Within months of moving to the United States in 2000 from Denmark to study at Boston’s Berklee College of Music with a full scholarship violinist Mads Tolling started making waves. Championed by electric violin legend Jean-Luc Ponty, he soon hit the road with bass maestro Stanley Clarke. By the time he graduated with top honors […]
Turbo charged on hi-octane boogie, Mitch Woods and His Rocket 88s are the Bay Area’s gleeful torchbearers of jump blues, the hard-driving sound that gave birth to rock ‘n’ roll. Inspired by the seminal rhythm and blues outfits of the late 40s and early 50s, they breathe fresh life into the dance music that emerged when […]
Probably best known as leader and vocalist for the acclaimed Latin-reggae outfit Bayonics, Rojai (aka Jairo Vargas) is a charismatic frontman who brings soul-steeped authority to every setting. As the leader of The Pocket, he’s honed a captivating body of original songs marked by his trademark combination of grit and growl. Showcasing his passionate crooning, […]
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. This year’s program introduces Tessan-Maria Lehmussaari, the 2020 recipient of the Jenny Lind Stipendium, an honor now presented by the Swedish Royal Academy of Music and Folkets Hus & Parker. The […]
Japanese taiko drumming is an art form that combines the power and coordination of martial arts with the grace and synchronization of a corps de ballet. A multicultural and intergenerational group of LGBTQ+ people and allies committed to building community and visibility through taiko drumming, Oakland-based Queer Taiko celebrates the music’s protean power to transform […]