This post was updated May 17 at 2:23 a.m.

Spring air carried song into Royce Hall.

With 12 acts throughout the night, Spring Sing returned to Royce Hall on Saturday night after taking place at the Los Angeles Tennis Center last year. The annual competition’s talents ranged from music to dance, including classic skits from sketch comedy group Company as well. Featuring multiple student talents, the night was characterized by pop and folk genres. Mark Foster, this year’s recipient of the George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement, said he was moved by the competing acts’ talents.

“I’ve been sitting out there watching the show, and I just got to say this – there’s so much love in this room, you guys made me tear up multiple times,” Foster said. “The performance has been incredible, and I’m just so honored to be here.”

The celebrity judging panel for this year’s competition included former “The Voice” vocal coach Stevie Mackey, star from CBS’s show of redemption “Fire Country” Kevin Michael Alejandro and childhood stars from Disney Channel’s “Bunk’d” and Nickelodeon’s “Victorious,” respectively, Nina Lu and Mikey Reid. In addition, the panel also featured six-season SNL veteran Taran Killam, musician and producer Mike Vince (Hotel Ugly), comedic influencer Asher Lieberman and crowd favorite – the very own voice of Phineas from Disney Channel’s “Phineas and Ferb” – Vincent Martella.

The night’s backbone was made up of sketches from comedy group Company, including Best Company Sketch – the “Heated Rivalry” sketch – where an intramural dodgeball game between a French team and an American team gets heated. The song “All The Things She Said” starts to play while the group alludes to the hit Crave show, referencing the sensational line “Will you come to my cottage this summer?” but changing it to “apartment” in this multiverse. In between performances, Company showcased live and recorded sketches, touching on multiple student experiences such as an annual “Hunger Games” in Boelter Hall and connecting to the school’s wifi.

[Related: Spring Sing 2026: ScatterTones embraces individuality, brings “Scatt” sound to Spring Sing stage]

The first act of the night was Timmy Salamy, opening the show with his original song “Highway Horizons.” Performing with just an acoustic guitar and a spotlight above himself, Salamy’s set featured the audience clapping to the track’s rhythm, as well as shouting at specific lyrics, such as when the singer made a nod to his hometown of San Diego. Anique then took the stage with the support of a seven-piece female band – including Spring Sing contestants Ella Gibson on backing vocals and Ava Ulloa on keys – all wearing 70s-inspired outfits and flower crowns. The fourth-year student performed an original song titled “A Trip to the Valley.” Anique said this performance was particularly special since she grew up attending the annual competition.

“I’m from Los Angeles,” Anique said. “(I) actually would come to Spring Sing with my family growing up, so being up here is seriously a dream come true.”

This year’s Bruins Choice Award winner was Synthesis Dance group, which returned to Spring Sing with a performance choreographed by student directors Ava Ward, Christine Barber, Daniela Finch and Sydney Tomsick. The girls came out in white and black streetwear, creating a DIY feel, and slick back ponytail braids for a blend of complementary, lyrical and jazz dance styles to a mash up of the Lady Gaga songs “Poker Face,” “Love Game” and “Judas.” UCLA’s only all-male identifying acapella group, Bruin Harmony, came on stage next with a rendition of “Better Than I Know Myself” by Adam Lambert, arranged by Mickey Hashim. The group wore exclusively blue and white shades of clothing and sang with melancholy and feeling. 

Continuing on the group trend, Garden Party took the stage, performing their song “As I Wonder,” written by the band’s pianist Jude Fucetola. The seven-member band was characterized by their stage presence, with vocalist Cocona Mori singing solely with keys before the rest of the members joined in on a beat drop. The band’s set allowed all members to shine through, such as the saxophone and brass instruments’ solos. Next was third-year student Lily Zager, who played her song “If Only.” Zager took the stage by herself, sitting down in a white gown at a grand piano, taking over voice and instrumentation at the same time.

Before the intermission, the George and Ira Gershwin Award was presented to Foster. Annually awarded by the Student Alumni Association at Spring Sing, the honor recognizes artists with significant achievements in the music industry. When accepting his award, the Foster The People frontman reminisced on his early career, encouraging the student acts to continue working towards their creative goals.

“All the artists out here, out of the billions of people that have ever taken a breath on planet earth, you are the only one with your voice,” Foster said. “Your point of view is so important because you’re the only one that has it, and that’s the thing that an artist needs to cherish.”

[Related: Second Take: ‘Not a small tradition’: Spring Sing must be met with excitement, vitality]

Opening the second act, a 70s disco vibe of sparkly rainbow, blue denim and black leather took to the stage as eight-member funk and jazz band Fine Print performed their original song “Love Bandit” with lyrics written by global jazz studies student Ulloa. Following this, a musical duo who met in an Iranian improvisational class appeared on stage to perform “Changed My Mind,” an original written by Logan Hibbard and Yadeal Asfaw. Hibbard and Asfaw, both in black gowns, gave the audience a sultry, slow ballad, with Asfaw on a grand piano and Hibbard singing at a single mic under purple lighting.

The middle of the second act brought back dance to the Royce Hall stage as Icarus Contemporary performed in fully coordinated, all-black, flowy costumes. The student dance group’s choreography opened with a tower-like structure, with one member held over the other dancers’ heads. Icarus’ performance was characterized by impressive stunts throughout the lyrical and jazz-adjacent routine. The second a cappella group, ScatterTones, took the stage wearing their signature pink and white clothing. Singing a rendition of RAYE’s “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!”, the group balanced rhythmic sections with full-blown vocals. 

Ishaan Arora then took the stage to perform his original folk, indie pop song about “watching someone be stubborn.” Arora stood under a single spotlight with his acoustic guitar to sing his original slow and building melodramatic song “This Hill.” The musical acts ended with The Situations, a band of fourth-year students who all wore their graduation sashes on stage. They performed “Situationships,” an original song that sounded straight out of a classic 2000s Disney Channel boy band movie, as well as 5 Seconds of Summer’s “She Looks So Perfect.” The simple white lighting and spotlights circling in the audience felt like a fun and exciting way to end an astounding night.          

To close the night, Company performed a rendition of “Cup-Song” as a thank-you. Following this, the SAA executive committee took the stage, with executive director Shirin Dunker thanking the team for the event’s organization and giving out this year’s awards. Besides Best Company Sketch and the Bruin Choice Award, the Judges’ Choice Award went to ScatterTones, marking Gibson’s second Spring Sing win, two years in a row.

“As we bring Spring Sing to a close, I hope you leave feeling the same pride, joy and connection that we felt all year long,” Dunker said. “To many more years of Spring Sing.”