Sinfonia Spirituosa
If you are reading this on Sunday, today is the last chance to get a ticket for the 4 p.m. May 17 concert at the Episcopal Church of St. Martin, 640 Hawthorn Lane in Davis.
The Sacramento-based Baroque chamber orchestra Sinfonia Spirituosa, joined by two dancers from the Sacramento Ballet, will perform portions of the French Baroque opera/ballet “Dardanus” by Jean-Phillipe Rameau, first staged in 1739.
Tickets are $35 general at the door, information at SinfoniaSpirituosa.org.
Mellon Music Festival
Friday, May 22, Saturday, May 23, and Sunday, May 24, all at 7:30 p.m. The Mellon Music Festival was organized eight years ago by cellist Eungee Cho, who grew up in Davis (and played in the orchestra at Davis High), then pursued studies at music conservatories in Los Angeles and Boston, culminating in a doctorate in cello performance from the New England Conservatory. He is now a professor at the University of Houston’s Moores School of Music.
Cho enjoys returning to Davis on Memorial Day weekend, and he brings along several very capable musicians that he befriended through his New England Conservatory connections.
In addition to Cho, performers at the Mellon Music Festival this year are:
* Pianist Evren Ozel, winner of the Bronze Medal at the 2025 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. Born in the United States and still in his mid-20s, Ozel has appeared with the Cleveland Orchestra and the Minnesota Orchestra, among others. His debut album (recorded with the ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra) was released in 2025. He is a graduate of the New England Conservatory.
* Violinist David Bernat earned a bachelors degree from the New England Conservatory and earned Masters and Doctoral degrees at the Juilliard School. He is a member of the Formosa String Quartet, which serves as an ensemble in residence at the University of Houston, and he has toured several times as a member of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra (which has performed at the Mondavi Center at least twice).
* Violinist MuChen Hsieh, a native of Taiwan, is a graduate of the New England Conservatory, served in the Houston Symphony as Principal Second Violin from 2017-2024 (appearing several times as soloist with the orchestra), and joined the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2024.
* Violinist Nancy Zhou studied music at the New England Conservatory (and also studied literature at Harvard). She has performed with various orchestras in the United States, Europe, and in China, and played at multiple summer music festivals.
* Violist Tanner Menees earned a Masters degree at the New England Conservatory. He has performed internationally at the Menuhin Festival String Academy in Switzerland and the Edinburgh Music Festival in Scotland, as well as at American festivals like Marlboro and Caramoor. He currently plays with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, a New York chamber orchestra founded some 50 years ago.
* Violist Zhanbo Zheng is a graduate of the New England Conservatory, and he was the first Chinese musician to win the Primrose International Viola Competition. He is the Associate Principal Viola with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.
* Canadian-Japanese cellist Joy Yanai earned a Masters degree at the New England Conservatory, and she also studied at the Orford Music Academy in Quebec, and at the Ozawa International Music Academy in Japan. She’s played at the Banff Music Festival in Alberta, as well as the Pacific Music Academy in Sapporo. She played for six seasons with the Naples Philharmonic in Florida, and recently relocated to Houston.
Mellon Music Festival concerts and repertoire:
* Friday, May 22, 7:30 p.m., Episcopal Church of St. Martin, 640 Hawthorn Ln., Davis. Program includes a trio arrangement of selections from “Goldberg Variations” (for piano) by J.S. Bach; a cello sonata by Turkish pianist/composer Fazil Say (who performed at UC Davis in the “pre-Mondavi era” around 25 years ago on the old UC Davis Presents concert series, and the popular Beethoven Piano Trio in D Major, Op. 70, No. 1 (“Ghost”).
* Saturday, May 23, 7:30 p.m., Davis Odd Fellows Hall, 415 Second St., Davis. Philip Glass, “Quartet Satz” (2017). Franz Schubert “Quartettsatz” D 703 (1820), Béla Bartók Divertimento, Sz. 113 (1939), Felix Mendelssohn “String Quintet No. 2 in B-flat major, Op. 87 (1845).
* Sunday, May 24, 7:30 p.m. Episcopal Church of St. Martin, 640 Hawthorn Ln., Davis. Sonata for Two Violins, Op. 3, No. 5 by Jean-Marie Leclair (1697-1764); “Lament for Two Violas,” composed in 1912 by English composer Frank Bridge; “The Hunting Sonata” composed in 2016 by Italian cellist/composer Giovanni Sollima; and the Piano Quartet in F Minor, Op. 34 by Johannes Brahms (completed in 1864).
Individual concert tickets are $20 general (or $50 for a festival pass, good for all three concerts), MellonMusicFestival.com and at the door at concerts. Free admission for students and children under 18.
Also upcoming
* Wednesday, May 20, 7 p.m. Mondavi Center (Jackson Hall) Concert Bands of UC Davis
* Tuesday, May 26, 7 p.m. Pitzer Center, UC Davis. Big Bands of UC Davis.
* Sunday, May 31, 7 p.m. Alumni and University Choruses and UC Davis Symphony Orchestra.
* Sunday, May 31, 3 p.m. Davis Chorale presents a free End of Year performance together with the Davis Youth Choirs, atDavis Community Church, 412 C St. The Davis Chorale was founded 48 years ago, in 1978, by Rachel Day Kessler, and continues as a vibrant part of the local music scene today under director Alison Skinner. She will lead the adult choir in works by American composers Randall Thompson, Elaine Hagenberg, Sarah Quartel and Adolphus Hailstork. In addition, each of the youth Choirs, directed by LuAnn Higgs, will perform: Hummingbirds (K-2 grade), Larks (3-6 grade) and Bel Canto (advanced choir). No ticket needed for admission, donations gratefully accepted.
* Friday, June 5, 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, June 7, 2 p.m., Mondavi Center (Jackson Hall). The widely-admired pianist Christopher Taylor, who enjoys taking on large and unusual projects, returns to perform the sprawling Franz Liszt transcriptions of the last four Beethoven symphonies. On Fri. June 5, Taylor will play the transcriptions of the Symphony No. 6 (“Pastoral”) and Symphony No. 7. On Sun. June 7, he will play the Symphony No. 8 and Symphony No. 9. Tickets to individual concerts are $79.50-$39.50 general, MondaviArts.org and at the door.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.davisenterprise.com ’
