Mondavi Center 14-15 Single Ticket Brochure

Season of Performing Arts

including

ADDED! events

UC Davis is a global community of individuals who are united in advancing the human condition. The One UC Davis campaign honors this “One� community of individuals and tells the stories about how, working together and in a spirit of caring and inclusiveness, we are educating extraordinary people and using discovery to achieve solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

Welcome!

Dear Friends, I am proud to present the Mondavi Center 2014–15 season to you. Our intention is to bring our region a diverse gathering of artists and thinkers from around the globe—and to treat you to evenings of grand spectacle alongside small-scale events of charm and intimacy.

As UC Davis is one community engaged in advancing the human condition, we see the Mondavi Center as the one place in our region to engage with the most exceptional artists of our day. From the U.S. premiere of Akram Khan's iTMOi to the ground breaking work in our Visions programs, there is truly something for everyone to explore this season.

Sincerely, Look for my picks!

Don Roth Executive Director

Director’s Choice

Key JH Jackson Hall

VST Vanderhoef Studio Theatre

Uncorked

Uncorked events feature complimentary wine pours for Inner Circle donors one hour prior to show time and during intermission in the Bartholomew Room.

Presented in partnership with the Robert Mondavi Institute for Food and Wine Science.

For information on becoming and Inner Circle donor, visit mondaviarts.org/supportus.

Visions

Affordably priced programs from groundbreaking artists presented in the informal setting of the Vanderhoef Studio Theatre. All Visions programs are supported by a generous grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

PPT

Pre-Performance Talks

Q&A

Q&A Sessions

Free to all ticket holders, these half-hour talks and conversations with UC Davis faculty, local experts and visiting artists provide context for our audiences.

After select Mondavi Center performances, artists return to the stage to take questions from the audience, providing a unique opportunity to share reactions and insights.

Corin Courtyard Concert

Free pre-show performances in our Corin Courtyard (weather permitting).

These outdoor concerts start 90 minutes before performance time and last approximately one hour. Vist: mondaviarts.org/corincourtyard for a complete list.

Family Friendly Event

These shows are recommended fun for all ages.

All programs are subject to change.

Please note that UC Davis is a smoke- and tobacco-free environment. http://breathefree.ucdavis.edu

14–15

ADDED! From stand-up comedians to live-action comic books to electric guitar wizardry, our Just Added lineup features big time artistry on our grandest stage.

Nick Offerman

Full Bush Special Time! sat 10/4 • 8:30PM JH Parks and Recreation’s Nick Offerman (Ron Swanson) is more than just a pretty, mustached face. From lessons in manliness, to high-spirited sing alongs, to the occasional bout with nudity, his stage performances are inspirational experiences for those lucky enough to attend.

Harvest A Gathering for Food, Wine, Beer and the Arts SUn, 10/12 university gateway district Spend an afternoon and evening celebrating food, beverage and the arts on the UC Davis campus. Harvest features a culinary festival at the Robert Mondavi Institute, lectures by experts in food and agriculture from the World Food Center, a Shrem Museum preview exhibit at the Nelson Gallery, food trucks, pumpkin decorating, free music and a soon-to-be announced headline concert.

More information available at mondaviarts.org.

Experience Hendrix

Featuring: Billy Cox, Buddy Guy, Zakk Wylde, Jonny Lang, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Eric Johnson, Rich Robinson, Doyle Bramhall II, Chris Layton, Mato Nanji, Henri Brown, Noah Hunt, Tony Franklin, Scott Nelson and Tim Austin

thu 10/16 • 8PM JH Jimi Hendrix’s continuing influence on popular culture more than four decades after his untimely death in 1970 is remarkable. Experience Hendrix, organized by Jimi’s own family, pays tribute to Hendrix’s musical legacy, with an all-star cast of musicians—from key influences like Buddy Guy, to longtime friend and bassist Billy Cox— performing Hendrix’s unforgettable music.

2

mondaviarts.org | 866.754.2787

Mike Birbiglia

Thank God for Jokes wed 12/10 • 8PM JH Award-winning comedian, actor, and filmmaker Mike Birbiglia returns to the stage with more painfully awkward stories in his all-new show about jokes, and how they can get you in trouble. Join Mike as he gets arrested in New Jersey, screamed at by a famous director, heckled by Statler and Waldorf, and attacked by zombie rodents.

Robot Planet Rising An Intergalactic Nemesis Live-Action Graphic Novel

wed 3/4 • 8PM JH Last season, the Mondavi Center presented a whole new form of theatre, the Live-Action Graphic Novel, with The Intergalactic Nemesis. We are proud to present the sequel, Robot Planet Rising. Three actors voice the dozens of characters, a Foley artist creates all the sound effects, and a pianist plays a cinematic score, while more than 1,250 individual full-color hires comic book panels tell a hilarious sci-fi adventure story visually from an enormous movie screen. And it is all done live in front of your eyes. Same format. New story. No previous Intergalactic experience necessary.

Buddy Guy wed 4/8 • 8PM JH Buddy Guy’s list of accomplishments is as profound as his signature guitar sound: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a chief influence to rock titans like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, a pioneer of Chicago’s fabled West Side sound and a living link to that city’s halcyon days of electric blues.

3

September The Season begins!

Opening Night!

Caetano Veloso

“The Brazilian master remains in a league of his own.”

Thu 9/18 • 8PM JH

—The Times (U.K.)

Brazil’s “Father of Tropicália”

It is impossible to overstate the influence Latin Grammy winner and Brazilian legend Caetano Veloso has had on the world of music. As one of the primary movers of the Tropicália movement, Caetano is a musical and political revolutionary who, with colleagues like Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa and Os Mutantes, redefined Brazilian music and culture for future generations.

Generations of Jazz masters

Ellis Marsalis, Jr. and Delfeayo Marsalis The Last Southern Gentlemen fri 9/19 • 8PM JH On The Last Southern Gentlemen Ellis Marsalis, Jr. and son Delfeayo join together on a set of blues, ballads and grooves that pay tribute to the sweet, gentle sounds of the South. Joined by Grammy award-winner John Clayton on bass and Marvin “Smitty” Smith on drums, The Last Southern Gentlemen is a wonder of music telepathy strengthened by family bonds.

October Lessons In Manliness

Nick Offerman

ADDED! french chanteuse

Cyrille Aimée

Full Bush sat 10/4 • 8:30PM JH Parks and Recreation’s Nick Offerman (Ron Swanson) is more than just a pretty, mustached face. From lessons in manliness, to high-spirited sing alongs, to the occasional bout with nudity, his stage performances are inspirational experiences for those lucky enough to attend.

“A voice like fine whisky—oaky and smooth, with a hint of smokiness.”

wed–sat 10/8–11 • 8PM VST

—The Washington Post

Winner of the Montreux Jazz Festival’s International Vocal Competition, French/Dominican chanteuse Cyrille Aimée was raised in the village where legendary gypsy guitarist Django Reinhardt once lived. In this program she pays tribute to that legacy, leading two guitarists through a musical vision that combines gypsy, jazz and Brazilian influences to mesmerizing effect.

4

mondaviarts.org | 866.754.2787

2014–15 |

October Rising Stars of Opera

This special event is provided free to the community through the generosity of our dear Mondavi Center friend, Barbara K. Jackson.

Julia Bullock, soprano

UC Davis Symphony Orchestra,

Christian Baldini, music director and conductor

San Francisco Opera Adler Fellows: Maria Valdes, soprano Zanda Svede, mezzo-soprano Mark Morash, piano

fri 10/10 • 8PM JH

FREE. Limit 4 per order.

Now a celebrated Mondavi Center tradition, the Rising Stars of Opera performance will feature 2012 Young Concert Artists winner Julia Bullock, and current Adler Fellows Maria Valdes and Zanda Svede with arias by Mozart, Bellini and Poulenc.

LIMITED AVAILABILITY

french hot jazz meets new orleans brass

The Hot Sardines

wed–sat 10/15–18 • 8PM VST

Director’s Choice

With a salty stride piano, blustery brass line up, French-born singer, and fast tapping percussion, the band’s sound is French hot jazz meets New Orleans brass. The Sardines make the kind of music Louis Armstrong, Django Reinhardt and Fats Waller used to make: straight up, footstomping jazz with live performances that pack a powerful punch of fun.

A Tribute to Jimi

ADDED!

Experience Hendrix thu 10/16 • 8PM JH Jimi Hendrix’s continuing influence on popular culture more than four decades after his untimely death in 1970 is remarkable. Experience Hendrix, organized by Jimi’s own family, pays tribute to Hendrix’s musical legacy, with an all-star cast of musicians—from key influences like Buddy Guy, to longtime friend and bassist Billy Cox—performing Hendrix’s unforgettable music.

timeless pantomime theater

Mummenschanz sat 10/18 • 8PM JH sun 10/19 • 3PM JH

For the first time ever the Mondavi Center is proud to present the captivating wordless universe of Mummenschanz, a playful and memorable theater experience created through an inventive use of shadow and light and creative manipulation of sculptural, expressive masks.

Pick

3 Save 10%

5

October

U.S. Premiere!

Director’s Choice Stravinsky Redux

Akram Khan Company iTMOi

fri 10/24 • 8PM JH Q&A

“Spellbinding. A dazzling road trip into the creative imagination of one of our foremost dance artists.”

—The Times, UK

Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring debuted before a Parisian audience, an event that ended in violent mayhem and scandal. Instead of reprising the piece, choreographer Akram Khan meditates on Stravinsky’s state of mind as he created this iconoclastic milestone that shattered the comforts of traditional “pretty” composition. This program contains nudity and adult themes.

copland’s appalachian spring

San Francisco Symphony

Christian Zacharias, conductor and soloist

sat 10/25 • 8PM JH PPT Copland Mozart Feldman Haydn

Appalachian Spring Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor K. 466 Madame Press Died Last Week at Ninety Symphony No 93 in D Major

One of the pleasures of each Mondavi Center season is the return of the San Francisco Symphony. This program is a stirring reminder of the orchestra at its best, including foremost Mozart interpreter Christian Zacharias conducting the Piano Concerto No. 20 from the keyboard, and Haydn’s Symphony No. 93 from the podium.

Favorite children’s Tales come to life!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar and other Eric Carle Favorties

sun 10/26 • 3PM JH Three beloved children’s tales by award-winning children’s book illustrator and author Eric Carle, are brought to life through the magic of black light and fanciful puppets. Great for ages 3 and up, this triple bill includes the wonderful story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s metamorphosis plus the Little Cloud’s travels, and the Mixed-Up Chameleon’s discovery of his own unique nature.

November Musical Roots

Regina Carter Southern Comfort

Director’s Choice

sat 11/1 • 8PM JH PPT Widely recognized as the finest jazz violinist working today, Regina Carter has taken her fans on a fascinating musical journey over the past 25 years. The next step in her musical odyssey, Southern Comfort, explores the folk songs and spirituals her paternal grandfather, a coal miner, would have heard as he toiled in Alabama.

6

mondaviarts.org | 866.754.2787

2014–15 |

November ASQ Plays Late Mozart

Alexander String Quartet sun 11/2 • 2PM & 7PM VST Q&A (7PM) Mozart

LIMITED AVAILABILITY for 2PM

Quartet in D Major, K. 499, “Hoffmeister” Quintet for Clarinet and Strings in A Major, K. 581

The Art of the recital

Jeremy Denk, piano wed 11/5 • 8PM JH MacArthur “genius,” blogger,and Musical America’s 2014 Instrumentalist of the Year, pianist Jeremy Denk has established himself as one of America’s most thoughtprovoking and compelling artists. This solo recital program includes a newly commissioned work, “Sonata,” by jazz composer and pianist Brad Mehldau, “one of the most consistently fascinating voices in current jazz” (Jazz Times).

One of America’s most thoughtprovoking and compelling artists.

A celebrated partnership

Czech Philharmonic Orchestra Jiří Bělohlávek, chief conductor and music director Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano

sat 11/8 • 8PM JH Janáček Liszt Dvořák

Taras Bulba Piano Concerto No. 2 in A Major, Op. 23 Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95, “From the New World”

The partnership between conductor Jiří Bělohlávek and the Czech Philharmonic is among the most celebrated in the orchestra’s history. The program is capped off with pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet performing Liszt’s second piano concerto.

The Complete Bach Orchestral Suites

Academy of Ancient Music Richard Egarr, music director

thu 11/13 • 8PM JH J.S. Bach

The Complete Suites for Orchestra, BWV 1066–1069

The Academy of Ancient Music explores the original intentions of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Orchestral Suites using the expressive power of period instruments. In this program, Richard Egarr takes the audience on a guided journey through these four masterpieces of melody, harmony and orchestration.

7

November Irish Supergroup

The Gloaming fri 11/14 • 8PM JH

Director’s Choice

Evocative of the spare serenity of the Irish countryside, the music of The Gloaming is both deeply familiar and consistently surprising. Merging Irish tunes, sean nós singing, and instrumental explorations over a backbone of spare minimalism, these five accomplished musicians “move the music of Ireland in fascinating new directions” (The New Yorker).

wit and wisdom

David Sedaris sun 11/16 • 7PM JH Q&A On the heels of two sold-out—and sidesplittingly funny— performances, David Sedaris, one of America’s pre-eminent humor writers makes a welcome return to UC Davis. Whether he is reading from one of his many bestselling essay collections, recommending a must-read book or answering questions from the audience, Sedaris remains a master of satire and one of the most observant writers addressing the human condition today.

NoLa Legacy

Irvin Mayfield and the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra tue 11/18 • 8PM JH PPT If New Orleans is the birthplace of jazz, then trumpeter Irvin Mayfield and the 18-piece New Orleans Jazz Orchestra are the proud standard bearers of that city’s indelible legacy. The Grammy-winning Mayfield is a consummate entertainer, while living out the the NOJO’s vision of enhancing every day of life with jazz, one delightful performance at a time.

December Voodoo Funk

Dr. John & The Nite Trippers wed 12/3 • 8PM JH The winner of six Grammy awards and a 2011 inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, New Orleans native Dr. John has made a career of combining blues, jazz, R&B, funk, boogie woogie and psychedelic rock and roll into a unique gumbo.

The Art of the Trio

Brad Mehldau Trio thu 12/4 • 8PM JH PPT For the past two decades pianist and composer Brad Mehldau has shined brightest when masterfully stretching, freeing and refining the collective creative possibilities of the trio format. His celebrated group features two responsive and equally brilliant sidemen—bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard.

8

mondaviarts.org | 866.754.2787

2014–15 |

Celebrate the Holidays with us!

December

Director’s Choice

A Christmas Spectacular

The Spirit of the Season

Cantus

All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914

fri 12/5 • 8PM JH Through a mix of holiday songs, readings from war journals, poetry and period radio broadcasts, vocal ensemble Cantus immerses the audience in an extraordinary moment in World War I when soldiers put down their guns and left the trenches to meet their enemies, sing carols and exchange gifts in No Man’s Land.

Thank God For Jokes

Mike Birbiglia

wed 12/10 • 8PM JH

Mariachi Sol de Mexico sun 12/7 • 3PM JH 125 years of proud tradition is embodied in Maestro Jóse Hernàndez and his Mariachi Sol de Mexico. Hernandez traces his musical lineage back to 1879 to the birthplace of mariachi, the State of Jalisco, Mexico. For this family-friendly holiday concert, expect the pageantry of a Mexican Christmas, with familiar songs sung in both Spanish and English.

ADDED!

Award-winning comedian, actor, and filmmaker Mike Birbiglia returns to the stage with more painfully awkward stories in his all-new show about jokes, and how they can get you in trouble.

Join Mike as he gets arrested in New Jersey, screamed at by a famous director, heckled by Statler and Waldorf, and attacked by zombie rodents.

A holiday tradition!

American Bach Soloists Jeffrey Thomas, music director Messiah

sun 12/14 • 4PM JH

american classics

Lara Downes, piano Zuill Bailey, cello

In a treasured holiday tradition, the American Bach Soloists return with music director Thomas conducting the period-instrument orchestra, the acclaimed American Bach Choir and an outstanding quartet of soloists in a performance of Handel’s Messiah.

Some Other Time

fri–Sat 12/12–13 • 8PM VST Q&A Seminal american composers Bernstein, Barber, Copland and Foss all wrote in the 1920s–40s, and shared deep friendships during those action and adventure-packed decades. The music they composed created new possibilities for an American sound. Lara Downes and Zuill Bailey, who first came together as musical partners over Barber’s Sonata for Cello and Piano in 2009, bring the luster of the past and nostalgic longing of the present to these timeless American classics.

9

January

LIMITED AVAILABILITY for 2PM

Alexander String Quartet sun 1/11 • 2PM & 7PM VST Q&A (7PM) Mozart

Quartet in D Major, K. 575, “Prussian” Quartet in B-flat Major, K. 589, “Prussian”

LIMITED AVAILABILITY

Itzhak Perlman, violin Rohan De Silva, piano sat 1/17 • 8PM JH Itzhak Perlman enjoys superstar status rarely afforded a classical musician. Communicating an irrepressible joy for making music, the violin virtuoso is one of the most in-demand artists. His sell-out performances at the Mondavi Center have been delighting local audiences for more than a decade.

Grammy-Winning Jazz Vocalist

Gregory Porter

mon 1/19 • 7PM JH

Director’s Choice

A recent Grammy win for Best Vocal Jazz Album (Liquid Spirit) only confirmed what has been obvious for some time: Gregory Porter’s time has come. A natural storyteller, Porter redefines the emotional tenor of what jazz singing can be, weaving elements of folk, R&B and soul into melodies that seem fresh and timeless at the same time.

Office of Campus Community Relations

The Hunt for Bin Laden

Nada Bakos

Former CIA Analyst and Targeting Officer

wed 1/21 • 8PM JH Q&A The Navy SEALs’ raid on Abbottabad, Pakistan on May 1, 2011 took approximately 40 minutes. The CIA’s hunt for Osama bin Laden took two decades. Nada Bakos served as a Targeting Officer in the Counterterrorism Center—the nerve center for all high value, actionable intelligence in the top-secret war against Osama bin Laden and Al-Qaeda.

contemporary duets

Wendy Whelan Restless Creature

sat 1/24 • 8PM JH Q&A Long acclaimed for her interpretations of Balanchine and Robbins, New York City Ballet principal Wendy Whelan is simply too talented to be defined by the work of one choreographer. In the kick-off project of her New Works Initiative, Whelan will dance in a contemporary suite of duets with rising choreographers: Kyle Abraham, Josh Beamish, Brian Brooks and Alejandro Cerrudo.

10

mondaviarts.org | 866.754.2787

2014–15 |

January certified lunatic and master of the impossible

Dr. Professor Tomáš Kubínek sun 1/25 • 3PM JH

Certified Lunatic and Master of the Impossible—who wouldn’t want that on their business card? This inventive comic genius and virtuoso vaudevillian combines talent, silliness, clowning, mime, acrobatics and music. This is physical theater at its best. A familyfriendly performance that promises to leave everyone charmed, laughing and inspired.

High-Demand Show

The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain wed 1/28 • 8PM JH With a repertoire ranging from Robert Johnson to the Sex Pistols, the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain tackles an ambitious range of music­—on just four strings.

Renowned for its “perfectly polished professionalism, threaded through with dry wit and wry humor” (The Independent), the ensemble wields the limitations of the instrument with virtuosic expertise.

Music & Words Festival

So Percussion

fri 1/30 • 7PM VST sat 1/31 • 10PM VST For over a decade, So Percussion has redefined the modern percussion ensemble. Hailed by The New Yorker for their “exhilarating blend of precision and anarchy, rigor and bedlam,” So deftly navigates through the extremes of emotion and musical possibility. The group performs as part of the UC Davis Department of Music and Mondavi Center’s Music & Words festival.

Full Festival lineup at arts.ucdavis.edu/music-and-words In partnership with Department

of

Music

Straight-Ahead Mastery

Billy Childs Quartet wed–sat 2/4–7 • 8PM VST Pianist Billy Childs has forged a remarkable career that combines engaging work as a composer and steady gigs as a bandleader.

Awards and accolades have followed him at every step, including three Grammys, a Guggenheim Fellowship (for his compositions and arrangements) and the Doris Duke Performing Artist Award.

Youth always save

50%

off regular ticket prices

11

February MontrEal’s modern CIRQUE

Les 7 Doigts de la Main Sequence 8

sun 2/8 • 3PM JH Translated literally as “The 7 Fingers of the Hand,” Les 7 Doigts represents the seven founding directors of this remarkable cirque company from Montreal. Their newest creation, Sequence 8, takes movement-based art into wildly new directions, blending emotional dynamics to the point of explosion and propulsion.

Campus Community Book Project

Temple Grandin

Thinking in Pictures: My Life with Autism

tue 2/10 • 8PM JH Q&A The subject of an HBO film and one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people, Temple Grandin, Ph.D., is a prominent adult with autism and outspoken proponent of autism awareness.

This lecture is presented in conjunction with the Campus Community Book Project—a program to promote dialogue and build community through selected readings. The Project’s current theme is disability issues.

Office of Campus Community Relations

Dutoit Returns

Orchestre de la Suisse Romande Charles Dutoit, conductor Nikolai Lugansky, piano

fri 2/13 • 8PM JH Stravinsky Rachmaninoff

Debussy Ravel

The Song of the Nightingale Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini for Piano and Orchestra Ibéria Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No. 2

One of today’s foremost conductors, Charles Dutoit, returns to the Mondavi Center after his stunning 11–12 season appearance with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Joining Dutoit for this program is Russian pianist Nikolai Lugansky, who has earned critical acclaim for performing Rachmaninoff under Dutoit’s baton in Philadelphia, Boston, New York and Chicago.

12

mondaviarts.org | 866.754.2787

Rising Star

Brian Jagde, tenor wed 2/18 • 8PM JH American tenor Brian Jagde, the featured singer in our 2013 Rising Stars of Opera performance, is emerging as one of the top lyric tenors to watch. In the San Francisco Classical Voice’s words: “Jagde supplied what so many other tenors on today’s main stage lack: soul ... Jagde made me believe in his singing.”

2014–15 |

February Bold New Works

Ballet BC

A.U.R.A. and Petite Cérémonie

sat 2/21 • 8PM JH Q&A Recently listed as one of Dance Magazine’s “Top 25 to Watch,” this Vancouver, B.C. Company has developed a bold repertoire of new works by acclaimed international choreographers. This program includes works by two of Europe’s most gifted choreographers, Jacopo Godan (A.U.R.A.) and Medhi Walerski (Petite Cérémonie).

focus on film

The Servant mon 2/23 • 7PM JH

Free with purchase of A Celebration of Harold Pinter, p. 15.

Directed by Joseph Losey (1963). Screenplay by Harold Pinter. Not Rated; 116 minutes.

The first of screenwriter Harold Pinter’s collaboration with director Joseph Losey, The Servant is a psychological black comedy steeped in class issues.

Young Artists Competition All-Stars

Young Artists Competition Finals

fri 2/27 • 8PM VST

Sat 2/28 • 10AM (all day) JH

The 2014 Young Artists Competition Founder’s Prize winner, Tianpeng Yu has been playing the piano since the age of four. Born in Shantou, China, the 22-year old pianist studied at the Shenzhen Arts School and the Idyllwild Arts Academy. He is currently is a Performance Diploma candidate at the Colburn School Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles

FREE. Limit 4 per order.

Witness the drama of the Young Artists Competition first-hand! These talented young musicians take the stage with their best repertoire before an esteemed panel of judges, competing for cash prizes and a spot in Sunday’s Winners Concert.

March Young Artists Competition Winners Concert Sun 3/1 • 2PM JH Mondavi Center resident pianist Lara Downes hosts this celebratory concert featuring the incredibly talented winners of the annual 2015 Mondavi Center Young Artists Competition. The competition, held by live auditions in cities throughout the U.S., is juried by a panel of internationally renowned musicians, with winners in multiple instrumental categories.

13

March Robot Planet Rising An Intergalactic Nemesis Live-Action Graphic Novel

ADDED!

wed 3/4 • 8PM JH Last season, the Mondavi Center presented a whole new form of theatre, the Live-Action Graphic Novel, with The Intergalactic Nemesis. We are proud to present the sequel, Robot Planet Rising.

Three actors voice the dozens of characters, a Foley artist creates all the sound effects, and a pianist plays a cinematic score, while more than 1,250 individual full-color hi-res comic book panels tell a hilarious sci-fi adventure story visually from an enormous movie screen. And it’s all done live in front of your eyes. Same format. New story. No previous Intergalactic experience necessary.

Civil War Songs

Anonymous 4

1865 (with Bruce Molsky)

fri 3/6 • 8PM JH stage The a capella quartet Anonymous 4 commemorate the 150th anniversary of the end of the Civil War through stage, parlor and work songs that reveal the personal experience of men, women and children from the North and the South who had sacrificed love and life upon the altar of freedom.

In partnership with Department

of

Music

“The legendary singer Vusi Mahlasela has been celebrated globally for his powerful vocals and universal messages of freedom and human kindness.”

—CNN South African Celebration

Hugh Masekela and Vusi Mahlasela 20 Years of Freedom

tue 3/10 • 8PM JH PPT Legendary South African jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela and vocalist Vusi Mahlasela join together in a musical celebration of freedom and the legacy of Nelson Mandela. Masekela’s hit song, “Bring Him Back Home” became an anthem for the Free Nelson Mandela movement. And Mahlasela, known as “The Voice” in his home country, performed at Mandela’s inauguration and continues to spread Mandela’s message as an ambassador to his HIV/AIDS initiative.

Office of Campus Community Relations

14

mondaviarts.org | 866.754.2787

2014–15 |

March

America’s Finest Young Musicians

Curtis Chamber Orchestra Robert Spano, conductor Roberto Díaz, viola

Director’s Choice

fri 3/13 • 8PM JH PPT Prokofiev Higdon Spano

Mozart

Symphony No. 1 in D Major Concerto for Viola Hölderlin-Lieder Lebenslauf Sokrates and Alkibiades An Die Parzen Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K. 551 (“Jupiter”)

The Curtis Institute of Music educates and trains exceptionally gifted young musicians for careers as performing artists on the highest professional level. Its chamber orchestra, praised as an “otherworldly ensemble” with a ”professional level of sophistication” (The New York Times), makes its Mondavi Center debut under the baton of Conductor Robert Spano (Atlanta Symphony Orchestra) in a program that includes masterpieces

by Mozart and Prokofiev, a viola concerto by Curtis alumnus Jennifer Higdon, performed by soloist (and Curtis president) Robert Díaz; and a vocal composition by Spano.

ancient meets modern

Tanya Tagaq

Nanook of the North

fri–Sat 3/13–14 • 8PM VST PPT Q&A In Tanya Tagaq, ancient meets modern in powerful, provocative ways. This spellbinding performance features the Inuit throat singer accompanying a screening of Nanook of the North (1922) with a live score. Tagaq’s mixed-media performance reclaims the controversial classic capturing the sense of the sound of the Arctic spaces shown in the film.

In partnership with Department

of

Native American Studies

On Stage in Jackson Hall

Julian Sands

A Celebration of Harold Pinter Directed by John Malkovich

Sat 3/14 • 8PM JH Stage sun 3/15 • 2PM JH Stage Director’s Choice

Actor Julian Sands is best known for a film career that includes A Room with a View. But early on in his career Sands spent hours apprenticing with Nobel Prize-winning playwright and poet Harold Pinter. This extraordinary collaboration became the foundation for this rich, humorous solo show that brings Pinter—the man—to life through a half-century of his poetry and prose.

See p. 13 for FOCUS ON FILM Harold Pinter’s The Servant

Pick

5 Save 15%

15

March

LIMITED AVAILABILITY for 2PM

Alexander String Quartet sun 3/15 • 2PM & 7PM VST Q&A (7PM) Mozart

Quartet in F Major, K. 590, “Prussian” Quintet for Strings in E-flat Major, K. 614

St. Paddy’s Day!

Danú

20th Anniversary Tour

Tue 3/17 • 7PM JH Celebrate the day of the year when everyone is a little Irish, with one of Ireland’s most acclaimed traditional music ensembles. For two decades, this band hailing from County Waterford has been entertaining audiences internationally with its breathtaking vocals in Irish and English and virtuoso performances on traditional Celtic instruments.

An Entirely New Storytelling Experience

EarFilms

Thu–sat 3/19–21 • 7PM vst EarFilms is an entirely new storytelling experience, producing “films” using purely audio and the listener’s imagination.

Audience members are blindfolded, the better to be fully immersed in the 3D sound and cinematic musical score. To Sleep To Dream, the first ever feature-length EarFilm, embraces the imaginative potential of literature, empowering every listener to actively participate in the moviemaking process.

limited availability

London Symphony Orchestra Michael Tilson Thomas, principal guest conductor Yuja Wang, piano

sat 3/21 • 8PM JH PPT Britten Shostakovich

Sibelius

Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, Op. 33a Concerto No. 1 for Piano, Trumpet and Strings in C Minor, Op. 35 Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 43

Widely regarded as one of the world’s leading orchestras, the London Symphony Orchestra makes its premiere performance in Jackson Hall. This international debut also marks a warm return for Michael Tilson Thomas, as Principal Guest Conductor and brilliant pianist Yuja Wang.

16

mondaviarts.org | 866.754.2787

2014–15 | LIMITED AVAILABILITY

March

Lang Lang, piano wed 3/25 • 8PM JH

Lang Lang’s ability to connect with audiences—whether they are world leaders or school children— on a personal level with his open-hearted, emotive playing has made him an international treasure and cultural ambassador for China. Returning to the Mondavi Center following his sold out performance in 2012, Lang Lang will share his passionate performance of the great composers and profound passion for classical music.

a powerful new sound

Donny McCaslin Group wed–sat 3/25–28 • 8PM VST Saxophonist Donny McCaslin fuses his trademark hard-charging improvising with funk-inflected electronica elements and arena-rock power to come up with a powerful new modern jazz sound.

Ira Glass, with Dancing

Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Show Host Ira Glass, Monica Bill Barnes and Anna Bass

sat 3/28 • 8PM JH This American Life host Ira Glass has joined forces with Monica Bill Barnes & Anna Bass to combine two art forms, radio storytelling and dance, that—as Glass puts it—“have no business being together.”

Glass delivers his trademark narratives, and dancers Monica Bill Barnes and Anna Bass, who The Washington Post calls “the Tina Fey of dance,” evoke characters through movement.

April Weimar Cabaret

Max Raabe and Palast Orchester

Director’s Choice

Thu 4/2 • 8PM JH Berlin’s famed crooner Max Raabe and his 12-piece Palast Orchester present their elegant collection of meticulously recreated German and American standards of the 1920s and ‘30s. More Fred Astaire than Joel Grey, the burnished baritone with a “martini-dry wit” and his orchestra bring Weimar-era cabaret to life with masterful showmanship and polished performances.

Pick

5 Save 15%

17

April Blues legend

Buddy Guy

ADDED!

wed 4/8 • 8PM JH Buddy Guy’s list of accomplishments is as profound as his signature guitar sound: Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, a chief influence to rock titans like Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughan, a pioneer of Chicago’s fabled West Side sound and a living link to that city’s halcyon days of electric blues.

Futuristic Cirque

Quixotic

sun 4/12 • 3PM JH Quixotic is an ensemble of artists that fuse sound, fashion, movement and technology to create a total sensory art form.

The ensemble’s inventive “electronic dance music meets Cirque” approach harnesses light, rhythm, movement and emotion to challenge perceptions and explore possibilities. Quixotic pushes the boundaries of sound, color and agile artistry and takes flight.

50th Anniversary of Alice’s Restaurant

Arlo Guthrie

thu 4/16 • 8PM JH A beloved 1960s counterculture singer-songwriter and social commentator, Guthrie brings his singular voice to the Jackson Hall stage to tell his timeless stories and unforgettable classic tunes, with a rare chance to hear the current iteration of “Alice’s Restaurant,” his always expanding, extended musical monologue that galvanized a generation.

Reaching Beyond Borders

Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra Myung-Whun Chung, music director and conductor

fri 4/17 • 8PM JH Prokofiev Brahms

Suite from Romeo and Juliet Symphony No. 4 in E Minor, Op. 98

Long a powerful and primary shaper of Korea’s classical music scene, the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra has only recently begun reaching beyond its borders to share its tremendous musical gifts. Music director and conductor Myung Whun-Chung has directed the SPO since 2005, urging the organization forward with compelling programming, from Mozart to Messiaen, and far-reaching initiatives that take classical music into schools and the community.

18

mondaviarts.org | 866.754.2787

2014–15 | Musical Hijinks

The Composer Is Dead Lara Downes, piano Davis High School Orchestra, Angelo Moreno, director and conductor

sun 4/19 • 3PM JH According to popular children’s book author Lemony Snicket (a.k.a. Daniel Handler), “Anyone who enjoys classical music knows that members of the orchestra are automatically suspicious people, accused constantly of various treacheries.” In this entertaining murder mystery and dramatic musical piece, the composer is dead and the entire orchestra is suspect. Join the investigation and help us solve the mystery.

May

Savage Love

Dan Savage wed 5/6 • 8PM JH Q&A Dan Savage is a writer and LGBT rights activist whose sex advice column, “Savage Love,” is syndicated internationally. In 2010, Savage co-created a YouTube video to provide hope and inspire change for LGBT youth. Today, the It Gets Better Project has inspired more than 50,000 videos, the It Gets Better book, and an MTV documentary.

In partnership with humanities institute

A RENOWNED CHAMBER ENSEMBLE

Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble fri 5/8 • 8PM JH Strauss Schoenberg Mendelssohn

Sextet for Strings from Capriccio, Op. 85 Transfigured Night for String Sextet, Op. 4 Octet for Strings in E-flat Major, Op. 20

Following a sold-out Jackson Hall performance of the full orchestra, the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields returns with its renowned Chamber Ensemble. With over 500 recordings to date and more than a dozen gold discs on the Billboard Classical Chart, the Academy is one of the most-recorded and best-selling classical groups in the world.

Schubert for voice and guitar

Philippe Sly, bass-baritone John Charles Britton, guitar sat 5/16 • 8PM VST sun 5/17 • 2PM VST French-Canadian bass-baritone Philippe Sly is already gaining international notoriety for his “beautiful, blooming tone and magnetic stage presence” (San Francisco Chronicle). The former San Francisco Opera Adler Fellow and Mondavi Center Rising Stars of Opera alumnus partners with guitarist John Charles Britton in a program of songs by Franz Schubert arranged for guitar, presented in our intimate cabaret setting.

19

The Art of Giving Remember: Ticket sales cover only 40% of our costs.

Help support the art you love. Donate today!

Your generous donation allows us to bring world-class artists and speakers to the Sacramento Valley and energize and inspire tens of thousands of school children and teachers through our nationally-recognized Arts Education programs.

In appreciation of your gift, you receive a host of benefits that can include:

• Priority Seating • Access to Donor-Only Events (such as Uncorked wine tastings) • Advance ticket sales for Just Added shows • 10% discount in the Gift Shop • Much, much more ...

Mondavi Center Corporate Partners Platinum

Gold

Silver

Office of Campus Community Relations

Bronze

Copper

Mondavi Center Grantors and Arts Education Sponsors The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Special Thanks Boeger Winery Ciocolat

El Macero Country Club Osteria Fasulo

Seasons Watermelon Music

Ways to Save Pick

3 Save 10%

Choose any 3 shows and save 10%

Pick

5 Save 15%

Choose any 5 shows and save 15%

Already A Subscriber?

Add-On and Save!

Series Subscribers save 15% and CYO Subscribers save 10% off all additional tickets.

UC Davis Faculty and Staff UC Davis faculty and staff save an additional 10% on all Mondavi Center Presenting Program purchases.

Students and Youth UC Davis Students 50% off all Mondavi Center Presenting Program purchases

Non-UC Davis Students 25% off all Mondavi Center Presenting Program purchases*

Youth (age 17 and under) 50% off all Mondavi Center Presenting Program tickets+ Student and children discounts cannot be combined with other discounts.

All prices include $2 per ticket restoration fee.

*Full-time students age 18 and over, currently enrolled for the current academic year at an accredited institution and matriculating toward a diploma or a degree (continuing education enrollees are not eligible.) Proof Requirements: School ID showing validity for the current academic year or copy of your transcript and tuition bill receipt for the current academic year. +(age 17 and under) A ticket is required for admission of all children regardless of age. Any child attending a performance should be able to sit quietly throughout the performance. For events other than Family Friendly performances , it is recommended for the enjoyment of all patrons that children under the age of 5 not be brought to performances.

Prices, programs and artists subject to change.

Seating maps, and additional policies online: mondaviarts.org

Getting Here

From I-80 East or West: • Take the UC Davis Exit #71.

• Continue north on Old Davis Road.

• Turn right onto Hilgard Lane.

• Enter into the west side of the Parking Structure (on the left).

Parking

•

Parking is $9 per vehicle for each event and can be paid in cash or with credit cards.

Visit campusmap.ucdavis.edu for a view of the UC Davis campus.

Order today!

Online

mondaviarts.org

By Phone

866.754.2787 (toll-free in California) TDD: 530.754.5402

In Person

The Mondavi Center Ticket Office is open: Mon–Sat: Noon–6PM Sun: On performance days, ticket windows open one hour prior to curtain time through first intermission.

21