Students, staff and faculty have until Jan. 31 to take advantage of a head start on tickets for the “just added” Elvis Costello concert.

In his first-ever appearance at the Mondavi Center, Costello will present what for him will be a rare solo concert, the center announced. The concert is set for 8 p.m. April 7 in Jackson Hall.

The usual discounts apply for UC Davis affiliates: 50 percent for students, 10 percent for staff and faculty. To buy during the presale period, you must visit or call the box office (hours are noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and one hour before all ticketed events).

Online orders will be taken starting Feb. 1, when ticket sales open to the general public.

Rolling Stone magazine named Costello among the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time.” He made it into the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame in 2003 with his first band, The Attractions.

According to a Mondavi Center news release, the Liverpool native was originally perceived as a part of the British punk-new wave scene of the late 1970s, and has matured and expanded to such an extent that he is now widely recognized as one of the greatest singers, songwriters and performers of his generation.

He made his recording debut in 1977 with My Aim Is True, now regarded as one of the top albums of the 1970s. His subsequent recordings include This Year’s Model (1978), Armed Forces (1979), Get Happy!! (1980), Trust and Almost Blue (1981), King of America and Blood and Chocolate (1986), Spike (1989), Brutal Youth (1994), When I Was Cruel (2002) and The Delivery Man (2004).

Costello’s most recent release is the bluegrass-inflected Secret, Profane & Sugarcane (2009).

In 2003, he began a songwriting partnership with his wife, jazz pianist and singer Diana Krall, resulting in six songs on her highly successful album The Girl In The Other Room.

Costello received a Grammy Award in 1998 for best pop collaboration with vocals, for “I Still Have That Other Girl” from his album with Burt Bacharach, Painted From Memory.

Costello also has collaborated with, among others, Paul McCartney, Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, guitarist Bill Frisell, composer Roy Nathanson, The Charles Mingus Orchestra, record producer and songwriter T Bone Burnett, and Allen Toussaint.

Costello has television and movie credits, too.

On cable TV, he hosts the Sundance Channel’s Spectacle: Elvis Costello with …, featuring legendary performers and notable newcomers for conversation and performance.

He received a 2004 Academy Award nomination for best song for “Scarlet Tide” (from Cold Mountain), and he has appeared in several films, including Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999), and Delirious and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006).

Tickets: For purchases during the presale period (Jan. 27-31), students, staff and faculty must visit or call the box office, (530) 754-2787 or (866) 754-2787. The box office is open from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and one hour before all ticketed events. Online orders (mondaviarts.org) will be taken starting Feb. 1, when ticket sales open to the general public.

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