Emeriti Faculty Lecture, Spring 2026

Puppets, Performance, Percussion: Asia-Pacific Interculturalism, Avant-gardism, and the Center for World Music

As the West Coast exploded with the Summer of Love and Vietnam War protests, the Center for World Music’s concept of “bimusicality” brought Asian performance masters and American avant-gardists to train American students. Julie Taymor’s The Lion King on Broadway and Lou Harrison’s Coyote Stories are just two intercultural results. The teachings of Balasaraswati, Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, Undang Sumarna, and Ki Tjokrowasito, prompted intercultural revolutions in West Coast performance, practice, and university curriculums, including at UC Santa Cruz.

Register to attend in-person or virtual

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for guests attending in person
Lecture: 7 p.m.
Followed by a reception for in person guests
Free and open to the public

Presented by the UC Santa Cruz Emeriti Association

Kathy Foley is distinguished research professor emerita at UC Santa Cruz. She is a member of honor for UNIMA-International, joining previous puppeteers such as Jim Henson. She has edited the Asian Theatre Journal, curated exhibits for the National Geographic Society, and performed at Indonesian National Wayang (puppetry) Festivals, the Asian Art Museum, and the Smithsonian. Her research has been supported by Fulbright, Yale Institute of Sacred Music, and Edward A. Dickson Emeriti awards. She is also a Punch and Judy professor.