Mondavi Center UC Davis

I have been to over 40 shows at the Mondavi Center in Davis. This is because I had won the social media storyteller contest hosted by Mondavi in 2013. They have various re-​occurring shows with a handful of new artists every year and I saw every single one for a full year.
Seating: Personally, I enjoyed sitting in the middle on the first level. Too close and you can’t see the stage. Too many levels up and you can’t see squat. Invest in a good seat. It can make or break your visual experience. HOWEVER, in terms of audio experience, you could be sitting on the topmost level and the sound is as crisp as it is at the bottom level.
Pro tip: Try the cake pops. They are about $ 2 a pop (ha!) but completely worth it. It’s the Mondavi center’s best kept secret. They make any show even sweeter.
Most highly underrated events: Discussions and lectures.
For example, when Steve Wozniak visited, hearing him speak was more entertaining than any show I have been to. If you want to be inspired, please attend their lecture series. The moderator is always excellent and questions from the audience always make good discussions great.
Favorite Show: Ballet Folklórico de México de Amalia Hernández
It was a soirée of dancing, singing and storytelling. This is a recurring event i have been to three times.
Least Favorite Show: Anything jazz.
The only reason I say this is because having seen at least 5+ Jazz performances, I am disappointed in the selections they play as they all play the same covers of great artists and never come up with anything on their own. Jazz is supposed to be about innovation and creation on the spot. (Snob comment i know). However, jazz events often plays in a smaller room with really swanky round tables and wine is available for purchase so that’s fun.
Conclusion: Go. You just can’t go wrong. The staff is great, the venue is beautiful and the cake pops are always delicious.

Here we are almost looking 2016 right in the eye! Why has it taken me so long to give appropriate kudo’s to the «jewel» almost in my backyard!
The Mondavi Center for the Arts opened in 2002 as UC Davis’s beautiful new home for its University Symphony Orchestra and other cultural events. The Center is named after the late vintner, Robert Mondavi, and his wife, Margrit Mondavi, who, by the way, donated $ 10 million toward the building cost. The project was estimated to cost $ 60.9 million. Sandstone tile covers the outside of the building.
Jackson Hall is the main event room in the Mondavi Center. It has four tiers and areas of seating that can hold 1800 people! The Hall is named after Davis resident, Barbara K. Jackson and her late husband, W. Turrentine, «Tuppie» Jackson who was a UCD history professor. Jackson made her $ 5 million gift in March of 2001, a critical time when the fund drive for the (then unnamed) center appeared to be in danger of faltering. If her gift had not been eclipsed soon after that by the Mondavi’s donation, we might very well have the UC Davis Jackson Center instead! Jackson Hall has exceptionally clean precise acoustics. The hall changes between amplified and unamplified setups. For amplified shows, such as jazz, folk, blues and spoken word, a system of drapes and banners is deployed, dampening the space. The hall also features the world class Meyer Sound M’elodie line array. The drapes, banners and speakers are retracted and replaced with a 26 ton acoustical enclosure for classical events, creating an acoustically «live» space where you can hear a pin drop.
The adjacent Vanderhoef Studio Theater is for smaller, more intimate performances like small jazz bands, string quartets and piano recitals. The seating can be arranged to hold up to 250 people, has a club atmosphere and a refreshment bar. The theater was named in honor of Larry and Rosalie Vanderhoef. Larry Vanderhoef was the former Chancellor of U.C. Davis (and sadly, recently passed away… note: he was the first one in his family to graduate from high school!!).
(full disclosure: much of the above description was taken from Davis Wiki… because of all the great facts)!
We are here tonight with last minute tickets to see Pink Martini Holiday Show featuring Storm Large! Even though we are very high up… because of the incredible acoustics… sound is pitch perfect! And the place is packed. To quote the Group’s bandleader/pianist…“We are a rollicking around-​the-​world musical adventure… if the United Nations had a house band in 1962, hopefully we’d be that band”. Featuring a dozen musicians, Pink Martini performs its multilingual repertoire on concert stages and with symphony orchestras throughout Europe, Asia, Greece, Turkey, and the Middle East, Northern Africa, Australia, New Zealand, South America and North America. And how wonderful of them to do a special tribute/​prayer for the San Bernadino Victims too. First a prayer and then a «rocking» piece commemorating USA’s stance TO NEVER GIVE IN TO TERRORISM (and everyone was requested to stand up and dance to this one)…And they did… INCREDIBLE to be a part of that!
The is one of the most beautiful venue’s I have ever visited! Inside and out!!! You have to see it… to believe it. And at night, it is magical! Come and see for yourself!

Jackson Hall at the Center is a fabulous venue, and I completely agree with others’ comments already posted. My wife needed whellchair access, and the staff went above and beyond to assist us.
Now to a particular concert: Sharon Jones & the Dap-​Kings 10/​30/​2015. It was a terrific performance by a bunch of artists who had classic R&B chops solidly down. Unfortunately, the vocals sounded muddy and barely intelligible at the rear of the orchestra terrace. Loudspeakers elsewhere in the hall had the vocals coming through clearly, so I’m guessing that the distortion had to do with the spatial geometries in our location.

Great acoustics, very comfortable seating etc, saw emmy lou Harris, Dr John, and have tickets for Pink Martini an upcoming event, hope they continue to have performances geared to all age groups.

Why this place rocks in a simple list:
1. The acoustics are incredible.
2. Staff is super friendly
3. Very beautiful building
4. Good shows
5. I like the number five and have no fifth point.
If you get a chance to see a show here, jump at it. :)

Beautiful facility! Attended a reading by David Sedaris and was amazed by the beautiful layout of the facility. The only aspect I’d recommend improving is egress from the parking structure after the event (perhaps have campus security direct traffic). Definitely plan to come here again.

You can’t go wrong with this venue. It’s one of the best in the region when it comes to viewing almost any performer or individual. From the seating to the acoustics to the eerily ever-​present ushers, this is the classiest theater in Davis (and Sacramento as well).
I’m ashamed to say I’ve lived in Sacramento for almost seven years and had never once been here before. I came to see Nick Offerman. He felt compelled to stop in the middle of his act and comment on how nice a venue it is and said we should feel lucky to have a place like this in town. I wholeheartedly agree.
Their lineup of upcoming speakers/​performers is online, so carve out some time to go down for a show. Warning: What takes place on stage may not be the highlight of your visit.

If you’re a student here at UCD, please please please be sure to see a show here during your undergrad! They offer your first ticket free for students and any show you see after is half off!
It’s a very underrated theatre in NorCal, and the shows are more catered towards dance and classical music performances over theatre or live shows. I came here for Hella Capella and the acoustics sounded pretty good, and the fact that the seats weren’t cramped together like most theatres was a plus.
The Vanderhoef studio is also a very intimate stage, I saw Two Men Talking there and it was almost perfect for the very personal and intimate approach they chose to tell their story.
I’m looking forward to seeing Nick Offerman at the Mondavi in October, and hopefully UCD offers more shows catered towards their student audience because this theatre is is truly a gem!

I don’t remember when’s the last time I was at Mondavi Center but I came back for Hella Capella 2014!
When buying tickets at Mondavi Center, I recommend purchasing them in person to avoid the surcharge if possible. If you don’t have any other choice to buy them online, then what else can you do? Fortunately, I was able to get someone to buy them online and when you call the ticket office, they are very friendly as well! They are not opened the usual Mon-​Fri business hours 8 – 5, they open at noon or something along those lines. They must get to sleep in then huh?!
So on the day of the show, I was running late so we arrived 10 minutes before 7:30pm (our show is at 7:30pm). It is packed. Lucky for us, we have a C parking permit. You can use your UC Davis parking permit, it works. If not, TAPs is going to collect money and ask you to pay the daily parking rate (I think it’s $ 8?). There’s so much parking, parking is NOT an issue.
The show was packed, but thank goodness for assigned seating! It was easy to find out seat. It was such a lovely place. Mondavi center is really nice and during the intermission, you can walk around and there’s patios as well.
I think the trickiest part about the whole event was getting out of the parking lot. It was crazy! We waited forever! Next time, I rather spend my time and money parking in a nearby parking lot and walking here. Or better yet… it is Davis, c’mon and just bike!

What a beautiful venue! The architecture is amazing, the acoustics are wonderful, parking is easy, the staff is very professional, and the seats are comfortable. What more could you want out of a performing arts venue?
Key tip to new UC Davis students: You get 1 free ticket (Tier 2) to most any event! Trying to maximize on this freebie, I decided to attend an orchestra performance by a Brazilian youth orchestra (normal ticket price $ 49) and was awestruck by how amazing the performance was. I dare say that the acoustics may rival more «famous» venues such as that of the SF symphony. If the students have already used their freebie or it’s not their first year, then you continue to get tickets at 50% off!
I’ve also attended a talk here by Nicholas Kristof, the author of the NY Times bestseller «Half the Sky.» The talk was excellent and the beautiful venue enhanced the experience.
I’ve also had friends who’ve done beautiful engagement photo shoots outside the Mondavi Center and the nearby Vanderhouf Quad. The fountain makes a seemingly «sparkling curtain» effect that is stunning with the nearby lighting, particularly at night.
TIP: as other Unilocalers have stated, there are no adjacent venues for food/​drink so enjoy yourself in nearby downtown Davis before the performance.

This is a review for the outside of the Mondavi Center.
1. My best friends and I did a photo shoot by the waterfall structure. It’s so beautiful!
2. Past few months, Golden Turtle Lion Dance Association has been practicing for DDR (Davis Dance Revolution) in the parking lot behind the parking structure on Thursdays from 7−10pm. It’s very spacious and we can be as loud as we want without getting any complaints :)
TIP: Be aware when there are large scale events, because traffic will be bad!

What a nice venue to see a concert.
We came here after waiting oh so anxiously to see the Postal Service… the place is small so everything is quite intimate. The crowd seemed to be above average and respectful… although it could be the nature of the type of group the Postal Service is also.
The seats were comfy… the stage was a good size.
For refreshments, they served… WINE! Of course they did… this is the Mondavi Center!
Parking was convenient…$ 7, not bad at all.
Would love to come back here again!

I went here for a acapella show called hella capella. It facility itself is very nice and new looking. The show itself was amazing and I am glad they used mondavi center for the show instead of freeborn or the pavilion. Everyone who worked there was very nice and professional and the orchestra seats that I had definitely were very very close. I would definitely be back here is there was a show or performance I want to watch. The downside is since I went on a Friday I had to pay for parking =(.

Come quick… I Got The SHAKES!
After watching the Grammy’s this year I decided that I needed to see the Alabama Shakes live, low and behold a chance came a knockin at the Mondavi Center in Davis. Im almost positive this place was pretty fab, but I could barely see it because they had the fog machine on blast way before the performers got on stage.
The show started with this band called The Tumbleweeds (thier name truly fits) and they got the crowd warmed up for the next act named Michael Kiwanuka. I thought I might be bored at this point, but I was amazingly surprised by his skills (and his backup guitarist. cutie!)
O.M.G…you better.“HOLD ON”.to your seat that is. cause once Brittany Howard hit that stage it was like a volcano erupted. One big power house voice accompanied by the accoustics provided by the performance center was out of this world. No one could sit down even if they had tried. I would love to see other bands perform here… it was a great night.

I recently came here for the first time to see the Ballet Folklorico. This is a great venue. We sat in the balcony and the view was great. Parking was close and easy. I would definitely come here again.

I love the venue… great place to see music or dancing. I have seen the Pat Metheny Group, Lyle Lovett and classical music there. However, the management of Mondavi are ridicoulous penny pinchers for the insulting way they sell you a drink. They literally give you 6 ounces of wine for $ 10. WTF??? Seriously, that is expected at a high end restaurant for a great wine… can you say greedy!
My advice is to drink before you get there!!! :-)

Gorgeous, nice, comfortable building with wonderful acoustics.
Pleasant staff, easy parking — remember that you do need to pay $ 7 for a parking permit.
Tickets are pretty affordable for most events, especially for students, and it’s in a great area of campus.

I’ve seen four or five shows at the Mondavi — both concerts and educational presentations. For Sacramento it’s nice to have a good moderate sized upscale venue around — fairly intimate, yet not small. Other than the Community Center, Sacramento doesn’t have much else in the mid-​range size, unlike the Bay Area.
Two Issues:
(1) Don’t park in the parking garage — it’s the same $ 7 or $ 10 as the nearby lots (depending on event the prices change) — but you might have to wait *thirty minutes* to get out.
(2) They could also use a couple more bar areas, the lines for wine & beer are very long and then you CAN’T TAKE A DRINK INSIDE. Before a show or at intermission you might wait 15 minutes to get something and then have 15 seconds to chug it down or throw an $ 8 drink in the trash.
Other than that — the sound is very good, the seating is great throughout — nosebleeds, front row, box seats all have decent views and sound. The selection of shows is good, from nerdy science talks through alt-​rock concerts; Mondavi really mixes it up.
Unilocaler tip — since the shows are sold in season packages seat availability and choice can be a problem. I’ve had good luck with tix off of *StubHub*. Yesterday I bought tix for a sold-​out concert last night and got a fair price on center orchestra, only 13 rows from the stage. Excellent.

Nice, clean, comfortable performance hall with great acoustics! The building is aesthetically pleasing both inside and outside. I found the staff and ushers very helpful in directing you to wherever you are trying to go. Tonight I enjoyed a brilliant, engaging 2-​hour performance by the University Chorus. This is definitely a night to remember.
Also, a word about using promo codes, if you have one, since I messed up: When ordering tickets online you have to enter the promo code first — on the screen that comes before you choose the seating/​pricing options. Unlike other sites, if you enter the promo code after you had chosen the seat/​price then the price will not reflect the promotion price. I emailed the Mondavi Center after I made the mistake however, and they were great about telling me the exact procedure I had to follow to avoid this in the future and made the prices adjustment for me.

«AN EXQUISITE VENUE FOR ENJOYING PERFORMANCES IN THE ARTS!»
SIT REP
Early birthday celebration, and my sweet friend Amanda and I head to the MONDAVI CENTER at UCDavis to see «TANGO FIRE».
THE SET-​UP
A wonderful venue set up like an opera house where the acoustics are magnificent and the visual architectural and interior décor are quite sumptious and beautiful.
They allowed patrons to go onto the stage — which was set up like an ARGENTINIAN CAFE — BEFORE the performance in fact so that couples could dance to the Tango music.
THE PERFORMANCE
The dancers were mesmerizing and magnificent! Five (5) couples danced through a century’s worth of Tango-​styles and elegance. Some of it reflecting quieter times, some of it reflecting the brutal military junta and dictatorships, all of it a breath-​taking lesson in to the history and power of the Dance of Tango and how it STILL is reflective of the human spirit for all ages.
The couple that included the blonde, were absolutely amazing. There was a lot of power in the way she was vaulted into the air and spun around, and in the way their one particular dance was ethereal and spiritual. I loved this demonstration most of all.
THE MUSICIANS
My god! This is probably the most amazing LIVE quartet of musicians I have had the pleasure of hearing! A FIDDLER. An ACCORDIANIST. A PIANIST. And a stand-​up BASS. I’ve never heard so much talent (and VOLUME) come from just 4 guys!
THE LOWDOWN
If you ever get a chance to see this performance in the future, by all means do so! You’ll see me there again too!