The Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, UC Davis announces its 16th season of performing arts, filled with the leading artists in music, dance, theater and speakers. The season begins on September 22, 2017 with the Mondavi Center debut of Los Tigres Del Norte and concludes May 24, 2018 with the return of the San Francisco Symphony. The season also features the debut performance of The Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra led by Keith Lockhart, on April 19, 2018.
"This upcoming Mondavi Center season furthers our tradition of bringing together established and emerging artists from diverse cultural backgrounds. As we brought the season together, we sought out artists and thinkers who are doing some of the most interesting and creative work, both classic and contemporary, around the globe," said
Don Roth, executive director of the Mondavi Center. "We are pleased to celebrate this 15th Anniversary Season with the Sacramento region."
Latino
One distinct focus of the 16th Season is a focus on Latino artists from around the globe. We start close to home with a season kick-off performance by San Jose's own Los Tigres del Norte. A new generation of Cuban artists lands in Davis, with Harold López-Nussa continuing the storied history of Cuban pianists in a four-night run in the Vanderhoef
Studio Theatre. His countryman Pedrito Martinez is a masterful percussionist and bandleader, whose performances are non-stop parties.
Galicia, in the northwest corner of Spain, takes its name from the Celtic tribe who were early inhabitants of the land. This explains the presence of an instrument we don't normally associate with Spain, the bagpipes. Called the gaita, in the hands of Cristina Pato, the instrument is a melodic delight, merging traditions from jazz, classical and folk.
In a show geared for both kids and adults, Los Angeles band Ozomatli brings its Ozokidz program to Jackson Hall. Songs about trees, animals, germs and even exercise provide positive, hummable lessons on nature and parenting.
Finally, two Latin jazz titans bring their big bands to the Jackson Hall stage this season. Arturo O'Farrill leads the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, one of the most acclaimed large ensembles working today. And NEA Jazz Master Eddie Palmieri celebrates his 80th birthday with a big band Latin jazz extravaganza.
Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein, one of the most influential American musicians of the 20th century was an accomplished pianist, composer and conductor. In what would have his 100th year, the Mondavi Center features three programs that pay tribute to the American icon. Pianist Lara Downes pairs Bernstein's "Anniversaries for Piano" with a group of newly commissioned "Anniversaries" from modern composers. Jazz pianist and composer
Bill Charlap revisits his 2004 album "Somewhere" with his longtime trio and vocalist Cecile McLorin Salvant. Honoring one if its most successful students, the Curtis Institute of Music's Chamber Ensemble will perform Bernstein's Clarinet Sonata played by David Shifrin.
Jazz
Another birthday worth celebrating, jazz drummer and composer Jack DeJohnette toasts his 75th year with a tour featuring John Scofield, John Medeski and Larry Grenadier. The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra makes a special appearance without
Wynton Marsalis, this time performing with (and the music of) pianist
Chick Corea. In the Vanderhoef
Studio Theatre pianist
Fred Hersch and clarinetist
Anat Cohen share a musical conversation covering the history of modern jazz.
Dance
The centerpiece of Mondavi Center dance programming this season is the Compañía Nacional de Danza performing Johan Inger's modern interpretation of "Carmen" over two performances. Dorrance Dance honors and revitalizes tap dancing through adventurous, accessible choreography. And Circa brings a work firmly at the crossroads of cirque and modern dance, in "Il Ritorno."
Piano
A major thread in the forthcoming season is a surfeit of talented pianists. Our Concert Series features three: Russian pianist Vladimir Feltsman in the first recital of a three-year project with the Mondavi Center, this time performing Bach, Haydn and Beethoven. Simone Dinnerstein, known for her interpretations of Bach's "Goldberg Variations," joins San Francisco's New Century Chamber Orchestra in Bach's Keyboard Concerto in G Minor and a new piano concerto by
Philip Glass. And Steven Hough joins the Berlin Philharmonic Wind Quintet in works by Mozart, Poulenc and his own Trio for Piccolo, Bassoon and Piano.
Soloists in the Orchestra Series include Daniil Trifonov playing his own piano concerto with the Mariinsky Orchestra under the baton of Valery Gergiev. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra with Charles Dutoit will feature Jean-Yves Thibaudet playing Liszt's second piano concerto. And the San Francisco Symphony returns with
David Robertson conducting Brahms Piano Concerto No. 1 with soloist Kirill Gerstein.
India in the Artist's Eye
The second year of our India in the Artist's Eye festival focuses on theater and dance, with Kudiyattam, a 2000-year-old form of Sanskrit drama, and UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity honoree, leading the way. Devendra Sharma and Company bring Nautanki musical theater to life with the story of "Sultana Daku." And Canada's inDANCE features traditional and modern versions of Indian dance forms.
American Heritage
New Orleans is a spiritual home of American music, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band is a beating heart of that tradition. They are joined by Crescent City soul queen Irma Thomas, whose recording of "Time Is on My Side" inspired the Rolling Stones. Leyla McCalla has deep Creole roots, and her music modernizes French, Haitian and Creole traditions. Likewise, The O'Connor Band with Mark O'Connor mixes modern bluegrass with country and indie folk.
Speakers
Garrison Keillor has left "A Prairie Home Companion" in the capable hands of Chris Thile, opening up his schedule to take his homespun, acerbic storytelling on the road. Pete Souza, the former chief offici
Al White House photographer for two presidents (Reagan and Obama), tells the story of the presidency through his iconic photos. Author of this year's Campus Community Book Project book, "Redefining Realness,"
Janet Mock is one of the most influential trans women and millennial leaders in America. J.D. Vance's "Hillbilly Elegy" examines the struggle of growing up middle-class in white, working-class America.
Subscription Renewal and New Subscriptions
The deadline for current subscribers to renew their tickets is May 1, 2017. New subscriptions go on sale June 2, 2017, but deposits can be placed today. Single tickets go on sale July 14, 2017. Complete information about the Mondavi Center's 2017-18 season of performances, including dates, times, subscription prices and venues will be available online April 3 at
mondaviarts.org.
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