The second annual Arts and Culture Festival

USD united by culture, food and live performances 

Jessica Mills / Arts & Culture Editor / The USD Vista

The second annual USD Arts and Culture Festival will commence this Saturday, Oct. 15 from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m in the Studio Theater Courtyard. Presented by the College of Arts and Sciences, the event is free and offers live performances, breakfast treats and mingling opportunities. 

USD senior Melissa Joy Tumlos (she/they) is among the artists performing on the east stage and offers a preview into her act. 

“I am going to be singing a cover of a song by one of my favorite funk bands, Vulfpeck, titled ‘Love Is a Beautiful Thing,’” Tumlos said. “It’s [a] joyful, calming song that talks about the possessiveness of love – we want our lovers to be happy, but we want it to be because of us, and not someone else.”

They are excited for the upcoming festival and see it as a great opportunity for the USD community to explore the culture and talent that thrives on this campus.

“I am most excited to be singing with the USD Concert Choir—we’ll be sharing some vastly different, complicated and beautiful pieces that we’ve been working hard on since the beginning of the semester,” Tumlos said. 

Many performances and events are collaborative, creative work from students, faculty, professors and staff from varying departments and backgrounds. 

Operations Manager for USD’s Music Department, Nicole Houghton (she/her) explains that many of the same musical ensembles that performed in last year’s festival will be back this year as well. 

“Students can expect a wide variety of performances from various USD Music Department ensembles such as the Choral Scholars, Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band,” Houghton said. 

USD lecturer Soroya Rowley (they/she) is presenting two original songs by a character they created named Max Boppins. 

“Max is a non-binary person who uses singular they pronouns,” Rowley said. “If Jason Mraz and Mary Poppins had a baby, that would be Max. They love to sing songs for the kids. The first song is titled “I Love That I’m Non-Binary,” the second song is called “Singular They is Fun to Say.” In between the songs, Max tells the audience about their own story and how they learned about two-spirit people in American Indian cultures, and how that helped them to understand their own gender identity.”

This is Rowley’s  first time performing for the Arts and Culture Festival and she feels both nervous and excited at the prospect. 

 “I know that some people are uneducated about the complexity of gender, and when you are unfamiliar with something, it can seem scary,” Rowley said. “So I hope to be a force to help change that through my fun and silly songs. I also hope to empower people in the queer community through the joy and confidence of my character Max Boppins.”

Students can also expect breakfast and coffee to be served as well as sculpture installations, dances from People of the Islands and spoken word from the Black Student Union. 

Senior Program Coordinator Kevin Garrie (he/him) has put together a 10-minute production of music covers from various video games like “Studiopolis” from Sonic Mania.

“I play the Japanese bamboo flute and beatbox at the same time and move and play all together,” Garrie said. “Essentially I am a ‘rapper’ for the flute.”

With an abundance of culture, food and live performances present at this year’s Arts and Culture Festival, the USD community can celebrate all forms of art this Saturday.