Russ Zokaites on trombone for noon concert; Meat Salad and more

Thursday, March 16, 12:05 – 1 p.m., Recital Hall, Ann E. Pitzer Center, a Shinkoskey Noon Concert, free

20th- and 21st-century works for bass trombone and piano with Russ Zokaites, UC Davis lecturer in music.

The program features Jim Hopson: Meat Salad (2019), Alexi Lebedev: Concerto in One Movement (1947), Inez S. McComas: American Muscle (2014), Eugene Bozza: New Orleans (1962), and William Timmons: A Strange Wayfarer for Bass Trombone and Looping Station (2020).

Voice Students of Heidi Moss, Studio Recital

Thursday, March 16, 3 – 4 p.m., free, Pitzer Center

Heidi Moss is a San Francisco Bay Area performer, educator, and scientist. Noted for her “rich and radiant soprano” (Edward Ortiz, Sacramento Bee), she has performed both in the United States and abroad.

Her interest in voice science came from her work in the lab of the late Richard Miller at Oberlin. In 2007, a rare cranial nerve injury sidelined her singing career, and she was warned she may not ever perform again. Using her own scientific research and strategies, particularly in how speech and singing is processed in the brain, she rehabilitated to return to the art she loves. She has applied these concepts and designed a novel pedagogy to train singers of all levels, including those with hearing impairment, neurodivergent backgrounds, and physical disabilities.

She is a firm believer of the voice as a palette, and embraces all genres as vocal possibilities. In addition to classical singers, she has worked with Hindustani singers, electronic music, musical theater, pop and Latin music. She is currently the scientific advisor for Srijan Deshpande, who is researching the acoustics, perception and motor learning for Indian Classical musicians.

Theatre: Outside the Lines, Winter 2023 (this event is full)

March 16, 17, 18, 7 – 8:30 p.m., Hickey Gym, UC Davis, free

The Department of Theatre and Dance will present the winter 2023 edition of Outside the Lines on March 16-18 in the Hickey Gym. Performances begin at 7 p.m. and are free.

The program includes performances of new works by graduate and undergraduate students. The choreography has been developed under the guidance of Professor David Grenke. 

Seating is limited. Please sign up for reservations for March 16, March 17, and March 18.

Percussion Ensemble UC Davis performs Friday

Friday, March 17, 3 – 4 p.m., Recital Hall, Ann E. Pitzer Center, free

The program features Steve Reich: Drumming (complete) with Graduate Student Ensemble voices.

Drumming lasts from 55 to 75 minutes (depending on the number of repeats played) and is divided into four parts that are performed without pause. The first part is for four pairs of tuned bongo drums, stand-mounted and played with sticks; the second, for three marimbas played by nine players together with two women’s voices; the third, for three glockenspiels played by four players together with whistling and piccolo; and the fourth section is for all these instruments and voices combined.

In the context of his own music, Steve Reich says “Drumming is the final expansion and refinement of the phasing process, as well as the first use of four new techniques: (1) the process of gradually substituting beats for rests (or rests for beats); (2) the gradual changing of timbre while rhythm and pitch remain constant; (3) the simultaneous combination of instruments of different timbre; and (4) the use of the human voice to become part of the musical ensemble by imitating the exact sound of the instruments.” 

Drumming begins with two drummers building up the basic rhythmic pattern of the entire piece from a single drum beat, played in a cycle of 12 beats with rests on all the other beats. Gradually additional drumbeats are substituted for the rests, one at a time, until the pattern is completed. The reduction process is simply the reverse where rests are gradually substituted for the beats, one at a time, until only a single beat remains.

At Mondavi: Los Lobos, with Gaby Moreno; tickets still available

Saturday, March 18, 7:30 p.m., Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

The journey of Los Lobos began in 1973, when David Hidalgo (vocals, guitar, and pretty much anything with strings), Louie Perez (drums, vocals, guitar), Cesar Rosas (vocals, guitar), and Conrad Lozano (bass, vocals, guitarrón) earned their stripes playing revved-up versions of Mexican folk music in restaurants and at parties. The band evolved in the 1980s as it tapped into L.A.’s burgeoning punk and college rock scenes. They were soon sharing bills with bands like the Circle Jerks, Public Image Ltd. and the Blasters, whose saxophonist, Steve Berlin, would eventually leave the group to join Los Lobos in 1984. That kind of sharp artistic turn has become Los Lobos’ trademark, serving to both fuel the band’s creativity and keep its fans engaged. More information and tickets here.

A Celebration of Music, Davis Schools Orchestral Music Association

Sunday, March 19, 2 p.m., Jackson Hall, Mondavi Center

A Celebration of Music provides an opportunity for musicians from Davis public schools to showcase their musical achievement to our community with a performance at the world-class Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts at UC Davis. Proceeds from the concert go to the Davis Schools Orchestral Music Association, which supports the activities and outreach efforts of the orchestral program as well as the purchase and maintenance of instruments used by students districtwide. This year's concert will feature the Emerson-Da Vinci & Harper Jr. High Orchestras (7th-9th grade students) conducted by Greg Brucker and Bob Comarow, the Emerson-Da Vinci, Harper, and Holmes Jr. High Choir (7th-9th grade students), conducted by Clyde Quick, Bob Comarow, and Greg Brucker, the Elementary All City Strings Orchestra (6th grade students) conducted by Lydia Cooley and Luana Hernandez, and for the first time in Mondavi history, the Emerson-Da Vinci, Harper, and Holmes Jr. High Bands (7th-9th grade students), conducted by Clyde Quick, Bob Comarow, and Greg Brucker, and the Elementary All City Band (6th grade students), conducted by Nancy Sanchez.

Find more information and purchase tickets here. 

Backyard Broadway returns to the historic Woodland Opera House

March 18, 7:30 p.m., Woodland Opera House, Woodland

The Woodland Opera House is excited to announce the return of Backyard Broadway! This group of Broadway and nationally known theatre professionals, last seen on the historic Opera House stage in 2019, will bring their incredible talents once again (and with some new performers) for a fabulous evening of song and dance with a variety of music from musical theatre to country and contemporary. The performers are professional Broadway artists flown in from NYC and LA. The cast for this concert has performed all over the world and in the Broadway productions of Come From Away, A Band's Visit, 42nd Street, and more. 

Performers are as follows: Leah Sprecher (42nd Street, Happy Days, and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular); Robert Petrarca, music director for the evening (Forever Plaid, Happy Days); Sharon Rietkerk (most recently seen as Watson in a new musical adaptation of Sherlock Holmes); Q. Smith (Come From Away, Mary Poppins); Crystal Kellogg (School of Rock, Finding Neverland); Amelia McLean (Singer/Songwriter & Season 18 of American Idol); Randi Kaye (White Christmas, Patsy in Crazy for You). Also joining in is the Broadway Legend, Barbara Dixon who can currently be seen traveling the globe with her wildly popular cabaret show, Everything’s Coming Up Barbara. Find full performer bios and more show information on the Woodland Opera House website here. 

Accompaniment for the evening courtesy of the following, Piano – Robert Petrarca, Drums – Jared Young, and Guitar – Steve Tornabene.

Reserved seats are $40 for adults, $20 Children (13 years and under). Purchase tickets online at here and at the Box Office (530) 666-9617. Located at 340 Second Street, hours are: Tuesday – Friday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. & 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Backyard Broadway was formed by Jared Young and Randi Kaye, both formerly performed in Broadway musicals for over 10 years. Jared, a professional drummer, and Randi, a professional dancer, live in Davis now with their two children. More information on Backyard Broadway can be found on their Facebook page here.

Coming Up at Mondavi

Meow Meow cabaret

Friday, March 31, 7:30 p.m., Jackson Hall

It might not be too much to say that a Meow Meow cabaret performance is a life-changing event. Named one of the “Top Performers of the Year” by The New Yorker, the spectacular crowd-surfing tragi-comedienne has been called a “diva of the highest order” (New York Post), but one whose insecurities are always simmering just below the surface. Careening from French chanson to Radiohead, with brilliant dashes of Brecht and Weill in between, she’s a remarkable singer and physical comedian who hypnotizes, inspires—and terrorizes—audiences with ease. Hilarious and heartbreaking in equal measure, an evening with Meow Meow will have you holding on to your seats (as she might try to take them from you) and grabbing for handkerchiefs. 

Find more information and purchase tickets here.

Ranky Tanky with Dom Flemons: music traditions of coastal South

Saturday, April 1, 7:30 p.m.

Ranky Tanky (a Gullah phrase for “get funky”) are five lifelong friends from Charleston, South Carolina, who have established themselves as passionate global ambassadors for their local Gullah culture and community. Their deeply grooving music helps to faithfully preserve the traditions originated by African Americans in the coastal South during slavery that are kept alive through the present day. The band’s second album, Good Time, won a Grammy for Best Regional Roots Album. They are joined on this Mondavi Center debut by fellow Grammy-winner, multi-instrumentalist, former Carolina Chocolate Drop and “American Songster” Dom Flemons. 

Find more information and purchase tickets here.