Dear Friends:

The Celebration is far from over!
It's already been a truly memorable season at Cal Performances as we mark our 100th year of bringing the best in dance, music, and theater to the UC Berkeley campus. But we're not done yet! There is still a lot to celebrate here in final months of our 2005/06 season, including the announcement of our next memorable season, as you'll read more about below.

Centennial Season Gala
We're just a few short weeks away now from the official Celebration of the Century — our Centennial Season Celebration & Gala, May 12, at Zellerbach Hall — and if you haven't decided yet to join us for this once-in-a-lifetime event, there's still time! The evening will feature a performance of Mark Morris' masterpiece, V; the music of John Adams performed by Alarm Will Sound; Boito's Prologue to Mefistofele and choral selections from Wagner's Die Meistersinger performed by members of San Francisco Opera Orchestra and the combined vocal forces of the UC Alumni Chorus, University Chorus, and the Piedmont Children's Choirs (all conducted by myself!); and very special guest appearances by San Francisco Symphony's music director Michael Tilson Thomas and Broadway star Lisa Vroman. For more information or to purchase tickets, see our website:

Berkeley Festival & Exhibition
While not technically a part of our official Centennial Season, there is still much to celebrate about the 2006 Berkeley Festival & Exhibition (June 4-11) — our biennial gathering of the best in early music. Co-produced by Cal Performances along with our esteemed partners San Francisco Early Music Society, Early Music America, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, and American Bach Soloists, this premier event features 10 main stage performances; a lively music marketplace and exhibition; symposia, conferences, and master classes; and a whole host of "fringe" concerts and events. And this year, there is fun for the whole family at the Festival as the circus comes to town as part of the celebration! Le Poeme Harmonique and Le National des Arts du Cirque bring the American premiere of Baroque Carnival to Berkeley, featuring all the splendor of a 17th-century Roman festival, complete with tumblers, jugglers, musicians, and vocalists. Ages 16 and under are half price for this Berkeley Festival event!

Hell's Kitchen Dance and Bigger than Jesus
As you may already know, we've in fact extended our 100th-year celebration into June with two added events to the 2005/06 Season. There are still a few seats left for the Baryshnikov Dance Foundation's presentation of Hell's Kitchen Dance, featuring works created entirely at the newly opened Baryshnikov Arts Center in New York. The program will be danced by Mikhail Baryshnikov himself, along with a superb cadre of hand-picked young dancers, so don't delay if you want to catch the very latest from this master of modern dance. And tickets just went on sale for Rick Miller's Bigger Than Jesus, coming to Zellerbach Playhouse June 20-24. Creator and performer of the award-winning, worldwide hit MacHomer, Miller uses humor and intelligence to muse upon the mysteries of life and the historical and modern viewpoints on Christianity in this one-man tour-de-force show.

2006/07 Season Announcement
Even as we near the finale of this important milestone season, we're preparing for the start of a whole new era — our next 100 years of connecting the world's greatest artists with the world's greatest audience. Subscriptions are now on sale for our 2006/07 Season, an amazing artistic year full of promise and possibility and marked by major premieres, auspicious debuts, and the return of some of the most acclaimed and fascinating artists in the world. As always, Donors, Subscribers, and Email Club members will receive priority seating. For a complete calendar of events and additional details, watch your mail for a season brochure, or visit our website:

Thank you for being such an important part of our 2005/06 Centennial Season! And we hope you'll consider joining us next season as well for Cal Performances' continuing celebration of the best in the performing arts!

Sincerely,

Robert Cole
Director, Cal Performances