Cal Performances
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1968
- HeadquartersBerkeley, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
Cal Performances firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Cal Performances
- Legal name
- Cal Performances, UC Regents
- Website
- https://calperformances.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1968
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Cal Performances industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Performing Arts Presentation
- NAICS
- Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131), Performing Arts Companies (7111), Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking) (MPAGABAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Concert Halls & Music Venue Operations (Symphony Halls, Recital Venues) (MPAGALAC), University & Educational Venue Operations (Auditoriums, Campus Arenas) (MPAGALAI), Theater, Musicals & Performing Arts (THAJAFAB), VIP Hospitality & Client Entertainment (Boxes, Suites, Hosted Experiences) (MPAGAHAG)
Keywords
Where Cal Performances is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Berkeley
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Cal Performances business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Individual tickets sold to the general public for single performances across all genres (orchestra, chamber music, recital, early music, new music, dance, jazz, theater, vocal celebration, family, seasonal holidays). Sales conducted via the organization's proprietary ticketing platform.
- Season Subscriptions: Season subscription packages offering discounts up to 25% for bundling four or more performances. Subscription sales are a primary revenue driver and typically precede individual ticket on-sales.
- Donor Contributions: Donations solicited through a dedicated giving program, including corporate giving, institutional giving partners, and planned giving/legacy giving options.
- Venue Rental: Professional performance venues (Zellerbach Auditorium, Zellerbach Playhouse, Greek Theatre, Wheeler Auditorium, Hertz Hall) rented to UC Berkeley campus departments, student groups, outside promoters, and community organizations at market-based rates.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | General admission individual tickets — full price |
| Subscription | Annual | Season subscription packages — up to 25% discount |
| Subscription | Annual | UCB Student Flex Pass — 4-ticket bundle |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Group sales and discounts |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Cal Performances product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cal Performances presents, produces, and commissions live performing arts events across multiple genres including orchestra, chamber music, contemporary dance, jazz, theater, vocal recital, and family programming at UC Berkeley venues. It sells tickets and season subscriptions directly to individual consumers and subscribers, with subscribers receiving savings of up to 25% over single-ticket pricing. The organization also operates educational outreach (Cal Performances Classroom K-12 and AileyCamp), ancillary venue rental to outside promoters and campus departments, and free digital content (Beyond the Stage, Program Books).
Product overview
Cal Performances is the premier performing arts presenter at UC Berkeley, offering a diverse portfolio of live performance programming across multiple genres. The core offering centers on seasonal performance presentations featuring world-class artists in genres including Orchestra & Chamber Music, Recital, Early Music, New Music, Dance, Jazz, Theater, Vocal Celebration, Family, and Seasonal Holidays. Supporting the main programming are Illuminations (thematic scholarly series), Ensemble in Residence programs, and Beyond the Stage digital content. Educational initiatives include Cal Performances Classroom for K-12 students and AileyCamp. Additional services encompass venue rentals, donor parking, and program books.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Illuminations: A theme-based series of performances and related programming exploring broader intellectual and social themes through the performing arts.
- The Cal Performances Classroom
- AileyCamp
- Beyond the Stage
Products and services
- Performance Presentations
Quantifiable outcome
- Up to 25% savings on tickets for subscribers bundling four or more performances
Companies that use Cal Performances
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Cal Performances technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Cal Performances partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- William KentridgecoreWilliam Kentridge is a multidisciplinary South African artist who was UC Berkeley Artist in Residence in 2022-23 and has created multiple works for Cal Performances, including co-commissioning 'The Great Yes, The Great No' and presenting 'The Head & the Load' (West Coast premiere). Kentridge has also previously appeared with the 'The Head & the Load' production.
- Attacca QuartetcoreAttacca Quartet serves as Cal Performances' Ensemble in Residence for the 2026-27 season. They make two visits to Hertz Hall performing programs centered around Caroline Shaw (January 31) and John Adams (February 28). The ensemble performs repertoire ranging from classical to modern electronica, indie rock, and video game music, and has won Grammy Awards for recordings of Shaw's compositions.
- Julia BullockcoreJulia Bullock was Cal Performances' Artist in Residence for the 2023-24 season, engaging in educational outreach, student activities, and public performances including programs with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.
- AileyCampcoreAileyCamp is a partnership program that provides a summer dance camp for youth, bringing dance education to young people in the Bay Area community. Cal Performances hosts and supports this program as part of its community engagement and educational mission.
- UC BerkeleycoreCal Performances is the designated performing arts presenter for UC Berkeley. The organization maintains deep integration with the university through Student Musical Activities (SMA), Golden Bear Circle student program, campus facilities, and joint programming with academic departments.
- Corporate Giving PartnersminorCorporate partners who contribute to Cal Performances through a dedicated corporate giving program, supporting the organization's performing arts programming and educational mission.
- Institutional Giving PartnersminorInstitutional partners that provide funding support to Cal Performances, including foundations and other organizations contributing to the organization's institutional giving program.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Cal Performances competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Stanford Live: Stanford University's presenting organization serving the Stanford campus and Bay Area with broadly comparable genre-spanning programming (music, dance, theater) and a similar subscription model — making it the closest head-to-head peer in the same geography.
- University Musical Society (UMS): University of Michigan's performing arts presenting organization — structurally nearly identical (university-based, multi-genre, subscriber-driven, K-12 and student education programs), making it one of the most directly comparable institutional peers.
- Krannert Center for the Performing Arts: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign's multi-venue performing arts center operated by a public university — directly comparable in venue portfolio, university affiliation, educational outreach mandate, and community-presenter hybrid model.
- Celebrity Series of Boston: Independent (non-venue-owning) presenter of music, dance, and theater in Boston with a comparable subscription/educational model — a useful peer for the presenting and subscriber-retention side of Cal Performances' business.
- Meany Center for the Performing Arts: University of Washington's presenting organization with comparable genre mix, university/community audience mix, and educational programming — a closely matched institutional peer on the West Coast.
- Kaufman Music Center: Multi-venue presenting and education organization in New York (Merkin Hall) running broadly comparable subscription, K-12, and special-mer-project programs — a focused presenting peer of similar size and scope.
Broad incumbents
- Carnegie Hall: Iconic multi-genre presenter and venue operator with international artist programming, deep education programs, and subscription-led revenue — a much larger scale incumbent in the same functional category.
- San Francisco Symphony (Davies Symphony Hall): Major regional symphony orchestra and venue operator in Cal Performances' core Bay Area market — overlaps directly on orchestral, recital, family, and education programming and competes for the same subscriber base.
- Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts: Largest multi-venue presenting complex in the US, programming music, dance, and theater at scale with extensive education/outreach — a much larger broad incumbent setting artistic and pricing benchmarks in the industry.
Regional players
- Berkeley Repertory Theatre: Tony Award-winning professional theater company in Cal Performances' home city of Berkeley — competes for the same theater and theater-music audiences in the immediate East Bay market with overlapping subscriber demographics.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Cal Performances social profiles
Digital presenceCal Performances financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Cal Performances leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Cal Performances funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Cal Performances M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Cal Performances
What does Cal Performances do?
Cal Performances presents, produces, and commissions live performing arts events across multiple genres including orchestra, chamber music, contemporary dance, jazz, theater, vocal recital, and family programming at UC Berkeley venues. It sells tickets and season subscriptions directly to individual consumers and subscribers, with subscribers receiving savings of up to 25% over single-ticket pricing. The organization also operates educational outreach (Cal Performances Classroom K-12 and AileyCamp), ancillary venue rental to outside promoters and campus departments, and free digital content (Beyond the Stage, Program Books).
Is Cal Performances a public or private company?
Cal Performances is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was Cal Performances founded?
Cal Performances was founded in 1968. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Cal Performances based?
Cal Performances is headquartered in Berkeley, United States, in the North America region.
How does Cal Performances make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are season Subscriptions, donor Contributions and venue Rental.
Who are Cal Performances's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Stanford Live, University Musical Society (UMS), Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Celebrity Series of Boston, Meany Center for the Performing Arts and Kaufman Music Center. Broad incumbents are Carnegie Hall, San Francisco Symphony (Davies Symphony Hall) and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Berkeley Repertory Theatre is listed as a regional player.
Does Cal Performances have an API?
No public API is recorded for Cal Performances.
What industry is Cal Performances in?
Cal Performances's product category is Performing Arts Presentation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGABAM, Performing Arts Centers & Presenters (Programming/Booking), with a secondary code of MPAGALAC, Concert Halls & Music Venue Operations (Symphony Halls, Recital Venues). Its NAICS code is 71131 and its SIC code is 7900.