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The Weekender is a regular feature of the �������ϲ����Ͽ� Davis Arts Blog appearing each Thursday — when weekends really need to begin. The column features stuff to do on and around the �������ϲ����Ͽ� Davis campus this weekend.

Celebrate Pride Month

Rainbows out for Sunday’s Davis Pride run and festival, campus events

A free screening of the movie, “Tangerine” happens Thursday, May 17, 4-7 p.m. at the Student Community Center. The movie features, according to the community center calendar item, two black trans women whose real lives are similar to what the film presented, so you could say that this fictional story is rooted in a real life narrative of black trans* women in L.A. The participants will learn about the intersectionality of a low-income black trans* woman identity as well as the context of survival sex work. This event follows “Out on the Quad,” noon – 2 p.m. Thursday on the �������ϲ����Ͽ� Davis quad. (Many readers of this blog will have already missed that because of deadline constraints in publishing the Arts Blog.)

In the city of Davis, they are painting the town in rainbows to celebrate Davis Pride, and to welcome more than 1,500 people for the fourth annual fun run and festival on Sunday, May 20.

Davis Pride volunteers painted two crosswalks on Mother's Day with rainbow colors, leading pedestrians to Davis’ Central Park, the event’s venue. On Friday morning, they will use temporary chalk paint to stripe nine more crosswalks. The free festival, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., will fill the park with music, food and support for the LGBTQ+ community.

Davis Pride Festival entertainment includes two “American Idol,” stars, an electronic dance singer and a drag queen fashionista. Central Park, 401 C St., will feature retail and community resource exhibitors, fun zones for teens and children, food vendors, as well as beer, wine and mimosas. Last year’s festival was voted Best of 2017 by Outword Magazine readers.

The festival headliner is Thea Austin, former lead singer with SNAP!, known for the hits “Rhythm is a Dancer” and “(I’ve Got the) Power.” Featured performers include Effie Passero, a Top 20 contestant on this season’s “American Idol”; David Hernandez, a season seven “Idol” alum; and diva Dida Ritz from season four of “RuPaul’s Drag Race.” Davis Live Music Collective coordinated bands including Shawn Thwaites Rebel Quartet, Tha Dirt Feelin’, La Tour and Telephone. There’s also Cheer Sacramento, Josh Diamonds, Cathy Speck, the Team Davis Singers and the Gay Men’s Chorus.

VIP tickets are available for those who wish backstage access ($20) or an organized meet-and-greet with the entertainers ($30). Visit  for details. 

Sunday starts with the Run/Walk for Equality at 8 a.m., with race-day registration opening at 7 a.m. near the park’s covered pavilion along C Street. Participants can walk or run a 5K or 10K course through Davis’ greenbelts to support the Davis Phoenix Coalition’s education and advocacy programs. There’s also a 1K for $22 and a children’s Rainbow Dash for $5.

Davis Pride is produced by Davis Phoenix Coalition, a nonprofit that works to foster diversity, end intolerance, prevent hate-motivated violence and support LGBTQ+ youths. The coalition was founded in the aftermath of the 2013 anti-gay attack on Davis resident “Mikey” Partida. Proceeds from Davis Pride support the coalition’s anti-bullying campaigns, and outreach with area police departments, churches and schools.

Music, music, music — free

As the student recital season enters full swing, free concerts at the Ann E. Pitzer Center on the �������ϲ����Ͽ� Davis campus abound. But one of the frustrations of running this blog post on Thursday afternoon, is that we can't promote the noon concerts, which are generally every Thursday at noon and are free.

But, if you missed today's concert, as I did, you can catch Professor Kurt Rohde's Farewell Tour You can listen to it at your desk while doing light work, or at your leisure.

On Saturday, May 19, 2 p.m., there’s Sogol Aliabadi, viola with Jeremiah Trujillo, piano, Brahms: Viola Sonata in F Minor

William Walton: Andante comodo from the Viola Concerto

Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8

At 6 p.m., Hannah Yan, piano, works by Bach, Bazelaire, Beethoven, Mozart, Schumann, and Shostakovich with Alexandra Yan, harp. 

Empyrean Ensemble features works by graduate student composers Sunday

Works by �������ϲ����Ͽ� Davis graduate student composers Ryan Suleiman, Jonathan Favero, Phil Acimovic, Fang-Wei Luo, Chris Castro, and Yu-Hsin Chang will be featured Sunday in a 3 p.m. concert.

Video: Empyrean Ensemble

The Empyrean Ensemble presents engaging, thought-provoking, eclectic programs, enabling audiences to experience new musical sensations delivered with high artistry by its seven extraordinary core players — the finest new music performers in California. As Ensemble-in-residence at �������ϲ����Ͽ� Davis, Empyrean has premiered more than 200 works and performed throughout California, including appearances at many prominent music festivals and concert series.

Pre-concert talk with the composers at 2:15pm, Concert at 3 p.m.

here and range from $10 to $20 each. 

And read this review in on this performance featuring �������ϲ����Ͽ� Davis faculty and doctoral students. You can see and listen to it here:

Compiled from multiple sources.