The end of every UC Davis fall quarter is often marked by excitement for the break and the anticipation for what the new year will bring. We’re officially two weeks into winter quarter and with midterms just around the corner, it’s time to check out the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts’ 2009-2010 season lineup before the quarter kicks up and tickets sell out.
The Mondavi Center has already brought in a plethora of talented artists and big names to campus, with jazz performer Wynton Marsalis, distinguished speaker David Plouffe and more recently pianist Emanuel Ax.
To start the winter quarter lineup, Davis welcomes a chamber ensemble of three sisters. The Albers Trio began their debut in Colorado and since then have grown into musicians that have performed worldwide. Now their tour extends to Mondavi’s own Vanderhoef Studio Theatre.
The Albers sisters will perform repertoire by Mozart and Beethoven and even a piece by UC Davis professor Ross Bauer on Jan. 16 at 8 p.m. and again on Jan. 17 at 2 p.m. Tickets are limited but students are still encouraged to purchase tickets at prices starting at $15.
The Mondavi Center is offering a variety of performances for students, faculty and the Davis community. Whether it is music, dance, film, lectures or comedy pieces, the performances and film screenings chosen for this season are specific to this year
The Spirit of Uganda, in particular, is returning on Jan. 24 to the Mondavi Center. It has been brought back because of the message that the young performers convey on stage through their traditional East African music and dance.
“Part of the reason why they come is to raise awareness about aids and ethnic conflicts in the country there,” said Rob Tocalino, marketing director for the Mondavi Center. “It’s a really engaging dance show and by coming to the show you are supporting a really nice thing – you are raising awareness.”
Along with The Spirit of Uganda, the Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company is another dance performance that is scheduled to perform at the end of January.
“It is the first time [the Morphoses group] is coming to the west coast,” Tocalino said. “These are the top dancers from the New York City Ballet, the Royal Ballet in London and a lot of other prestigious groups.”
Highly anticipated, their west coast tour will offer an opportunity for the Davis community to enjoy a performance by a prestigious group of dancers similar to Pilobolus – a sold out show that performed earlier this fall quarter.
February will bring the return of UC Davis’ own Symphony Orchestra. Their repertoire will include Bartók, Lyadov and Mussorgsky.
“Our conductor chose pretty different pieces – it has a different feel to it,” said first-year Joshua Yang and percussionist for the UCDSO. “One of the pieces we’re performing is a concerto by Bartók – the mood of the piece is really soothing. Each piece is actually telling a story and every piece sets a different mood.”
The Symphony Orchestra alongside other performances this quarter range in the different genres that will be performing at The Mondavi Center this quarter.
In the upcoming weeks, you will find performers such as Albers Trio, Spirit of Uganda, Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company, Miguel Zenón Septet, Alexander String Quartet, and even the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra (just to name a few).
For more information about any upcoming shows, ticket prices and listings, visit mondaviarts.org.
KAREN SONG can be reached at arts@theaggie.org.
