See Giulia Cailotto in 'Ahead of their Time: Adelaide Ristori and Clara Schumann' at noon concert Thursday

Thursday, Oct. 17, 12:05 p.m., Recital Hall, Ann E. Pitzer Center

featuring Italian actress Giulia Cailotto

with UC Davis lecturers in music:

   Dagenais Smiley, violin

   Susan Lamb Cook, cello

   I-Hui Chen, piano

“Ahead of their Time” is an inspirational story about Adelaide Ristori, 19th century actress and entrepreneur, as told by Italian actress Giulia Cailotto, intertwined with the music and story of 19th-century pianist and composer Clara Schumann. The stories of Adelaide Ristori and Clara Schumann were an inspiration for women of their time and continues to be an inspiration for women of all ages today. 

Program

Robert Schumann: Quasi Variazioni Andantino de Clara Wieck

Clara Schumann: Trio in G Minor, op. 17

and The story of Adelaide Ristori as told by Giulia Cailotto

Learn more about Giulia Cailotto and the program here "Ahead of Their Time: Adelaide Ristori and Clara Schumann" - UC Davis Arts 

Hear Portuguese fado music by Mariza at Mondavi 

Friday, Oct. 18, 7:30 p.m., Jackson Hall at the Mondavi Center

No other Portuguese artist since Amália Rodrigues has built an international career with as much success on the most prestigious world stages than Mariza.

She began her 20-year career as an almost hidden local phenomenon, known only to a small circle of Lisbon admirers. Today, she transcends her own name, regarded as one of the most applauded stars on the world music circuit and a true ambassador of the melancholy, blues-like Portuguese fado, boldly taking it along new and daring paths without ever losing sight of its soul.

For more information visit: Mariza | Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts 

Visit the Woodland Opera House for their new production, Puffs

Running from Friday, Oct. 18 to Saturday, Nov. 2, at the Woodland Opera House, 340 Second Street, Woodland 95695 Tickets from $9

For seven years a certain boy wizard went to a certain Wizard School and conquered evil. This, however, is not his story. This is the story of the Puffs… who just happened to be there too. A tale for anyone who has never been destined to save the world. Puffs (or Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic and Magic), written by Matt Cox, offers a comedic and fresh take on a familiar magical world, retelling the story from the perspective of the underdog students in the "Puff" house at a certain wizarding school.

Get tickets here.

The Mondavi presents Threshold dance performance

Running from Friday, Oct. 18 through Sunday, Oct. 20, Vanderhoef Studio Theatre at the Mondavi Center, tickets from $10

Threshold, a dual program by choreographer Claudine Naganuma of dNaga Dance Co. and Choreographer SanSan Kwan, offers a feminist response to anti-Asian violence and Asian American invisibility. This evening of dance ushers audiences into an encounter with the shadows and structures that uphold racial violence and choreographs a space of restoration and liberation. Join us in exploring the kinetics of resilience.

“Unbound” a performance directed by Claudine Naganuma and performed by dNaga Dance Co. explores the origins of anti-Asian violence through poignant narratives of incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII, the impact of patriarchy on girls, and the modern-day repercussions of racist legislation. The piece delves into trajectories of hope through themes of unity and care, drawing inspiration from figures like Yuri Kochiyama and examining the practices that propel us towards collective liberation.  

When we witness a violent act, a pain is felt through the body. “Two Doors,” a performance directed by SanSan Kwan, explores the viscerality of anti-Asian racism and the sovereignty that we wrestle for ourselves in response. Dancers experiment with closings and openings, weight sharing and weight bearing, surveillance and care, playing with the kinetics of in/visibility, anticipated harm, redress, and repair.

Get tickets here: Threshold | Mondavi Center 

Across the Spider-Verse live in concert

Saturday, Oct. 19, 7:30 p.m., Jackson Hall at the Mondavi Center (this event is near capacity, but check for ticket availability)

In  Spider-Man™: Across the Spider-Verse, we witness the return of Miles Morales, our beloved friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, he embarks on an interdimensional journey across the Multiverse. Here, he encounters the Spider Society, a formidable team charged with safeguarding the very fabric of reality. However, when differing approaches to a new threat divide the heroes, Miles must navigate this rift alone, driven by a determination to protect those he holds dear.

Spider-Man™: Across the Spider-Verse Live in Concert will showcase the film on a huge HD screen, accompanied by a full orchestra, scratch DJ on turntables, percussion, and electronic instruments performing the film’s ground-breaking soundtrack live.

Get tickets here: Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Live in Concert | Mondavi Center 

Enjoy a sensory-friendly performance by Sons of Mystro 

Sunday, Oct. 20, 2  p.m., Jackson Hall at the Mondavi Center

The brothers that make up Sons of Mystro were born and raised in South Florida to a Jamaican father (named Mystro!) and a Barbadian mother. Malcolm, 25, and his 22-year-old brother Umoja learned to play the violin through South Florida’s public school system and attended Dillard High School for the Performing Arts. They use their violins to interpret reggae classics, American pop songs and their own creations accompanied by a DJ & a drummer.

Get tickets starting at $10 here: Sons of Mystro Sensory Friendly Performance | Mondavi Center 

Meet Eungie Joo, curator of contemporary art at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

Wednesday, Oct. 23, 4:30 p.m., at the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art

Eungie Joo will be visiting UC Davis to give an artist talk on Wednesday, Oct. 23. Joo was the founding director of and curator of REDCAT in Los angeles as well as work in the Korean Pavillion at the 53rd Venice Biennale where she presented Condensation by Haegue Yage. This summer, Joo curated several exhibits at SFMOMA including Fortuna and the Immortality Garden (Machine) by Kara Walker, the museum’s first ever commission for the admission-free, street-level Roberts Family Gallery.

Eungie Joo is the fall quarter spotlight curator in The California Studio: Manetti Shrem Artist Residencies.

Attend a TedTalk about AI with Baratunde Thurston

Wednesday, Oct. 23, 7:30 p.m., Jackson Hall at the Mondavi Center

AI Doesn't Have to Kill Us But Can Make Us Stronger

Baratunde Thurston is an Emmy-nominated, multi-platform storyteller and producer operating at the intersection of race, tech, democracy and climate. 

He is the host of the PBS television series America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston, creator and host of How To Citizen with Baratunde, which Apple named one of its favorite podcasts of 2020, and a founding partner of the new media startup Puck. His comedic memoir, How To Be Black, is a New York Times bestseller. In 2019, he delivered what MSNBC’s Brian Williams called “one of the greatest TED talks of all time.” In this entertaining talk, Thurston will look at the future of AI. and provide a helpful framework for deciding how and if to use AI tools. 

Watch a clip of Baratunde Thurston promoting his podcast 

Get your tickets before they sell out here: Baratunde Thurston | Mondavi Center 

Learn about American science fiction through the lens of Asian appropriation with Astria Suparak

Thursday, Oct. 24, 7:30 p.m., Vanderhoef Studio at the Mondavi Center

Asian futures, without Asians is a multimedia performance lecture by artist Astria Suparak, which asks: “What does it mean when so many white filmmakers envision futures inflected by Asian culture, but devoid of actual Asian people?” 

Part critical analysis, part reflective essay and sprinkled throughout with humor, justified anger, and informative morsels, this hour-long illustrated lecture examines nearly 60 years of American science fiction cinema through the lens of Asian appropriation and whitewashing.

Using a wide interpretation of “Asian” to reflect current and historical geopolitical trends and self-definitions (inclusive of East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, West Asia, Central Asia, North Africa, and the Pacific Islands—the latter two of which are not Asia), this research-creation project examines how Asian cultures have been mixed and matched, contrasted against, and conflated with each other, often creating a fungible “Asianness” in futuristic sci-fi.

Get tickets here: Astria Suparak | Mondavi Center  

Next week

Listen to harpsichord and virginal keyboard instruments

Thursday, Oct. 24, 12:05 p.m., Recital Hall at Ann E. Pitzer Center, a Shinkoskey Noon Concert

The harpsichord and virginal were both popular keyboard instruments of the 17th century, promoting the development of soloistic keyboard works across Europe. Today, as the popularity of the harpsichord enjoys a revival, it is still rare to experience hearing the virginal in a concert setting. This performance will explore the unique sounds of both instruments and compare and contrast their distinctive roles in history.  

Program to be announced.

Faythe Vollrath (courtesy)

Coming up

Spend an evening with Brittney Griner at the Chancellor’s Colloquium 

Sunday, Nov. 3, 7:30 p.m., Jackson Hall at the Mondavi Center

Brittney Griner is a pioneer, humanitarian and activist and was named as one of TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2023.

Griner is an NCAA champion, a WNBA champion and a three-time Olympic gold medalist. Winner of the Best Female Athlete ESPY Award, and a ten-time WNBA All-Star, Griner is one of the most decorated and significant athletes of this generation. Griner’s most recent book, Coming Home, takes readers inside her shocking detention in Russia, the campaign to bring her home and how overwhelming support from family and friends kept her fighting for survival and justice.

Chancellor Gary S. May will moderate the discussion and Q&A.

Tickets are still available, get yours here: An Evening with Brittney Griner | Mondavi Center

For ongoing exhibits in Davis, click here: Ongoing Art Exhibits in Davis