No-No Boy
No-No Boy brings a deeply moving multimedia concert experience to UC Merced Arts, blending original music, storytelling, archival images, field recordings, and historical research. Created by songwriter, storyteller, and scholar Dr. Julian Saporiti, the acclaimed Smithsonian Folkways project transforms under-told histories into songs that illuminate the lives of Asian American communities, refugees, immigrants, and families shaped by war, displacement, memory, and resilience.
Saporiti's latest work also turns a compassionate eye toward the natural world, weaving songs from mountains, rivers, ancienct forests, and the people who devote their lives to protecting them. Developed in part through his work as Musician-in-Residence at Portalnd's Hoyt Arboretum, his performances create a reflective space where scholarship, songcraft, humor, and deep history come together. With a Ph.D. in American Studies from Brown University and whose work has been praised by NPR Music, Saporiti brings No-No Boy to UC Merced as part of a weeklong residency connecting live performance with campus learning, public history, and community dialogue.
- General Admission: $20
- Student/Child Ticket: $5
- Free for UC Merced students. Limit one ticket per student; verification required.
"Student" includes any college student with valid student ID. "Child" includes individuals under 18.
Friends of UC Merced Arts at the Supporter level and above are invited to a pre-concert reception beginning one hour before the performance. Learn more about joining Friends of UC Merced Arts(opens in a new tab).
Questions? Email arts@ucmerced.edu.
This concert and residency is produced in partnership with the C-VIBE Project (Community Voices Inspiring a Better Environment)(opens in a new tab).
The 2026/27 UC Merced Arts Season is sponsored UC Merced's Division of Equity, Justice, & Inclusive Excellence (EJIE)(opens in a new tab), with additional support from UC Merced's School of Social Sciences, Humanities, & Arts (SSHA)(opens in a new tab), and generous support from Friends of UC Merced Arts(opens in a new tab).
