Critics can’t help but draw parallels between pianist Víkingur Ólafsson’s pristine, crystalline touch at the keyboard and the bracing landscapes of his native Iceland: light reflected on snow, mountainous vistas, sparkling Nordic waterfalls. Ólafsson’s recordings have been wildly popular internationally, winning both Album of the Year at the BBC Music Magazine Awards and Gramophone’s Artist of the Year in 2019, and more recent local performances have both impressed and delighted audiences here in the Bay Area. Known for both his imaginative interpretations and his engaging onstage banter, Ólafsson plays the complete set of Bach’s Goldberg Variations—his renditions praised by Bachtrack as “a complete show of mastery and virtuosity”—in his Cal Performances debut.

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Víkingur Ólafsson, piano

University of California, Berkeley

Adored by readers for his sardonic wit and incisive social critique, David Sedaris is one of America’s preeminent humor writers. Called “one of the greatest humorists writing today” by the Chicago Tribune and a “champion storyteller” by the Los Angeles Times, the Berkeley favorite visits with readings drawn from his beloved best-selling books and story collections, as well as new and unpublished work. Whether he is reflecting on the indignities and injustices of modern life or recounting scenes from his famously colorful childhood, Sedaris blends his cutting satire with disarming blasts of tenderness and humanity, offering catharsis through comedy and laughter.

Cal Performances

May 4, 2024

Víkingur Ólafsson, piano

May 5, 2024

An Evening with David Sedaris

Cal Performances

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