Nine Hills One Valley

A performance of Ratan Thiyam's Nine Hills One Valley, described as a haunting theatrical allegory, is scheduled for Nov. 8 in Jackson Hall at Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts. A news release states that Thiyam is renowned for his inventive works that combine elements of classical theater, music and dance from his native India, with a spectacular aural and visual aesthetic, and potent thematic explorations that address social issues. Chorus Repertory Theatre, established by Thiyam in 1976, plans to present Nine Hills One Valley on the Jackson Hall stage in the Manipuri language with English supertitles. A preperformance lecture is set for 7 p.m. in Mondavi Center's Studio Theatre, with Sudipto Chatterjee, an assistant professor in UC Berkeley's Department of Dance, Theatre and Performance Studies.

Piano and symphony concerts

Pianist Lois Brandwynne and the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra led by D. Kern Holoman are set to perform the weekend of Nov. 10-12 in the Department of Music's first evening concerts of 2006-07.

• Brandwynne -- 8 p.m. Nov. 10, Studio Theatre, Mondavi Center. The program: Toccata in E Minor by J.S. Bach, Sonata in E Minor, op. 90, by Ludwig van Beethoven, Sonata in B Minor, op. 58, by Fryderyk Chopin, Transcendental Etude No. 10 in F Minor by Franz Liszt and the world premiere of Elinor Armer's Etude quasi Cadenza. Brandwynne is an instructor in the UC Davis music department.
• Symphony -- 7:30 p.m. Nov. 11, Faye Spanos Concert Hall, University of the Pacific, Stockton, and 8 p.m., Nov. 12, Jackson Hall, Mondavi Center. UOP's University Symphony Orchestra is set to perform with the UC Davis orchestra both nights, and each night's program will be the same, officials said, with the UOP orchestra performing Igor Stravinsky's Petrushka and the UC Davis orchestra performing Stravinsky's Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring). The program also features Harpsody, with visiting Mexican artist Mercedes Gómez, a concertino for harp by UC Davis undergraduate student Andy Tan.

Officials said tickets for the Nov. 11 concert at UOP will be sold only at the door, $6 general admission and $4 for seniors. Tickets for the Nov. 12 concert at Mondavi Center are available through the center's ticket office, (530) 754-2787 or (866) 754-2787, or www.mondaviarts.org.

'Sensual and inventive' dance

Mexico's Compañia de Danza Contemporanea, led by dancer and choreographer Tania Pérez-Salas, is due at Mondavi Center on Nov. 10 and 11 for two presentations of what a center spokesman describes as "sensual and inventive modern dance." The program comprises Anabiosis, contrasting lust and love, based on a work by Nobel Laureate Octavio Paz; The Hours, inspired by Michael Cunningham's novel; and the aquatic vision of The Waters of Forgetfulness, based on Ivan Illich's essay. The Mondavi Center spokesman advised that the program includes adult themes and partial nudity. Performance time is 8 both nights. A preperformance lecture with Barbara Sellers-Young, a professor in the Department of Theatre and Dance, is scheduled at 7 p.m. Nov. 10 in the AGR Room at the Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center. Question-and-answer sessions are planned after both performances.

At the arboretum

• Tour -- The Oaks of the Arboretum, 11 a.m. Oct. 28, gazebo, Garrod Drive.
• Music -- Folk Music Jam Session, noon Nov. 3, Wyatt deck, adjacent to the redwood grove and across from Wyatt Pavilion, Old Davis Road.
• Tour -- Arboretum Overview via Bicycle, 11 a.m. Nov. 4, Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center.
• Special event -- Family Wildlife Day, 2-5 p.m. Nov. 5, Putah Creek Lodge, off La Rue Road. $5 per person or $15 per family, free for members of Friends of the Davis Arboretum. Exhibits and hands-on activities about the area's birds, mammals, fish and insects, and UC Davis research. Also, "find out what you can do to support local wildlife in your own back yard," organizers said. They said the program is best for ages 7 and up, and children must be accompanied by adults.