48 Hills writers and editors choose their Best of the Bay editorial picks for our 50th anniversary Best of the Bay issue. Find more great profiles here and stay tuned for the results of our Best of the Bay 2024 reader poll coming in September!

If you need some inspiration in these gloomy times, head to Cal Performances—the 2024-25 season begins Sept. 27—and see a great example of how to keep going with the presentation of great art. Founded in 1906 and based in Zellerbach Hall on the UC Berkeley campus, Cal Performances is a pillar of the Bay Area scene and continues to surprise with a variety of programming that is hard to beat.

Take the upcoming season. The magnificent, Grammy-winning soprano and thought leader Julia Bullock serves as Cal Performances’ artist-in-residence for the entire season. Bullock wastes no time in proving her power and profound impact, breaking out of Olivier Messiaen’s Harawi. The interweaving of dance and an hour-long song cycle brings drama and intensity to Messiaen’s expression of love and loss. In January, Bullock returns with the period instrumental ensemble Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment for a program of Baroque music. Numerous other campus and public events featuring the artist-in-residence will be announced in the coming months.

Another milestone not to be missed is the triumphant return of South African artist William Kentridge with the Bay Area premiere of The big yes, the big noIn March 2025, his new chamber opera will fictionalize a 1941 wartime escape of famous historical thinkers, creators, visionaries and revolutionaries in a visually stunning fusion of theater, music and dance.

A third highlight will see Twyla Tharp Dance take over with Diamond Jubilee Zelerbach. The company will present two works from the dozens of repertoires of the groundbreaking choreographer who shaped the industry and will perform with Grammy-winning ensemble Third Coast Percussion in a new piece Tharp is creating in collaboration with Philip Glass.

Other reasons why Cal Performances lands on the Best of the Bay list: the fascinating program of the Dover Quartet in November; yMusic’s presentation of a world premiere by Gabriella Smith; the dance group Pilobolus’ recreation Thanksgiving weekend tour collection; Martha Redbone Roots Project’s This country is our country in February; the much-anticipated, wonderful Brazilian ballet visit by Grupo Corpo in April, which follows the annual performance by the Alvin Ailey American Dance Company earlier that month.

Also in early April there will be an immersive live event with Story Boldlys Definition of courage which tells the story of Nisei soldiers during World War II with a mix of stunning cinematography, live music and spoken word. Orchestral and chamber shows, three top-notch solo jazz performances in 2025 and a great roster of contemporary percussionists – Antonio Sánchez performs a live soundtrack for the screening of the Oscar-winning film Birdman is just one of them – add breadth and breathless anticipation of the transcendence that will be revealed during the season.

CAL SERVICES The new season begins on 27 September with Olivier Messiaen’s HarawiFurther information and tickets here.