UC Davis faculty and staff have first crack at single-event tickets for the 2015-16 season at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts. The head start sales period starts Monday (Aug. 3), four days before the tickets become available to the general public.

And don’t forget: Faculty and staff receive a 10 percent discount on tickets. Purchases must be made by phone, (530) 754-2787, or in person; the ticket office is open from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and one hour before all ticketed events.

Check out the season catalog here.

The season kicks off in September with Wynton Marsalis leading the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and ends in May with acclaimed cellist Yo-Yo Ma.

The center has a wide range of offerings, from top classical artists and groups including the San Francisco Symphony and the Russian National Orchestra with pianist Yuja Wang, to Los Lobos, the Twyla Tharp Dance Company and several modern circus/acrobatic companies.

The coming year is particularly strong for female singers, with soprano Renée Fleming, mezzo-soprano Susan Graham and long-time Rolling Stones backup singer Lisa Fisher.

After a year away, movies are back, now all with live music, including organist Cameron Carpenter performing to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, the Orlando Consort singing 15th-century tunes to The Passion of Joan of Arc and the San Francisco Symphony performing John Williams’ score to E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

The lecture series gets a fresh feel with Zadie Smith, whose books include NW, On Beauty, The Autograph Man and White Teeth; Vince Gilligan, writer, producer and director, X-Files and Breaking Bad; and the surprising pairing of singer-songwriter Aimee Mann and former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins.

Follow Dateline UC Davis on Twitter.