New World Jazz Composers Octet (Music on the Merrimack series), featuring UMass Lowell faculty member Walter Platt on trumpet and flugelhorn. Feb. 23, 7.30 pm, Durgin Concert Hall, 35 Wilder St, UMass Lowell South Campus. Free and accessible.

Columbinus, a performance by the Off-Broadway Players student theater group at UMass Lowell. Written by Stephen Karam and P.J. Paparelli. March 1, 2 & 3, 7.30 p.m.; March 3 & 4, 2 p.m, Comley-Lane Theater, 370 Broadway St. UMass Lowell South Campus. Tickets: $5 for students and seniors; $10 adults (special $1 student tickets on opening night). Advance tickets: Student Information Center, McGauvran  Student Center, South Campus. Call 978-934-5001. Regular tickets: Comley-Lane box office one hour prior to performances. This is an accessible venue.

Eric Church, the Blood, Sweat & Beers Tour. March 2, 7.30 p.m., Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell, 300 Martin Luther King Way. See this exciting Grammy nominee whose latest studio release, “Chief,” topped the Billboard chart with more than 145,000 albums sold in the first week. Tickets are $42.50 and $34.75. Visit TsongasCenter.com to order.

“Lowell Blues,” a film screening and discussion of a lyrical film version of Jack Kerouac’s novel “Doctor Sax,” with director Henry Ferrini, the Spring 2012 Artist-in-Residence at the UMass Lowell Center for Arts and Ideas.  March 5, 3.30 p.m., Coburn Hall, Room 210, Broadway St., UMass Lowell South Campus. Free, but note that this venue does not have an elevator. This event is part of the weeklong celebration Kerouac’s 90th birthday. For the full schedule, visit www.lowellcelebrateskerouac.org

Wind Ensemble in Concert, featuring winners of the Concerto Composition and music by Hindemith, Holsinger, and Margolis. March 5, 7.30 p.m., Durgin Concert Hall (see details above). Free and accessible.

The AD Show, featuring advertising campaign projects from the Design Studio students of UMass Lowell. March 5 – 30, Dugan Gallery, Dugan Hall, 883 Broadway, UMass Lowell South Campus (hours are Mon-Thurs, 11 a.m – 4 p.m.). Free and accessible.

Mothers of Rock Benefit Concert, a tribute to women in the music industry with performers from UMass Lowell and the community playing songs originally written and performed by women musicians. The event benefits the Music & Entertainment Industry Student Assoc. chapter at UMass Lowell and Girls Inc. of Lowell. March 6, 7.30 p.m., Durgin Concert Hall (see details above). Free and accessible.

“Fufu & Oreos,” a one-woman performance by Obehi Janice (who grew up in Lowell), “who contemplates her multiple identities (Nigerian-American, Black female, Christian) while reflecting on depression, identity, and faith with inventive prose and incredible wit.” March 8, 7 p.m., Alumni Hall, One University Ave., UMass Lowell North Campus. Free and accessible. This event is presented by the Multicultural Affairs Office on campus.

The Lindsays (Music on the Merrimack series), “a husband-wife Celtic duo that for more than ten years has created an eclectic fusion of Irish ballads, traditional jigs and reels, and contemporary rock and folk for an honest acoustic delivery, with an edge. Their unapologetic songs explore humanity’s darker corners, while upbeat Irish traditional tunes celebrate the joy and intensity of life.” March 8, 7.30 p.m, Durgin Hall (see details above). Free and accessible.

For the full schedule of cultural activities at UMass Lowell this semester, visit www.uml.edu/artsandideas.