Renee Fleming, Rhiannon Giddens, Brad Mehldau headed to UC Berkeley

Appearances by opera stars Renee Fleming, Christine Goerke and Jakub Józef Orliński; the return of pianist Mitsuko Uchida; and dance works including Pina Bausch’s “The Rite of Spring” are among the highlights of arts presenter Cal Performances’ 2023-24 season, announced by company executive and artistic director Jeremy Geffen.

The new season also includes a new work by Americana music icon Rhiannon Giddens and the Silkroad Ensemble exploring the creation of the Transcontinental Railroad; and a big anniversary celebration for the Kronos Quartet.

The season, running Oct. 1 to May 4, 2024 on and around the UC Berkeley campus, includes attractions in recital, orchestral and chamber music, early music, new music, dance, theater, jazz, vocal, and family events.

Fall 2023 highlights include soprano Goerke in “A Celebration of the American Diva” (Oct. 8); the Los Angeles Master Chorale brings “Music to Accompany a Departure,” a work on loss and grief directed by Peter Sellars, set to a score by Baroque composer Heinrich Schütz, and conducted by Grant Gershon (Oct. 28). Also on the fall calendar: recitals by American pianist Michelle Cann (Oct. 29), British cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason (Nov. 1), and harpsichordist Jean Rondeau (Nov. 5); the San Francisco Symphony once again crosses the Bay, conducted by music director Esa-Pekka Salonen in a program featuring the world premiere of Jens Ibsen’s “Drowned In Light,” and clarinetist Carey Bell in Salonen’s “Kínéma” (Nov. 10). Jazz events kick off with the Brad Mehldau Trio (Nov. 11), and Giddens joins the Silkroad Ensemble to present “American Railroad,” a work that considers the African-American, Chinese, Irish and indigenous communities’ contributions to the railways (Nov. 17). The English Concert returns with a performance of Handel’s “Rodelinda,” conducted by Harry Bicket (Nov. 19); and the Brooklyn-based Urban Bush Women present “Hair and Other Stories” (Dec. 1-3). Family-friendly events include “The Triplets of Belleville,” presented in a special “Cine-Concert” (Oct. 21-22) and Family Drum Tao’s 30th anniversary tour (April 11-12, 2024).

Uchida returns in March 2024 for a month-long residency as Artist in Residence; the celebrated pianist will accompany tenor Mark Padmore in a recital featuring Schubert’s “Winterreise” (March 17) and join the Mahler Chamber Orchestra in concert (March 24).

Additional 2024 highlights include recitals by sopranos Fleming (Feb. 9) and Erin Morley (Feb. 18); programs by the Kronos Quartet, marking “Five Decades” of music-making (March 2); Toronto’s Afro-Cuban roots and jazz band OKAN (March 8); and Orliński, currently the world’s most celebrated countertenor, appearing in recital with the Italian early music ensemble Il Pomo d’Oro (April 9).

Soprano Amina Edris, star of San Francisco Opera’s 2022 world premiere production of John Adams’ “Antony and Cleopatra,” performs “Voyages,” a duo program with her husband, tenor Pene Pati (April 23, 2024). Additional season highlights include concerts by Haitian-American composer and vocalist Nathalie Joachim (March 7), Jordi Savall and Hespèrion XXI (April 12), and Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Angélique Kidjo (April 26).

Cal Performances’ Dance series features 2024 appearances by Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (Jan. 27-28); Bausch’s “The Rite of Spring” (Feb. 16-18); and the Joffrey Ballet, performing choreographer Yuri Possokhov’s “Anna Karenina,” accompanied by the Berkeley Symphony (March 15-17). Also on the calendar: Alvin Ailey Dance Theater’s annual series (April 2-7); and the Mark Morris Dance Group, with a world premiere to be announced (April 19-21, 2024).

Fall theater events include “Cassette Roulette,” featuring John Cameron Mitchell and Amber Martin (Nov. 4); 2024 brings actor John Malkovich in “The Infernal Comedy: Confessions of a Serial Killer” (Feb. 3); Taylor Mac and Matt Ray’s “Bark of Millions” (Feb. 23-25); and Elevator Repair Service’s “Baldwin and Buckley at Cambridge” (March 1-3).

Subscription packages go on sale noon April 21; single tickets will be available Aug. 8; calperformances.org.