UC Davis Events Calendar

With one foot in the real world and the other in a charmed dimension of his own making, Amos Lee creates the rare kind of music that’s emotionally raw yet touched with a certain magical quality. On his eighth album Dreamland, the Philadelphia-born singer/songwriter intimately documents his real-world struggles (alienation, anxiety, loneliness, despair), an outpouring born from deliberate and often painful self-examination. “For most of my life I’ve walked into rooms thinking, ‘I don’t belong here,’” says Lee. “I’ve come to the realization that I’m too comfortable as an isolated person, and I want to reach out more. This record came from questioning my connections to other people, to myself, to my past and to the future.” 
In the spirit of fostering connection, Lee made Dreamland in close collaboration with L.A.-based producer Christian “Leggy” Langdon (Banks, Meg Myers). “I met with Leggy, who I really didn’t know anything about, and before we even started to work we had a very open and vulnerable conversation about what was going on in our lives,” he recalls. “So much of what I do is solitary work, and it felt good to find someone I could connect with—sort of like, ‘I’m a lonely kid, and I wanna play.’” Thanks to that palpable sense of playfulness, Dreamland embodies an unpredictable and endlessly imaginative sound—a prime showcase for Lee’s warmly commanding voice and soul-baring songwriting. 
For this Mondavi Center debut, Amos Lee goes back to his roots, playing an intimate solo set featuring some of his favorite songs.

The San Francisco Symphony performed the first concert in the Mondavi Center in October 2002. They return to celebrate a 20-year partnership, now under the guidance of music director Esa-Pekka Salonen. This celebratory evening features a rich program: a U.S. debut of new piece by British composer Daniel Kidane; Sibelius’s lovely tone poem Luonnotar featuring South African soprano Golda Schultz; and a complete rendering of Stravinsky’s breakthrough ballet score, The Firebird. 

A legendary and powerful voice in Mexican music for more than 40 years, Aida Cuevas is truly the “The Queen of Mariachi.” Cuevas, the first female mariachi singer to win a Grammy, is beloved for her unswerving devotion to traditional mariachi music and for her mastery of its demanding vocal forms. This rousing celebratory concert will feature beloved hits like “El Pastor” and “Mexico en la piel” as well as her greatest hits “Te Doy Las Gracias” and “Quizás Mañana”.

Program
Harold in Italy was brought about by a commission by the famous 19th century violinist Nicolo Paganini in 1834. Berlioz was commissioned by Paganini not for a violin concerto but for a work that would feature Paganini and his new Stradivarius viola. Paganini thought the viola solo was too simplistic when he saw the score and declined to give the premiere. But when he heard it performed (albeit four years later) he was so pleased he paid Berlioz 20,000 francs anyway. The title suggests a sort of tour of Italy, as well as the 19th-century poem by Lord Byron, “Childe Harold's Pilgrimage.”
About the soloist: Wendy Richman Wendy Richman has been celebrated internationally for her compelling sound and imaginative interpretations in a wide range of genres. Her debut solo album, vox/viola (New Focus Recordings, 2020), features nine commissioned works for singing violist by leading contemporary composers. She is a founding member of the International Contemporary Ensemble, with whom she performs regularly in New York City and around the world, and she has performed regularly with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the period instrument ensemble Tesserae. Dr. Richman is a faculty member at both UCLA and California State University-Northridge (CSUN), where she teaches a variety of academic music courses and applied viola, and she is a sought-after clinician at universities and conservatories across the country.

One of the world’s great orchestras led by celebrated conductor Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla in a program of enduring favorites and new discoveries. From the churning impressionism of Debussy’s La Mer to soloist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, a rising star from England, shining on the Elgar Cello Concerto, this will be an evening of unforgettable music-making.  

Join us for a symposium featuring a panel discussion with dynamic women leaders and a one-on-one conversation with Glennon Doyle. With her trademark authenticity, humor, and power of inspiration, Doyle is a leading voice of women today. The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Untamed, host of the We Can Do Hard Things podcast, and founder and president of Together Rising shares personal stories and meaningful ways to approach our lives and work to make a difference.

Weaving in and out of the jazz piano tradition, Connie Han pays tribute to legends like McCoy Tyner, Mulgrew Miller and Kenny Kirkland with her own unique edge at the piano. The New York Times describes her as “the rare musician with fearsome technical chops, a breadth of historical knowledge and enough originality to write tunes that absorb your ear easily.” Her debut, Crime Zone, sounds nothing like a first album, and her follow up, Iron Starlet, proves her staying power. This is an artist who has absorbed the work of her heroes and emerged with a powerful voice of her own.  

Weaving in and out of the jazz piano tradition, Connie Han pays tribute to legends like McCoy Tyner, Mulgrew Miller and Kenny Kirkland with her own unique edge at the piano. The New York Times describes her as “the rare musician with fearsome technical chops, a breadth of historical knowledge and enough originality to write tunes that absorb your ear easily.” Her debut, Crime Zone, sounds nothing like a first album, and her follow up, Iron Starlet, proves her staying power. This is an artist who has absorbed the work of her heroes and emerged with a powerful voice of her own.  

Weaving in and out of the jazz piano tradition, Connie Han pays tribute to legends like McCoy Tyner, Mulgrew Miller and Kenny Kirkland with her own unique edge at the piano. The New York Times describes her as “the rare musician with fearsome technical chops, a breadth of historical knowledge and enough originality to write tunes that absorb your ear easily.” Her debut, Crime Zone, sounds nothing like a first album, and her follow up, Iron Starlet, proves her staying power. This is an artist who has absorbed the work of her heroes and emerged with a powerful voice of her own.  

Nella’s music is a meeting place for her Venezuelan folklore roots, the influence of her contemporaries, and the music of the Andalusian region. Born in Isla Margarita, an island off the north-eastern coast of Venezuela, Nella has performed with artists such as Alejandro Sanz, Jennifer Lopez, Susana Baca, Carlos Vives and many more. Her debut album, Voy, produced by Javier Limón, earned her a Best New Artist Latin Grammy and her hit song “Me Llaman Nella” (They Call Me Nella) collected millions of Spotify and YouTube streams. Her follow up, Doce Margaritas, captured an artist pushing new boundaries. The New York Times calls her a singer “who can convey flamenco tension even in a near whisper.” This is a rare chance to see an emerging superstar in the flush of her early career. 

Evolve is a new performance experience that explores the relationship between law enforcement and communities of color. Combining pre-recorded videos and live monologues from The New Black Fest’s Hands Up: 7 Playwrights, 7 Testaments, a show written by African American men and women about their experience with racial profiling, and Cop Out: Beyond Black, White & Blue, based on interviews with police officers,  Evolve seeks to stimulate conversation in a new way and help us to bridge a seemingly intractable divide. 

Evolve contains mature language and themes and may not be appropriate for all audiences. 

Evolve is a new performance experience that explores the relationship between law enforcement and communities of color. Combining pre-recorded videos and live monologues from The New Black Fest’s Hands Up: 7 Playwrights, 7 Testaments, a show written by African American men and women about their experience with racial profiling, and Cop Out: Beyond Black, White & Blue, based on interviews with police officers,  Evolve seeks to stimulate conversation in a new way and help us to bridge a seemingly intractable divide. 

Evolve contains mature language and themes and may not be appropriate for all audiences. 

Evolve is a new performance experience that explores the relationship between law enforcement and communities of color. Combining pre-recorded videos and live monologues from The New Black Fest’s Hands Up: 7 Playwrights, 7 Testaments, a show written by African American men and women about their experience with racial profiling, and Cop Out: Beyond Black, White & Blue, based on interviews with police officers,  Evolve seeks to stimulate conversation in a new way and help us to bridge a seemingly intractable divide. 

Evolve contains mature language and themes and may not be appropriate for all audiences. 

During the 2020 lockdown, pianist and composer Emmet Cohen developed "Live from Emmet's Place," a series of weekly performances by his trio and special guests livestreamed from his New York apartment via YouTube. The wild success of the series is based in Cohen’s unique ability to build connections with audiences through his harmonically sophisticated, joyful and open-hearted takes on great tunes. That ability to connect extends to his fellow musicians and with the jazz masters that preceded him, as on collaborations with Ron Carter, Bennie Golson and Christian McBride, just to name a few. His status as a major rising star has recently been recognized in the JazzTimes readers’ poll: Cohen was listed as Artist of the Year and Best Pianist, and his trio was listed as Best Acoustic Group. 

During the 2020 lockdown, pianist and composer Emmet Cohen developed "Live from Emmet's Place," a series of weekly performances by his trio and special guests livestreamed from his New York apartment via YouTube. The wild success of the series is based in Cohen’s unique ability to build connections with audiences through his harmonically sophisticated, joyful and open-hearted takes on great tunes. That ability to connect extends to his fellow musicians and with the jazz masters that preceded him, as on collaborations with Ron Carter, Bennie Golson and Christian McBride, just to name a few. His status as a major rising star has recently been recognized in the JazzTimes readers’ poll: Cohen was listed as Artist of the Year and Best Pianist, and his trio was listed as Best Acoustic Group. 

Program
George Walker: Lyric for Strings, Lyric for Strings (written 1946) is dedicated to George Walker's grandmother, with whom he was very close. Listeners might find the short work reminds them of Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings (written 1936), which had an impact on Walker—after all, they shared a composition teacher at Curtis. Alejandro Civilotti: Auris Concertum U.S. PREMIERE with Eduardo Vassallo, Principal Cello of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Civilotti wrote Auris Concertum in 2001, which premiered at the Teatro Colon in Buenos Aires in 2009 with cello soloist Eduardo Vassallo. Vassallo is visiting the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra from England, where he is principal cellist of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Igor Stravinsky: Petrushka (1947 version), Petrushka chronologically fits between Firebird and Rite of Spring—all ballets produced by Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes 1910–1913—and yet the version presented on this concert was revised by Stravinsky in 1947, a few years after he had become a Californian and two years since becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen.

During the 2020 lockdown, pianist and composer Emmet Cohen developed "Live from Emmet's Place," a series of weekly performances by his trio and special guests livestreamed from his New York apartment via YouTube. The wild success of the series is based in Cohen’s unique ability to build connections with audiences through his harmonically sophisticated, joyful and open-hearted takes on great tunes. That ability to connect extends to his fellow musicians and with the jazz masters that preceded him, as on collaborations with Ron Carter, Bennie Golson and Christian McBride, just to name a few. His status as a major rising star has recently been recognized in the JazzTimes readers’ poll: Cohen was listed as Artist of the Year and Best Pianist, and his trio was listed as Best Acoustic Group. 

Pete Nowlen, director, The UC Davis Concert Band presents thoughtful works written especially for concert band, and sometimes for film (“My Neighbor Totoro” and “The Polar Express” to name a couple). Constituting members of the UC Davis community from students to graduate students to faculty, the band is proud to represent more than thirty areas of study in its members.
Program
To be announced.

Erik Peregrine, director. Featuring student and community singers from the UC Davis community directed by UC Davis lecturer in music Erik Peregrine, these three choruses present diverse choral repertoire representative of our choral traditions of the past, our present, as well as new and developing traditions. Choruses of UC Davis are comprised of the University Chorus, Chamber Singers, and Early Vocal Ensemble.

No nineteenth century composer wrote chamber music more joyful, more melodically brilliant, more accessible, and more compositionally sound than did the Bohemian born and bred Antonin Dvořák (1841-1904). Protégé of Johannes Brahms, father of nine children (all with his first and only wife); beloved teacher, conductor, violinist, and pianist, Dvořák was perhaps, along with Joseph Haydn, the nicest, kindest, least neurotic person ever to become a major composer. Like Haydn, Dvořák created a body of musical work remarkable for its straightforward expressive content, its humor, humanity, grace and technical polish.