Legends of the Stage: The Iconnoisseur’s Guide to the 2026–27 Season

MAR 2–4, 2027, ZELLERBACH HALL

As part of the 2027 Maria Manetti Shrem and Elizabeth Segerstrom California Orchestra Residency, the Vienna Philharmonic returns to Cal Performances with acclaimed conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin and an all-star cast of collaborators. Internationally renowned for its consistently masterful playing and unwavering dedication to the great tradition of European classical music, the 185-year-old orchestra has formed a close bond with many composers—Anton Bruckner called it “the most superior musical association”; Johannes Brahms counted himself as a “friend and admirer”; and Richard Strauss was quoted as saying, “All praise of the Vienna Philharmonic reveals itself as understatement.” And yet, few composers hold as significant a role in the orchestra’s history as Gustav Mahler, onetime director of the Vienna Court Opera—the predecessor of the Vienna State Opera, from which the orchestra still draws its membership. One of the leading composers of his generation, Mahler created 10 symphonies during his lifetime, and with these concerts, Berkeley audiences have the opportunity to hear three across the three nights of the orchestra’s residency: Symphonies Nos. 2 (Resurrection), 4, and 9.

Conducting the concerts is dynamic maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who has enjoyed a close partnership with the orchestra since 2010, a relationship finely honed through numerous tours and recordings.

He concurrently holds the prestigious positions of Music Director of the Metropolitan Opera; Music and Artistic Director of the Philadelphia Orchestra; and Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the Orchestre Métropolitain of Montreal in his home province of Quebec, Canada. Of Nézet-Séguin’s many accolades, highlights include five Grammy Awards, recognition as Musical America’s Artist of the Year (2016), ECHO Klassik’s Conductor of the Year award (2014), and a Royal Philharmonic Society Award.

Making their Cal Performances debuts, soprano Christiane Karg and mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča join as soloists (Karg for Symphony Nos. 4 and 2, and Garanča for Symphony No. 2 only). Both vocalists have performed alongside esteemed orchestras, though are best known for bringing to life celebrated roles for many of the world’s great opera companies and houses, including the Vienna State Opera, Metropolitan Opera, and Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. The vocal power of Symphony No. 2 is amplified even further by the San Francisco Symphony Chorus—local performers with a national reputation and eight Grammy wins to date—under director Jenny Wong, who simultaneously holds positions as Chorus Director for this group and Associate Artistic Director for the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

Last but certainly not least on this lineup of outrageous talent is pianist Yuja Wang, joining for Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3 on the March 3 program. Known for her dazzling virtuosity and electrifying stage presence, Wang has been recognized with a Grammy and an Opus Klassik Award, and has been honored as a Musical America’s Artist of the Year (2017, the year immediately following Nézet-Séguin’s win). Wang once said, “I firmly believe every program should have its own life.” Here, audiences have the rare opportunity to witness what is sure to be a once-in-a-lifetime performance, polished to perfection by a stage full of classical masters sharpening and building off of each other’s artistry in real time.

FEB 19, 2027, ZELLERBACH HALL

In a landmark event, artistic director, trumpet virtuoso, and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Wynton Marsalis brings his final tour as managing and artistic director of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra to Berkeley. Marsalis has been celebrating milestones of late, which reflects his superhuman efforts over the past 40 years to establish jazz as “America’s classical music” and create a framework for its enduring support.

Marsalis has served as artistic director of the orchestra since 1991 (less than five years after its founding), and has helped to shape it into a brilliant jazz ensemble, famed for its unique blend of New Orleans swing, gutbucket blues, and Ellingtonian precision and pure chops.

Throughout his career, Marsalis has received nine Grammys (and was the first musician ever to win a Grammy in two categories—jazz and classical—during the same year), composed more than 600 works, and collaborated with orchestras and ensembles for more than 5,300 concerts across more than 850 cities and 66 countries. You won’t want to miss the opportunity to see him at the height of his powers and in such a meaningful collaboration.

NOV 20, 2026, ZELLERBACH HALL

It used to be that the only person with permission to perform composer Philip Glass’ etudes was Glass himself, but as his fame grew, he extended the opportunity to other pianists, and the works have since become modern classics. To celebrate Glass’ 90th birthday, this event will see the performance of all 20 etudes across a single evening—a massive undertaking featuring 10 acclaimed pianists, including the composer and acclaimed Glass interpreter Timo Andres; the highly regarded jazz and classical artist (and regular Andres piano duo partner) Aaron Diehl; up-and-coming young Mexican artist Daniela Liebman; and the lauded jazz keyboard virtuoso, composer, and MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient Jason Moran.

The new music style that Glass has been most closely associated with throughout his career was eventually dubbed “minimalism,” though Glass prefers to describe himself as a composer of “music with repetitive structures.”

Much of his early work was based on the extended reiteration of brief, melodic fragments that wove in and out of an aural tapestry. A prolific composer whose output only continues to grow, Glass has composed (in addition to the etudes) 14 symphonies, 13 concertos, numerous film soundtracks, nine string quartets, multiple works for solo organ, and more than 30 operas, including his famed four-and-a-half-hour masterpiece, Einstein on the Beach. To hear his repertoire for solo piano—a body of work composed over nearly two decades—reveals Glass at his most personal and intimate.

FEB 13–14, 2027, ZELLERBACH HALL

Seventy-five years ago, choreographer Amalia Hernández founded Ballet Folklórico de México with a vision: to take regional folk dances and their surrounding Mexican subcultures—from pre-Columbian civilizations to the modern era—and elevate them onto a global stage. In the decades since, her company has reached more than 45 million spectators worldwide and served as an official ambassador of Mexico, firmly establishing itself as one of the world’s premier folkloric dance ensembles. Its accolades are numerous and include the National Prize for Fine Arts from the Mexican government and France’s Legion of Honor. This anniversary tour is a celebration of everything the group’s legacy encompasses: a well-rounded feast of dance, music, storytelling, and vibrant, intricate costuming that amplifies and honors the full richness of Mexican cultural heritage.

To experience Ballet Folklórico de México is to understand, in the most visceral and joyful way possible, just how much a single performance can deliver.

Each regional style brings its own rhythms and history—and the company’s dancers convey all of it with the kind of precision and passion that demonstrates the lasting impact of its iconic and visionary founder.

OCT 18, 2026, ZELLERBACH HALL

A living legend of American music, Judy Collins arrives in Berkeley for a retrospective concert that looks back on a six-decade career of sublime vocals, boldly vulnerable songwriting, and a firm commitment to social activism. A contemporary of Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, Collins established herself as a household name with recordings that quickly became part of the cultural fabric—among them, her landmark 1967 rendition of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now,” which has since been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and her sweetly intimate version of Stephen Sondheim’s “Send in the Clowns,” which won Song of the Year at the 1975 Grammy Awards.

Across 55 albums, she has inspired audiences with deeply personal renditions of traditional and contemporary folk standards as well as her own poetic original compositions—resulting in gold and platinum albums, and winning countless awards and the devotion of generations of listeners.

The depth of Collins’ impact on music is perhaps best measured by the company she keeps: artists including Rufus Wainwright, Shawn Colvin, Dolly Parton, and Leonard Cohen have all honored her legacy on the tribute album Born to the Breed. The title of this farewell tour is drawn from her own memoir, Sweet Judy Blue Eyes: My Life in Music—a fitting frame for an evening that celebrates not just a body of work, but an entire life lived in service of song.

OCT 25, 2026, HERTZ HALL

The most acclaimed countertenor of his generation, Iestyn Davies has been lauded as “one of those hallowed few countertenors who can take a single note on a single syllable and spin it out into a long-breathed thing of immaculate beauty—shifting, modulating, and shaped to tug at the heartstrings” (Bachtrack).

Known for his sensitive musicianship and the beauty and technical dexterity of his voice, Davies is a Grammy winner and recipient of multiple Gramophone awards.

He has collaborated with many of today’s leading composers, including Thomas Adès, George Benjamin, and Nico Muhly; and here combines his interpretive powers with those of standout harpist Oliver Wass, the first harpist to win the prestigious Guildhall Gold Medal.

Several seasons ago, Davies visited Cal Performances with The English Concert to sing the role of Bertarido in Rodelinda. This recital offers a more personal encounter with both Davies and Wass, as they traverse 400 years of music from the Old and New Worlds. Davies in particular is known for appearances at the most prestigious opera houses around the world, so to have him at Cal Performances for an intimate recital is an opportunity not to be missed.

FEB 21, 2027, ZELLERBACH HALL

Sister period-music ensembles the English Baroque Soloists and the Monteverdi Choir—the gold standard in Baroque performance for decades—join forces for a very special US performance of Bach’s crowning masterpiece during its 300th anniversary year. The majestic and powerfully dramatic St. Matthew Passion sets the 26th and 27th chapters of the Bible’s Gospel of Matthew to music with interspersed chorales and arias. The work has undoubtedly earned its place in the classical canon, and is scored for massive forces: a double choir, double orchestra, and vocal soloists.

Both the English Baroque Soloists and Monteverdi Choir are among the finest specialists in historically informed performance, and have spent decades arranging, recording, and performing for audiences around the world.

They are conducted here by Masaaki Suzuki, a leading authority on the works of Bach and the founder and music director of the Bach Collegium Japan. Bach’s transcendent oratorio will be sung by featured soloists: in the role of the Evangelist, British tenor Nick Pritchard, whom Classical Post heralded as “redefining the English tenor tradition through authentic performances”; and, as Jesus, German bass-baritone Florian Störtz, whose accolades include the Prix de mélodie at the 2023 Lili et Nadia Boulanger Competition in Paris and the Young Artists Platform at the International Song Festival Zeistas.

OCT 24, 2026, ZELLERBACH HALL

Steve Reich has been called “the most original musical thinker of our time” by the New Yorker and “among the great composers of the century” by the New York Times—and those are not idle superlatives. A leader of the minimalist movement since the 1960s, Reich’s influential works such as Drumming, Music for 18 Musicians, and Different Trains have undoubtedly shifted the way music is composed, away from extreme complexity and towards rethinking pulsation and tonal attraction in new ways. As the Guardian put it,

“There’s just a handful of living composers who can legitimately claim to have altered the direction of musical history, and Steve Reich is one of them.”

To celebrate his 90th birthday, Cal Performances presents a one-night mini-festival featuring more than 20 of Reich’s foremost interpreters and closest collaborators. New York’s Bang on a Can All-Stars—world-renowned champions of new music for more than three decades—join next-generation innovators Ensemble Signal for a program that spans seminal works including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Double Sextet and Electric Counterpoint, alongside the West Coast premiere of a brand new Reich work, In All Your Ways, co-commissioned by Cal Performances. It is a fitting tribute to a composer whose influence shows no signs of slowing.

JAN 29, 2027, ZELLERBACH HALL

Among the most venerated pianists and musical thinkers of our time, Mitsuko Uchida is acclaimed as a peerless interpreter of Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, and Schumann—composers whose works she has thoughtfully mined over decades of performances and recordings. Named Musical America’s Artist of the Year in 2022, she is a multiple Grammy winner who has enjoyed close partnerships with the world’s finest orchestras and conductors throughout a career that has only grown richer with time. Her 2022 recording of Beethoven’s Diabelli Variations earned both a Grammy nomination and the Gramophone Piano Award, and she has been a vital part of the leadership of the Marlboro Music Festival for more than 20 years. Cal Performances audiences will remember her fondly as Artist in Residence of the 2023–24 season.

Uchida returns to Berkeley performing at the height of her considerable powers, in a solo recital that traverses a kaleidoscope of sentiment and character.

The program moves from Haydn’s inventive Variations in F minor to a ruminative Mozart rondo to Schubert’s transcendent late-period Sonata in A major. The repertoire focuses on composers whom Uchida has spent a lifetime illuminating, offering unmatched sensitivity and deep musical insight that have made her one of the most revered figures in classical music today.

APR 6–11, 2027, ZELLERBACH HALL

Founded in 1958, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is one of the most acclaimed dance companies in the world—and one of the most consequential. Created by legendary choreographer Alvin Ailey during a pivotal moment in the American Civil Rights Movement, the company was established to

“uplift the African American experience while transcending the boundaries of race, faith, and nationality through its universal humanity.”

Ailey’s visionary model reimagined his company as a “library of dance,” where the strong and graceful dancers of the company would bring to life the works of many choreographers that might otherwise be lost—the first modern dance company of its kind. Today, the Ailey company boasts a repertory of roughly 300 works by more than 100 choreographers, has performed in more than 70 countries on six continents, and has been designated a “vital American Cultural Ambassador to the World” by a US Congressional resolution.

Leading the company into its next chapter is Alicia Graf Mack—a San Jose native, celebrated former Ailey performer, and most recently Dean and Director of the Dance Division at the Juilliard School—who became the company’s fourth artistic director in 2025. Under her leadership, the Ailey dancers continue to be guided by the spiritual core that has always made this company distinct, whether performing canonical masterworks like Revelations or bringing to life brand-new works by some of today’s most compelling choreographers. An Ailey performance is, and has always been, an event unlike any other.

Cal Performances is known, above all, for our commitment to excellence, and so this list cannot possibly cover all of the incredible talents planned for our 2026–27 season. We encourage you to review the full lineup on your own, and guarantee you’ll find plenty more to add to your own personal Mount Rushmore of great artists!

Want to secure your seats early and save up to 25% on tickets? When you subscribe by bundling as few as four performances, you unlock the very best experience we have to offer! Explore our Subscriber benefits, and mark your calendars for when subscriptions go on sale at noon (PT) on May 5, 2026!

UC Berkeley students have access to exclusive student discounts, including a special bundle of 4 tickets called a Flex Pass. UCB Student tickets go on sale in August.

Explore the six guides to the season below to find the performances that were made for you.