THE ARTS

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Trombone player in the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra
The UC Davis Symphony Orchestra is scheduled to present a concert on Feb. 7 at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.

Violinist Hrabba Atladottir, who has performed with the orchestras of the Metropolitan Opera and New York City Opera, among others, joins the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra for a Feb. 7 concert.

The concert is set for 8 p.m. in Jackson Hall at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.

Atladottir is listed as the soloist for Béla Bartók’s Violin Concerto No. 2, described by UC Davis music professor and former Symphony Orchestra conductor D. Kern Holoman as “a work of dazzling color and texture … brimming over with technical craft.”

The rest of the program:

Kikimora (1909), by Anatoly Konstantinovich Liadov. Kikimora is a single-movement piece, a “tone poem” that evokes the legend of the “kikimora,” a female house spirit in Slavic mythology.

Pictures from an Exhibition, composed by Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky in 1874 after he viewed the work of artist and architect Victor Hartmann. Originally composed for piano, later orchestrated by Maurice Ravel.

More at the Mondavi Center

• American Bach Soloists — Professor Jeffrey Thomas, UC Davis choral director, leads ABS, which is presenting Claudio Monteverdi’s Vespers of 1610. The performance coincides with the 400th anniversary of the publication of Monteverdi’s Vespro della Beata Vergine. 8 p.m. Feb. 1, Jackson Hall, Mondavi Center. Preperformance lecture, “Insights,” by Corey Jamason, 7 p.m.

The Four Aces Live! — The singers are different, but the group’s name is the same and so are the songs made famous by the Four Aces as far back as 1950, among them “Three Coins in a Fountain,” “Tell Me Why” and “Love Is a Many Splendored Thing.” 2 p.m. Feb. 10, Jackson Hall.

• Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo — Valentine’s Day brings the first program in the Mondavi Center’s new With a Twist series. Les Ballets Trockadero’s twist: men in drag, “dancing a fine line between high art and high camp,” in parodies of classical ballet. “Obviously this is very tongue in cheek,” said Jeremy Ganter of the Mondavi Center, “but they are all very high-quality, classically trained dancers.” 7 p.m. Feb. 14, Jackson Hall.

Tickets: (530) 754-2787 or (866) 754-2787, or mondaviarts.org

Weihai lishi quanfa

The Department of Theatre and Dance announced that Grand Master Desmond Murray will present a series of workshops Jan. 29-31 on weihai lishi quanfa, an ancient practice that combines breathing techniques and graceful movement.

According to a news release, weihai lishi quanfa consists of several wide areas, including the yin arts, some of which are daoyin (Daoist breathing techniques), kaimen, t’aiji, qigong and partner work (adhering hands, whirling arms-hands); and the yang arts: feng shou and feng jiao (dynamic work with hands-arms and feet-legs), jiaoli (trunk work), lock-flow movement, and more.

Other areas include chi shu, or the harmony arts; massage, diet, and extensive work with instruments such as stick, staff, sword, sabre, silk and fan.

The material is broad and deep, often studied over a lifetime, according to the news release. "Grand Master Murray has demonstrated that the application of these arts in day-to-day life in a variety of work-life situations is effective, rewarding and relaxing," the news release states.

Murray is principal of the College of Chinese Physical Culture in United Kingdom. He is president of the International Daoist Society, which is the governing body of weihai lishi quanfa.

Two free workshops are planned at UC Davis:

Open workshop — 12:30-3 p.m. Jan. 29, University Club.

Advanced workshop — 9 a.m.-noon Jan. 30, also at the University Club. People interested in attending the advanced workshop are asked to send an e-mail to Professor Lynette Hunter, lhunter@ucdavis.edu.

The news release also notes a public workshop for which a fee will be charged. This workshop is scheduled from 2 to 4 p.m. Jan. 30 at the Davis Art Center, 1919 F St. People interested in attending are asked to register in advance with the center, (530) 756-4100.

Class list discounts for winter quarter

The Department of Theatre and Dance is taking orders for class list discounts for the department’s winter quarter productions:

THIRDeYE Theatre Festival, three original one-act plays, primarily the work of undergraduatres, Jan. 27-31. Prices with the discount are $6 opening night and $7 for all other performances.

Dances for Non-Fictional Bodies (excerpt) and Jointedness, choreographies by Master of Fine Arts candidates Jess Curtis (Dances for Non-Fictional Bodies) and Nina Galin (Jointedness), Feb. 12-13 and 19-20, and Feb. 21. Prices with the discount are $7 opening night and $8 for all other performances.

• Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Feb. 24-28. Prices with the discount are $6 opening night and $7 for all other performances.

• Chekhov’s The Seagull, March 10-14. Prices with the discount are $7 opening night and $8 for all other performances.

Discount vouchers are available to students whose instructors are requiring them to see one or more of these productions. To obtain vouchers, faculty should send course numbers (and the number of students who are enrolled) to theatre and dance production manager Eric Steggall, esteggall@ucdavis.edu. The discount vouchers will then be delivered to faculty mailboxes.

The vouchers are not valid at the door; instead, students must go to the Mondavi Center box office to exchange their vouchers for discounted tickets; only one ticket may be purchased per voucher.

More information on the winter quarter productions: theatredance.ucdavis.edu (click on "Current Season" under Season).

Lyon Opera Company bows out

The Mondavi Center has announced the cancellation of a March 2 performance by the Lyon Opera Ballet, which, according to the center, has canceled its 2010 North American tour.

IMG Artists, tour management company for the Lyon, France-based opera company, issued the following statement: "As with many dance companies, it has become increasingly difficult to make touring financially viable, given the challenging global economic climate, and without the kind of funding subsidies once available.”

Mondavi Cednter officials said they would automatically issue refunds. Or, people  are welcome to exchange their tickets for other dance performances or any other event on the Mondavi Center presenting program. The dance calendar looks like this: Morphoses/The Wheeldon Company (Jan. 26), Ronald K. Brown/EVIDENCE (Jan. 30) and the Aspen Santa Fe Ballet (April 9).

For more information on exchanges or refunds, contact the box office: (530) 754-2787 or (866) 754-2787.
 

 

Media Resources

Dave Jones, Dateline, 530-752-6556, dljones@ucdavis.edu

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