Concerts, research events, art exhibitions and more to check out this month
By SARAH HAN — arts@theaggie.org
“Lara Downes & John McWhorter” (Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, 7:30-9:30 p.m. on May 5)
Pianist Lara Downes and author and commentator John McWhorter will perform pieces by Scott Joplin, a classically trained composer dubbed the “King of Ragtime” due to his revolutionary musical ambitions. Downes and McWhorter will play, tell Joplin’s story and legacy, and discuss the lineage of Black music in America. Those interested can find more information, including how to obtain tickets, on the Mondavi Center’s website.
UC Davis Symphony Orchestra: “Brazil & Jazz” (Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, 7:00-8:30 p.m. on May 6)
Starring guest conductor Evandro Matté, the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra will perform Alberto Nepomuceno’s “Batuque from Série Brasileira,” George Gershwin’s “Concerto in F” and Heitor Villa-Lobos’s “Chôros No. 6.” The concert will also feature Sacramento’s own Natsuki Fukasawa as the Gershwin piano soloist.
2nd Annual Research Symposium — Center for Neuroengineering & Medicine (International Center, 12:00-7:30 p.m. on May 9)
Held at the International Center, the 2nd Annual Research Symposium of the Center for Neuroengineering and Medicine brings neuro-engineering faculty, physician-scientists, clinicians, students and postdocs from engineering, medicine and neuroscience together to share research and network with other researchers. Faculty, graduate students and distinguished professor Viktor Jirsa, Ph.D. will speak at the event.
UC Davis Research Expo (Conference Center and Welcome Center, 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. on May 16)
If you want to see the latest insights, resources and tools of research, visit the UC Davis Research Expo to learn more. The event will display presentations, workshops and exhibits for students to learn more about research opportunities. Those interested can check out the UC Davis Office of Research’s website.
Curtis Symphony Orchestra (Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, 2:00-4:00 p.m. on May 21)
The Curtis Institute of Music is one of the finest music conservatories in the world, producing world-renowned musicians like violinists Hilary Hahn and Ray Chen, conductor Leonard Bernstein and pianist Lang Lang. On May 21, internationally renowned conductor Osmo Vänskä will lead the Curtis Symphony Orchestra through renditions of Dai Wei’s “New Work,” Béla Bartók’s “Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Major, Sz. 95” and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Scheherazade, Op. 35.” The performance will also feature Grammy-winning soloist Yefim Bronfman in Bartók’s “Piano Concerto No. 2.” Those who would like to attend the event can refer to the Mondavi Center’s website for more information.
“Mike Henderson: Before the Fire, 1965-1985” (Manetti Shrem Museum, 11:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. every day through June 15)
Join UC Davis Professor Emeritus Mike Henderson in his first solo U.S. museum exhibition in 20 years. The exhibit opened at the Manetti Shrem Museum on Jan. 29, and has recently been extended for display through June 15. Henderson highlights his contributions to the history of contemporary painting, filmmaking, radical Black politics and California art. The exhibition displays paintings and films about Afro-futurism, surrealism, anti-Black violence and utopian visions.
Written by: Sarah Han — arts@theaggie.org
