Taste of the new season

Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts has organized its second annual Taste of the Season, a celebration of local food and wine. The dinner event serves as a gala opening for the new Mondavi season, and this year's event is scheduled before a performance of Tango Fire by Estampas Portenas of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Taste of the Season is scheduled from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Sept. 29. The cost is $175 for the dinner and show, or $125 for the dinner only. There are no show tickets left, except for those with the dinner package. Tickets: (530) 754-2787 or (866) 754-2787, or www.mondaviarts.org/taste.

VIP program for staff

UC Davis employees are invited to become Mondavi Center VIPs, eligible for ticket discounts, insider information about upcoming events, and opportunities to buy tickets before they go on sale to the general public. Sign-ups: www.mondaviarts.org/ucdavis_staff.

Colorful Chinese opera

The Shanghai School of Chinese Opera is due at UC Davis next month to perform "The Colorful Essence of Beijing Opera," featuring extracts from Farewell, My Concubine; Golden Monkeys Welcoming the Arrival of Spring; Madam Mu Guiying Becomes a General; and Yang Yuhuan Gets Drunk. Organizers with the Department of Theatre and Dance said the show will appeal to all ages. Performances are set for 7:30 p.m. Oct. 4, 5 and 6 in Wyatt Pavilion. A costume and photo display also is planned. Tickets: Mondavi Center, (530) 754-2787 or (866) 754-2787, or www.mondaviarts.org. A discount program is available for school-age groups; call (530) 752-5863.

Marionettes at Mondavi

The Cashore Marionettes are set to perform eight times on Mondavi Center's Studio Theatre stage, in a show called "Life in Motion," Oct. 5-8. The show comprises nine vignettes that run the gamut of emotions from high-spirited good humor to quiet reflection, and "far exceeds standard expectations for a puppet show," a Mondavi spokesman said. Performances are scheduled at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Oct. 5 and 6 as part of the Wells Fargo School Matinee Series, and 2 and 7 p.m. Oct. 7 and 8 as part of Mondavi Center's Family Series. Question-and-answer sessions with Joseph Cashore are scheduled after each show. Tickets: (530) 754-2787 or (866) 754-2787, or www.mondaviarts.org. Teachers, educators and others interested in purchasing blocks of tickets for the Matinee Series are advised to call (530) 754-4689.

Noon concert series

The Department of Music's fall series of free noon concerts is scheduled to open Sept. 28 with the Davis Summer Symphony performing Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, op. 67, in Main Theatre. The orchestra, conducted by Fawzi Haimor, comprises more than 40 members from the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra, Camellia Symphony and Auburn Symphony, as well as community members from Davis and Sacramento, and Davis-area high school students.

Plant Faire Preview

Friends of the Arboretum invite the public to a free Plant Faire Preview at 11 a.m. Sept. 30 at Orchard Park Nursery, near Orchard and LaRue roads. The plant fair itself is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 7, with a members-only sale from 8 to 10 a.m. People can join at the door; membership provides early admission and reduced prices at this sale and others throughout the year.