Summer is HERE!
Programs coming up June 15–30 ~
Jenny Lind Concert
June 18, 12:30–1:30pm, Free
Direct from Sweden! A beloved and long-running part of the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival is the annual concert of classic arias introducing the recipient of the Royal Swedish Academy of Music’s Jenny Lind Scholarship for sopranos.
Soprano Sara Swietlicki is the 50th singer to be awarded the Jenny Lind Scholarship, based on her warm solid sound and performance poise. Her operatic repertoire includes roles as the Countess in Le Nozze di Figaro (Mozart), Donna Anna inDon Giovanni (Mozart), and Mimi in La Bohème (Puccini). Sara is accompanied by pianist Markus Kvint, a student in the soloist class at The Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen. Since he began his musical studies, Markus has had great success as a performer at concerts and festivals in Scandinavia, Austria, and Germany. Presented with the Consulate General of Sweden, the Jenny Lind Concert brings a youthful jolt of energy to opera, offering a peek at the future of bel canto.
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Azúcar Con Aché
June 18, 6–7:30pm, Free
@Jessie Square
Sisterhood sounds muy sabrosa in Azúcar con Aché, a sizzling multicultural salsa group with members hailing from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, and the United States. Performing original songs and arrangements in Spanish, Portuguese, and English, the band features veteran players who have worked widely around the Bay Area, including pianist Remy Rodriguez, vocalist Maria Cora, conguero Sue Kaye, bassist Mwamba Blakwomyn, Robin Nzingah Smith on flute and saxophones, Judy Graboyes on timbales and bongos, and Maria Cetto on vocals and four-string cuatro (Venezuela’s national instrument). Translating their name as “Sweetness with Powerful Blessings” Azúcar con Aché lifts spirits and sets hips swaying. That’s the power of sweetness and the sweetness of the groove.
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Bixiga 70 + Loco Bloco
June 20, 1– 3pm, Free
São Paulo’s musical reputation isn’t as vaunted as Rio de Janeiro or Salvador de Bahia’s, but Brazil’s largest city is a furiously bustling cultural cauldron responsible for some of the world’s most exciting sounds. The new instrumental combo Bixiga 70, named after the polyglot neighborhood from which it emerged, reflects São Paulo’s confounding diversity, with a genre-smashing mix of Afrobeat, Guinean malinké, Brazilian candomblé, samba, and cumbia. This is party music from a culture that sets the standard for exuberantly joyous celebration.
Straight out of San Francisco’s Mission district, Loco Bloco’s inter-generational performing ensemble is an explosion of rhythm, movement, color and passion with booming beats, funky horn lines, and high-energy dancers in multi-colored costumes, lifting everyone’s spirits. Loco Bloco combines African, Brazilian, Latin, hip hop and funk music and dance, creating an infectious high-energy vibe.
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Artists Guild Exhibit
June 21, 9am–5pm, Free
The Artists Guild of San Francisco is the oldest outdoor art collective in the country. Guild artists speak directly with the public about their artwork, explaining technical details, creative decisions, and other aspects of producing a painting or sculpture.
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Native Contemporary Arts Festival
June 21, Noon–3pm, Free
The 18th Annual Native Contemporary Arts Festival is a great Father’s Day tradition featuring a diverse program of Native music, dance, crafts and spoken word performances. The event showcases California native talents Tongva-Acjachemen songstress L. Frank, the traditional Su-Nu-Nu Shinal Pomo Dancers, and the inspired rap of Ohlone artist Luta Candelaria. The program also features the amazing Hawaiian dancing and singing of Mahealani Uchiyama, Jicarilla Apache dancer Anne Pesata, Aztec dancer Cuauhtemoc Peranda, the inter-tribal All Nations Singers and Medicine Warrior Dancers, poetry and song from Tanaya Winder of the Southern Ute, Duckwater Shoshone, and Paiute Nations, and the Bay Area debut of Lakota rap artist Frank Waln from the Rosebud Sioux tribe. Traditional craft activities include bracelets, talking sticks, and bead necklaces.
Presented by Yerba Buena Gardens Festival in partnership with American Indian Contemporary Arts, with support from the San Francisco Arts Commission.
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Ila Cantor
June 25, 12:30–1:30pm, Free
Mentored by guitar masters John Scofield and John Abercrombie, Ila Cantor made the move from New York City to the East Bay a few years ago and quickly fell in with some of the region’s most creative improvisers. A gifted composer and evocative singer/songwriter, she possesses a cool, rounded tone and a fiercely lyrical sensibility. Sought out as a collaborator by some of jazz’s leading figures, she’s a Bay Area star in the making, a guitarist in the midst of building a vivid musical world encompassing a vast constellation of influences.
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Circus Bella
Mighty! (3 shows)
June 26, Noon– 1pm, Free
June 27, Noon– 1pm, Free
June 27, 2:15– 3:15pm, Free
Circus Bella, San Francisco’s favorite one-ring circus, returns with Mighty!, an entirely new show conceived and directed by Abigail Munn and David Hunt and commissioned by the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival. Set to original music by composer/accordionist Rob Reich, who leads the stellar Circus Bella All-Star Band, the 60-minute celebration features static trapeze, rope walking, juggling, contortion, unicycle, original clowning, and acrobatics, showcasing a delightful array of local and guest artists. Circus Bella partners with Prescott Circus Theatre, a youth development and performing arts program based in West Oakland, to perform pre-show and as an opening act.
Special to the Saturday shows, ArtSpan sets up a craft booth for families to create a fun and artistic piece together.
READ THE CB BLOG ARTICLE SEE WEBPAGE RSVP ON FACEBOOK
Children’s Garden Series
Fun, interactive programs for children under 10 and their adults. School groups and day camps are welcome. Hats are advised for sun protection.
Red Panda Acrobats (2 shows)
June 19, 11–11:30am & 12:15–12:45pm, Free
Combining exceptional athletic skills, traditional Chinese music, dazzling costumes, and a fast-paced show sure to amaze viewers of all ages, the Red Panda Acrobats bring the ancient art of Chinese acrobatics into the 21st century with jaw-dropping displays of strength, balance, and dexterity. While founded in Shanghai in 1990, the company has long called San Francisco home. With a year-round international touring schedule, the Red Panda Acrobats relish the opportunity to impress hometown audiences.
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Circus Bella
Mighty! (3 shows on the Esplanade)
See program listing above.
Great recent moments at YBG Festival
More videos at our YouTube channel.
YBG Festival also recommends…
Live. Local. Downtown. Free.
Discover the unexpected at Union Square Live’s free outdoor music, dance, theater, film, comedy and more. Every Wednesday at 6pm and Sundays at 2pm.
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A new pedestrian oasis
Check out this new series, including StringQuake at Noon on June 26, presented by Yerba Buena Gardens Festival in partnership with Yerba Buena Community Benefit District.
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Orquesta Victoria
Tue, June 23 – Sun, June 28
A 12-piece tango orchestra direct from Buenos Aires with Tango Dancers
Tickets $20–32
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Investing in Artists Grant Application Deadline
Wednesday, July 1 at 6pm
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