One thing I didn’t fully appreciate before coming to Amherst is how much the Five College Consortium actually affects your day-to-day life. Yes, it’s amazing for cross-registration and borrowing books, but the real perk is that it gives you access to things Amherst alone just can’t scale–like the UMass Fine Arts Center (FAC).
Of course, Amherst already has a great arts scene: orchestra concerts in Buckley or Friedman, a jazz ensemble, and a cappella shows that feel like campus holidays because everyone knows someone performing. The talent here is genuinely amazing. It’s fun watching a friend you normally see half-asleep in Frost suddenly perform like they’re auditioning for graduate school at Juilliard. But sometimes you want something bigger. That’s where the FAC comes in.
I went recently because Lea Salonga had a concert there (yes, the Lea Salonga — the singing voice of Mulan and Jasmine, Kim from Miss Saigon which she won a Tony for, Eponine and Fantine from Les Mis, and more). All I can say is that hearing Reflection live, in person, still feels unreal.
The audience surprised me too. I expected mostly UMass students and local families, but there were Filipinos who had driven in from New Hampshire and Connecticut just to see her. That’s when you realize how iconic she is! People are literally crossing state lines on a weeknight. Meanwhile, I just walked over from Amherst. I’m sure this won’t be the last time something like this happens, given the kind of events the FAC regularly brings in. Their upcoming schedule already looks impressive: https://arts.umass.edu/performing-arts/events
(Tiny logistics note: It is accessible by the PVTA line, but if you’re like me and prefer walking everywhere, it’s about a 20-minute walk from Amherst campus. Very doable unless it’s snowing awfully!)
The FAC itself has a completely different energy from Amherst concerts. It’s a full professional venue with a huge lobby, giant stage, lots of people—and it’s nice to occasionally step out of the small liberal arts bubble. Amherst gives you intimacy, but the FAC gives you scale.
Furthermore, thanks to the Five College system, tickets are actually affordable. I ended up getting a $20 seat surprisingly close to the stage, and the experience was genuinely incredible.
If you’re someone who genuinely enjoys music and the performing arts, I really hope you take advantage of the FAC. Just go—at least once. See something random. Go simply because you need to step off campus for an hour. Go because it’s nice to sit in a room full of people who care about the same thing you do. And if Lea Salonga ever performs within PVTA walking distance again, you do not miss it. That’s the rule.