Brad Mehldau Trio

November is always a busy month at Cal Performances, and once again this season, I can’t think of a time period that so clearly displays the impressive depth and breadth of our programming. In the coming weeks alone, we’ll run the gamut of live performance, including classical-music recitals with star instrumentalists cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason (Nov 1) and harpsichordist Jean Rondeau (Nov 5); the brilliant ensemble playing of early-music champions Le Consort (Nov 8) and the Takács Quartet (Nov 12); a return visit by the great San Francisco Symphony, performing under Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen in a concert featuring the world premiere of a new work by Jens Ibsen and a solo turn by the orchestra’s principal clarinetist Carey Bell (Nov 10); a brilliant new program by the always popular Silkroad Ensemble under artistic director Rhiannon Giddens (Nov 17); our annual visit by The English Concert in an all-star concert performance of Handel’s Rodelina (Nov 19); cutting-edge jazz from the legendary trio of pianist Brad Mehldau (Nov 11); and highly anticipated appearances by theater/cabaret sensations John Cameron Mitchell and Amber Martin (Nov 4) and Broadway superstar Kristin Chenoweth (Nov 15).

And that’s only the start! As we continue through the season, you’ll find more than 80 carefully curated events designed to appeal to the eclectic interests and adventurous sensibilities of Bay Area audiences. In total, this year’s schedule features nearly 30 companies, ensembles, and solo artists new to our program, offering a wide range of opportunities to discover unfamiliar performers and artworks. There’s plenty to enjoy, including six world premieres, six Cal Performances co-commissions, nearly one dozen local and regional premieres, and the West Coast premieres of Taylor Mac & Matt Ray’s Bark of Millions and Nathalie Joachim’s Ki moun ou ye (Who are you?).

Cal Performances continues to invest in ongoing relationships with established and acclaimed artistic partners, with upcoming presentations including a landmark collaboration between Germany’s Pina Bausch Foundation, Senegal’s École des Sables, and the UK’s Sadler’s Wells theater in the first-ever Bay Area performances of Bausch’s pioneering The Rite of Spring (1975), as well as the renewal of a multi-season residency by The Joffrey Ballet, which this year will present its first full-length narrative ballet, Anna Karenina, at Zellerbach Hall. And I’m especially pleased that in March 2024, the renowned pianist Mitsuko Uchida will join us as Artist in Residence for two special concerts as well as additional opportunities for the campus and wider Bay Area community to engage with her singular artistry.

A focus of the season will be our multi-dimensional Illuminations programming, which once again will connect the work of world-class artists to the intellectual life and scholarship at UC Berkeley via performances and public programs investigating a pressing theme—this season, “Individual & Community.” Concepts of “individual” and “community” have been at the forefront of public discourse in recent years, with some models increasing polarization and radicalization within our society. Questions have emerged as to how we can best nurture a sense of community and how the groups we associate with impact our own sense of self. Given our fast-evolving social landscape, how can we retain and celebrate the traits that make each of us unique, while still thriving in a world that demands cooperation and collaboration? With the performing arts serving as our guide and compass, our 2023–24 “Individual & Community” programming will explore the tensions that come into play when balancing the interests of the individual with those of the group.

Please make sure to check out our website for complete information. We’re thrilled to share all the details with you, and to welcome you once again to Cal Performances!

Jeremy Geffen
Executive and Artistic Director, Cal Performances