They sing and dance, perform on the piano and ukulele, paint with oils or henna, indulge a pet cat’s musical preferences and play diabolo, a derivative of the Chinese yo-yo.

They are the faculty, students, medical residents or trainees of the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB. Many spent the past year on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic, caring for patients with COVID-19, some of whom were gravely ill.

Now, at the end of this extraordinary academic year, the Jacobs School community is coming together, virtually, to showcase the artistic talents they pursue in their “off” hours and to have some fun.

The show, set for 5 p.m. April 28 on Zoom, is free and open to the public. Register here.

The show is the brainchild of Archana Mishra, clinical associate professor of medicine in the Jacobs School. Mishra got the idea when her niece was married during the pandemic.

“Our family is dispersed all over the world, and with travel restrictions in place, it was obvious that an entirely in-person wedding would be impossible. Instead, we each decided we would do a little virtual performance for the couple,” she says. “None of us are particularly talented, but despite that (or maybe because of it), the celebration was a lot of fun. As soon as we were done with the wedding, I thought, ‘Why not do the same with my other family — UB?’”

The result is the Jacobs School’s inaugural talent celebration of faculty, residents and students, which Mishra expects will become an annual affair.

“Be prepared for an evening of fun as you enjoy the show, judge our top performances, and play games,” she says, adding that attendees should tune in on time to earn extra points for a chance to be the virtual talent trivia winner.

The show features faculty, trainees and students performing with musical instruments, dancing in the Bollywood style and sharing their visual art. One participant sings a song in Bengali; another performs a composition by Bach, and two students perform on the ukulele. The event will also include a trivia contest and “Talent Treasure Hunt.” Audience members can vote on their favorite performance and compete in the online games.

President Satish K. Tripathi and Kamlesh Tripathi, and Michael Cain, vice president for health sciences and dean of the Jacobs School, and Peggy Cain will be in attendance. Alan Lesse, senior associate dean for medical curriculum, will be master of ceremonies.