The Religious Studies Program hosts singer Sikkil Gurucharan, a pre-eminent voice in South Indian classical music, for a lecture and concert Friday (March 9).

His appearance in the third annual India Studies Lecture Series is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. in the Technocultural Studies Building (formerly the Art Annex). Admission is free and open to the public.

The organizers said Gurucharan will present a lecture-demonstration on South Indian classical music followed by a concert, with violin and percussion accompanists.

Gurucharan hails from the legendary Sikkil Sisters musical family of South India, only, instead of playing the flute like others in the family, he took to singing. India's Sangeet Natak Akademi (National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama) recognized Gurucharan in the academy’s Yuva Puraskar program: prizes for young artists. He has a number of albums, and collaborated with other artists across musical styles and genres.

The House of Bernarda Alba: March 8-18

The Department of Theatre and Dance presents Federico García Lorca’s The House of Bernarda Alba, opening tonight (March 8) in Main Theatre.

Granada Artist-in-Residence Juliette Carrillo directs the UC Davis production, based on a new adaptation by Chay Yew. Wrought with sexual tension, the play looks at the effects of a male-dominated and hierarchical society upon women, as five daughters are confined to their mother’s house for an eight-year period of mourning.

Carrillo said the production, though often grim, is inspired by the energy of Spanish culture — especially duende, the soulful, highly emotional quality that often characterizes Spanish people and art, such as flamenco dance. Lorca frequently spoke of the duende in his work.

“Even though the play is dark and goes to difficult places emotionally, it's also surprisingly funny,” Carrillo said. “There's also some lovely dancing and singing. It's a very full theatrical experience.”

Performances are scheduled at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, March 8-10 and 15-17, and 2 p.m. Sunday, March 11 and 18. The production is rated PG-13 for sexuality, adult language and violence.

Read the news release, watch the video promo, buy tickets.

Auditions for The Way of Water

The Department of Theatre and Dance announced open auditions next week for a staged reading of The Way of Water, about the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico.

The new play from Caridad Svitch marks the disaster’s two-year anniversary.

The staged reading is scheduled for Thursday, April 12, as part of this year’s Edge Performance Festival (April 12-15 and 19-22).

Students, staff and faculty are welcome to try out for The Way of Water from 6 to 10 p.m. Monday (March 12) in Lab B, Wright Hall. People interested in trying out should sign up in 101 Art Building. “Please prepare a one- to two-minute contemporary poem that speaks to you and displays the use of poetic text,” reads the audition notice. And please provide a resume and headshot.

Callbacks are scheduled for March 13, and rehearsals are set to begin April 2.

More music in March

Early Music Ensemble and Baroque Ensemble — 7 p.m. Saturday (March 10), St. Martin’s Church, 640 Hawthorne Lane, Davis

• Perotin — Viderunt omnes
• Pärt — Nunc dimittis
• Tallis — Lamentations of Jeremiah
• Josquin — De profundis
• Bach — Cantata 131, Aus der Tiefen rufe ich, Herr, zu dir

UC Davis Symphony Orchestra: On Our Way to Spain! — A sampling of what the symphony will play during its March 24-April 4 tour of Spain. Performances are scheduled in the Palau de la Música Catalana, Barcelona, and three other major venues, in Madrid, Valencia and Granada. 7 p.m. Sunday (March 11),
Jackson Hall, Mondavi Center

• Debussy — Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (“Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun”)
• Mozart — Clarinet Concerto in A Major, K. 622, with José González Granero, clarinet
• Schumann — Symphony No. 4 in D Minor

Tickets for all except the March 10 concert are available from the Mondavi Center box office, (530) 754-2787 or (866) 754-2787, or mondaviarts.org. For their March 10 concert, the Early Music and Baroque ensembles suggest the following donations: $12 adults, and $6 students and children.

Share your Mondavi Center memories

As it approaches its 10th anniversary season, the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts is asking people to share their Mondavi Center memories.

"Our audience has been a vital part of the Mondavi Center’s success over its first 10 years," center officials said in a recent e-mail. "As we approach our 10th anniversary season, in 2012–13, we want to hear your stories! How has the Mondavi Center thrilled you, inspired you and entertained you?"

Sharing a memory could not be easier: On your next visit to the center, simply step inside the Mondavi Memories video booth (before performances or during intermissions) and start talking! The booth is in the Yocha Dehe Grand Lobby.

What should you talk about? Here are some suggestions:

• A favorite performance
• A special evening shared with friend or family
• What the arts and the Mondavi Center bring to your life
• Anything at all

"Your few moments of sharing will play an important role as we get ready to celebrate our 10th season!"

ARTfriends off to Clos Pegase and Hess Collection

The Nelson ARTfriends announced a bus trip to the Napa Valley, to take in the art at the Clos Pegase Winery (owned by UC Davis art museum benefactor Jan Shrem) and the Hess Collection.

The trip, scheduled from 9 to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, May 5, includes lunch and wine tasting — and is for ages 21 and up.

In December, UC Davis announced that Shrem had donated $10 million to help build the university's new art museum, and that it would be named after Shrem and his friend and fellow art patron Maria Manetti Farrow. The couple has since married, and the museum will be called the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art

Clos Pegase, according to its website, isv"a celebration of the ancient marriage of wine and art," with the latter comprising an important collection of 20th-century paintings, sculpture and wine-related art as well as antiquities spanning 4,000 years. The collection covers a range of media — from sculptures in granite, bronze, marble and wood, to oils, watercolors and collages, as well as rare artifacts, wine vessels and antique vineyard tools.

Donald Hess' collection initially comprised modern and contemporary works from U.S. and European artists, and has since become international in scope. The Hess Collection website states: "He collects with the uncanny ability to acquire works by lesser known artists who often go on to become well known and respected in their disciplines. His typical commitment to an artist spans decades and various stages of his career.”

The cost is $100 for members, $125 for nonmembers and $75 for students (limit five students), including transportation to and from UC Davis, guided tours, and wine tasting and lunch at Clos Pegase. Reservations are due by April 12 to the Nelson Gallery's Katrina Wong, kliwong@ucdavis.edu or (530) 752-8500. Payment is due by April 17, otherwise your reservations will be foreited.