The Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts at the University of Connecticut has announced its 70th anniversary season which features a mix of classical, jazz and pop concerts, modern dance companies and traditional events like the Boston Pops Christmas concert and a children’s show based on Disney’s “Moana.”
A tribute to the Buena Vista Social Club featuring Cuban pianist Jorge Luis Pacheco kicks off the fall season on Sept. 18. The term Buena Vista Social Club originally referred to a Cuban jazz ensemble that formed in 1996. The group became the subject of a hit documentary and more recently a Broadway musical as variations of the band (many of whose original members are now deceased) toured worldwide.
A screening of the Disney film “Moana” featuring live musical accompaniment happens on Oct. 10.
On Oct. 23, the French/Algerian dance troupe Compagnie Hervé Koubi will present “Sol Invictus.” The company utilizes many dance styles in its energetic, acrobatic performances from ballet to hip-hop.
The only previously announced show on the fall schedule is British singer/composer/producer/multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier, who performs on Oct. 18.
The Jorgensen Center’s annual Boston Pops holiday show conducted by Keith Lockhart and featuring an appearance by Santa Claus will be on Dec. 6.
The Jorgensen Center’s Lenard Chamber Music Series, founded in 2018 through a grant from Jean and John Lenard — longtime Jorgensen patrons with a shared enthusiasm for chamber music — has four concerts this fall: Hungarian pianist Valentin Magyar on Sept. 23, violinist Ray Chen accompanied by pianist Julio Elizalde on Oct. 17, the Phaeton Piano Trio on Nov. 11 and Les Arts Florissants with violinist Théotime Langlois de Swarte on Nov. 20.
There are three other tribute acts on the schedule. “Invincible: A Glorious Tribute to Michael Jackson” is at the center on Sept. 27 at 8 p.m., “Take Me As I Am: A Joni Mitchell Tribute” featuring Rainee Blake as Mitchell is Oct. 4 at 8 p.m., and the band ZOSO: The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Experience performs on Nov. 8 at 8 p.m.
The rock tribute shows tie in neatly to an art show in the Jorgensen Gallery space at the center. “Eight Days A Week: An Illustrated Record of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” on view Sept. 27 through Dec. 6, features photos by Connecticut-base rock photographer Joseph Sia as well as album covers, posters and other items collected by former Connecticut music journalist and radio DJ Ken Best.
Rodney Rock, the longtime director of the Jorgensen Center, notes that the its new Steinway Model D concert grand piano will be used in several concerts during the season.
The Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts opened in 1955. It was named for the UConn’s then-president Albert N. Jorgensen, the university’s longest serving president.
For more details about the 2025 season, including ticket sales, go to jorgensen.uconn.edu. The Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts is located at 2132 Hillside Road, Unit 3104 on the University of Connecticut campus in Storrs.