2009/10 Season
	2009/10 Calendar of Events Education & Community Programs Meet Cal Performances' new director Matías Tarnopolsky. He talks about the arts and his new position in this 4:00 minute video.

DEAR FRIENDS

It is with great pleasure that I write this season opening letter, my first as Director of Cal Performances. Today, the curtain rises on our 2009-2010 season and I wanted to take this opportunity to welcome you and to let you know you how thrilled I am about the quality and the variety of the performances ahead of us. I inherit a remarkable tradition of excellence and innovation from my predecessor, Robert Cole, and I give full credit to him and to the extraordinary staff of Cal Performances, who have created this wonderful 2009-2010 season.

Among the treasured relationships so important to Cal Performances is our longstanding association with Mark Morris — a visionary artist in so many ways, not only in dance. He and his company are beloved members of our family, and we will continue to collaborate with them, in ever more captivating ways. It is extremely gratifying personally to welcome you to my first season at Cal Performances with the Mark Morris Dance Group as the season opener.

For more information on the company's performances at Zellerbach Hall this weekend, a program that will include two West Coast premieres plus Morris's classic work V, please see our website:

Variety is also central to our work. After Mark Morris's first 2009-2010 residency (the company will return in December with The Hard Nut), we turn to jazz, in the hands of another musical and educational master, Wynton Marsalis. He returns with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra for the first concert in our Jazz series. As we look further out at our first two months, I am struck by the diversity and quality of the artists appearing on our stages — from the innovative work of composer Evan Ziporyn in the first staged performances of his opera A House in Bali, to acclaimed lieder recitalists Michael Schade and Christine Brewer, to the eminent pianist Alfred Brendel in a rare speaking engagement. Among the instrumentalists appearing is internationally acclaimed harpsichordist and UC Berkeley music professor Davitt Moroney, who performs Bach's complete Well-Tempered Clavier; and the world-class Takács Quartet, who in every performance demonstrate the essence of chamber music — how the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

For a complete look at all of the events on Cal Performances' 2009-2010 schedule, please browse our online brochure.

We also have many outstanding education and outreach events scheduled in the coming months to enrich the artistic experience for our audiences and the community we serve. These include Sightlines pre- and post-performance talks, a Key Notes series of talks focusing on the diverse musical artists on our stages, and other events formed in partnerships with colleagues at UC Berkeley and Bay Area arts organizations. I want to especially call your attention to the outstanding opportunities for further insight into the artistic process during the campus and community residency for A House in Bali, including a colloquium with composer (and UC Berkeley Ph.D.) Evan Ziporyn; a Balinese dance demonstration; a Gamelan master class; and a behind-the-scenes artist talk and glimpse at a rehearsal in progress for the production. Most of the events are free and open to the public and I encourage you to learn more about how you can participate.

Our audiences, board and staff share a fundamental belief in the importance of great performing art and culture in our lives, and the essential role that Cal Performances plays. We hear frequently about the financial pressures facing arts and educational organizations, and Cal Performances has been seriously affected by our financial environment. Even in these times, we will not compromise our mission to bring international quality performing arts to Zellerbach Hall and our other venues. We will work even more creatively to support these performances with engaging and innovative outreach and education programs to enhance the experience for audiences of all ages. As we look to the future, we will continue to nurture relationships with the great artists of our day. And, at the same time, we will broaden our reach, developing new and exciting associations.

I invite you to join us in this journey of discovery in the coming season.

With all good wishes,

Matías Tarnopolsky
Director, Cal Performances