Cal Performances at Home is much more than a series of great streamed performances. Fascinating behind-the-scenes artist interviews. Informative and entertaining public forums. The Cal Performances Reading Room, featuring books with interesting connections to our Fall 2020 programs. For all this and much more, keep checking this page for frequent updates and to journey far, far Beyond the Stage!
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Beyond the Stage
Explaining the “Early Music” Genre with Jeremy Geffen
Explaining the “Early Music” Genre with Jeremy Geffen
“It’s a combination of performance and scholarship.”
Video editing by El Zager, Cal Performances’ Social Media, Digital Content and Engagement Specialist
So, what is “Early Music” anyway? What movements does it include? And are Early Music artists really trying to recreate what the music sounded like at the time it was made—before recordings even existed?!
While genre tags are generally intended to help listeners create a clearer picture of the music they’re about to experience, genres that are tied to time periods can feel much harder to grasp. In this five-minute video, Jeremy Geffen, Cal Performances’ Executive and Artistic Director, helps to demystify the “historically informed performance movement” and shares more about the styles and performers who are defining Early Music for modern times.
To see what Early Music performances are coming up at Cal Performances during the 2025–26 season, see our genre calendar page here.
Transcript
Jeremy Geffen:
Hi everyone. I’m Jeremy Geffen, the Executive and Artistic Director for Cal Performances, and I’m here for question time!
What periods fall under the Early Music umbrella?
We think of things like Renaissance, Medieval, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and it starts to get a little bit more broad from there. Even within those, there are groupings. Like, anything from essentially Medieval to Baroque is often classified as early music. These are post-hoc categorizations rather than deliberate decisions on the part of a composer to write in a specific style.
What are the qualities that distinguish Early Music?
The variety of sonic experience of Early Music varies enormously, because it can be an a capella concert in which you’re just hearing early music vocal techniques, which in many cases are not totally dissimilar from modern vocal techniques, and especially from some very specific styles of new music where the sound is essentially performed with what they call straight tones, so there’s no vibrato—you just want the purity of the sound and the pitch, and it all fits together like an organ… In other types of early music performance, you’re hearing music performed on instruments, or versions of instruments from the time in which they’re written. Sometimes they’re performed on the traditional instruments, like the folk instruments that led to the creation of those more modern, formalized instruments… So, there’s an enormous amount of variety within early music.
And one of the things I love about it is that there’s often not much of a divide between what was formalized music and what was the full tradition. So, much of the dance music that is so prevalent in Medieval and Baroque music directly comes from music that was meant to be danced to, and therefore is accompanied by more folksy types of instruments.
What is the role of scholarship in Early Music performance?
The historically informed performance movement was really an outgrowth of the second half of the 20th century, and it’s a combination of performance and scholarship. Bach was quite specific in his scores. There’s not a lot of room for improvisation within it, except in places where he’s very specific that he wants something to be improvised, or maybe an ornament here or there. There are no recordings from this time. Recording technology didn’t exist until the 20th century or the very end of the 19th century, so, it’s really a guess as to how the music sounds. And to fill in those blanks, you have to rely on scholarship. People like Jordi Savall and Christopher Hogwood, these are great performers, but they’re also great researchers. And what they bring to a performance is a combination of their sonic imagination combined with the accounts, the firsthand accounts, that they would’ve read of the performances of pieces during this time.
There’s an Indiana Jones element to this. There’s an element of discovery, because we’ll never know exactly how these pieces sounded at the time of their premiere. For many elements of the Baroque tradition, there’s much more onus on the performer. Renaissance and Medieval periods, we have a lot of vocal music. There were so many composers writing during these periods. In many cases, the idea of composer as a sole profession did not exist in the way that it does now.
What Early Music performances are at Cal Performances this season?
The Tallis Scholars comes every year. And we have a piece later this season by Tomás de Victoria, who is certainly the most famous Spanish composer of his time, if not one of the most famous Spanish composers of all time. It’s called O magnum mysterium. It is heaven, and highly encourage everyone to come hear the Tallis Scholars sing that. Jordi Savall, one of his, or sometimes more than one of his ensembles will come once a year. In more recent years, The English Concert comes once a year, and their offering is exclusively a Handel opera or oratorio. So, it’s actually a very similar type of experience from year to year.
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10 Things You May Not Know About Chris Thile
10 Things You May Not Know About Chris Thile
Chris Thile’s Musical Journey Across Genres and Generations
Mandolinist, singer-songwriter, composer, and radio host Chris Thile has built a career that bridges bluegrass, classical, and contemporary music. Best known for his work with the bands Nickel Creek and Punch Brothers, and as the former host of public radio’s Live from Here, Thile is widely recognized for redefining the mandolin for the 21st century.
Ahead of his return to Zellerbach Hall on Friday, February 27, 2026, we’re diving into details about his work and career, and why his live show is a can’t-miss experience for the whole Bay Area.
1. He was a child prodigy (in the truest sense).
Chris Thile started playing the mandolin at the young age of 5, setting the foundation for a lifelong career as a performer and composer. His early exposure to music within a family setting shaped his technical fluency and musical range.
2. Nickel Creek began as a family project.
Thile’s first band, Nickel Creek, formed in 1989 when he was just 8 years old, when he met his bandmates—siblings Sara and Sean Watkins, who were 8 and 12, respectively—through a mutual tutor. The group went from performing a weekly gig at a local pizza spot to touring as one of the most influential progressive acoustic bands of its generation. After a hiatus, Nickel Creek reunited and continues to perform and record today.
3. He was touring professionally before his teens.
Because Nickel Creek functioned as a family band, Thile was already touring nationally while still a child. This early professional experience contributed to his comfort on stage and deep familiarity with live performance.
4. He released solo music early in his career.
In addition to his work with Nickel Creek, Thile released solo recordings as a teenager, including Stealing Second (1997), which showcased his compositional voice and technical command of the mandolin outside of a band setting.
5. He’s a MacArthur Fellow.
In 2012, Thile received a MacArthur Fellowship—the prestigious “genius grant” awarded to just a handful of individuals each year who demonstrate exceptional creativity and potential. The foundation recognized his rare ability to forge a new musical language that seamlessly draws from bluegrass, classical, and other traditions, placing him among an elite group of artists, scientists, and innovators. At 31, he was one of the youngest recipients in the 2012 class.
6. He founded Punch Brothers.
In 2006, Thile formed Punch Brothers, an ensemble known for its intricate compositions, collaborative structure, and genre-crossing approach. The group has released multiple acclaimed albums and remains a central part of his musical output.
7. He’s hosted major variety shows on public radio and podcasts.
Thile became host of A Prairie Home Companion in 2016, later renamed Live from Here with Chris Thile. During its four-year run, the variety show blended live music, conversation, and original songwriting, and reached a national audience through public radio. More recently, he’s been focused on the production of a new musical variety show, The Energy Curfew Music Hour. Created with Claire Coffee and featuring Punch Brothers, Season One is available on all podcast platforms, with Season Two exclusively out on Audible.
8. Bach is a major part of his work.
Thile has long engaged with the music of J.S. Bach, performing and recording the Sonatas and Partitas originally written for solo violin, adapted for mandolin. His 2025 release, Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 2, reflects an interpretive approach informed by both classical tradition and contemporary performance practice. For this project, he embraced a more personal interpretation, taking creative liberties with the scores and recording in unconventional locations of deep significance to him—including New York’s Tompkins Square Park.
9. He Founded His Own Music Camp to Foster Acoustic Community
A reflection of his deep commitment to nurturing the artistic community, Thile created “Acousticamp“—a four-day immersive program where he and hand-selected professional musicians, including members of Punch Brothers, share their expertise with acoustic instrumentalists of all skill levels. Through an energetic schedule of masterclasses, Q&A sessions, and spirited jam sessions, campers experience both rigorous musical growth and genuine joy. This year marks four years of camp, and registration is now open!
10. His career spans awards, collaborations, and multiple disciplines.
Across his work with Nickel Creek, Punch Brothers, solo projects, and radio, Thile has received multiple Grammy Awards and nominations. His career reflects a sustained commitment to collaboration, composition, and live performance rather than a single genre or format.
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Explaining the “New Music” Genre with Jeremy Geffen
Explaining the “New Music” Genre with Jeremy Geffen
“Finding new sonic possibilities”
Video editing by El Zager, Cal Performances’ Social Media, Digital Content and Engagement Specialist
So, what is “New Music” anyway? Is it really all that new? What does it sound like? And what comes next?!
While genre tags are generally intended to help listeners create a clearer picture of the music they’re about to experience, genres that are tied to time periods— especially time periods that include this very moment!—can feel much harder to grasp. In this five-minute video, Jeremy Geffen, Cal Performances’ Executive and Artistic Director, helps to demystify the New Music genre, and shares what makes it so exciting to explore!
To see what New Music performances are coming up at Cal Performances during the 2025–26 season, see our genre calendar page here.
Transcript
Jeremy Geffen:
Hi, I’m Jeremy Geffen. I’m the Executive and Artistic Director for Cal Performances, and I’m here to talk about new music.
What do we mean by “New Music”?
New music is perhaps the most artificial term that we use today because essentially it just means music of our time, and that can mean any number of stylistic options. To me, when I see the term new music, I think, okay, this is music that’s probably composed within the last 10 years. But I think… there are many pieces that musicians may consider having already entered the repertoire or the cannon that our audiences still consider new. So, a piece like Terry Riley’s In C, which is from, I think it’s from the ’60s, ’64, ’68… Pivotal piece. We wouldn’t have works like Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians, a lot of Philip Glass, without it. I think people still think of that as new. The ’60s were 60 years ago.
What is one example of a movement within the genre?
The Polish composer, Witold Lutoslawski, interestingly, he has something in common with John Cage. In much of Cage’s music, there is the element of chance. He was very inspired by the I Ching. So he actually, he wants to create random moments within pieces… so the piece will never be performed the same way twice. There’s a movement that Lutoslawski really champions, which is called aleatory. And aleatoric music provides much more of a scaffolding. So there’s actually, there’s harmony, there is melody, but there are also these moments where the performers, often entire sections of violins, are given patterns of notes which they can repeat at their own speed, at their own will. And it creates the impression of these clouds of sounds, which I find incredibly alluring because they’re presented in combination with “traditional styles of composition.”
What is one event at Cal Performances this season that provides and eclectic sampling of New Music works?
We have the JACK Quartet, who are a young American quartet. All new music is fair game to them. They are including works composed by some of the members of the group. There’s a piece by Gabriella Smith, who is a Berkeley native and one of the most in-demand composers of our time. There’s a piece by the wonderful Danish composer, Hans Abrahamsen, whose work we don’t hear enough because he hasn’t written all that much, especially that has crossed the Atlantic. And then the proto-modernist Helmut Lachenmann, who—that’s hardcore new music. [Editor’s note: Lachenmann piece has been substituted on current program since filming.] So, all within one concert, you’re getting this incredible amount of stylistic variety.
How do you see modern composers and performers evolving the genre?
Composers are writing in manners that will often advance the technique for the instruments for which they’re writing. So, they can find new sonic possibilities that haven’t yet been fully explored or haven’t been incorporated into formal pieces of music. There is such an incredible variety of sonic experience that can be found under the umbrella term “New Music.”
If you don’t have these moments where you’re trying to advance the technical aspects of an instrument, you don’t get works like the opening bassoon solo of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. It was meant to be so difficult that it would sound like there was strain for the performer in it. The performer would crack. And now what’s happened is that it’s been around for well over 100 years, that was from 1913, and technique has adapted. And now every bassoonist can play that opening passage of The Rite of Spring without cracking, turn it into something beautiful.
It’s just wonderful to hear what people are coming up with. Because, similarly to Early Music thinking, “Well, this is what we’ve been hearing for the last 20 years. The next logical outgrowth from this is what I’m going to do now.” I think composers are thinking about what they’re going to write that is authentic to them, where they’re going to put their best foot forward, where they’re creating something that is meaningful to them. And you can absolutely hear it when a composer has found that voice, because those pieces are the most convincing.
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“The Best Things Come in Pairs”: A Deep-Dive into Recitalist Partnerships for the 2025-26 Season
“The Best Things Come in Pairs”: A Deep-Dive into Recitalist Partnerships for the 2025-26 Season
Artists share the secret to what makes each of their partnerships so successful, and give us one word to describe their pairing.
By Angelina Josephine Rosete, Cal Performances’ Engagement Writer
Recital partnerships occupy a unique space in classical music; they rely on a deeply personal, negotiated relationship between two artists, unlike larger staged productions where roles and responsibilities are often more clearly defined. What audiences witness onstage is the product of conversation, study, mutual trust, and artistic curiosity.
For many of this season’s Cal Performances recitalists, these partnerships began long before the first downbeat. They grew out of shared values, mutual admiration, and an intuitive sense that their counterpart could illuminate something new within the music. Their reflections offer insight into how collaboration evolves, how performers listen, and how—in the best partnerships—each artist expands the expressive possibilities of the other.
“Supportive”
When mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey and pianist Myra Huang met at the 2018 Operalia Competition, the environment was high-pressure; yet, they found an immediate artistic kinship. Hankey recalls, “Myra is an incredibly sensitive pianist, and I felt so much support from her, both while she was playing and when she wasn’t. We immediately formed this really strong connection and appreciation for performing with one another, even in a high-stress competition setting.”
Years later, when Huang proposed performing Dichterliebe from a female perspective, Hankey says she “had to say yes for the opportunity to work together again on such an interesting project.” On working together, Huang shares that “When [Sam] is committed, she is committed. To me, that is priceless.”
Their rehearsals, often limited by distance between different cities, are marked by a careful preparation and a sense of safety with one another. Hankey explains, “We do so much prep work on our own… when we do get to be together, we actually can have fun, explore, and truly discover. It comes from a very safe place, and with an enormous sense of trust and respect in one another.” Onstage, this partnership transforms, as both artists respond to each other and to the audience in real time. Huang notes, “Sam and I are instinctive performers, so that no matter how much musicality we bring to our rehearsals, we definitely surpass it once we get on stage. We both tune into the energy of the room and one another, and give all that we have in that moment.”
Hankey sums up their collaboration in one word: “Supportive. I feel like I get to support Myra and her vision with this tremendous program, and she supports me in turn.”
Bay Area audiences can experience Huang playing alongside mezzo-soprano Samantha Hankey in her Cal Performances debut on Jan 18. The two will collaborate on an inviting program that combines Robert Schumann’s aforementioned Dichterliebe song cycle with cabaret songs, lieder, and popular favorites sung in English, French, and German.
“Natural”
For violinist Geneva Lewis and pianist Evren Ozel, their partnership stretches all the way back to high school, when a shared piano trio first revealed their compatibility. Lewis recalls, “I instantly loved working with him, and I found myself really drawn to the care and effort he puts into his music, as well as his incredible sensitivity and convincing musical ideas.” In turn, Ozel recalls, “Even as high-schoolers, Geneva had this mix of generosity and fearlessness—she could lead with real expressive clarity, but she could just as easily lock in and respond.”
Their rehearsals, though often sporadic due to busy schedules and being in different cities, are both concentrated and lighthearted. Lewis shares, “We both feel comfortable sharing our musical ideas with one another and are very open to the other’s suggestions… The process is usually very relaxed, and filled with lots of jokes.” Ozel adds, “Rehearsals are concentrated and a little high-pressure; we’re both exacting, and time is limited. Performance is the release. Once we’re onstage, the preparation carries the structure, and we can actually breathe, listen, and enjoy the ride.”
In both rehearsal and performance, the duo balances their musical precision with their emotional instincts. Lewis describes their partnership in one word: “Natural. There’s a strong level of trust and understanding between us, and it has primarily formed on an intuitive level.”
Join award-winning violinist Geneva Lewis in her Cal Performances debut, joined by celebrated pianist Evren Ozel on Mar 1. Together, they present a striking program featuring a lean late-period masterpiece by Schoenberg, Bach’s E major violin sonata, Schubert’s deeply conversational Fantasy in C major, and Robert Schumann’s Violin Sonata No. 3.
“Exciting” and “Inspiring”
World-renowned singer Renée Fleming and acclaimed pianist Inon Barnatan’s partnership began almost serendipitously; it was first on a flight to the Aspen Music Festival, where, as Fleming recalls, they were “buried in [their] scores,” yet still found themselves deep in conversation. Later that same day during a fire alarm evacuation, she introduced him to Ruth Bader Ginsburg—whom Inon had been wanting to meet—moments before their performances. Barnatan still remembers the surprise of that meeting and the even greater surprise that followed: Fleming casually asking if he might like to perform with her at Carnegie Hall that fall, a beginning he describes as “unexpected—and memorable.”
Their working relationship since has been shaped by meticulous preparation and an intuitive musical dialogue. Fleming speaks of rehearsals as a space for discovery built on “enormous, detailed preparation beforehand,” while Barnatan describes their process as “more like conversations than directives,” marked by her openness and deep familiarity with both her own part and with his. On translating these rehearsals to live performance, Barnatan remarks, “Rehearsals usually happen in small, intimate rooms, while performances are in large halls filled with hundreds or thousands of people. The sense of scale changes everything—the projection, the energy, the theatricality. But even in big spaces, we try to carry that feeling of intimacy onto a much larger canvas.”
Across these different spaces, they continue to challenge and expand one another artistically: Fleming admires Barnatan’s wide-ranging intellect and the “dialogue” it brings to their performances, and Barnatan shares that “Instrumentalists are always aspiring to sound like singers, and working with Renée is a masterclass in that ideal.”
Asked to choose a single word to describe their collaboration, Fleming offers “exciting” and Barnatan “inspiring”—two perspectives that together capture the generosity and sense of possibility that defines their partnership.
Come see legendary soprano Renée Fleming for an extraordinary recital alongside acclaimed pianist Inon Barnatan on Mar 16. The pair will share an inspired program of beloved songs, arias, and dazzling piano showpieces, offering audiences an incredible opportunity to experience one of the most celebrated voices of our time up close.
So, what makes a partnership endure? Across these duos, certain qualities recur: trust, curiosity, flexibility, and a willingness to take artistic risks. Each partnership demonstrates that collaboration is all about harnessing their differences into something more powerful—pushing each other to listen more carefully, respond more thoughtfully, and expand the expressive possibilities of the music. These recitals act as evolving conversations intertwined with displays of technical mastery; they are moments in which two artists create together, challenge each other, and invite audiences into the shared process. The stage for each artistic duo demands an unusual intimacy—two artists, shaping a shared narrative in real time. In every note and in every gesture, the audience can experience a dialogue that is equal parts precision and spontaneity, planning and discovery—a testament to the enduring power of musical partnership.
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Carolling and the Spirit of Ukraine
Carolling and the Spirit of Ukraine
“This isn’t music just for Ukrainians, it’s for all of us… It’s bridging the cultures. That’s kind of been my mission throughout my life, but especially now.”
Interview of Marika Kuzma; filmed and edited by El Zager, Cal Performances’ Social Media, Digital Content and Engagement Specialist
Esteemed choral director Marika Kuzma, a first-generation Ukrainian American and professor emerita of music at UC Berkeley, shares the history and tradition of Ukrainian Christmas carolling ahead of the December 13 performance of her very own Ensemble Cherubim Chamber Chorus in Carols of Birds, Bells, and Peace from Ukraine: A Holiday Celebration. Kuzma is deeply passionate about celebrating the joy and peace innate to Ukrainian culture, and here pulls from her firsthand experiences, her research, and her upcoming performance to provide insight into what makes carolling in this context so interesting and so powerful.
Sections include:
- Intro [0:00]
- What are some special holiday traditions in Ukraine? [0:27]
- Your tie to Ukraine reflects both firsthand experiences of culture, as well as scholarly research. How do those aspects shape your work? [1:18]
- What unites the members of Ensemble Cherubim around Ukraine? [2:48]
- Famed mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade is one of a few special collaborators. What makes her a great fit for this program? [4:34]
- What should audiences know about the experience of hearing live carols for this performance? [5:28]
- What is the significance of the word “peace” in your program title? [6:34]
- What do you hope audiences will take away from the performance? [8:20]
Transcript
Introduction
Marika Kuzma:
My name is Marika Kuzma, and I’m a Ukrainian American musician, conductor, author, actor. The concert coming up [Ensemble Cherubim in Carols of Birds, Bells, and Peace from Ukraine: A Holiday Celebration on Dec 13, 2025] is going to introduce the phenomenal culture of carols from Ukraine, carols and carolling. It’s a culture that I think most Americans have not yet experienced. Even some Ukrainians, I think, it’s going to take them by surprise.
What are some special holiday traditions in Ukraine?
Singing is very much a part of Christmas Eve dinner. It’s what Ukrainians do. They sing together. And then there’s this other aspect that I think is different from what Americans experience, and that is that you sit there in darkness, and there’s just one candle. There’s this atmosphere of awe or of wonder about it. The idea is that Christmas Eve was the night when something miraculous happened. And then there’s also this sense of remembering your elders and remembering your ancestors. So there’s always a place setting for the family members who have departed. It’s an atmosphere, it’s joy, but it’s a deeper, more deeply rooted kind of joy.
Your tie to Ukraine reflects both firsthand experiences of culture, as well as scholarly research. How do those aspects shape your work?
In music scholarship, especially in ethnomusicology, there’s this idea of like, are you from within the culture or are you a great observer from outside the culture? And I feel like I’m really both, because I grew up, Ukrainian was my first language. These carols were some of the first songs I ever sang. I think I actually sang before I spoke—at least that’s what my mother told me, that I was singing before I actually could talk. So it’s really in my bones and in my sort of DNA.
But at the same time, I spent decades studying music of many countries and conducting choirs that were not Ukrainian. But, when the missiles first landed in Kyiv, it’s just like all my DNA just got reactivated. I started to research this music that I had grown up singing and sort of took for granted, and looking at it from a critical perspective, from the perspective of, what makes this repertoire special compared to British carols or German carols or the big oratorios like Handel Messiah? What makes this music important and unique? I learned a lot. So that’s part of why I’m so eager to share this music with the audience in Berkeley, because I feel like, “Oh, I thought I knew this music, but now I really know this culture,” and I would love to share that with you.
What unites the members of Ensemble Cherubim around Ukraine?
First of all, I’ll talk about my choir, which is Ensemble Cherubim. It’s a chamber chorus, and we’re going to be 27 singers on the Zellerbach stage. Each one of them has a different kind of tie to Ukrainian music.
So there’s actually only one singer in the choir who’s of Ukrainian heritage, and she’s someone who’s very much part of Ukrainian heritage. She was born in the States, but she literally went to Ukraine just a few months ago to play a folk instrument and sing in children’s hospitals and in soldier rehabilitation centers. So she’s very, very closely tied to Ukraine directly.
Then there’s a singer who used to sing in Kitka. So she got introduced to Ukrainian culture through more of the village style of singing. There’s a singer who’s a wonderful baritone solo, who’s just sang the solo on Beethoven No. 9 with the UC Berkeley Symphony, and he happens to be married to a Ukrainian woman who’s a coach at the Metropolitan Opera. So, he’s with us.
I could say something about every single singer in the choir and the connection they have. You don’t have to be German to perform music by Beethoven, or you don’t have to be British to sing music by Britten. I think this music has a place among international artists and Grammy-winning artists and actors who’ve been on major stages. It can be given voice through people of any background. And, in fact, I think it shows that this culture and these major artists are embracing this culture at this time.
Famed mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade is one of a few special collaborators. What makes her a great fit for this program?
Finally, there’s Frederica von Stade who’s just so beloved and who has sung in so many languages. I’ve met her, and you feel her instant empathy for humanity and especially for children. She’s worked a lot with Young Musicians Program and with various schools in the Bay Area. She has this enormous heart. In this concert, she’s going to be singing in Ukrainian for the first time and also in Yiddish for the first time. I’m just thrilled. She’s actually going to be singing along with the women in my chorus, alongside them, as sort of part of our village. I’m very excited and moved that all these artists feel this immediate connection to this culture, both its suffering and also its richness.
What should audiences know about the experience of hearing live carols for this performance?
In Ukrainian, it’s all a cappella, and it’s for several reasons. One is that in the church tradition in Ukraine, at least, I mean, there are many religions within Ukraine, but Christianity is the predominant one. And in churches in Ukraine, Orthodox Church, Eastern Rite Catholicism, instruments [weren’t] allowed. So that’s one of the reasons why it’s all a cappella and why the exploration of what a choir can do is so wonderful, because these composers used the choir sort of like an orchestra. They didn’t see it as sopranos, alto, tenors, basses. And then the more interesting stuff isn’t in the orchestra. It’s all within the voices. I am just determined that this concert won’t be just singers standing behind folders. We’re going to have visual projections and supertitles and special effects in the concert, so to really immerse the audience in this culture.
What is the significance of the word “peace” in your program title?
And then I put in the word peace right now because the images that most Americans have of Ukraine right now, if they have any, is of destruction and is of war. And I wanted to give this message of peace, both for the Ukrainian audiences who’s going to be coming, because we need that message right now desperately, and also to show the American audience that Ukrainians are a peace-loving people. They’ve never invaded another country ever in their history. Really, they want peace desperately. And a lot of what has enabled them to survive as a people is these carols that tell them about faith in a higher power, the power of nature, how peace and love are a prevailing spirit of their country.
What do you hope audiences will take away from the performance?
Obviously, as a Ukrainian American, I want the audience to come away from this concert with a deeper understanding of how multi-ethnic and how varied and vibrant this culture is, and have also visual images of what this country looks like, and it’s not just bombing. But the bigger picture is that these carols, these ancient carols, carry a message that the real power of the universe is not that of some mean autocrat who might be ruling over you, and that the real power of life on earth is nature and the cycles of nature and the beauty of nature. That’s what these carols say.
The message that we’re going to be giving to Ukrainians in Ukraine—and by the way, they follow this, they follow me on Facebook, and they’re going to watch the video of this—they see this and they feel less alone. For American audiences, the message is, it’s like, this isn’t music just for Ukrainians, it’s for all of us. And the message of these pieces is for all of us. It’s bridging the cultures. That’s kind of been my mission throughout my life, but especially now.
Every year, in many cultures, a stranger comes knocking on your door to sing for you and give you joy. Part of the power of that, I mean, no matter how good or bad the caroler is, is the fact that this person is right in your face, is right offering you of themselves in your presence. That’s one of the things I hope our concert will give the audience, is this sense of, we’ve come to give you this depth of spirit, this soul-stirring stuff, this joy, right here, right face to face. And the vibration you feel in person is so much better.
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Martha Graham Dance Company Celebrates 100 Years of Revolutionizing Modern Dance
Martha Graham Dance Company Celebrates 100 Years of Revolutionizing Modern Dance
Martha Graham’s connection with UC Berkeley dates back further than the creation of her own company! Learn more about this revered company and its iconic founder.
By Mark Van Oss, Cal Performances’ Communications Editor
Pictured at top: Martha Graham Dance Company in Hope Boykin’s En Masse (Luis Luque)
Celebrating its 100th anniversary, the legendary Martha Graham Dance Company returns to Zellerbach Hall for the first time in more than 10 years with performances on Saturday and Sunday, February 14–15, 2026. Programs include classic Graham works such as the iconic Appalachian Spring, the psychological thriller Night Journey, and the anti-war protest Chronicle—all featuring Isamu Noguchi’s original sets—alongside newly commissioned dances by some of today’s most compelling choreographers.
Saturday evening’s performance features Cortege, a new work by the in-demand team of Baye & Asa, created in response to Graham’s seminal war protest Cortege of Eagles. And Sunday’s matinee includes the Bay Area premiere of En Masse by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater alum Hope Boykin, as well as Jamar Roberts’ We the People, a collaboration—part lament, part protest—with roots musician Rhiannon Giddens exploring themes of determination and resistance.
“It’s an extraordinary honor to welcome the Martha Graham Dance Company back to Cal Performances,” said Cal Performances Executive and Artistic Director Jeremy Geffen. “Many in our audience remember with admiration the company’s previous visits, stretching from 1970 to their most recent Berkeley appearances in 2014, and the February 2026 engagements offer Bay Area dance lovers the chance to re-engage with seminal works that have defined the company’s past, along with the newly commissioned work—from some choreographers already known to our audiences—that will shape its future. All of this combines to provide a truly not-to-be-missed highlight of the 2025–26 season.”
Pictured: Martha Graham performs her work Immediate Tragedy
Martha Graham’s connection with UC Berkeley dates back more than a century, to July 1916, when Ruth St. Denis and Ted Shawn—then at the leading edge of the emerging modern dance movement in the United States—brought their Denishawn company to the Greek Theatre for a special Dance Pageant of Egypt, Greece and India program. That performance featured 170 dancers accompanied by the San Francisco Symphony and the UC Chorus; present on stage, a promising 22-year-old dancer named Martha Graham, in what is believed to be her San Francisco Bay Area debut.
The rest, of course, is history. Today, Graham is recognized—alongside figures such as James Joyce, Pablo Picasso, Igor Stravinsky, and Frank Lloyd Wright—as a primal artistic force of the 20th century. Her distinctive, groundbreaking movement technique has been carried in dancers’ bodies for generations; the works she commissioned have grown and multiplied over hundreds of performances; and her contributions to the art of stage design and dance production are countless.
Indeed, Graham’s name would become synonymous with American modern dance and her school and company would grow to become the training ground for the next generation of American dancers and choreographers, including such luminaries as Merce Cunningham, Pearl Lang, Paul Taylor, Glen Tetley, and Alvin Ailey, all of whom would also form companies and play major roles in the emerging dance programming on the UC Berkeley campus.
Graham founded her company and school in 1926, while living and working out of a tiny Carnegie Hall studio in midtown Manhattan. As early as the 1930s, her dancers reflected diverse cultural backgrounds, and Graham’s commitment to experimentation and attention to contemporary social, political, psychological, and gender issues has forever altered the scope and direction of the art form.
For full program information as well as tickets to Martha Graham Dance Company in GRAHAM100: A Celebration of the Company’s 100th Anniversary, visit the event detail page.
