Guitar legends Bill Frisell and John Scofield are due to bring their trios together Friday, Feb. 11, on the Jackson Hall stage at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.
In addition, Frisell and Scofield are scheduled to participate in a preperformance talk with Jeremy Ganter, the Mondavi Center's associate executive director and the center's director of programming. The preperformance talk is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Jackson Hall, with the concert to begin at 8.
Frisell brings a meditative spirit to his rich explorations of American culture, according to the Mondavi Center, which hosted him and his Disfarmer Project last season. You can also hear his music in such films as Nashville and Finding Forrester.
Scofield, meanwhile, can be found teaching, as an adjunct professor of jazz at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Education, and in recordings alongside such legendary musicians as Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and Chet Baker.
More at the Mondavi
• Simone Dinnerstein and Tift Merritt: Night — Dinnerstein, a classical pianist, and Merritt, a singer-songwriter, present the story of a pianist and a folk singer who became friends in their search for common musical ground — which they found in their own works, and in a range of works by others, from George Harrison to Frederic Chopin. This is the second installment in a series called Studio Classics: Crossings, which explores “the fruitful intersection of classical and rock music.” 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 29, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 30, Vanderhoef Studio Theatre (cabaret seating). Preperformance talks in the studio theatre, one hour before each performance, featuring the performers in conversation with Lara Downes, artist in residence, Mondavi Center.
• MOMIX: Botanica — Moses Pendleton directs this troupe of dancer-illusionists in a new work that traces the unfolding of Earth’s four seasons. Botanica “continues a long tradition of athletic dance, riveting music, outrageous costumes, inventive props and pure talent to create an entertaining multimedia experience,” according to the Mondavi Center. 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 29, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 30, Jackson Hall. Also: 11 a.m. Monday, Jan. 31, in the school matinee program. The matinee is recommended for grades 4-12; click here for more information, including a matinee ticket order form for teachers.
• Mark Morris Dance Group — Visitation (Beethoven: Sonata No. 4 for Cello and Piano in C Major, op. 102, No. 1), Empire Garden (Ives: Trio for Violin, Cello and Piano, S. 86) and Grand Duo ( Harrison: Grand Duo for Violin and Piano). 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 2, Jackson Hall. Post-performance question-and-answer session, moderated by Ruth Rosenberg, artist engagement coordinator for the Mondavi Center.
• Vijay Iyer: Historicity Trio — The pianist performs off of his first trio album, Historicity, in the Jazz series. 8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday, Feb. 2-5, Vanderhoef Studio Theatre.
• UC Davis Symphony Orchestra — Brahms' Double Concerto, featuring Andrea Segar on violin and David Russell on cello, and led by D. Kern Holoman, conductor emeritus; and Sibelius' Symphony No. 7 in C Major, led by Christian Baldini, the orchestra's music director and conductor. 8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 6, Jackson Hall.
• Joshua Bell — The violinist returns to the Mondavi Center on the heels of a sold-out 2010 appearance. With Sam Haywood, piano, in the Concert series. 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 9, Jackson Hall.
• New Century Chamber Orchestra — Led by Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violin. Program: Wolf's Italian Serenade, Bartók's Romanian Folk Dances, Piazzolla's Four Seasons of Buenos Aires and Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings in C Major, Op. 48. In the Classical Favorites: Seasons series, 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 12, Jackson Hall.
Tickets are available online, or by visiting or calling the Mondavi Center box office, (530) 754-2787 or (866) 754-2787.
Media Resources
Dave Jones, Dateline, 530-752-6556, dljones@ucdavis.edu