October 11, 2002

Mondavi merriment: Center debuts in style

Shown the day of the gala opening concert, Mondavi Center will be the home of the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra, the Empyrean Ensemble, the University Chorus and Chamber Singers, the concert band, the gospel choir, Jazz Band, Baroque Ensemble and the UC Davis Wind Ensemble. The Department of Theatre and Dance’s first use of the facility will be in November with The Ten PM Dream. Neil Michel/Axiom

The Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts officially opened last week, kicking off a festival of performances by international, regional and campus groups. Included were concerts by the San Francisco Symphony and mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson and the aerial artistry of Project Bandaloop. The center’s inaugural season will feature more than 160 performances and lectures.

"With the opening of Mondavi Center, we not only enter a new era of opportunity in arts education for our students, but we also celebrate the creation of a valuable and lasting cultural resource for the entire region," Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef said, during last Thursday’s ribbon-cutting. "I firmly believe that every arts organization, every audience member, every performing artist and every student from the Napa Valley to the Lake Tahoe basin will be enriched beyond measure by this facility and its programs.