When it’s time to get a party started, Howard Wiley gets the call. The Oakland saxophonist has been a mainstay on the Bay Area music scene since he was a teenager, and in his early 40s he’s taken up the mantle of his mentors, playing soul-steeped jazz palpably connected to its social music roots. Impossible […]
Even on a flamenco scene boasting a flamboyant array of talent, Melissa Cruz stands out with her emotional intensity and crisp, beautifully articulated steps. Rooted in the hard-scrabble soil of Andalusia, the art form grew out of the medieval convergence of Gitano, Jewish, Spanish and Moorish culture. Accompanied by guitar, vocals and percussive half-clapping called […]
No musician in the Bay Area has carved out a career path quite like Anita Lofton’s. A protégé of the legendary DJ Page Hodel, she spent her early years as one of the region’s top DJs. Looking for a different kind of action, she helped found the Black girl punk power trio Sistas in the […]
This children’s program has two shows: 11-11:30am with a repeat show 12:15-12:45pm. Created and led by percussionist Aaron Kierbel, RhythmALLogy is an innovative interactive children’s program that involves movement, body percussion and group drumming. These sessions are specially designed to nurture and unleash the rhythmic potential in kids ages 10 and under. Kierbel has played […]
This children’s program has two shows: 11-11:30am with a repeat show 12:15-12:45pm. Created and led by percussionist Aaron Kierbel, RhythmALLogy is an innovative interactive children’s program that involves movement, body percussion and group drumming. These sessions are specially designed to nurture and unleash the rhythmic potential in kids ages 10 and under. Kierbel has played […]
The ukulele is truly the people’s instrument, and SF Uke Jam is the Bay Area’s leading force bringing fans of the diminutive 4-string uke together. Whether you play or just enjoy hearing the ukulele strummed by trained fingers, come join the SFUJ community for an afternoon uke-apalooza in the summer sun with a program showcasing […]
Bongo Sidibe moved from the West African nation of Guinea to San Francisco in 2008 and wasted no time putting his deep trove of rhythmic knowledge into action. As the music director of Duniya Dance and Drum Company, a singular troupe that combines South Asian and West African culture, he’s directed several acclaimed music and […]
The dynamic Mexican-born conga player Javier Cabanillas has come a long way since he started performing in Tijuana’s pop-up flea markets. In 2013, the Bay Area resident walked the red carpet in Los Angeles and took home a Grammy Award for his work with Oakland-based Pacific Mambo Orchestra. After that triumphant experience, he decided to […]
This children’s program has two shows: 11-11:30am with a repeat show 12:15-12:45pm. What’s in that box, you ask? In the hands of Ka-Hon, a gentle spring shower, a flamenco troupe, a galloping stallion and a rumba circle. Drawing on a pan-American array of rhythms, the high-energy ensemble displays the astounding versatility of the humble cajón, […]
This children’s program has two shows: 11-11:30am with a repeat show 12:15-12:45pm. What’s in that box, you ask? In the hands of Ka-Hon, a gentle spring shower, a flamenco troupe, a galloping stallion and a rumba circle. Drawing on a pan-American array of rhythms, the high-energy ensemble displays the astounding versatility of the humble cajón, […]
More than a dance and music ensemble, La Mezcla is a polyrhythmic creative force rooted in Chicana, Latina and Indigenous traditions. Founded in 2015 by Dance/USA fellow Vanessa Sanchez, the San Francisco-based company integrates African-American tap dance, Afro-Caribbean rhythms and percussive Afro-Mexican son jarocho in productions that bring hidden histories of communities of color to […]
Make Music Day San Francisco is a live, free musical celebration on June 21, the longest day of the year, with concerts on streets, sidewalks and parks across the city. On this day, Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, in partnership with the Yerba Buena Gardens Conservancy, celebrates San Francisco and the Summer Solstice with a series of […]
The annual Jenny Lind Concert is a beloved and long-running Yerba Buena Gardens Festival tradition that showcases the most extraordinary young sopranos from Sweden. Presented with the Honorary Consulate of Sweden, the Jenny Lind Concert offers a thrilling peek at the future of opera. This year’s program features soprano Josefine Mindus, a member of the […]
This program has three showings: One show on Friday, June 23 at Noon. Two shows on Saturday, June 24 at Noon and again at 2:15pm. Circus Bella returns to Yerba Buena Gardens with Bananas, a brand-new outdoor show! In the company’s triumphant 14th season, the family favorites feature an array of the brightest circus […]
This program has three showings: One show on Friday, June 23 at Noon. Two shows on Saturday, June 24 at Noon and again at 2:15pm. Circus Bella returns to Yerba Buena Gardens with Bananas, a brand-new outdoor show! In the company’s triumphant 14th season, the family favorites feature an array of the brightest circus […]
This program has three showings: One show on Friday, June 23 at Noon. Two shows on Saturday, June 24 at Noon and again at 2:15pm. Circus Bella returns to Yerba Buena Gardens with Bananas, a brand-new outdoor show! In the company’s triumphant 14th season, the family favorites feature an array of the brightest circus […]
A riveting artist in the midst of reinventing herself, Eritrean singer-songwriter ASTU left her life as a minister and found her calling in sensuous music. The Oakland-based R&B/soul singer identifies as a queer, gender-expansive artist and her music is a sleek vehicle for expressing her sexuality, identity and life experience. With her candid, often raw […]
Over the past two decades Cuban-born saxophonist, composer and chekere maestro Yosvany Terry has presented some of YBG Festival’s most exciting concerts and he’s ready to add to his legacy. Hailing from an illustrious musical clan from the cultural hotbed of Camagüey, Terry presents his jazz quintet with powerhouse Cuban vocalist Gema Corredera. A rising […]