This month, Cal Performances’ 2022–23 season shifts into high gear! Our carefully curated, season-long Illuminations programming (see below for details) continues with visits from new-music champions the Colin Currie Group (with Synergy Vocals) and Sō Percussion, and our classical music offerings are distinguished by appearances by acclaimed soprano Ying Fang (with pianist Ken Noda), early-music superstars (and Berkeley favorites!) Jordi Savall and his renowned Hespèrion XXI ensemble, and an astonishing young talent, cellist Zlatomir Fung (with pianist Janice Carissa). We’ll also enjoy a special Vocal Celebration, with three concerts honoring the otherworldly beauty of Georgian polyphony (Ensemble Basiani), the inspirational power of freedom songs from both South Africa and the United States (Soweto Gospel Choir), and—in a joyous launch of the upcoming holiday season—the heart-warming sounds that spring from Austria’s august six-century-old choral tradition (Vienna Boys Choir).

But this is just the start! From now until May 2023—when we close our season with the Bay Area premiere of Octavia E. Butler’s powerful folk opera Parable of the Sower and a highly anticipated recital with international dramatic soprano sensation Nina Stemme—we have a calendar packed with the very best in the live performing arts.

And what a schedule! More than 70 events, with highlights including the return of the legendary Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under conductor Christian Thielemann (in his Bay Area debut); the beloved Mark Morris Dance Group in Morris’ new The Look of Love: An Evening of Dance to the Music of Burt Bacharach; the US premiere of revered South African artist William Kentridge’s astonishing new SIBYL; and a special concert with chamber music superstars pianist Emanuel Ax, violinist Leonidas Kavakos, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. And these are only a few of the amazing performances that await you!

Illuminations programming this season will take advantage of Cal Performances’ unique positioning as a vital part of the world’s top-ranked public university. In the coming months, we’ll be engaging communities on and off campus to examine the evolution of tools such as musical instruments and electronics, the complex relationships between the creators and users of technology, the possibilities enabled by technology’s impact on the creative process, and questions raised by the growing role of artificial intelligence in our society.

This concept of “Human and Machine” has never been so pertinent to so many. Particularly over the course of the pandemic, the rapid expansion of technology’s role in improving communication and in helping us emotionally process unforeseen and, at times, extraordinarily
difficult events has made a permanent mark on our human history. Throughout time, our reliance on technology to communicate has—for better and worse—influenced how we understand others as well as ourselves. During this Illuminations season, we will investigate how technology has
contributed to our capacity for self-expression, as well as the potential dangers it may pose.

Some programs this season will bring joy and delight, and others will inspire reflection and stir debate. We are committed to presenting this wide range of artistic expression on our stages because of our faith in the performing arts’ power to promote empathy. And it is because of our audiences’ openness and curiosity that we have the privilege of bringing such thought-provoking, adventurous performances to our campus. The Cal Performances community wants the arts to engage in important conversations, and to bring us all together as we see and feel the world through the experiences of others.

Please make sure to check out our brochures and our website for complete information about upcoming events. We can’t wait to share all the details with you, in print and online.

Welcome back to Cal Performances!

Jeremy Geffen
Executive and Artistic Director, Cal Performances