Curated by Jeff Miers

Join us on a nostalgic journey through the top thirty musical acts that have performed at the University at Buffalo Center for the Arts over the past three decades. Curated by Jeff Miers, legendary music journalist and Buffalo Music Hall of Fame member, this playlist features a diverse array of genres and artists, showcasing the legacy of the UBCFA. Available on both Spotify and Apple Music, you can easily access this musical time capsule. 

The Center for the Arts opened its doors in 1994 with Mainstage performances by Canadian Brass, Amherst Saxophone Quartet, Harlem Spiritual Ensemble, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Zodiaque Dance Company, and Tanzfabrik, the Berlin Dance Company. The Department of Theatre and Dance opened the Drama Theatre, their primary performance venue, with a production of The Threepenny Opera as a part of the opening festivities. 

From country to blues to jazz to R&B and funk, Ray Charles has set the standard for more than 50 years, earning fans across the globe. He has won 12 Grammy Awards, been inducted into four music halls of fame, and has a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame. The icon visited the Center for the Arts in 2003 for a truly memorable performance. 

Iconic bluegrass group, The Punch Brothers have spent more than a decade changing the face of acoustic music, stretching the limitations of their instruments, and influencing a generation of young musicians. Their long history with the Center for the Arts includes performances in the 2007, 2008, 2018, 2022, and 2024 seasons with members appearing in concert alongside Béla Fleck (2022) and Nickel Creek (2024). 

In October of 2023, Grammy Award winning artists, Mary Chapin Carpenter and Shawn Colvin performed together on the Mainstage at the Center for the Arts. Longtime friends and collaborators, the two artists share a total of eight Grammy Awards. 

Platinum artist, Michael Glabicki visited the Center for the Arts in the Spring of 2023. Glabicki, most famous for his song “Send Me on My Way” with Rusted Root, gave an electric performance to a full drama theatre. Before the performance Glabicki participated in an exclusive backstage-chat with UB students where he detailed his process and journey in the music industry. 

In March 2023, the Center for the Arts presented Third Eye Blind, a group best known for their 1997 single "Semi-Charmed Life". Third Eye Blind is the recipient of several awards for excellence in music including one Billboard Music Award and four California Music Awards for Best Album, Best Songwriting, Best Debut Work, and Outstanding Songwriters.

The Mainstage is commonly regaurded as one of the premier concert venues in Western New York, hosting legendary performers such as Cyndi Lauper, Tony Bennett, Liza Minelli, and Ray Charles to name a few. The space is designed to accommodate audio for a variety of different performances with movable sound panels built into the walls. This feature has contributed to the venue gaining its reputation for exquisite, pristine live sound. 

As a three-time-Grammy-winner, Ben Harper has amassed a worldwide fan following for his genre-traversing body of work. Harper came to the Center for the Arts for a deeply emotional concert in the fall of 2023 following the release of his studio album "Wide Open Light". 

The legendary Jon Batiste visited the Center for the Arts for a sold-out performance in May 2024 after delivering an emotional performance at the Grammy Awards’ earlier in the year. At age 37, Batiste has had an expansive career winning five Grammy Awards among many other prestigious awards and nominations. 

America's original jazz dance company, Giordano Dance Chicago (GDC), kicked off the Center for the Arts 2024 season. Renowned for their innovative jazz dance choreography, GDC has been a frequent visitor to the Center for the Arts with appearances in the 1997, 1999, 2000, 2004, and 2024 seasons.

Western New York natives, the 10,000 Maniacs have had a profound connection with the University at Buffalo over the last thirty years. The band has visited the university in various stages of their development with several of their first concerts held in university courtyards in the early eighties. The band made their debut on the Center for the Arts Mainstage in 2000. Since then, they have also made appearances in the Center for the Arts 2015 and 2024 seasons. 

When the Center for the Arts opened in 1994, the Atrium became a commonplace for students across the arts to meet. With all the university's arts departments in close proximity, the Atrium is an incubator for collaborative interdisciplinary artistic ventures. Shortly after the Café re-opened in 2024, the Center for the Arts introduced new furniture providing the atrium with a sleek-modern upgrade. 

Music is Art Live @ The Center was a series of live concerts by local musicians and area artist exhibitions in the Center for the Arts Atrium. In the early 2000’s, this series featured a unique blend of cutting-edge musicians and visual artists in a coffeehouse atmosphere. These multi-media concerts, produced in collaboration with the Music is Art Foundation, also corresponded with a live television show broadcast locally. 

Technical Theatre students worked alongside UB faculty and staff to create the U.S. entry in the 2019 Prague Quadrennial, the global showcase for the best in performance design, scenography and theatre architecture. Students were mentored by members of the Center for the Arts professional staff and faculty in the Theatre and Dance department.

In 2019, UB faculty, staff and students built the U.S. entry to the prestigious Prague Quadrennial global showcase for the best in performance design, scenography and theatre architecture. This exhibition consisted of two cutting-edge multimedia installations.

In 2021, hiphop legend Grandmaster Flash joined the University at Buffalo for a residency with the university’s Arts Collaboratory. The residency provided UB students with an opportunity to study under one of the greatest hip-hop artists of all time. In an interview, Flash expressed his desire to teach UB students about the history of hip-hop and pass his knowledge on to the next generation of artists. 

Media Study, a department housed in the east wing of the Center for the Arts, focuses on experimental and radical uses of media in the arts and in society at large. In the program, faculty and students immerse themselves in experimental film, video, and sound art. Art in the Open provides a look into the work of Media study students with video game demos and film screenings thoughout the event. 

Over the last 30-years Jazz at Lincoln Center has been a frequent collaborator with the Center for the Arts, appearing in the 1995, 2010, 2017, and 2022 seasons. In 2022, the group joined the Center for the Arts in our commitment to providing university students with opportunities to study with top professionals in the industry. Jazz at Lincoln Center artists lead a music masterclass and behind-the-scenes chat for students in the UB Music Department and Jazz Ensemble.  

The Center for the Arts maintains its commitment to local students by offering performance opportunities in connection with visiting artists. In 2008, the CFA invited students from the Williamsville East Studio Orchestra to perform in the Atrium as an opener to Tony Bennett. In 2022, the UB Jazz Ensemble opened for Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. 

Art in the Open features a variety of student- and professor- led demonstrations for visitors to observe. Demos hosted by the Department of Art have featured printmaking, including lithography and silkscreen printing; graphic design; photography, both film and digital; and sculpture making in the department’s woodshop, metals shop, and bronze foundry. 

Art in the Open provides an annual opportunity for the community to explore UB’s vibrant arts scene by inviting guests to meet university artists and go behind the scenes to get a glimpse at works in progress. Each year MFA students in the Art Department open their studios for visitors to get an exclusive look at their work. 

The Center for the Arts facility provides a unique opportunity for students to work alongside professionals as employees of the Center. Student employees are essential to daily activities such as answering the phones, greeting visitors, selling tickets, assisting on video shoots, working front of the house, and working backstage. In the state-of-the-art theatres students gain experience working with advanced industry technology under the guidance of professional staff members. This includes experience working with a 70-line set and an 85-foot fly-tower in the Mainstage Theatre. 

American jazz legend Pat Metheny has been a frequent visitor to the Center for the Arts with appearances in 2003, 2007, 2010, 2014, and 2023. Before his performance in 2023, Metheny spoke with UB students about his award winning career. Metheny has a total of 20 Grammy Awards in 10 categories and three gold albums. 

International Fiesta is celebrated as one of the largest cultural events at the University of Buffalo. It is an exhibition and competition on the Mainstage for international clubs to connect with and share their roots through dance. The annual event is one of the highlights of the year for many university students and often features a full & energetic crowd. 

In 2024, the Center for the Arts offered a masterclass with legendary dance group Urban Bush Women. Urban Bush Women, a frequent collaborator and resident teaching company at the university, focuses on telling black women’s stories with intention and kindness. In a workshop with Theatre and Dance students, performers from the group taught the imporatnce of technique in passionate storytelling through dance. 

As part of the Center for the Arts commitment to engaging university students and expanding access to live performances, many art students are presented with the opportunity to access free or reduced tickets to CFA Presents shows. Returning to the Center after 15 years, students were invited to attend the Urban Bush Women 40^th Anniversary Celebration on the Center for the Art’s Mainstage in the Spring of 2024. 

Since its construction, the Mainstage Theatre has been recognized for its outstanding technical facilities. The space is equipped with a full, movable proscenium that allows a 15-foot variation in the height of the stage opening. Another distinguishing feature is the computer-controlled movable accoustic panels. When installed, this articulating automatic sound panel system was the only application of its kind in the world. With a total of 1,750 seats, the CFA Mainstage is the third largest theatre in Western New York.

The Center for the Arts Artium, constructed in 1991, defines the building with its impressive 360-foot-long skylight. The skylight, originally made of fiberglass, was replaced with tempered glass in 2015 to give the atrium it’s signature bright look. 

The exterior of the building, finished in 1993, is recognized by its geometric design that distinguishes it from other buildings on campus. The iconic pentagon topped with a vaulted skylight, featured in the Center for the Arts Logo, was initially designed to be a half circle as seen on the original building model. 

Additional Performances at CFA

March 20, 2010
September 29, 2017
October 7, 2022

Additional Performances at CFA

April 4, 2005
September 24, 2007

Additional Performances at CFA

November 2, 2007

Additional Performances at CFA

February 17, 1999
March 16, 2000
March 13, 2001
April 13, 2003
October 6, 2004
February 11, 2004
December 10, 2008
December 17, 2022

Additional Performances at CFA

November 27, 2013
November 11, 2015
November 23, 2016

Additional Performances at CFA

April 22, 2010
April 4, 2011
June 12, 2012
April 21, 2015
April 22, 2015

Additional Performances at CFA

October 9, 2014