The 2021-2022 school year marks the 15th Season of Texas Tech University's Presidential Lecture & Performance Series. The events are hosted by Texas Tech Office of the President.

“I think universities have a fundamental role in enriching the lives of those in the surrounding communities as well as the lives of their students,” said Lawrence Schovanec, president of Texas Tech. “Given the participation we’ve seen from non-campus members, I think that speaks to the importance and success of this series.”

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Texas Tech officials note the healthy competition amongst performing arts venues in Lubbock, including the new Buddy Holly Hall, in creating some challenges for scheduling artists.

"I consider (the) Presidential Lecture & Performance Series its own presenting category in Lubbock,” said Dóri Bosnyák, lead administrator for the series. “In our community we have to consider each arts organization’s event schedule to ensure we don’t offer too many choices for a given evening. We do not want to divide audiences and pull them in too many directions. However, given our audience, venue size and programming, we do not feel the Presidential Lecture & Performance Series is competing directly with any other organizations in town, but rather, complementing them.”

All of this seasons' events will be held at the Allen Theatre on the Texas Tech campus. Tickets can be purchased through Select-A-Seat.

2021-2022 Presidential Lecture & Performance Series Schedule
program summaries provided by Texas Tech University

Oct. 7 -- Fran Lebowitz
Purveyor of urban cool and unapologetically opinionated, Lebowitz is a cultural satirist who stars in the 2021 Emmy-nominated, limited Netflix documentary series, “Pretend It’s a City.” Once named one of the year’s most stylish women by Vanity Fair in 2007, she remains a style icon. Lebowitz lives in New York City, as she does not believe that she would be allowed to live anywhere else.
Nov. 3 – m-pact (a cappella pop-jazz ensemble)
Hailed as “one of the best pop-jazz vocal groups in the world” by the San Francisco Chronicle, m-pact is respected worldwide as a cutting-edge trailblazer in the realm of vocal music. Emerging from an age of auto-tune and overproduction, this Los Angeles-based sextet has cultivated a new generation of ears hungry for the fresh, raw power of nature’s “first instrument” – the human voice.

Feb. 25, 2022 – Ranky Tanky
The Grammy-winning jazz, gospel, funk and rhythm and blues group released its eponymous debut on Oct. 20, 2017. By December of that year, the group had been profiled on National Public Radio’s (NPR) “Fresh Air with Terry Gross” and its album soared to the No. 1 position on the Billboard, iTunes, and Amazon Jazz charts. “Gullah” comes from West African language and means “a people blessed by God.” “Ranky Tanky” translates loosely as “work it” or “get funky!” In this spirit, the Charleston, South Carolina-based quintet performs timeless music of Gullah culture born in the southeastern Sea Island region of the U.S.

April 7, 2022 – Lubbock Lights: Celebrating the Life & Music of Mac Davis
Lubbock native and country-pop singer, songwriter and actor Mac Davis was a true Lubbock Light. This event celebrates Davis’s music and legacy through an evening of conversation and listening to some of his best-known tunes. Hosted by Kenny Maines, it will feature many local musicians covering songs to honor Davis’s contributions to the world of entertainment.

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