At Georgia Tech, creativity has always been essential to discovery.
This year, GT Arts Presents invites audiences to Imagine More through performances spanning musical genres, artistic traditions, and creative disciplines.
Tickets are now on sale for the 2026-27 season, and audiences can experience everything from the signature sound of Atlanta's Ruby Velle and the Soulphonics to the genre-defying performance of OkCello and the interactive, family-friendly creativity of Mario the Maker Magician.
"The season intentionally welcomes a wide range of audiences by offering performances that appeal to different passions and perspectives," said Associate Vice Provost for the Arts Jason Freeman
The first performances of the season exemplify that range.
The season begins Friday, Sept. 18, with Ruby Velle and the Soulphonics, an Atlanta-based band whose modern take on classic soul has earned local and national recognition.
The group's debut album, It's About Time, reached No. 4 on the iTunes R&B chart and the top 30 of Billboard's Heatseekers chart, while its music and performances have drawn attention from national outlets including MTV and Paste. The Ferst Center performance will also celebrate the band's upcoming album, Lovesick and Feverish, showcasing both new music and longtime favorites.
"Our upcoming album means the world to me," Velle said. "There's a song on it called ‘World In Mine,’ started as a first dance song, perhaps for a wedding, and it evolved into my tribute of love, for this creation, for this band, for our 2.0 and 3.0 journey, and for the ability to now show the next generation what it's like to not just desire to be an artist, but to embrace and accept the artist that you are becoming."
That connection to the next generation will also be part of the evening. The winning student group from the GT Arts and Georgia Tech Musicians Network Battle of the Bands will open the performance, enabling student musicians to share the stage with established Atlanta artists.
Three weeks later, on Friday, Oct. 9, OkCello brings a distinctly different experience to the season.
OkCello is the stage name of Atlanta cellist and composer Okorie Johnson, whose performances combine cello, live looping, improvisation, storytelling, and technology to push beyond conventional expectations of classical music.
For his Georgia Tech performance, Johnson will take that approach a step further with four large-scale video avatars of himself appearing onstage, each performing a looped part. As the layers build, the avatars gradually come together to create the effect of a full band, expanding a solo cello performance into a multimedia experience.
The performance also builds on Johnson's growing relationship with Georgia Tech and his interest in the creative possibilities at the intersection of art and technology.
The season's range extends to audiences of all ages with Mario the Maker Magician. A self-taught magician and maker, Mario Marchese combines magic, robotics, engineering, comedy, and a do-it-yourself aesthetic in an interactive performance built around curiosity and invention.
Marchese has toured internationally and appeared on television, including Sesame Street. His all-ages show is especially popular with children ages 4 to 12 and their families, but is designed as a multigenerational experience that gives children and adults a chance to share the magic of making.
As Georgia Tech continues to strengthen connections among the arts, research, technology, and education, GT Arts Presents creates opportunities for the campus community and the greater Atlanta region to encounter new artists, ideas, and experiences through live performance.
The 2026-27 season invites you to discover, connect, and imagine more.
Tickets for GT Arts Presents performances are available now at arts.gatech.edu/presents.
This year, GT Arts Presents invites audiences to Imagine More through performances spanning musical genres, artistic traditions, and creative disciplines.
Avant South returns to Tech Square on Oct. 12 – 13 to convene founders, executives, policymakers, investors, researchers, creators, and students to focus on the intersection of technology, culture, and innovation.
This year’s theme, AI in Action, moves beyond predictions about what artificial intelligence might someday do to examine how organizations are putting it to work today. Faculty and researchers will hear directly from industry leaders about the problems companies are trying to solve with AI and where new research and partnerships are needed. Students can gain a clearer understanding of how AI is changing the careers they are preparing for and connect with employers, founders, and technology leaders. And staff and professionals from across campus can explore how the technology is changing their own fields.
Sessions will take the form of panel discussions, keynotes, and fireside chats. Attendees can experience emerging technologies firsthand with AI activations and simulations, watch entrepreneurs compete in a student founder pitch competition, and connect with leaders from across Atlanta’s technology and innovation ecosystem.
“Avant South offers a chance to connect what happens in classrooms, research labs, and startups across campus with the communities and industries being transformed by AI,” said Ángel Cabrera, president of Georgia Tech. “Whether AI becomes a transformative force for good or a threat depends on what we do to advance it and use it. This year's program brings together a diverse group of leaders to reflect together on how we can create a better future with AI from right here in Atlanta and beyond."
Members of the Tech community can take advantage of a discounted price of $10 per ticket. Register here and use code CAMPUS at check out.
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]]>Continuing to earn distinction for its academic strength and providing a strong return on investment, Georgia Tech is the No. 5 public school (No. 27 overall) on Forbes’ 2027 list of America’s Best Colleges.
Tuition at Tech is the lowest among the top 30 schools on the list. In his recent Institute Address, President Ángel Cabrera outlined that, adjusted for inflation, attending Georgia Tech this year is nearly $4,400 cheaper for Georgia residents than it was in 2019 — a 27% cost reduction.
In addition to affordability, Forbes’ methodology factors in graduation rates, alumni earnings, and overall ROI. Ten years after graduation, the median salary for Tech graduates exceeds the national average for other four-year institutions by 73%. Graduation rates remain well above the national average, with 94% of students graduating in six years and 75% graduating within four.
“A Georgia Tech education is one of the smartest investments a family can make,” Cabrera said. The Princeton Review has named Tech the top value college in the country for three consecutive years.
Forbes highlights artificial intelligence’s role in the future of higher education, noting that “it is forcing schools to reconsider how students learn and are assessed, how professors teach, and which skills graduates need to succeed academically and in their careers.” Tech’s approach to incorporating AI into its curriculum and preparing students for the workforce partly contributed to its place on Forbes’ New Ivies list and its highest C-suite rating.
The Institute has also received an A+ grade from Niche.com and has been ranked the No. 4 public university in the U.S. Niche compiles its list based on an analysis of statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and public reviews.
But after more than a decade in the corporate world, Doetsch’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to VinoBarrel, where he serves as vice president of technology. The startup, launched in 2022, combines software, hardware, and data to help restaurants, bars, hotels, and other venues build customer relationships through wine.
The company builds technology-enabled wine dispensers housed in upcycled bourbon barrels. Customers can use a key fob or an integrated tablet to access their profiles, redeem offers, and pour wine. The system enables operators to track customer activity and manage loyalty programs.
For Doetsch, the unusual blend of tech and wine was part of the appeal when he first learned about VinoBarrel from its founder, fellow GT alumnus Seth Lytle (IE 2003).
“I saw the product at Tech Alpharetta (Tech North Atlanta), and I told Seth, ‘This is awesome. It looks like you’re collecting a lot of valuable data, but you don’t have a platform for people to view it,’” said Doetsch, who grew up in Alpharetta, GA.
He was impressed by Lytle’s vision for the company and decided to invest. In addition to funding, he consulted for the company part-time. Earlier this year, however, Doetsch left Capital One for a full-time role at VinoBarrel.
“I realized I could just build this myself,” he said. “Corporate life is not for me. I was ready to leave Capital One and move on to a smaller business startup where I could have a bigger impact.”
Doetsch’s path to VinoBarrel began as a Georgia Tech CS major who interned with a software company. The internship led to a job offer after graduation. Doetsch worked for the company for 10 years as a software developer, senior developer, team lead, and ultimately a manager.
The experience gave him more than technical skills. Working closely with the company’s founder exposed Doetsch to the business side of software: how a company is built, how it grows, and what happens when an owner decides to sell.
“That gave me a ton of entrepreneurial insights,” he said.
Doetsch left the company to start his own. He co-founded Lemony Learning, a financial literacy education company, in 2022. The platform provides resources to help K-12 teachers teach students about personal finance.
He sold the company in 2024 but retains an equity stake and serves as an advisor.
At VinoBarrel, Doetsch oversees the technology that powers the business. He develops the software platform that customers use to configure barrels, create loyalty clubs and coupons, and analyze sales and customer data. He is also modernizing some of the company’s internal systems.
The barrels are manufactured locally from upcycled bourbon barrels. Inside, they contain refrigeration, kegs, plumbing, electronics, and software.
“There’s so much left to build,” he said.
VinoBarrel is focused on expanding its customer base. In addition to new locations opening soon in Midtown Atlanta near the Georgia Tech campus, the company regularly demos at restaurants and venues across metro Atlanta, including events at Truist Park.
“The company is really taking off,” said Lytle. “We have several early adopters, the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center is evaluating our product, and we have a follow-up meeting with a global airport concessions operator.”
“Our immediate goals are to gain support from high net-worth investors – ideally with restaurant or hospitality experience, continue advancing our technology, and grow our client base.”
Despite the demands of working at a startup, Doetsch finds time to stay connected to Georgia Tech and the College of Computing.
He recently mentored a student team in an entrepreneurship-focused CS design capstone, during which the team developed a tool to help manage and forecast AWS cloud costs. He says he enjoys working with students because it’s an opportunity to share lessons he’s learned.
“It just feels like the right thing to do. I was given a lot. I was helped by a lot of people. So, it seems like the ethically right thing to do, to come back and give back.
He also sees staying connected with fellow alumni as a practical part of building a career.
“Meeting fellow computer science alumni, you might find a good partner, and you might also find a customer or an investor,” he said.
For students interested in entrepreneurship, Doetsch offers a perspective shaped by his experience with startups and established companies.
“As a Georgia Tech student, you have access to immense resources and support from Tech overall and also specifically from the College of Computing,” he said.
“However, it's up to you to be proactive in using the resources available to you. Be intentional about what you choose to pursue, because you can have anything, but you can't have everything.”
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Georgia Tech College of Computing
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