Ojai at Berkeley allows ICE to take over the gorgeous Berkeley campus and realize Peter Sellars' sensual, dramatic visions of unforgettable music. The highlights from the programming at Ojai include staged pieces by Kaija Saariaho and Tyshawn Sorey.
Thursday, June 16
6 pm, Zellerbach Playhouse Terrace
Pre-performance Talk
Join for a free pre-performance talk on the Zellerbach Playhouse Terrace. Free and open to the public.
8 pm, Zellerbach Playhouse
Kaija Saariaho
La Passion de Simone
text: Amin Maalouf
ICE
Roomful of Teeth
Julia Bullock, soprano
Joana Carneiro, conductor
Peter Sellars, director
The transcendent musical vision of Kaija Saariaho returns to Cal Performances, with a chamber version of the Finnish composer's powerful oratorio created in tribute to the radical 20th-century French philosopher, Simone Weil. Saariaho's "magically seductive" (Gramophone), meditative score is performed by ICE and the accomplished vocal group Roomful of Teeth in a new restaging by Peter Sellars; the role of Weil, initially created for Dawn Upshaw, is here portrayed by Upshaw's onetime student, the extraordinary young soprano, Julia Bullock.
Friday, June 17
8 pm, Zellerbach Hall
Dina El Wedidi and Band:
The Sounds of Tahrir Square, Cairo
Direct from Cairo, the phenomenal young Egyptian vocalist, songwriter, and activist Dina El Wedidi performs a song cycle depicting the struggles and aspirations of the Egyptian revolution. El Wedidi appeared at Cal Performances last season as part of the Nile Project, and the charismatic singer's international career has been on the rise since winning an apprenticeship with Brazilian star, Gilberto Gil. She returns to Berkeley with her genre-defying band, along with three elder women who sing in the centuries old zār trance music tradition.
Saturday, June 18
6 pm, Zellerbach Playhouse Terrace
Pre-Performance Talk
Join for a free pre-performance talk on the Zellerbach Playhouse Terrace. Free and open to the public.
8 pm, Zellerbach Playhouse
Josephine Baker: A Personal Portrait (commissioned by ICE)
Tyshawn Sorey, compositions and arrangements/drum set
Julia Bullock, soprano
ICE
The "ravishingly visceral" (The New York Times) voice of soprano Julia Bullock is at the center of an evening of music and writings honoring the life and legacy of legendary performer Josephine Baker. Inventive jazz composer and drummer Tyshawn Sorey collaborates with decorated poet Claudia Rankine in a poignant, intimate presentation commissioned by ICE, that celebrates Baker's courage and daring—and profound personal sacrifice—as a trailblazing African-American cultural icon.