UC Berkeley Student Discounts, Employment, and more!
Cal Performances is one of the world’s premier performing arts presenters for music, dance, and theater—and it’s located right here on the UC Berkeley campus! We present up to 100 performances each season and offer special discounts and opportunities to encourage UC Berkeley students to join our adventurous audiences.
Every show. Every seat. 50% off.
Cal students get 50% off single ticket prices for all Cal Performances events, without exception. Tickets can be purchased in person with your current student ID at the Zellerbach Hall Ticket Office.
And there are even more ways to save! On this page learn about and take advantage of our new Golden Bear Circle program, UC Berkeley Student Flex Passes, UC Berkeley Student Group Discounts, and UC Berkeley Student Rush tickets. Plus, explore opportunities to work and volunteer with us and learn about our Illuminations programming, where we partner with on-campus academic and research talent.
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Explore the Season
Golden Bear Circle
$10 premium seats
For just $10 per ticket, UC Berkeley students can secure some of the best seats in the house for 10 or more of our most anticipated performances of the season, including San Francisco Symphony led by conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen, Silkroad Ensemble with Rhiannon Giddens, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, pianist Mitsuko Uchida with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Taylor Mac and Matt Ray’s Bark of Millions, and more! Come solo or bring a friend (limit two tickets per student). Fifty premium tickets will be available at the special $10 price for Cal Students on a first-come, first-served basis, so be sure to mark your calendar with on-sale dates—or join Email Club to get a reminder straight to your inbox. Check back in August for the full 2023–24 schedule of Golden Bear Circle events. Tickets go on sale at noon around two weeks before each performance.
| Performance | Performance Date | Buy Tickets/ On-Sale Date |
|---|---|---|
| Miami City Ballet; George Balanchine’s Jewels | Sep 23, 2022 | EVENT PAST |
| Maxim Vengerov, violin Polina Osetinskaya, piano |
Oct 14, 2022 | EVENT PAST |
| San Francisco Symphony Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor Bertrand Chamayou, piano |
Oct 21, 2022 | EVENT PAST |
| Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan; 13 Tongues | Oct. 29, 2022 | EVENT PAST |
| Colin Currie Group and Synergy Vocals; A Steve Reich Celebration | Nov 3, 2022 | EVENT PAST |
| Soweto Gospel Choir | Nov 5, 2022 | EVENT PAST |
| Joyce DiDonato: EDEN | Jan 21, 2023 | EVENT PAST |
| Mark Morris Dance Group; The Look of Love | Feb 17, 2023 | EVENT PAST |
| Alexi Kenney, violin | Feb 26, 2023 | EVENT PAST |
| Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra Christian Thielemann, conductor |
Mar 7, 2023 | EVENT PAST |
| William Kentridge’s SIBYL | Mar 18, 2023 | EVENT PAST |
| Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater | Apr 11, 2023 | EVENT PAST |
| Michel van der Aa’s Blank Out | Apr 28–29, 2023 | On sale noon Apr 19 |
- Miami City Ballet (Sep 23, 2022)
EVENT PAST - Maxim Vengerov, violin; Polina Osetinskaya, piano (Oct 14, 2022)
EVENT PAST - San Francisco Symphony; Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor; Bertrand Chamayou, piano (Oct 21, 2022)
EVENT PAST - Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan; 13 Tongues (Oct 29, 2022)
EVENT PAST - Colin Currie Group and Synergy Vocals, “A Steve Reich Celebration” (Nov 3, 2022)
EVENT PAST - Soweto Gospel Choir (Nov 5, 2022)
EVENT PAST - Joyce DiDonato: EDEN (Jan 21, 2023)
EVENT PAST - Mark Morris Dance Group; The Look of Love (Feb 17, 2023)
EVENT PAST - Alexi Kenney, violin (Feb 26, 2023)
EVENT {P - Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; Christian Thielemann, conductor (Mar 7, 2023)
EVENT PAST - William Kentridge’s SIBYL (Mar 18, 2023)
EVENT PAST - Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (Apr 11, 2023)
EVENT PAST - Michel van der Aa’s Blank Out (Apr 28–29, 2023)
On sale noon Apr 19
Student Flex Pass
4 performances for only $60
6 performances for only $90
8 performances for only $120
Buy in bulk and you can get four, six, or eight tickets to world-class performances for just $15 per ticket! Tickets can be redeemed at any point during the season, so you can find shows that fit your schedule.
Student Group Discounts
$15 Tickets for Groups of 10+
From classroom enrichment outings to a special get together for campus student organizations, Cal Performances offers UCB student group rate pricing of $15 per ticket for select performances to groups of 10 or more. Get your friends, sorority, fraternity, club, or classmates together and share an experience you’ll never forget.
UC Berkeley Student Rush
For select performances, Cal students can purchase deeply discounted tickets—as low as $10—beginning an hour before the performance.
To find out if rush tickets will be available for a particular show, call 510.642.9988 beginning three hours prior to the performance.
Illuminations: Connecting Performing Arts & Campus Learning
Illuminations puts the groundbreaking scholarship of UC Berkeley and the world-class music, dance, and theater presented by Cal Performances in conversation with one another to shed light on pressing themes with the power to transform our understanding of the world and shape the future.
This year’s Illuminations theme—“Individual & Community”—will empower us to explore the tensions that come into play while balancing the interests of the individual with the interest of the group. Through performances and public programs presented in cooperation with our many partners at UC Berkeley, this season Cal Performances investigates how our allegiances and alliances influence our lives as individuals and as members of complex and often overlapping communities.
Help Make the Performing Arts Happen
Work With Us
Cal Performances employs student workers in a variety of departments, including the ticket office, front-of-house, marketing and communications, and education! All work is paid and part-time, and open to all currently enrolled students, including those participating in work study programs. Additional benefits of working at Cal Performances include:
- Enjoying free access to the world’s finest music, dance, and theater performances
- Gaining experience and insight into what it takes to present live performances of the highest caliber
- Joining a community of other students and staff with your shared interests
- Developing transferable skills and growing your responsibilities over time
- Work hours are flexible and typically align with UC Berkeley’s academic year.
See current student job openings
Volunteer
Want to be part of the magic, but need a bit more flexibility with scheduling? Cal Performances relies on the generosity of more than 200 volunteers each season to serve as ushers at all of our performances. Volunteer for as many performances as you’d like and gain free entrance to see world-class talent while you’re already onsite!