This program sets the new beside the old and the familiar beside the unfamiliar. Fittingly, Shaw’s music often begins with something old (a Beethoven quartet in Blueprint, or a medieval dawn song in Cant voi l’aube) and transforms it into music that “exudes joy and a sense of wildness” (Pitchfork). The concert’s first half features Shaw’s own music, with the composer providing the vocals. After intermission, she trades voice for viola and joins the ensemble for Mendelssohn’s exuberant String Quintet in B-flat major, Op. 87, stepping inside a tradition her music so often reinvents.
Visit the Ensemble in Residence page for information about campus events and activities as they are announced.
This event is part of Cal Performances’ Illuminations: “Innocence & Experience” programming for the 2026–27 season.
| CAROLINE SHAW | Blueprint Cant voi l’aube Plan and Elevation And So The Evergreen Other Song |
| MENDELSSOHN | String Quintet in B-flat major, Op. 87 |
Program notes will be available approximately one week before the performance.
3pm
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
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3pm
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.