Fall 2025

Les Misérables

Broadway SF
Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market St. San Francisco, CA 94102
Thursday, October 2 @ 7:30 PM
Special Grad Student Price: $50

STILL THE WORLD’S MOST POPULAR MUSICAL

Cameron Mackintosh presents the acclaimed production of Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schönberg’s Tony Award-winning musical phenomenon, LES MISÉRABLES.
This brilliant staging has taken the world by storm and has been hailed as “Les Mis for the 21st Century” (Huffington Post), “a reborn dream of a production” (Daily Telegraph) and “one of the greatest musicals ever created” (Chicago Tribune).
Set against the backdrop of 19th century France, LES MISÉRABLES tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption – a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. This epic and uplifting story has become one of the most celebrated musicals in theatrical history.
The magnificent score of LES MISÉRABLES includes the songs “I Dreamed a Dream,” “On My Own,” “Bring Him Home,” “One Day More,” “Master of the House” and many more. Seen by over 130 million people worldwide in 53 countries and 22 languages, LES MISÉRABLES is undisputedly one of the world’s most popular musicals.

Kim’s Convenience

American Conservatory Theater
Toni Rembe Theater, 415 Geary Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
Wednesday, October 8 @ 7:30 PM
Special Grad Student Price: $10 (you may bring 1 guest @ guest price)

This hilarious and heartwarming award-winning comedy drama about a Korean family-run corner store that inspired the popular Netflix hit is a feel-good ode to generations of immigrants who have made Canada the country that it is today. Mr. Kim works hard to support his wife and children with his Toronto convenience store. As he evaluates his future, he faces both a changing neighborhood landscape and the gap between his values and those of his Canada-born children. Playwright Ins Choi, who will also star in the production as the title character, calls Kim’s Convenience his “love letter to his parents and to all first-generation immigrants who call Canada their home.”

DAVE RAGLAND PREMIERE plus THE FIREBIRD!

Oakland Symphony
Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland, CA 94612
Friday, October 17 @ 8 PM
Special Grad Student Price: $10 (you may bring 1 guest @ guest price)

Program:
Sara Davis Buechner, piano
Adebiyi Ojutiku, actor/narrator
ANNA CLYNE This Midnight Hour
MAURICE RAVEL Piano Concerto in G
DAVE RAGLAND Harmony of the Unheard for Actor and Orchestra
Music Composition by Dave Ragland
Text by Alicia Haymer
World Premiere – Oakland Symphony Commission
IGOR STRAVINSKY The Firebird Suite (1919)

Pre-concert talk by John Kendall Bailey begins at 7:05 pm

Disney On Ice presents Frozen & Encanto

Oakland Arena
7000 Coliseum Way, Oakland, CA 94621
Saturday, October 18 @ 6:30 PM
Special Grad Student Price: $30

Step inside Disney stories like never before at Disney On Ice presents Frozen & Encanto! Dazzling ice skating transports you to Arendelle to be a part of Anna’s adventure to find Elsa in a wintry race to bring back summer. Then, enter the Casita Madrigal to join Mirabel’s journey to save her enchanted home alongside her sisters, Isabela and Luisa. Hosted by Mickey and Minnie, sing along and celebrate the power of love at Disney On Ice – the show everyone will be talking about!

Branford Marsalis Quartet – Belonging Tour

SF Jazz
Miner Auditorium, 201 Franklin St, San Francisco, CA 94102
Thursday, October 23 @ 7:30 PM
Special Grad Student Price: $30 (you may bring 1 guest @ guest price)

2011 NEA Jazz Master Branford Marsalis represents “the highest echelon of jazz tenor saxophonists” (Los Angeles Times). He returns with his superlative quartet featuring pianist Joey Calderazzo, bassist Eric Reevis, and drummer Justin Faulkner to perform a range of music including a selection of the Keith Jarrett compositions that make up his 2025 Blue Note debut, Belonging — a reinterpretation of Jarrett’s landmark 1974 ECM quartet release of the same name.

SUFFS

Broadway SF
Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market St. San Francisco, CA 94102
Saturday, October 25 @ 7:30 PM
Special Grad Student Price: $50

BEHIND EVERY POWERFUL WOMAN… ARE MORE POWERFUL WOMEN.

Direct from Broadway, comes the acclaimed Tony Award®-winning musical SUFFS about the brilliant, passionate, and funny American women who fought tirelessly for the right to vote. Created by Shaina Taub, the first woman to ever independently win Tony Awards for Best Book and Best Score in the same season, this “thrilling, inspiring and dazzlingly entertaining” (Variety) new musical boldly explores the triumphs and failures of a struggle for equality that’s far from over. Winner of the Outer Critics’ Circle Award for Best New Musical.

“Like all of the best Broadway musicals, SUFFS humanizes, empowers, moves, and entertains.” -  Chicago Tribune

Lila Downs

Cal Performances
Zellerbach Hall, 101 Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720
Saturday, October 25 @ 8 PM
Special Grad Student Price: $10 (you may bring 1 guest @ guest price)

Celebrate Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, with Grammy- and Latin Grammy-winning Mexican American singer Lila Downs.

With “a stunning voice [and] a confident multicultural vision grounded in her Mixtec Indian roots” (Los Angeles Times), Downs is admired for organically bridging cultures and languages as both a musician and activist. Backed by an all-star band, this Berkeley favorite brings her powerful voice and vibrant stage presence to a festive set of original and traditional songs in Spanish and English, as well as indigenous languages from her native Oaxaca.

Third Coast Percussion & Salar Nader, tabla | Murmurs in Time

Cal Performances
Zellerbach Hall, 101 Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720
Saturday, November 1 @ 8 PM
Special Grad Student Price: $10 (you may bring 1 guest @ guest price)

In a poignant tribute to the late tabla master and longtime Cal Performances friend Zakir Hussain, Chicago’s Third Coast Percussion continues a collaboration initiated with the music legend before his passing.
The Grammy-winning ensemble, praised for performances that “push percussion in new directions, blurring musical boundaries and beguiling new listeners” (NPR), had commissioned Hussain to compose Murmurs in Time—a major work that combines the beauty and complexity of Hindustani classical music with the group’s new-music ethos. In this new work, Salar Nader, a tabla virtuoso and disciple of Hussain since age seven, performs his teacher’s part in the ensemble.
The program also includes newly commissioned works from in-demand composer/performers Jessie Montgomery, Tigran Hamasyan, and Jlin, and a solo performance by Nader.

Black Women's Roots Festival

The Freight
2020 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA 94704
Sunday, November 2 @ 4 PM
Special Grad Student Price: $15 (you may bring 1 guest @ guest price)

Black Women's Roots Festival
With the Dynamic Miss Faye Carol, Lady Tramaine Hawkins, Linda Tillery, Bishop Yvette Flunder, Miko Marks, Big Gems Daughter & School of The Getdown presents Miss Faye's Babies

The fifth annual Black Women's Roots Festival celebrates powerful, pioneering, Black women in blues, jazz, gospel, country, roots music, and beyond. Showcasing a dynamic lineup of legendary artists, renowned performers, and emerging talent, this intergenerational program features the finest vocalists and instrumentalists of roots music that you'll find anywhere in the world! Join us for what is sure to be a fantastic evening of music and culture. Supported by City of Berkeley and Zellerbach Family Foundation.

The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol is a celebrated icon in the Bay Area music scene and beyond, known for her powerful voice and remarkable versatility across genres such as jazz, blues, gospel, and funk. With a career spanning over 60 years, Faye Carol has developed a unique sound and style that draws from Black Music traditions while mentoring some of the brightest talents in the Bay Area, including Benny Green, Marcus Shelby, and Kehlani. Her rich legacy includes performances alongside legends like Marvin Gaye and Ray Charles. As an educator, she founded the School of The Getdown and has been honored with numerous awards, including the Bay Area Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Hero Award and the prestigious Hewlett 50 Arts Commission. Faye Carol continues to inspire audiences with her dynamic performances and unwavering dedication to her craft. Featuring Joe Warner (piano), Heshima Mark Williams (bass), and Dante Roberson (drums)

Lady Tramaine Hawkins, a 1999 Gospel Music Hall of Fame inductee, is a legendary vocalist whose powerful, spirit-filled voice has defined gospel music for over five decades. Born in the San Francisco Bay Area to gospel singer Lois Davis, she began recording at age 10 and rose to prominence with the Edwin Hawkins Singers on the groundbreaking hit “Oh Happy Day”—the first gospel song to achieve mainstream chart success. A trailblazer known for hits like “Changed,” “Going Up Yonder,” and “The Potter’s House,” Tramaine has remained committed to her faith and gospel roots while boldly expanding the genre’s reach. With a celebrated solo career and global ministry impact, she continues to inspire generations. Now residing in Sacramento with husband Tommie E. Richardson, Jr., she remains active in music and ministry, most recently releasing I Never Lost My Praise, produced by Kurt Carr and her son, Pastor Walter “Jamie” Hawkins. Lady Tramaine Hawkins is one of the most revered and enduring voices in gospel music—a true living legend who continues to uplift, inspire, and break barriers through her unwavering faith and extraordinary gift.

Linda Tillery is a Grammy nominated vocalist, producer, drummer, percussionist, and cultural historian. She has been an influential force in the San Francisco Bay Area music scene for nearly 60 years. Her entry into performing was as lead singer in the psychedelic soul band, Loading Zone. The Loading Zone released one recording on RCA Victor, played at the Fillmore East and West opening for Arlo Guthrie, Chuck Berry, Cream, Vanilla Fudge, Janis Joplin, Iron Butterfly and Tiny Tim. After leaving the Loading Zone, Tillery released her first solo recording Sweet Linda Devine (CBS 1970) and her second solo recording Secrets (411 1984). Considered a pioneer in “Women’s Music,” Tillery recorded with Mary Watkins, Holly Near, Teresa Trull, Deidre McCalla, Barbara Higbie, Be Be K’Roche, The Washington Sisters, Casselberry and Dupree, Gwen Avery and June Millington. She is the founder and Artistic Director of Linda TIllery and the Cultural Heritage Choir, an African American roots music ensemble that gained both National and international acclaim traveling to 22 countries and releasing four recordings. Other recording credits include Boz Scaggs, Tracy Nelson, Santana, Wilson Picket, Taj Mahal, Eric Bibb, Vicki Randle, Ray Obiedo, The Whispers, Little Jr. Parker and KITKA. Tillery was also a founding member of Bobby McFerrin’s Voicestra, a 10 member a cappella ensemble that also toured internationally. 

Rev. Dr. Yvette Flunder is a third-generation preacher, gospel artist, and advocate for justice, particularly within the LGBTQ+ community. As the founder of the City of Refuge United Church of Christ in 1991, she has dedicated her life to blending worship, service, and advocacy for marginalized individuals. Bishop Flunder's musical career began as a lead singer with Walter Hawkins and the Love Center Choir, where she performed on Grammy-winning gospel hits. Her work as a gospel artist and her prophetic advocacy have earned her numerous accolades, including being featured in the PBS documentary "The Black Church: This is Our Story, This is Our Song." Bishop Flunder continues to be a powerful voice for justice and equality in both the religious and musical communities.

Miko Marks is a trailblazing country and roots music artist whose journey reflects a deep commitment to authenticity and resilience. Born in Flint, Michigan, Miko was influenced by her mother and grandmother, who instilled in her a passion for equal rights and a love for music. After pursuing a degree in Political Science, Miko initially embarked on a career in country music, releasing two albums and performing at CMA Fest. Despite facing barriers as a Black woman in the genre, Miko's perseverance led her to a musical resurgence in 2021 with her album Our Country, a collaboration that marked her return to the spotlight. Miko's music, including her latest release Feel Like Going Home, is deeply rooted in her experiences and the legacy of the strong women who raised her. Her work continues to inspire and challenge the boundaries of country and roots music.

Big Gems Daughter, also known as Kito Gamble, is a multi-talented Bay Area artist whose work blends her deep roots in jazz with her passion for hip-hop. A pianist, composer, and music teacher, she transitioned into rapping after producing tracks for others and realizing her own poetic voice belonged on the mic. Her music spans generations and centers themes like African American cultural empowerment, women's beauty, self-love, and entrepreneurship. From her well-received debut album REPRESENT to her recent EP WE REMEMBER GREATNESS, her work showcases an evolving artistic journey. Uplifting and original, her singles like "It’s Black Friday Every Day," "It’s Really Black Music," and "Colorism Blues" continue to highlight her mission.

Miss Faye's Babies are young students of renowned vocalist and educator Faye Carol, participating in her School of The Getdown summer camps and after school music programs. These beautiful young singers study the art and history of Black music and performance, and represent our future with strength and purpose. Click the link below to learn more about Miss Faye's educational programs.

Sutra

Cal Performances
Zellerbach Hall, 101 Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720
Saturday, November 8 @ 8 PM
Special Grad Student Price: $10 (you may bring 1 guest @ guest price)

Sadler’s Wells and Shaolin Temple present Sutra with the Monks of Shaolin Temple | Cal Performances Company Debut | Bay Area Premiere

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, choreographer
Antony Gormley, visual creation and design
Szymon Brzóska, composer

Contemporary dance and ancient martial arts combine in this award-winning collaboration between Belgian choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, sculptor Antony Gormley, composer Szymon Brzóska, and 20 Buddhist monks from the Shaolin Temple in China’s Henan Province.

Sutra explores the Shaolin kung fu tradition in the context of contemporary culture, inviting a cadre of modern-day practitioners to lend their skills—the flying kicks, backflips, and shadow-boxing practiced as part of their spiritual discipline—to a humorous fable about a European outsider learning about their monastery. With clever set design by Gormley and a chamber music score by Brzóska performed live, the production has earned rave reviews across the globe.

“A brave, thrilling, elliptical piece…[an] odyssey into the mind of a Zen Buddhist” (The Telegraph, UK).

🎶 This performance features live music. Co-produced with Athens Festival, Festival de Barcelona Grec, Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg, La Monnaie Brussels, Festival d’Avignon, Fondazione Musica per Roma, and Shaolin Cultural Communications Company

So Many Stars Book Talk with Author Caro De Robertis

More details coming soon!

El Khat and Oruã

The Freight
2020 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA 94704
Saturday, November 15 @ 8 PM
Special Grad Student Price: $15 (you may bring 1 guest @ guest price)

Get ready for a boundary-breaking night of global soundscapes, as we host an electrifying international co-bill with El Khat (Yemen/Berlin) and Oruã (Brazil).
El Khat channels the raw soul of Yemeni folk through a post-punk lens, crafting hypnotic grooves on handmade junkyard instruments. Led by Eyal El Wahab, this Berlin-based trio brings a gripping DIY aesthetic and sonic experimentation that’s as emotionally charged as it is rhythmically compelling.
Sharing the bill is Oruã, the Rio de Janeiro psych-fusion collective blending MPB, samba, rock, and jazz into a swirling, modern expression of Brazil’s cultural pulse. Known for their explosive live energy and thoughtful lyricism, Oruã bridges tradition and futurism with infectious flair.
This is not just a concert—it’s a visceral, cross-continental conversation between cultures, rhythm, and resistance. Don’t miss this singular night of musical reinvention at one of the Bay Area’s most beloved listening rooms.

EL KHAT
El Khat is a homemade junkyard band led by multi-instrumentalist Eyal El Wahab. In 2018/19, El Khat began to hone their sound in garages and warehouses. Experimenting with DIY homemade instruments, as an expression of a minimalist life philosophy, led the three-piece to create a collection of Arabic tunes of Yemeni origin. While the detachment from any nation or any flag is a driving force behind the group, the heart of their music and heritage is rooted in the culture of Yemen. The constant divisions that have been created by wars and immigrations has pushed out a reassembled identity, something that is strongly felt in El Khat's music.

ORUÃ
Formed in 2015, the group consists of members who are deeply rooted in Brazil’s rich musical heritage while also embracing modern influences. The band’s music often features a mix of genres, including MPB (Música Popular Brasileira), samba, and elements of jazz and rock. Frontman Lê Almeida blends eclectic influences into genre-defying music that moves both body and mind. Their lyrical themes frequently explore social issues, love, and the beauty of Brazilian culture. The band has gained recognition for their energetic live performances and innovative sound, which resonates well with both local audiences in Brazil and international listeners. Oruã has been part of various music festivals and cultural events, showcasing their talent beyond Brazil’s borders.

Worlds Beyond

Berkeley Symphony
First Congregational Church of Berkeley, 2345 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704
Sunday, November 16 @ 4 PM
Special Grad Student Price: $10 (you may bring 1 guest @ guest price)

Acclaimed conductor and Berkeley Symphony’s own Ming Luke conducts the 25/26 season’s third performance, Worlds Beyond. This program explores the artist’s voice at moments of transition and liminality. Alma Monarca, a new work from Juan Pablo Contreras co-commissioned by Berkeley Symphony, is inspired by Contreras’s memories of celebrating Día de los Muertos in his grandfather’s hometown of Pátzcuaro, Mexico. Next, soprano Laquita Mitchell leads audiences through Richard Strauss’s haunting Four Last Songs, written as the composer contemplated the end of his life. Missy Mazzoli’s Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres) lifts the audience into the cosmos, inviting us to view our lives from a new perspective. We close with Dmitri Shostakovich’s Ninth Symphony, a work that signifies the composer’s challenges navigating the political thresholds of his era.

Juan Pablo Contreras Alma Monarca
Richard Strauss Four Last Songs | Laquita Mitchell
Missy Mazzoli Sinfonia (for Orbiting Spheres)
Dmitri Shostakovich Symphony No. 9

The Monkey King

SF Opera
War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94102
Tuesday, November 18 @ 7:30 PM
Special Grad Student Price: $15 (you may bring 1 guest @ guest price)

猴王悟空
by Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang
San Francisco Opera World Premiere

Power alone is not enough

He’s arrogant. He’s disobedient. He’s becoming the most powerful being in creation, and he’s about to wreak havoc on heaven.
Based on the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, The Monkey King makes its much-anticipated world premiere at the War Memorial Opera House. This new, action-packed opera combines high-energy music and text with puppetry, dance, Peking opera, and Buddhist sutras to tell the tale of the Monkey King’s beginnings.

The Monkey King is a beloved figure and has inspired countless interpretations in popular culture. A monkey born from stone, Sun Wukong (the Monkey King) is determined to find immortality for his tribe. Many scoff at his aspirations, but he is set on proving them wrong with his signature cunning and charm. He wins every battle against legendary warriors, but the respect he longs for is always out of reach. What will it take for the gods to recognize him as an equal?

Award-winning director Diane Paulus and puppeteer Basil Twist conjure up a whimsical world of gods, tricksters, superheroes, and rebels. Huang Ruo’s soaringly beautiful, energized score and David Henry Hwang’s incisive libretto blend traditional Chinese and contemporary Western styles into an extraordinary work that gives new voice to this enduring story. Carolyn Kuan makes her Company debut on the podium.

Nutcracker

SF Ballet
War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94102
Sunday, December 7 @ 7 PM
Special Grad Student Price: TBA (you may bring 1 guest @ guest price)

On Christmas Eve 1944, SF Ballet made history with the American premiere of Nutcracker, launching a national holiday tradition that continues to enchant audiences. Set in 1915 San Francisco, Helgi Tomasson’s Nutcracker takes place in a city celebrating a new age of technology. As the lights dim and the music soars, snowflakes swirl, flowers dance, and a child’s imagination takes flight. Experience the magic of a Nutcracker that is as unique as it is heartwarming.

One unforgettable, magical Christmas Eve journey
On a foggy Christmas Eve in 1915, Drosselmeyer puts the finishing touches on a magical nutcracker doll. It’s his gift for the Stahlbaum family, who have invited him to join their holiday festivities. Customers drop by his shop for last-minute Christmas gifts and Drosselmeyer shows them toys and clocks. Later, outside the Stahlbaum house, as people hurry home to their Christmas revelries, Drosselmeyer arrives with his beautifully wrapped present.

Spring 2026

Cécile McLorin Salvant

Cal Performances
Zellerbach Hall, 101 Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720
Thursday, February 5 @ 7:30 PM
Special Grad Student Price: $10 (you may bring 1 guest @ guest price)

Hailed as “her generation’s most imaginative and thrilling jazz interpreter” (Spin), vocalist and composer Cécile McLorin Salvant is much admired for beguiling projects that bring fresh perspectives to jazz performance through dramatic storytelling, vivid historical context, and daring original composition.

A MacArthur Fellow and three-time Grammy winner, Salvant is classically trained and steeped in jazz, blues, and Caribbean music, as well as Baroque repertoire and musical theater—an extraordinary musician who also surrounds herself with many of the best and brightest artists on today’s scene.

M. Butterfly

SF Playhouse
San Francisco Playhouse, 450 Post St., San Francisco CA 94102
Friday, February 6 @ 8 PM
Special Grad Student Price: $20 (you may bring 1 guest @ guest price)

David Henry Hwang’s M. Butterfly is a captivating drama that subverts Puccini’s Madame Butterfly through the true story of a French diplomat’s 20-year affair with a Chinese opera singer. As cultural and personal identities blur, the play challenges our assumptions about love, power, and deception. With its clever twists and poignant humor, M. Butterfly is a thought-provoking exploration of desire, illusion, and the complexities of human connection.

1988 Tony Award for Best Play
“A heated, intensely provocative show. It never lets up.” Deadline
“It will move you, it will thrill you, it may even surprise you. It is a play not to be missed, and it is a play once caught that will never be forgotten.” The New York Post

Dom Flemons

The Freight
2020 Addison Street, Berkeley, CA 94704
Friday, February 13 @ 8 PM
Special Grad Student Price: $15 (you may bring 1 guest @ guest price)

Dom Flemons is known as “The American Songster" since his repertoire covers over one hundred years of American roots music. Flemons is a folk musician, black country artist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, music scholar, historian, actor, slam poet, record collector, curator, podcaster, cultural commentator, influencer, and the creator, host, and producer of the American Songster Radio Show on WSM in Nashville. He is the Co-Founder and original member of the groundbreaking Carolina Chocolate Drops, the first ever black string band to win a Grammy Award. Over the past 25 years, he has received major awards, gained world-wide media recognition and has become one of the most influential and highly decorated voices in American roots music.

“Dom Flemons is one of the most accomplished American Folk Artists… few have pumped as much lifeblood into tradition as he has.” - MOJO Magazine

How Shakespeare Saved My Life

Berkeley Rep
Peet’s Theatre, 2025 Addison St, Berkeley CA 94704
Tuesday, February 17 @ 7 PM
Special Grad Student Price: $15 (you may bring 1 guest @ guest price)

Written and performed by Jacob Ming-Trent
Directed by Tony Taccone
A co-production with Folger Theatre and Red Bull Theater
World premiere

“America tried to take my life, and somehow a five-hundred-year-old white dude saved it.”

In an autobiographical and music-filled tour-de-force, award-winning performer Jacob Ming-Trent dares to rescue himself from the “slings and arrows” of his past. Born with a gift for poetry but rejected as unfit to play the poet, his search for home yields results both hilarious and tragic. Invoking artistic geniuses like Biggie, Tupac, and Basquiat, he takes us on a propulsive ride that reaffirms the power of language and music. Directed by Tony Taccone, How Shakespeare Saved My Life begins with the Bard but becomes a ritual of communal salvation.

Somi

Cal Performances
Zellerbach Playhouse, 2413 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA 94704
Saturday, February 21 @ 8 PM
Special Grad Student Price: $10 (you may bring 1 guest @ guest price)

Riveting vocalist and composer Somi Kakoma, known simply as “Somi,” is truly a jazz artist for our globally connected times.

The Midwestern daughter of parents who emigrated from Rwanda and Uganda, she found her musical voice traversing cultural bridges between Africa and the US, weaving Afropop, soul, and jazz into her sumptuous, elegant, deeply grooving body of work. A return to her singer-songwriter roots, the music on her latest release was composed in Lagos, Dakar, Paris, and New York, offering a sonic travelogue that weaves deeply personal storytelling with modern jazz and African sensibilities.

“[Her music is] a party and a history lesson, it’s a manifesto and a poem, it’s a call to dance and think at once” (PopMatters).

A Cal Performances Debut

Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre

Cal Performances
Zellerbach Playhouse, 2413 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA 94704
Saturday, February 28 @ 8 PM
Special Grad Student Price: $10 (you may bring 1 guest @ guest price)

Yaa Samar! Dance Theatre
Gathering
Cal Performances Company Debut
West Coast Premiere

Conceived, written, and directed by choreographer Samar Haddad King, Gathering explores themes of love, loss, trauma, and dislocation. Through movement, text, song, and puppetry, an international cohort of collaborating artists tells a fictional story of a village under siege, and one woman’s struggle to reconcile her fragmented memories. Part staged work, part interactive experience, Gathering invites audiences to join as participants and witnesses in the collective action.

“An uncommonly deft combination of dance and verbal theater” (The New York Times).

Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band

Cal Performances
Zellerbach Playhouse, 2413 Bancroft Way, Berkeley, CA 94704
Friday, March 6 @ 8 PM
Special Grad Student Price: $10 (you may bring 1 guest @ guest price)

A truly one-of-a-kind ensemble, the Julia Keefe Indigenous Big Band celebrates and extends the contributions of Indigenous and Native musicians, composers, and bandleaders throughout the rich history of jazz. Indigenous artists like Russell “Big Chief” Moore, Mildred Bailey, Oscar Pettiford, and Jim Pepper ascended into the limelight as star performers, but many other players were never recognized.

Today Keefe’s dynamic ensemble shines a light on that legacy, featuring a “who’s who” of Indigenous musicians from a range of tribal affiliations across North and South America.

A Cal Performances debut

All My Sons

Berkeley Rep
Roda Theatre, 2025 Addison St, Berkeley CA 94704
Tuesday, March 17 @ 7 PM
Special Grad Student Price: $15 (you may bring 1 guest @ guest price)

By Arthur Miller
Directed by David Mendizábal

The American Dream comes at a price. But who truly pays it? Arthur Miller’s searing indictment of moral compromise erupts with new urgency in this groundbreaking production. Reimagined around a Puerto Rican family’s hard-won success, a father’s fateful decision sends aftershocks that ripple far beyond his own home and community. Berkeley Rep’s Associate Artistic Director David Mendizábal reexamines this American classic through a lens of race, ethnicity, and class, honoring Miller’s original text while sharpening its existing themes of justice and inequity. This powerful revival reveals a tragedy where the pursuit of prosperity collides with the reality of who America was built to serve.

Drum Tao

Cal Performances
Zellerbach Hall, 101 Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720
Saturday, March 21 @ 8 PM
Special Grad Student Price: $10 (you may bring 1 guest @ guest price)

Masters of thunderous spectacle and jaw-dropping athleticism, the taiko drummers of Drum Tao conjure “a visual cornucopia” (Broadway World) in their high-energy productions. The Japanese troupe blends cutting-edge stagecraft with centuries-old drumming traditions and breathtaking choreography to dazzle audiences worldwide. Contemporary music fuses with traditional instruments, vibrant costumes, and dramatic lighting for an unforgettable experience!

MJ: The Musical

Broadway SF
Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market St. San Francisco, CA 94102
Tuesday, March 24 @ 7:30 PM
Special Grad Student Price: $50 (you may bring 1 guest @ guest price)

Back by overwhelming demand, the multiple Tony Award®-winning musical MJ is making a victorious return to San Francisco. Created by Tony Award-winning Director/Choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, MJ goes beyond Michael Jackson’s singular moves and signature sound, offering a rare glimpse at the making of the 1992 Dangerous World Tour. Don’t miss your chance to experience the show that’s electrifying sold-out crowds on Broadway!

Ravi Shankar Ensemble

SF Jazz
Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94102
Saturday, April 4 @ 8 PM
Special Grad Student Price: $25 (you may bring 1 guest @ guest price)

A sparkling all-star ensemble assembled by Ravi Shankar’s wife and daughter honor the legacy of one of the greatest musicians of all time. The Ravi Shankar Ensemble is a multi-generational collective of world class musicians dedicated to the masterful compositions and enduring legacy of the uniquely legendary musician. They present a special program featuring visual elements from the Ravi Shankar archives alongside a dynamic selection of his soul-stirring music.

In a moving tribute to one of the most beloved figures in the SFJAZZ family, this season also marks the launch of the Annual Zakir Hussain Sangam Concert. Named in honor of our late friend and legendary tabla virtuoso Zakir Hussain, this ongoing series will celebrate his profound musical legacy by spotlighting some of the greatest Indian classical musicians from around the world. The inaugural performance of this annual event will take place this season and marks the beginning of a new tradition rooted in the cross-cultural artistry Zakir championed throughout his life.

||: GIRLS :||: CHANCE :||: MUSIC :||

American Conservatory Theater
Strand Theater, 1127 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94103
Date: TBA
Special Grad Student Price: $10 (you may bring 1 guest @ guest price)

Four highly-gifted teens collab and collide one pivotal summer at a prestigious Berkeley girls’ music program. They improvise and crack wise atop a steadily thrumming undercurrent of disaster and emergency. This world premiere play with music comes from A.C.T.-commissioned playwright Eisa Davis, the singular writer-musician-actor whose keen ear for the language and inner lives of adolescent women brought us the Pulitzer finalist Bulrusher. At turns hilarious and melancholy, raucous and poetic, ||: Girls :||: Chance :||: Music :|| is an exquisite and achingly true story of friendship, self-discovery, and the salvation of art-making.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

Cal Performances
Zellerbach Hall, 101 Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720
Wednesday, April 8 @ 7:30 PM
Thursday, April 9 @ 7:30 PM
Friday, April 10 @ 8 PM
Special Grad Student Price: $10 (you may bring 1 guest @ guest price)

Alicia Graf Mack, artistic director
Matthew Rushing, associate artistic director

From its first public performances in 1958, to the premiere of the masterpiece Revelations in 1960, through the struggles of touring in the Civil Rights Movement, to the tragic loss of its founder in 1989—across so much social upheaval and cultural change, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has thrived as a model of Black resilience and unparalleled artistic excellence.

More change lies ahead as the company welcomes exciting new leadership and its first Berkeley performances under incoming artistic director Alicia Graf Mack. With brand-new commissions from next-generation creators and beloved works by Ailey himself, this revered institution continues to embody the values and vision of its founder through performances of exceptional power, beauty, and grace.

The Monsters

Berkeley Rep
Peet’s Theatre, 2025 Addison St, Berkeley CA 94704
Tuesday, April 21 @ 7 PM
Special Grad Student Price: $15 (you may bring 1 guest @ guest price)

By Ngozi Anyanwu
Directed by Tamilla Woodard
West Coast premiere

For years, LIL has observed her estranged brother from the shadows — watching, waiting, studying every punch he throws. BIG, an aging but respected force in the local Mixed Martial Arts circuit, remains unaware his little sister has been tracking his career from afar…until she appears unexpectedly on his doorstep. Award-winning playwright Ngozi Anyanwu (Good Grief, The Homecoming Queen, The Last of the Love Letters) writes and stars in this West Coast premiere of a sibling love story that grapples with reunion and buried resentments. Raw and riveting, The Monsters delivers an emotional knockout and wrestles with the demons we must face to reconnect, rebuild, and forgive.

The Monsters was developed in The Ground Floor: Berkeley Rep’s Center for the Creation and Development of New Work.

Hamnet

American Conservatory Theater
Toni Rembe Theater, 415 Geary Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
Date: TBA
Special Grad Student Price: $10 (you may bring 1 guest @ guest price)

When the plague steals 11-year-old Hamnet from his loving parents, Agnes and William Shakespeare, they must each confront their loss alone. And yet, out of the greatest suffering, something of extraordinary wonder is born. Experience the U.S. premiere of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s “elegant and beguiling” (London’s Evening Standard) stage adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s best-selling novel, adapted by award-winning playwright Lolita Chakrabarti (Life of Pi, Red Velvet) and directed by Erica Whyman.

Mere Mortals

SF Ballet
War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco, CA 94102
Tuesday, April 28 @ 7:30 PM
Special Grad Student Price: TBA (you may bring 1 guest @ guest price)

Inspired by the Greek myth of Pandora’s Jar, Mere Mortals explores our relationship with artificial intelligence, its boundless potential, as well as the unforeseen consequences. Originally commissioned for Tamara Rojo’s inaugural season, the program returns as a fusion of electronic music, festival culture, and contemporary ballet. Merging the choreography of Aszure Barton with the visionary music of composer Floating Points, this is a critical reimagining of an ancient tale in the context of our modern, tech-driven age.

Hell’s Kitchen

Broadway SF
Orpheum Theatre, 1192 Market St. San Francisco, CA 94102
Wednesday, May 6 @ 7 PM
Special Grad Student Price: $50

Ali is a 17-year-old girl full of fire – searching for freedom, passion and her place in the world.

How she finds them is a New York City coming-of-age story you've never felt before – HELL’S KITCHEN, a new musical from 17-time Grammy® Award winner Alicia Keys, whose new songs and greatest hits about growing up in NY inspire a story made for Broadway.

Rebellious and stifled by an overprotective single mother, Ali is lost until she meets her mentor: a neighbor who opens her heart and mind to the power of the piano. Set to the rhythm of the 90s, HELL'S KITCHEN is a love story between a mother and daughter. It's about finding yourself, your purpose, and the community that lifts you. Come remember where dreams begin.

Hailed as a New York Times Critic’s Pick that is, “thrilling from beginning to end – a rare must-see!" HELL’S KITCHEN is directed by four-time Tony Award nominee Michael Greif, with choreography by four-time Tony Award nominee Camille A. Brown, a book by Pulitzer Prize finalist Kristoffer Diaz, and the music of Alicia Keys.

Check out the Past Events pages to see previous events!