Presented by UCR's Department of Music, the Florence Bayz Music Series has been underway for the 2023-2024 academic year. Held every Wednesday at noon in room 157 of the ARTS building, the series features a variety of concerts, academic presentations, and workshops with the overarching goal of exploring music in various ways.

"The Bayz series epitomizes the rewards of spending time on a university campus: You get to jump into an event and encounter something new, with no prerequisites or expectations," said Deborah Wong, the coordinator of this year’s Florence Bayz Music Series season and a professor of music. "Just come and listen."

This academic year marks the third time Wong has served as coordinator for the new season of the music series. According to Wong, a different faculty member coordinates the music series every academic year.

"One thing I love about the Bayz series is that it’s music-focused but activates questions that are at the heart of CHASS and the humanities in general," she said. "The series is driven by questions that percolate more broadly through popular culture studies, Indigenous studies, Latin American studies, media studies, etc."

Offering an hour of new music and performances, each event of the music series extends its arms to the broader community and is free and open to the public. The Florence Bayz Music Series also serves as a platform to spotlight student performers and the department’s creative and research endeavors, with international guest artists and scholars.

"You can expect to be provoked, awed, and inspired," Wong said. "You will be introduced to new people, new ideas, and new creative agendas."

The Florence Bayz Music Series continues its musical exploration during the winter quarter, kicking off with a roundtable and discussion on Jan. 17, featuring four faculty DJs who curate UCR’s radio station, KUCR 88.3FM.

There is also an interactive performance of "In C," a piece by Terry Riley, on Jan. 31, which encourages participation from the audience.

"You’ll hear all of us together," Wong said. "Bring any instrument or just your voice and prepare to experience that jubilant piece from the inside."

"The Winter quarter line-up is locked in but the Spring is still coming together," Wong said. "Stay tuned as the year goes on."

To learn more about the Florence Bayz Music Series and future dates, please visit music.ucr.edu/florence-bayz-music-series.

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FEATURED PHOTO. Emyr Ortiz, tenor, and Jonathan Keplinger, piano, running through the song "How It Ends" from the musical Big Fish, during the sound check for the student performance recital in the Bayz series on November 29, 2023. Photo by Deborah Wong