Humanities, Research

Cal Performances announces 2012-13 season

By Public Affairs

Einstein on the Beach, in a production by its creators, and appearances by two renowned orchestras and their exciting conductors — London’s Philharmonia Orchestra, led by Esa-Pekka Salonen, and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela, led by Gustavo Dudamel — top the long list of cultural attractions in Cal Performances’ 2012-13 schedule.

Cal Performances

Coming to Berkeley: Swan Lake, The Secret Garden, Yo-Yo Ma.

All told, Matías Tarnopolsky’s third season as director of Cal Performances, announced Tuesday, will feature 113 artists and ensembles presented in more than 125 performances — along with 13 multi-performance residencies, the appointment of the Kronos Quartet as artists-in-residence, and artistic collaborations with the Ojai Festival and San Francisco Opera. The season, Cal Performances’ 107th, will be notable for contemporary masterpieces, including Einstein on the Beach and Eugène Ionesco’s Rhinocéros, and a stellar lineup of artists and writers including Fran Lebowitz, Yo-Yo Ma, Mark Morris, Laurie Anderson, the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, the Mariinsky Ballet and Orchestra, Emanuel Ax and Christian Tetzlaff.

Additionally, Cal Performances continues its explorations of the masterpieces of centuries past with encore visits from The Tallis Scholars; Bach specialist Masaaki Suzuki, with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra; Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society in two concerts, including the rarely heard Handel oratorio Jephtha; and UC Berkeley’s own distinguished early-music expert Davitt Moroney.

A collaboration with the San Francisco Opera brings the world premiere of Nolan Gasser and Carey Harrison’s The Secret Garden to Zellerbach Hall, along with Nicola Luisotti and the San Francisco Opera Orchestra in their second visit in as many years, while Cal Performances joins with the Ojai Music Festival to present Ojai North!, which focuses in 2013 on the singular artistic vision of longtime Cal Performances collaborator Mark Morris.

Away from the spotlights, Robert Wilson, Philip Glass and Lucinda Childs will each engage with UC Berkeley students in workshops and classes, while artists from the Joffrey Ballet, Trisha Brown Dance Company, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago will teach in Professor Lisa Wymore’s modern-dance classes.

The 2012-13 season kicks off with the third annual Free for All on Sept. 30, an event Tarnopolsky calls “part of our DNA,” and “perhaps the most important program we have to introduce the broader community of music lovers to the wealth and transformative talent we bring to the campus each year.”

For further details, including dates and ticket information, visit the Cal Performances website.