Vista USD Visual & Performing Arts Spring 25 Showcases
Arts celebration features the nation’s largest school district steel drum ensemble, hundreds of visual artists and the debut of the Vista USD Symphony
Vista Unified School District will celebrate its commitment to the arts with two showcases that will give students from all schools the chance to show their work in both the visual and performing arts.
The arts extravaganza kicks off with ‘Performing Arts Under the Stars’, a thrilling four-night showcase of performing arts at the Moonlight Amphitheatre in Vista, from April 8-11. The 2,000-capacity venue is expected to be sold out all four nights. Groups from all VUSD elementary, middle, and high schools will perform, with 49 acts and 1,600 students showcasing music, dance, and drama.
Festival Expands to Four Nights
Performing Arts Under the Stars is now in its fourth year and has grown in size every year since its inception, as Susan Stuber, the Visual and Performing Arts Resource Teacher for VUSD, explains: “When we started that first year we did just one night, but we had so many groups that it was immediately evident we needed to expand.
“The second year saw us go to two nights, and the third year to three nights. However, because the performing arts programs in our district have expanded so much, we still couldn't fit everyone in!”
One instrument making its debut this year is the steel drums. “We have so many music programs from our elementary, middle, and high schools that have steel drum ensembles,” says Stuber, “but we couldn't ever fit them in the showcase because the logistics of setting up and then moving out the drums was too time-consuming.”
Thanks to the addition of the fourth night this year, a portion of Thursday evening’s show will now be dedicated to featuring groups of nearly 150 students from seven schools playing steel drums. We believe Performing Arts Under the Stars will feature the largest collection of steel drums performing together of any school district in the United States. “There will be tenors, double seconds, and cellos,” says Stuber. “We're going to fill that stage!”
Festival Debuts Several New Groups
The exciting night continues with theater groups and cultural dance groups on an open stage, including a Ballet Folklorico act from Grapevine Elementary, and the debut of a Sangam dance group from Vista Magnet Middle School. Sangam is an Indian style of dance associated with Bollywood movies. Bands from Maryland and Foothill Oak elementary schools will also make their debuts at the festival.
A special highlight of Wednesday night’s show is the ‘VUSD Symphony’ – the first-ever combined symphony of musicians from two VUSD schools. The symphony is the brainchild of VUSD Superintendent Dr. Matt Doyle, says Stuber, and combines members of the Mission Vista High School Choir and the Rancho Buena Vista High School Wind Ensemble.
“It’s one of a kind” she smiles. “We don't necessarily have an orchestra, but we're going to try this collaboration between these two schools and different instrumentation to have a symphony. They have a beautiful piece they are working on, so that will be fantastic.” Stuber hopes that this year’s debut will lead to more schools joining in the symphony next year as the ensemble grows.
Performing Arts Under the Stars is free to attend, seats (outside) are first come first served, and gates open at 5:15 pm. Attendees can purchase food from The Moonlight’s vendor, Bread & Cheese Eatery, or bring their own food.
Visual Arts Showcased at Vista Civic Center
Hot on the heels of Performing Arts Under the Stars comes VUSD’s ‘Visual Arts Under the Stars’ showcase. This showcase is for the district’s secondary schools and focuses on the work that Vista’s middle and high school students have completed in visual arts classes.
The showcase will launch on April 16th with a reception and awards presentation at the Vista Civic Center. The students’ featured artwork will then be on display for the general public until May 7th.
Awards will be presented in categories including Media Arts, Studio Arts, Ceramics, Design, Sculpture, and Photography. In addition, the following specialty awards will be presented: Mayor's Award, Superintendent's Award, City Council Award, Principal's Award, and Best in Show Award.
Due to space restrictions, this year’s showcase is a focused collection of artwork from the various schools and the district is looking to produce two showcases next year in order to display more student work.
As Stuber explains: “Because every school participates and each has such high-quality art and so much variety, we are looking at expanding next year’s awards. At Vista High School alone, there are seven visual arts teachers, including photography and ceramics classes, and the school can only display 10 to 12 pieces at this year’s show.
So, as Vista students, parents, and admin enjoy a busy arts calendar for April 2025 and beyond, they can look forward to even more growth to come.