As springtime fast approaches, this weekend offers a perfect opportunity to sample the types of entertaining, diverse, and ambitious programs that make Cal Performances so special. The Joffrey Ballet, one of the crown jewels of American dance, arrives for a three-day residency (Mar 4–6), with a program featuring three highly anticipated West Coast premieres. (What a great way to conclude the company’s current six-year residency at UC Berkeley!) We also welcome the return of our longtime friends Jordi Savall and Le Concert des Nations with a sparkling program of early music featured in the classic 1991 film Tous les matins du monde (Mar 4); as well as the Cal Performances solo debut of the brilliant young soprano Angel Blue (with pianist Bryan Wagorn) in a recital including works by R. Strauss, Fauré, Schumann, and a powerful selection of traditional Black American spirituals (Mar 6).

I also want to make sure you know about another upcoming season highlight, the West Coast premiere of Ted Hearne and Saul Williams’ Place (Mar 12; a semi-staged secular oratorio), a bold meditation on the topographies of gentrification and displacement. One of this season’s Illuminations “Place and Displace­ment” events (see our website for more information), Place was a finalist for the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Music; it’s a remarkable work and something I don’t think you’ll want to miss. (The recording for the New Amsterdam label captured the attention of the music world, earning two 2021 Grammy nominations—for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance and Best Contemporary Classical Composition.)

March marks the time of year that traditionally finds Cal Performances operating on all cylinders. From now through the beginning of May, the remainder of our 2021­–22 season is packed with adventurous programming. You won’t want to miss…

• the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (Mar 29 – Apr 3) returning to Zellerbach Hall for the first time since the initial pandemic shutdown in 2020; Ailey programs—featuring more than a dozen works from the company’s legendary repertory—have just been announced, so make sure to check our website for details
• the one and only London Symphony Orchestra (Mar 20), appearing under the direction of superstar conductor Sir Simon Rattle, in a program of orchestral masterworks
• pianist extraordinaire Mitsuko Uchida (Mar 27) playing and directing Mozart with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra
• the renowned English Baroque Soloists (Apr 10) with conductor Sir John Eliot Gardiner in a transfixing program of works by Mozart and Haydn
• Angélique Kidjo, our 2021–22 artist-in-residence, in her new music-theater piece Yemandja (a much-anticipated Cal Performances co-commission and Illuminations event, Apr 23).

Fasten your seatbelts; we have all of this—plus much more—in store for you!

We’re very proud of our updated winter brochure and know that a few minutes spent reviewing our schedule—in print or online—will reveal a wealth of options for your calendar; now is the perfect time to guarantee that you have the best seats for all the events you plan to attend.

I know you join us in looking forward to what lies ahead, to coming together once again to
encounter the life-changing experiences that only the live performing arts deliver. We can’t wait to share it all with you during the coming months.

Jeremy Geffen
Executive and Artistic Director, Cal Performances