Julia Keefe sings in Indigenous Big Bands

Thursday, May 8, 7:30 p.m., Jackson Hall at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

Continuing a little-known but rich history of big bands that formed on reservations during the early 20th century, the Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band brings charisma, passionand purpose to every stage.

This ensemble features a “who’s who” of Native and Indigenous jazz musicians and bandleaders, including Mali Obomsawin (Odanak Abenaki), Delbert Anderson (Diné) and Chantil Dukart (Tsimshian), led by celebrated vocalist and luminary Julia Keefe (Nez Perce). Performing pieces from their under-appreciated predecessors in jazz like Mildred Bailey (Coeur d’Alene) and Jim Pepper (Kaw/Mvskoke), alongside works by contemporary Indigenous composers, the band spotlights a vibrant, long-standing tradition of Indigenous improvised music.

Get tickets here: Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band | Mondavi Center

Listen to Brazilian jazz music in Shinkoskey Noon Concert

Thursday, May 8, 12:05 p.m., Recital Hall at Ann E. Pitzer Center

Ricardo Peixoto, guitar

Ricardo Silva, piano

Brian Rice, pandéiro

Program to be announced.

The Davis Feminist Film Festival returns for 20th year

Friday, May 9, 7-9:30 p.m. at the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art
Saturday, May 10, 2-4:30 p.m. at the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art (and tour museum exhibition during intermission)

Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Davis Feminist Film Festival this year with UC Davis Women’s Resources and Research Center. This two-day event showcases independent feminist film from around the globe — including narrative, documentary and experimental shorts — to raise consciousness about the intersecting dimensions of social inequity and to explore perspectives often missing from mainstream media.

Pair your feminist film festival experience with the work of 30 fiercely original and groundbreaking women artists and tour Through Their Eyes: Selections from the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Collection during intermission.

Get tickets here and preview the full festival program here. 

UC Davis Sinfonietta features members of the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra

Friday, May 9, 7 p.m., Recital Hall at Ann E. Pitzer Center

Christian Baldini, director and conductor

Program

Anna Clyne: Within Her Arms

Lukas Foss: For Toru for Flute and Strings

Dean Kervin Boursiquot: As I Dream (PREMIERE)

Trey Makler: wanting to trust moonflowers for Flute and Strings (PREMIERE)

See students’ spring recitals

Saturday, May 10, various times, Recital Hall at Ann E. Pitzer Center

Check back here in case times change.

Nate Holden, baritone: 2 p.m.

with Karen Rosenak, piano

Program:

J.S. Bach: “Mache Dich” from the St. Matthew Passion
with Jason Chen, continuo

Henri Duparc: La vague et la cloche
with Karen Rosenak, piano

Elvis Costello / The Brodsky Quartet: Three Selections
from The Juliet Letters
with Leyao Wang, Jose Carillo, Nick Lin, and Joshua Levi (string quartet)

Gertrude Stookey, soprano: 4:30 p.m.

with Karen Rosenak, piano

Program:

Ernest Chausson: Le Colibri

Richard Strauss: Allerseelen

Giuseppe Verdi: ”Sul fil d’un soffio etesio” from Falstaff

Enrique Granados: ”El majo discreto” from Tonadillas

Neharika Logeshwaran, flute: 7 p.m.

with Karen Rosenak, piano

Program to be announced.

Make prints for peace with Art Spark

Saturdays and Sundays, 1-4 p.m., at the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art

Spring into art making with an afternoon in the Carol and Gerry Parker Art Studio, where you can explore activities connected to the museum’s exhibitions. Take inspiration from Tea and Peace in the Collections Classroom and embellish styrofoam to create prints with a positive message. All ages and skill levels are welcome, art is for everyone!

Ongoing Exhibitions in Davis

Read about ongoing art and design exhibits here. 

Above art, Coyote dancer with flute #III, 1983, Acrylic wash/paper. (Courtesy/Gorman Museum of Native American Art).

Celebrate Mother’s Day with The Auburn Symphony

Sunday, May 11, 3 p.m., Jackson Hall at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

The Auburn Symphony joyfully returns for their 27th Season Finale concert at the Mondavi Center. Featuring one of the largest orchestras in their history at this venue and including dynamic soloists with a full choir, you will revel in this triumphant performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection”. This piece was famously performed in the recent Leonard Bernstein film directed by Bradley Cooper, Maestro.

Get tickets here: Auburn Symphony: Mahler at the Mondavi

‘Rules of Play’ explores structures and systems in place

Running from May 15 to May 24, various times, Main Theatre in Wright Hall

Rules of Play aims to explore how, and in what ways, people navigate through the game of life. Through dance and movement, collaborators are encouraged to creatively explore the systems around them and present work that helps audiences reflect upon what rules are of benefit to society and which may need to be revised or upended. Featuring nearly 30 dancers, the program is curated by Doria E. Charlson, visiting professor of theatre and dance, and showcases new works developed and performed by undergraduate students.

The concert features new choreography created by recent alums Eva Anderson and undergraduate students Kasey Basya, Naomi Duncan, Daniela Durkin, Leslie Figueroa-Borja, Mikayla Freeman, Eliza Gilligan, Diyansha Magesh, Sia Puri, Sam Qiao and Gabriel Wahid.

Purchase tickets here: Rules of Play - Department of Theatre and Dance

Shields Library expands their collection of self-published music

During this academic year, Shields Library has expanded their collection of self-published music by American composers who may not have consistent access to formal publishing channels. Music scores were incorporated in our collections to enrich the library’s breadth of contemporary American concert music and provide a representative range of resources for performers and music scholars. The project’s initial library school intern, Ryan Howard, helped set up infrastructure and processes for adding these materials to the library’s collections. A second library school intern, Kristen Pierri, then researched composers and added over 75 scores with instrumentation ranging from solo works to large ensembles. Most scores are available in digital format through the UC Davis Library.

Above image: Excerpt from the score for Three Ragtime Pieces for Marimba Quartet, composed by Dolores White (1932-2023).

In Design

See Department of Design’s senior showcase ‘Cruess Collective’

Running from May 13 to June 13, open noon-4 p.m. Monday through Friday, at the Design Museum, 124 Cruess Hall

Cruess Collective is the 2025 undergraduate exhibition highlighting the versatility and creativity of the Department of Design, as shown through the outstanding course work produced over the past year by senior undergraduate students.

The Department of Design offers a challenging curriculum combining design history, theory, and studio courses. Faculty members assist students with the complex practice of translating ideas into realities and the important process of shaping culture, form, and content. Students are trained in combining design factors with technical skills to fluidly navigate the design discipline in the areas of Textiles and Fashion, Exhibition, Visual Communication, and Interior Lighting & Architecture.

Industrial designer Dylan Mulder brings wearable technology to movie magic

Thursday, May 15, 4:30-7 p.m., at the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art in the Community Education Room

An Alberini Family Speaker Series Lecture

Dylan Mulder is an award-winning industrial designer, lecturer, consultant, and digital fabrication expert whose work encompasses product design, feature films, and wearable technology. Mulder will give a talk titled “Weaving Heritage and High Tech: From Wearables to Movie Magic” for the UC Davis Department of Design’s Alberini Family Speaker Series in Design.

This talk explores the intersection of cultural heritage, cutting-edge technology and sustainable design through the lens of Mulder’s award-winning work. Drawing from his Ngāti Maniapoto roots and global experiences, Dylan shares how he integrates indigenous wisdom with modern innovations like generative AI and reactive diffusion. Highlighting key projects, including wearable art and digital fabrication, the talk inspires people to embrace inclusivity, push creative boundaries, and envision a future where design bridges culture, science, and technology.

Mulder’s experience includes projects with prestigious companies such as Weta Workshop, Cirque Du Soleil, Netflix, Air New Zealand, and Soul Machines Ltd. He has created iconic costume pieces for high-profile clients such as Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, and Jacinda Ardern. By drawing from his Dutch and Māori heritage, he creates artwork that resonates on both personal and universal levels connecting people from all walks of life, regardless of cultural background, indigenous roots, or socioeconomic status.

Get tickets here!

Mirror Image Dance Company returns for 10th annual showcase

Sunday, May 18 to Tuesday, May 20, various times, Jackson Hall at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

Mirror Image Dance Company is more than just a place to learn technique from world-class instructors. Founded on the idea that everyone should have access to dance, MIDC proudly fosters a fun dance environment where everyone is welcomed with open arms: all body types, ethnicities, genders, socioeconomic statuses, and experience levels.

Dancers have been working all year on their skills and choreography and they are so excited to share their hard work with everyone.

Get tickets for Sunday, May 18 at 10 a.m.: Mirror Image Dance Company Showcase | Mondavi Center

Get tickets for Sunday, May 18, at 3 p.m.: Mirror Image Dance Company Showcase | Mondavi Center

Get tickets for Monday, May 19, at 6 p.m.: Mirror Image Dance Company Showcase | Mondavi Center

Get tickets for Tuesday, May 20, at 6 p.m.: Mirror Image Dance Company Showcase | Mondavi Center

Shields Library hosts special exhibit and talk for Black Family Day

Saturday, May 24, 1:30-3:34 p.m., Shields Library

Visit Shields Library for a special exhibit on the history of Black Family Day at UC Davis, a talk by Professor Psyche Williams-Forson, author of Eating While Black: Food Shaming and Race in America, and wine and dessert pairing (must be 21+ to participate) hosted by CoCo Noir Wine Shop of Oakland and Midtown Bakery of Sacramento.

Psyche A. Williams-Forson is one of the leading thinkers about food in America. In Eating While Black, she offers her knowledge and experience to illuminate how anti-Black racism operates in the practice and culture of eating. She shows how mass media, nutrition science, economics, and public policy drive entrenched opinions among both Black and non-Black Americans about what is healthful and right to eat. Starkly exposing the rampant shaming and policing around how Black people eat, Williams-Forson contemplates food's role in cultural transmission, belonging, homemaking, and survival.

Register here: Book Talk: Eating While Black

To get tickets to Black Family Day: UC Davis Black Family Day Tickets | Eventbrite

To learn more: Black Family Day | Cross Cultural Center

Check out ‘Books of the Month’ by the College of Letters and Science

See the full list here : AAPI Books of the Month

Celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with L&S Authors through Books of the Month. The April selections are in honor of Asian American Pacific islander (AAPI) Heritage Month which features works authored or edited by faculty from the arts, humanities and social sciences. From the poetic to the analytical, L&S scholars unearth untold stories from the U.S., China, Japan, India, Indonesia, Vietnam and beyond.