Maxim Emelyanychev, conductor and harpsichord
Joyce DiDonato, mezzo-soprano (Dido)
Nick Phan, tenor (Jephte and Aeneas)
Beth Taylor, mezzo-soprano (Sorceress)
Hugh Cutting, countertenor (Spirit)
Song Hee Lee, soprano (Belinda)
Jiayu Jin, soprano (Second Woman and Filia)
Massimo Altieri, tenor (Sailor)
Alena Dantcheva, soprano (First Sorceress)
Anna Piroli, soprano (Second Sorceress)
In a true season highlight, star mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato returns to Berkeley with the Italian period-music ensemble Il Pomo d’Oro in a program of Baroque music presented with exquisite freshness and flair. This time, DiDonato and company bring tragedy, performing Purcell’s brilliant and beloved opera Dido and Aeneas and Carissimi’s deeply emotive oratorio Jephte in concert. DiDonato has triumphed in opera houses worldwide as the tragic Queen of Carthage in Berlioz’s Les Troyens, but it wasn’t until 2024 that she first performed Purcell’s opera in its entirety. To hear her lend her “astonishing vocal prowess” (The Classical Review) to highlights like Dido’s famous lament, “When I am laid in earth,” with these telepathically sensitive accompanists promises to be a rare treat.
This event is part of Cal Performances’ Illuminations: “Innocence & Experience” programming for the 2026–27 season.
Major Support: Maria Manetti Shrem
Patron Sponsor: Helen Berggruen for Five Arts Foundation
| CARISSIMI | Jephte |
| PURCELL | Dido and Aeneas |
Program notes will be available approximately one week before the performance.
7:30pm
There is a $20 service charge on all subscription orders, and a $15 per order service charge on ticket purchases made by phone or online that are not part of a subscription package. There is no fee for tickets purchased in person at the Zellerbach Hall Ticket Office unless they are part of a subscription.
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2026–27 Season Guides
Some of you want your mind blown. Some want your heart broken. Some want to see a legend before they stop touring. Whatever brings you through those doors, we’ve built a guide for it. Explore the six patron guides below to find the performances that were made for you!
7:30pm
There is a $20 service charge on all subscription orders, and a $15 per order service charge on ticket purchases made by phone or online that are not part of a subscription package. There is no fee for tickets purchased in person at the Zellerbach Hall Ticket Office unless they are part of a subscription.
2026–27 Season Subscriptions go on sale noon May 5
Single tickets for 2026–27 Season events go on sale at noon Aug 11
