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UC Davis Choirs and Symphony Orchestra perform Rosephanye Powell’s ‘The Cry of Jeremiah’ at Mondavi Center this weekend

Nicolás Dosman conducts the UC Davis choir (Carol Kepler/photo)

The choruses of UC Davis — which include both the students and alumni — join together along with the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra for a performance of Rosephanye Powell’s “The Cry of Jeremiah” at the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday, May 31 at 7 p.m. Members of the choruses will perform the piece again at Carnegie Hall in New York on Saturday, June 20.

The choruses are conducted by Nicolás Dosman, director of choirs and a professor of teaching at UC Davis and the Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Matilda Hofman, faculty member and conductor-in-residence for the Empyrean Ensemble at UC Davis. In addition, the concert includes guest choristers from Chanteuses, directed by William Zinn; Granite Bay Choirs, directed by alumna Suzanne Peeples (B.A., music, ’09); and Pacific Edge Voices, directed by Dosman. 

“Rosephanye Powell is one of the most important composers of choral music in America today, yet her works have had limited exposure here in California,” said Dosman. “Her music combines jazz, gospel, blues and classical traditions in works that resonate deeply with audiences and performers alike.” Powell’s “The Cry of Jeremiah” is an evocative four-movement work, which captures the prophet’s emotional arc from abandonment to redemption. The work features narration by guest artist Omari Tau.

The Symphony Orchestra performs William Grant Still’s Symphony No. 1 in A-flat major, the "Afro-American Symphony," a landmark 20th-century work that famously integrated blues, spirituals, and jazz into a traditional four-movement symphonic form. It was the first symphony by a Black composer performed by a major American orchestra, premiering in 1931. 

The program also includes two selections from Leonard Bernstein’s beloved comic operetta “Candide:” the work’s classic overture and its grand finale, “Make Our Garden Grow,” which will feature all singers. 

Tickets are $27.50 for adults, $24 for faculty/staff, $15.50 for children (under 18) and $12 for UC Davis students. Tickets are available at the Mondavi Center Ticket Office in person or by calling 530-754-2787 between noon and 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday. Tickets are also available online at tickets.mondaviarts.org.

For more information about music department concerts in the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis, visit music.ucdavis.edu.

2026 Film Festival at UC Davis celebrates student filmmaking

Thursday, May 28 and Friday, May 29 in Room 1002, Cruess Hall. Doors open 5 p.m., Films at 6 p.m.

The 2026 Film Festival at UC Davis showcases short films created by UC Davis students and recent alumni as well as submissions from student filmmakers from Northern California colleges and universities. This year’s festival is being produced by a team of students who are mentored by Julie Wyman, associate professor of cinema and digital media.

Filmmakers on stage at the 2025 film festival (Courtesy photo)

Featuring a different set of films each night, the festival will be held Thursday and Friday, May 28 and 29 in Room 1002, Cruess Hall, and begin at 6 p.m. Doors open at 5 p.m. The event is free, and attendees must register in advance at https://arts.ucdavis.edu/event/film-festival-uc-davis-2026

The festival includes films that are eight minutes and 59 seconds or less, which span a variety of genres and styles from narrative to documentary to experimental. In addition, the jury panel evaluates short original screenplays. Over the years the jury panel has presented awards in each genre (narrative, documentary, experimental, animation), and on specific accomplishments, such as best original soundtrack, production design, ensemble acting and editing.

A joint student and faculty production team hosts the annual festival which offers a space for current filmmaking students to network with each other, the wider campus and local community, and our alumni who work in the media industry. The goal is to share and cultivate the joy of cinema and filmmaking as well as enriching cultural participation across our campus and the larger community.May 28 and 29 in Room 1002, Cruess Hall

The Film Festival at UC Davis was founded in 2000 by students involved in filmmaking in the Department of Theatre and Dance. Filmmakers who have submitted for the festival have gone on to submit works to numerous regional film festivals. 

The festival is co-sponsored by departments at UC Davis including Art and Art History, Cinema and Digital Media, Design, and Theatre and Dance, all of which are part of the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis.

Collaborative collage making at TANA

Saturday, May 30, noon to 4 p.m., TANA, Woodland, 1224 Lemen Ave., Led by artist Abel Rodriguez

Discover the power of collective storytelling in this hands-on workshop led by Abel Rodriguez. Participants will explore how separate elements—images, textures, and personal materials — can be transformed into a cohesive artwork that reflects our shared experiences. No prior experience is needed. This workshop is free and open to all ages and skill levels.

Participants are encouraged to bring photographs, collage materials and personal items that hold meaning or connect to family or lived experiences. Examples can include postcards, postage stamps, wrapping paper and other ephemera. Those with digital photos can have them printed by TANA staff. 

Vanderhoef Studio Theatre

This Friday, Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

Known for his sharp wit and understated delivery, Libyan-born and New York-based comedian Mohanad Elshieky offers a fresh, incisive take on politics and culture.

He has appeared on Conan, Comedy Central, and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, and is a writer and consultant for the podcast Lovett or Leave It. He was also a host of Lemonada Media’s Webby-nominated podcast I’M SORRY.

Praised by The Portland Mercury as “an undisputed genius of comedy,” his work blends smart, pointed humor with thoughtful commentary that leaves a lasting impression. Tickets and more information. 

Opening Acts

Friday: Shaheen Khal 
Saturday: David Rodriguez (Aggie alum) 

Next week

Ancient classic transformed into cinematic shadow theater: June 1-4; final performances

Arena Theatre, Wright Hall, free

Homer’s ancient epic is given new life in the UC Davis Department of Theatre and Dance’s presentation of The Odyssey in Shadow, a large-scale cinematic shadow theater experience. The production will preview on June 1 and will run on June 2, 3 and 4 in the Arena Theatre, Wright Hall. Free.

Co-directed by longtime artistic associates and collaborators Caryl Kientz and Lydia Greer from the renowned ShadowLight Productions and the interdisciplinary collective Facing West Shadows, this work merges myth and memory through an immersive visual language of light, shadow, and movement. Kientz and Greer are the spring quarter Granada Artists-in-Residence. 

Blending traditional shadow theater techniques with live performance, filmmaking methods, experimental cinema, and layered projection, The Odyssey in Shadow reimagines Homer’s timeless tale through a contemporary lens—centering perspectives from the margins, reframing the hero’s journey, and illuminating the unseen.

From the bird-like Sirens to the sorceress Circe, from the Cyclops to the ghost-filled underworld, this shadow odyssey conjures the magical and monstrous realms of myth. Fantastical encounters and enchanted landscapes unfold in silhouette and motion, blending the awe of ancient storytelling with the urgency of modern mythmaking.

Kientz, a director, producer, and educator specializing in cinematic shadow theater, is the Theatrical Director and co-founder of Facing West Shadows, an experimental shadow theater collective known for blending traditional shadow puppetry with animation, installation, and opera. For nearly two decades, she has worked with the internationally renowned ShadowLight Productions, where she now serves as Managing Director and Artistic Associate. Her collaborative work has been performed at venues including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Harvard University, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival.

Greer, an interdisciplinary visual artist, filmmaker/director, and animator, is the artistic director of Facing West Shadows, a Lumia arts collective working with shadow casting and hybridizing art forms to create magical acts of rebellion as experimental art in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond. Expanding into film/animation, theater/opera, puppetry, and sculptural installation, Facing West Shadows creates performance experiences by combining old and new technologies and art forms. Her work has been presented at The Exploratorium in San Francisco, Marin Theatre Company, The Institute of Contemporary Art, San Jose (ICASJI), The Strangloscope International Experimental Film Festival, Brazil, The Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, MeMeraki Artist Residency in Cyprus and the NaFilM: National Film Museum in Prague. 

All performances begin at 7 p.m. and are free but reservations are required. Register at arts.ucdavis.edu/odyssey.

The Department of Theatre and Dance is part of the UC Davis College of Letters and Science. For information about other department productions, visit theatredance.ucdavis.edu.

Video Game Orchestra plays next Wednesday at Mondavi

'Against all Odds: The music of determination,' Wednesday, June 3, Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, UC Davis

The Video Game Orchestra at UC Davis was founded in 2017 with the goal of allowing college musicians to explore the wonders of video game music. What started out as a small group of 9 musicians has now grown into a community of more than 100 members, including current UCD students, alumni, and community members. Additionally, all of our pieces are arranged by our own members. Each quarter, we select a theme for our concert that explores a genre of video games, allowing us to cover a diverse array of games throughout the year. In past concerts, we have played pieces from games such as Super Mario Galaxy, Hollow Knight, Fortnite, and more.

Performance will include pieces from beloved games such as Deltarune, Minecraft, Hollow Knight: Silksong, and more 

Ticket information. 

 

“Alpha” from Minecraft

Daniel “C418” Rosenfeld (Arr. Michael Landrum, Oliver Lin, Radish Paik)

“Awakening” from Hollow Knight: Silksong

Christopher Larkin (Arr. Jacob Tkeio, Chris Wang)

“Deemo’s Flight II: Rain” from Deemo II

Yuang Chen (Arr. Amelia Giarusso, Sig Kim)

“Deltarune Medley” from Deltarune

Toby Fox (Arr. Nate Labao, Chris Yin)

 

 

God Shattering Star” from Fire Emblem: Three Houses

Hiroki Morishita (Arr. Joey Harrington, Youchuan Li)

Ludwig, the Holy Blade” from Bloodborne, The Old Hunters

Nobuyoshi Suzuki (Arr. Amelia Giarusso)

“Star Guardian 2022” from League of Legends

Nolan Markey (Arr. Chris Yin, Nate Labao, Sig Kim)

“You Will Recall Our Names” from Xenoblade Chronicles 2

Kenji Hiramatsu (Arr. Spencer Akey)

…And more!