UCSB Arts & Lectures Presents Ruckus With Davóne Tines, Bass-Baritone on Tuesday, February 3 at 7 p.m. at Hahn Hall

A soul-stirring reckoning with American history led by powerhouse vocalist Davóne Tines and period-instrument trailblazers Ruckus

SUMMARY

“One of the most powerful voices of our time.” Los Angeles Times on Davóne Tines

“The world’s only period-instrument rock band.” San Francisco Classical Voice on Ruckus

Santa Barbara, CA – UCSB Arts & Lectures presents Ruckus and Davóne Tines, bass-baritone on Tuesday, February 3 at 7 p.m. at Hahn Hall. In recognition of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, visionary bass-baritone Davóne Tines joins forces with the genre-defying early music ensemble Ruckus for a musical journey through American history. Drawing on colonial hymns, Revolutionary-era ballads, Baroque masterworks, spirituals and contemporary works, What Is Your Hand in This? traces the nation from its founding ideals through the Civil War and Civil Rights movements to the urgent questions of today. With Ruckus’s electrifying period-instrument sound and Tines’ singular presence, this powerful program invites audiences to reflect on the legacies we inherit and the futures we choose to build.

Ruckus
Doug Balliett, violone, electric bass
Elliot Figg, harpsichord, synthesizer
Keir GoGwilt, violin
Manami Mizumoto, violin, viola
Paul Holmes Morton, banjo, theorbo
Clay Zeller-Townson, reeds, percussion

Davóne Tines, bass-baritone

The Edinburgh Rollick – Ruckus ft. Keir GoGwilt

PBO Musical Postcard – Davóne Tines sings “The Cold Song” by Purcell

ABOUT RUCKUS

Ruckus is a shapeshifting, collaborative baroque ensemble with a visceral and playful approach to early music. Described as “the world’s only period-instrument rock band” (San Francisco Classical Voice), Ruckus’ core is a continuo group, the baroque equivalent of a jazz rhythm section: guitars, keyboards, cello, bassoon and bass. The NYC-based ensemble aims to fuse the early-music movement’s questing, creative spirit with the grit, groove and jangle of American roots music, creating a unique sound of “rough-edged intensity” (New Yorker) that’s “achingly delicate one moment, incisive and punchy the next” (New York Times). The group’s members are among the most creative and virtuosic performers in North American early music. Ruckus is the house band for Hudson Hall’s baroque opera productions, directed by R.B. Schlather. The New York Times’ Zachary Woolfe wrote: “Ruckus aptly describes itself as a band: it’s that tight, and that wild.” Ruckus’ next production at Hudson Hall will be Handel’s final opera, Deidamia. In spring 2025, the band released The Edinburgh Rollick featuring violinist Keir GoGwilt, bringing new life to the tunes of Neil Gow, one of Scotland’s most important 18th-century composers. Praised as “a perfect meeting of folk repertoire and ancient instruments “ (Le Canard Folk), it will come to NYC in January 2026 at the concert series Music Before 1800. Ruckus’ debut album, Fly the Coop, a collaboration with flutist Emi Ferguson, was Billboard’s #2 Classical album upon its release. Performances of Fly the Coop have been described as “a fizzing, daring display of personality and imagination” (New York Times). The Boston Musical Intelligencer describes the group as taking continuo playing to “not simply a new level, but a revelatory new dimension of dynamism altogether… an eruption of pure, pulsing hoedown joy.”

Ruckus joins Davóne Tines in a collaboration entitled What is Your Hand in This? The program, marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, asks: “how can we passionately address wrongs while coexisting as a people? Can we find compassion for others? Can we find compassion for ourselves?” The repertoire spans early American hymnody, Handel’s Messiah, Benjamin Carr’s Federal Overture, abolition-era songs, mid-20th century protest songs and features commissions from Carnegie Hall and Hudson Hall. It will make its New York premiere at Carnegie Hall in January 2026.

ABOUT DAVÓNE TINES

Davóne Tines is a pathbreaking artist whose work encompasses a diverse repertoire, ranging from early music to new commissions by leading composers, while exploring the social issues of today. A creator, curator and performer at the intersection of many histories, cultures and aesthetics, he is engaged in work that blends opera, art song, spirituals, contemporary classical, gospel and protest songs as a means to tell a deeply personal story of perseverance connecting to all of humanity.

Tines is an artist who takes full agency of his work, often devising new programs and pieces from conception to performance. He has premiered numerous operas by today’s leading composers, including John Adams, Terence Blanchard and Matthew Aucoin; his concert appearances include performances of works ranging from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony to Saariaho’s True Fire. He recently made his Metropolitan Opera debut performing in John Adams’s El Niño. His first studio album, “ROBESOИ,” released on Nonesuch Records in September 2024, explores his connection to legendary American baritone Paul Robeson, reimagining some of the music Robeson famously sang.

Davóne Tines is Brooklyn Academy of Music’s artist-in-residence and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale’s first-ever creative partner. He is Musical America’s 2022 Vocalist of the Year, a winner of the 2020 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, a recipient of the 2018 Emerging Artists Award from Lincoln Center and a recipient of the 2024 Chanel Next Prize. He is a graduate of The Juilliard School and Harvard University.

ABOUT UCSB ARTS & LECTURES

The 2025-2026 season marks UCSB Arts & Lectures’ 66th year of bringing unique, world-class performances, films and lectures to Central Coast and campus audiences. With a mission to “educate, entertain and inspire,” Arts & Lectures is the largest performing arts and public lectures presenter between San Francisco and Los Angeles, beloved by audiences for its award-winning, diverse and innovative programming that deeply enriches lives and extends the intellectual life of the community beyond the classroom. Arts & Lectures’ award-winning Access for ALL educational outreach programs provide rare opportunities for students to meet and learn from visiting artists and speakers. In the 2025-26 season, most of the speakers and performers will participate in master classes, lecture-demonstrations, open rehearsals and classroom discussions at UCSB and in the community.

Ruckus and Davóne Tines, bass-baritone, What Is Your Hand in This? is presented by UCSB Arts & Lectures. 

Supporting Sponsor: Linda Stafford Burrows

Tickets are $53 General Public / $10 UCSB students (Current student ID required) Very limited availability

For tickets or more information, call UCSB Arts & Lectures at (805) 893-3535 or purchase online at www.ArtsAndLectures.UCSB.edu