “ongoing disturbances” on campus. Various May events, including the fourth Department of Art graduate thesis show and the first concert in the Spring Festival of World Music 2024, have been canceled, rescheduled or indefinitely postponed in light of the attack on and forceful police sweep of the Palestine solidarity encampment.
[Related: SJP AND UC DIVEST COALITION DEMONSTRATIONS AT UCLA]
In their statement to the Spring Sing acts, members of the SAA emphasized their gratitude for the resilience of the performers and crew members.
“We are grateful for your passion, your dedication, and your unwavering support,” the statement said. “Thank you for being a part of this journey with us.”
