Vienna Boys Choir
Strauss Forever

We move now into one of the busier times of the year, when schedules begin to fill up with special events and holiday celebrations that bring together a host of family, friends, and colleagues. I’m so happy that you’ve chosen to spend part of this time here with us at Cal Performances. We enjoy seeing you in our halls at any time of the year, but particulary during the crowded days of November and December.

It’s particularly meaningful that we begin the month with a special tribute to the late tabla master and a longtime friend of Cal Performances, Zakir Hussain, as Chicago’s brilliant Third Coast Percussion and tabla virtuoso Salar Nader continue a collaboration initiated with the music legend before his passing late last year. Besides my profound amazement at his imagination, virtuosity, and sheer physical stamina, I was always struck by Zakir’s humor and humility. His warmth was immediate, and his enthusiasm for music and performance was infectious. I know I speak for many in the community when I say that Zakir will be dearly missed.

As spending time with family is particularly meaningful at this time of year, I’m happy to draw your attention to four programs with appeal for audience members of all ages: the Bay Area premiere of Sadler’s Wells’ extraordinary kung fu-infused Sutra, a thrilling collaboration between Belgian choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, sculptor Antony Gormley, composer Szymon Brzóska, and 20 Buddhist monks from the Shaolin Temple in China’s Henan Province; a crowd-pleasing all-Strauss program with the legendary Vienna Boys Choir; a special screening of Disney’s beloved animated classic Moana, accompanied by an ensemble of top Hollywood studio musicians, Polynesian rhythm masters, and guest vocalists; and a special Thanksgiving weekend trip down the rabbit hole with the mesmerizing—and ever-popular—dancer-illusionists of MOMIX in Alice, a wild and fantastical take on Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland.

The month also features offerings by the exceptional Twelfth Night early-music ensemble led by violinist Rachell Ellen Wong and harpsichordist David Belkovski; the virtuoso pianist and Cal Performances favorite Jeremy Denk in a highly anticipated recital of Bach’s complete partitas for solo keyboard; and a return visit by the supremely inventive visual storytellers of Manual Cinema with the Bay Area premiere of The 4th Witch, a Cal Performances-commissioned and meticulously crafted, gloriously handmade production inspired by Shakespeare’s Macbeth.

Coming up in the new year, our 2025–26 season will continue with a wide range of talent including conductor Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra; vocalists Joyce DiDonato and Renée Fleming; the Takács String Quartet; early-music superstars The English Concert, Jordi Savall, and The Tallis Scholars; jazz greats Cécile McLorin Salvant and Somi; and appearances by Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens and Broadway diva Kelli O’Hara.

And our acclaimed dance series continues, distinguished by genre-defining artists and major new productions including the Martha Graham Dance Company celebrating its centennial; The Joffrey Ballet in an otherworldly celebration of the traditional Scandinavian summer solstice festival; the long-awaited Cal Performances debut of A.I.M by Kyle Abraham; and, of course, return engagements with the Mark Morris Dance Group and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

As you explore the calendar, I recommend you pay particular attention to our Illuminations theme of “Exile & Sanctuary,” focusing this season on how issues of displacement can inform bold new explorations of identity and community; and how artistic expression can offer safe harbor during times of unrest or upheaval.

The opportunity to engage with diverse artistic perspectives and share the transformative power of the live performing arts is one of life’s greatest pleasures, and I look forward to encountering these profound and entertaining experiences with you in the months ahead.

Jeremy Geffen
Executive and Artistic Director, Cal Performances