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What is "jazz"?

What is “jazz”?

And why is it important?

Read on for thoughts on this seemingly unanswerable question published in our Gateway magazine.

Greetings from Fred Hersch!

Fred Hersch sent us a video telling us about his upcoming series of performances at the Mondavi Center, April 10-13, 2019.

DC Metro Theatre Arts Interview with Storm Large

As we prepare to welcome Storm Large & Le Bonheur to the Mondavi Center stage, we thought we'd share this interesting interview that DC Metro Theatre Arts did with Storm Large recently.

What Does It Mean to be Royal?

"If you are like me when it comes to certain orchestras, such as the one we have the pleasure of hearing on April 6, you may ask yourself: How does something earn the title of 'royal'?" UC Davis musicology Ph.D. student Jonathan Minnick shares a history lesson about how ensembles earn this special designation.

Give Beethoven a Break

Lawrence Brownlee and Eric Owens present an adventurous program that travels well outside the classical canon. In the inaugural issue of the Mondavi Center magazine, Gateway, Capital Public Radio's morning classical host Kevin Doherty (an operatic tenor himself) shares some provocative thoughts about the state of classical music, the canon and how diversity and a focus on living composers pays the ultimate respect to Beethoven’s legacy of innovation.

Looking Back and Looking Forward

The Mondavi Center's Executive Director Don Roth discusses the state of classical music in a recent Gateway article, as we draw connections between Don's article and the upcoming Academy of St. Martin in the Fields performance featuring Jeremy Denk on March 8, 2019.

Damien Sneed On "We Shall Overcome" At The Mondavi Center

Damien Sneed talks with us about his upcoming performance of We Shall Overcome, A Celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Don't miss Damien Sneed live at the Mondavi Center on March 1, 2019!

The Stan Kenton Christmas Carols - Liner Notes from Boston Brass and the Brass All-Stars Big Band recording

The decision to record an album of Christmas music was not easily accepted by Stan Kenton. Thanks to these liner notes from Boston Brass, learn how this seasonal classic from 1961 become a reality.

Student Voices: Revitalizing the Jazz Brass Audience Connection

“Even now it feels like the performers are the only ones who understand what’s going on, and the audience is just a witness,” Sammy said in our interview. “That never made sense to me because the audience is there, and to pretend like they’re not there is to not include them in the experience. So we try to make them a part of every step.”

Student Voices: Fifty Years On (Part Two): A Personal Topography of Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks

It would not be an overstatement to say Morrison provided the soundtrack to my freshman year. Other musicians certainly contributed, often thanks to me seeing them at the Mondavi Center, but none had the same staying power as Morrison, and especially his 1968 album, Astral Weeks, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of its release this month.