Vocal Celebration

Lila Downs

Día de los Muertos

Sat, Oct 25, 8pm, Zellerbach Hall

Celebrate Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, with Grammy- and Latin Grammy-winning Mexican American singer Lila Downs.

With “a stunning voice [and] a confident multicultural vision grounded in her Mixtec Indian roots” (Los Angeles Times), Downs is admired for organically bridging cultures and languages as both a musician and activist. Backed by an all-star band, this Berkeley favorite brings her powerful voice and vibrant stage presence to a festive set of original and traditional songs in Spanish and English, as well as indigenous languages from her native Oaxaca.

Patron Sponsors: Dr. Rupali Das-Melnyk and Dr. Ostap Melnyk

Vienna Boys Choir

Strauss For Ever

Sun, Nov 16, 3pm, Zellerbach Hall

Universally adored for its “pure and pristine sound” (San Francisco Chronicle), the legendary Vienna Boys Choir returns to Berkeley with a lively program celebrating the 200th birthday of one of Vienna’s most cherished native sons.

Johann Strauss Jr. was the grandfather of the Viennese waltz and polka styles that defined that city’s music for generations, and this choir has been singing choral renditions of his music since the 1920s! Come hear classics like the Blue Danube waltz, Tales from the Vienna Woods, and a selection of rollicking polkas, all sung with spirit and finesse by these angelic young voices.

Patron Sponsor: Beth DeAtley

WATCH: Vienna Boys Choir sing Wiener Sängerknaben

Soweto Gospel Choir

Peace

Sun, Dec 14, 3pm, Zellerbach Hall

There is possibly no sound on earth more stirring, more uplifting than the voices of the storied Soweto Gospel Choir raised in song. In this special holiday season concert, the multi-Grammy-winning South African cultural ambassadors return to Berkeley singing of love and peace, from gospel classics and spirituals to feel-good pop songs by Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, Leonard Cohen, and others—all delivered with their superhuman vocal blend and dazzling showmanship.

Listening to the glorious harmonies and watching the inspired faces of the performers…even the coldest hearts would struggle to resist”

— Limelight Magazine

San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus

Holiday Spectacular 2025!

Sat, Dec 20, 2pm & 8pm, Zellerbach Hall

Revel in the warm sonic embrace of a couple hundred talented tenors, baritones, and basses dressed in ugly Christmas sweaters and elf outfits at this year’s Holiday Spectacular! A little naughty, but mostly very nice, the much-adored San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus returns for its annual—and wildly popular—Christmas pageant at Zellerbach Hall. The hilarious and heartwarming spectacle is different each year, as the chorus offers clever sendups of pop culture and political personalities, and chart-topping music hits are mixed in with classic holiday carols.

Due to overwhelming demand, a second performance has been added this season, so now is the perfect time to start a new holiday tradition in the company of friends and family!

An Evening with Kelli O’Hara*

Sat, Jan 31, 8pm, Zellerbach Hall

Marquee Broadway star, opera diva, acclaimed television actor—what can’t Kelli O’Hara do? From her Tony-winning performance in The King and I, to a starring role in Kevin Puts’ The Hours at the Metropolitan Opera, to the Emmy-nominated The Gilded Age on HBO, she dazzles at every turn.

In her eagerly anticipated Cal Performances debut, O’Hara sings favorite show tunes and classics from the Great American Songbook, plus some surprises. Don’t miss a chance to hear her radiant voice in this rare cabaret setting!

*Cal Performances debut

True theater royalty, one of a handful of go-to leading ladies that has amassed a rabid, fanatic following”

— Broadway World

Lara Downes and Friends

This Land: Reflections on America

Lara Downes, piano

Judy Collins, vocals*

Tarriona "Tank" Ball, vocals*

Invoke Quartet

Karl Mitze, viola, mandolin

Geoff Manyin, cello

Zach Matteson, violin

Nick Montopoli, violin, banjo

Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir

Sat, May 9, 8pm, Zellerbach Hall

In the stirring and eclectic presentation, This Land, celebrated pianist, NPR host, and California native Lara Downes welcomes an all-star cast of collaborators for a program of classical and popular music that explores the richness and complexity of the American experience. Folk legend Judy Collins, Grammy-winning singer and poet Tarriona “Tank” Ball (of Tank and the Bangas fame), and the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir join Downes in an inspiring selection of music spanning more than a century, reflecting on our capacity for empathy and community as we approach our nation's 250th anniversary.

*Cal Performances debut

An Illuminations: "Exile & Sanctuary" event.

Quick–pick a song for karaoke inspired by the stunning vocalists this season:

“Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen
“Shall We Dance” from The King and I
“America” by Simon & Garfunkel
“Let it Snow”
I’ll leave the singing to the professionals…

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