The Mondavi Center will be offering student discounts on two upcoming shows: the Feb. 14 performance of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo and the Feb. 27 performance by violinist Joshua Bell.
Tickets to both occasions will be available until Oct. 31 at a 50 percent discount. It is predicted that each show will sell out.
“For the past few seasons we’ve made it a regular practice to hold aside tickets for UC Davis students for shows that were at or nearing capacity,” said Mondavi Center Director of Marketing Rob Tocalino in an e-mail interview.
Tocalino also said that since most tickets go on sale before classes are back in session, many students aren’t aware of upcoming events at the Mondavi Center. For these reasons, Tocalino said that the Mondavi center employees do their best to project what shows are going to have limited availability and will appeal to students, setting tickets aside accordingly.
Bell, an Indiana native, appeared as a soloist in the Philadelphia Orchestra and contributed music to the soundtrack of the film The Red Violin. Bell also made an appearance in the film Music of the Heart.
The Manhattan Movement and Arts Center described Les Ballets de Trockadero as a comical, talented and fashionable all-male act with detailed costumes and fabulous hair-dos. The men participated in successful theatrical shows this January that ended up selling out.
“Of the two shows that are coming up, I would definitely be interested in seeing one, if not both, at discounted prices,” said sophomore art history major Kyra Simon.
Sophomore political science major Clay Han, who saw Bill Fressel at the Mondavi Center in April, said he would consider seeing the Joshua Bell performance.
“Live performances have a uniqueness about them where the performer can connect with the audience,” Han said. “There’s a certain element attached to it that you can’t get from TV or movies.”
Sophomore biology major Magdelena Ford agreed that there is a certain charm to watching live shows. “It’s especially true at music shows. There is generally some improvisation that can add to the experience,” Ford said.
Tocalino said that the Mondavi staff is committed to involving students in what they do at the Mondavi Center.
“We want to give them every opportunity to be exposed to the world-class artists we present,” Tocalino said.
For more information about upcoming shows and tickets, visit mondaviarts.org.
ELENI STEPHANIDES can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.
