Alexander String Quartet with Robert Greenberg: Music as a Mirror of Our World: Chamber Music at the Turn of the Twentieth Century

The Alexander String Quartet and Robert Greenberg look back 100 years to the tumultuous social and political era of the early 20th century—times not unlike our own—and explore enduring works of the great music it produced. Programs will include works by Debussy, Ravel, ......More

The Alexander String Quartet and Robert Greenberg look back 100 years to the tumultuous social and political era of the early 20th century—times not unlike our own—and explore enduring works of the great music it produced. Programs will include works by Debussy, Ravel, Webern, Schoenberg, Sibelius, and Nielsen. France - Dec 3 2023 Claude Debussy: String Quartet in G Minor (1893) Maurice Ravel: String Quartet in F (1903) Scandinavia - Feb 25 2024 Carl Nielsen: String Quartet No. 1, Op. 13 (1889) Jean Sibelius: String Quartet No. 2, Op. 56 "Voces Intimae" (1909) Austria - May 5 2024 Arnold Schoenberg: String Quartet No. 1, Op. 7 (1905) Anton Webern: Langsamer Satz (1905) Anton Webern: Five Movements, Op. 5 (1909) A major artistic presence in its home base of San Francisco, the Alexander String Quartet is equally beloved in its second home, the Mondavi Center. All Alexander String Quartet performances will take place in Jackson Hall and will feature Robert Greenberg’s lecture on each piece followed by a full performance of the same piece. Robert Greenberg Greenberg has performed, taught and lectured extensively across North America and Europe. He is currently music historian-in-residence with San Francisco Performances, where he has lectured and performed since 1994.

An Evening with David Sedaris

With sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, David Sedaris has become one of America’s pre-eminent humor writers. The great skill with which he slices through cultural euphemisms and political correctness proves that Sedaris is a master of satire and one of the most......More

With sardonic wit and incisive social critiques, David Sedaris has become one of America’s pre-eminent humor writers. The great skill with which he slices through cultural euphemisms and political correctness proves that Sedaris is a master of satire and one of the most observant writers addressing the human condition today. His bestselling books include Barrel Fever, Me Talk Pretty One Day, Holidays on Ice and Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls. Calypso, his 2018 collection of essays, is a  New York Times best-seller, and a Washington Post  Best Book of the Year.“Sedaris’s droll assessment of the mundane and the eccentrics who inhabit the world’s crevices make him one of the greatest humorists writing today.” —Chicago Tribune

Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

San Francisco Symphony: Marta Gardolińksa, conductor & Pablo Ferrández, cello

Grażyna Bacewicz OvertureEdward Elgar Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85Felix Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 56 (“Scottish”)Collaboration with the next generation of classical artists has been a keystone of music director Esa......More

Grażyna Bacewicz OvertureEdward Elgar Cello Concerto in E Minor, Op. 85Felix Mendelssohn Symphony No. 3 in A Minor, Op. 56 (“Scottish”)Collaboration with the next generation of classical artists has been a keystone of music director Esa-Pekka Salonen’s San Francisco Symphony tenure. For this return engagement, the Symphony is led by young Polish conductor Marta Gardolińksa, a Dudamel fellow who has twice led the LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. The program features a little-heard but delightfully energetic overture by Polish composer Bacewicz, Mendelssohn’s “Scottish” symphony inspired by the composers first visit to Britain and “new cello genius” (Le Figaro) Pablo Ferrández performing Elgar’s contemplative cello concerto.

Emmet Cohen Organ Trio

Emmet Cohen’s 2022 sold-out run in the Vanderhoef Studio Theatre was nothing short of electric. So electric, in fact, that Cohen returns just one year later, this time “plugged in” to a Hammond B-3 with his virtuosic, soulful organ trio. Whatever instrument he’s playing......More

Emmet Cohen’s 2022 sold-out run in the Vanderhoef Studio Theatre was nothing short of electric. So electric, in fact, that Cohen returns just one year later, this time “plugged in” to a Hammond B-3 with his virtuosic, soulful organ trio. Whatever instrument he’s playing, Cohen has a unique ability to connect with audiences through his harmonically sophisticated, joyful and open-hearted takes on great tunes. For Cohen playing jazz is "about communicating the deepest levels of humanity and individuality; it's essentially about connections."

Wanda Sykes: PLEASE & THANK YOU TOUR

Wanda Sykes is an Emmy winning stand up comic, writer, actress and producer who has been entertaining audiences for over twenty years. She has ranked among Entertainment Weekly’s “25 Funniest People in America” and her peers have called her “one of the funniest stand-up......More

Wanda Sykes is an Emmy winning stand up comic, writer, actress and producer who has been entertaining audiences for over twenty years. She has ranked among Entertainment Weekly’s “25 Funniest People in America” and her peers have called her “one of the funniest stand-up comics” in the field.In 2023 Wanda was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Nominations; Two for her Netflix special Wanda Sykes; I’m an Entertainer (her sixth stand-up special ) and another for her role as ‘Gladys Murphy’ in Crank Yankers, a role she originated in 2004. In 2020, she received Emmy nominations for both her role as real-life comic ‘Moms Mabley’ in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and for her voice work as ‘Gladys Murphy’ in Crank Yankers. Wanda’s guest-starring role on ABC’s Black-ish also brought her two back-to-back Emmy nominations for “Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series” in 2017 and 2018. Her fifth standup special, Wanda Sykes: Not Normal, is streaming on Netflix and was nominated for two 2019 Primetime Emmy Awards; “Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special” and “Outstanding Writing for a Variety, Music or Comedy Special.” The special also received a Broadcast Critic Award nomination.