The Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

Posted by Blake Sanders on Sep 23, 2010 in Telegram Past News

Finished in 2002, the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts has been a huge source of culture for everywhere from Sacramento to Vacaville.  Being just ten minutes up the road, the Mondavi Center brings world-class performances that can rival many similar theaters in Sacramento and other cities, to an amazing local theater.  The performances range from symphonies, to popular bands, to moving plays that each draws hundreds of people to the center.  Their performances are fairly long in length; however, they are very capable of keeping the audience’s attention throughout the event.  The diversity between the performances provides something for every age.  For example, the 2010 Gubernatorial Debate between Meg Whitman and Jerry Brown will be held in the Mondavi Center on September 28, and the popular rock band Los Lobos will be performing there on October 13.  The Mondavi Center provides an incredible venue to all kinds of amazing performances.

I remember when I went to the Mondavi Center a few years ago.  I went to see a jazz orchestra play in the main theater and it blew me away.  Just walking into the Mondavi Center itself was incredible.  Everyone was dressed up and the center looked just like new.  The look of the building and the layout of it give it a very formal feeling that makes it seem like it should be in a lot larger of a city than Davis.  The theater that the orchestra performed in was huge.  Right when you walk in you can see the 120 foot wide stage elevated above the hundreds of seats to accommodate the large audiences that often attend the events held in this particular theater.  I sat in the second row from the front, which was jaw dropping.  To be able to see the musicians that close was very cool.  Overall, being able to experience the Mondavi Center was astounding.  The size of the theaters and quality of the performances really make you want to return for another performance.

A few facts about the Mondavi Center are that it cost $60.9 million to complete, $10 million of which was generously donated by Robert and Margrit Mondavi, who are UC Davis Alumnus and California winemakers.  The main theater, Jackson Hall, can seat a maximum of 1801 people, and the Douglas fir used in the construction of Jackson Hall were logged in the 1800s and extracted from Ruby Lake in Canada.  Also, more than 100 performances are put on every year in the various theaters in the Mondavi Center.

All facts found on mondavicenter.org.