Red Poppy Art House

SFIAF - Karma Roulette Quartet
2025-05-04 19:00 - 21:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Karma Roulette Quartet
Slinky Proverb
Slinky Proverb is the title of one of two new works by Michael Smolens that will be performed for the first time in California as part of this evening-long concert. Slinky Proverb combines West-African groove with bluesy, contemporary jazz, and 20th-century classical-influenced melodies. The second new composition is titled Abakim. It is a chamber work that features the kalimba and progresses into a jazz waltz.
Featuring:
Composer/Arranger/Flute: Michael Smolens
Violins/Strings: Michèle Walther
Percussion: Michaelle Goerlitz, Brian Rice

Sunday, May 4th, 2025
Time: 6:30 pm doors, 7:00 pm show
Admission: Early Bird: $20 / Advance: $25 / Door: $28
Purchase tickets for this event here. For the best deals, see multiple shows with a discount Festival Pass.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Karma Roulette Quartet
The Karma Roulette Quartet is made up of four veteran multi-instrumentalists, composers, and bandleaders. The group features compositions by award-winning composer/arranger Michael Smolens, work by renowned Brazilian composer Egberto Gismonti, musically-related poetry, and soundscapes created on the spot. Their sound includes nearly 30 different instruments and draws from the worlds of West Africa, Afro-Cuba, North India, Turkey, and Brazil — as well as jazz, funk, and classical styles. The violinist’s solo looping piece with voice and the two-percussion duet are audience favorites.
Michael Smolens
Michael has been composing, arranging, and performing for six decades. He has been commissioned by Meet The Composer, Fleishhacker & Bernard Osher Foundations, National Public Radio, Occidental Community Choir, UCSC Dance Department, and many vocalists, contemporary churches, and festivals. Michael has six CDs of original work and has performed or recorded instrumentally with Stefon Harris (vibes), Paul McCandless, Paul Hanson, Sheldon Brown (reeds), David Balakrishnan & Evan Price (jazz violin/viola), Steve Erquiaga (guitar), Zakir Hussain (tabla), Akira Tana & Alan Hall (drums), and Claudia Schmidt, Raz Kennedy & Rhiannon (voice); and as a vocalist with Pollyanna Bush, David Worm & Bryan Dyer (Bobby McFerrin collaborators). Follow his work on Facebook!
Michèle Walther
Violinist Michèle Walther is a performer, composer, arranger, and educator from Switzerland and San Francisco. Michèle has performed in venues throughout Europe and North America with Ian Anderson/Jethro Tull, Gloria Estefan, Joe Lovano, Oscar Stagnaro (Paquito D’Rivera), John Cage, Basel Sinfonietta, Mark Feldman, LaMuseMent, and more. Recent performances include Resonance at SFJazz and Yoshi’s, and “A Living Tribute to Carla Bley” at SFJazz, where she was featured in “Birds of Paradise”. Ms. Walther earned her M.M. at the Conservatory of Music in Basel, Switzerland, and later graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston, majoring in jazz violin performance.
Michaelle Goerlitz
Michaelle has been performing, touring, recording, and studying drums & percussion since 1970, exploring Brazilian, Afro Cuban, Venezuelan, Peruvian, and Middle Eastern rhythms (plus American idioms jazz, R&B, and funk). She was a founding member of two renowned & long-term projects, the Blazing Redheads and Wild Mango. Both groups blended many different styles, which showcased Michaelle’s versatile percussive skills. She has collaborated with artists that encompass a huge range of styles: Latin jazz, Brazilian, Middle Eastern, Afro-Peruvian, Broadway, singer-songwriter, and New Music. They include Mark Levine, Wayne Wallace, Houston Pearson, Denise Perrier, and Joan Jeanrenaud, to name but a few.
Brian Rice
Brian is a freelance percussionist. He currently performs with Tres Baia (which he founded), Cascada de Flores, Danilo Brito, Mike Marshall and Choro Famoso, Wake the Dead, The Berkeley Choro Ensemble, Samba Rio, Mariah Parker Indo-Latin Ensemble, and Orchestrating Excellence. Brian’s classical music background and expertise on a vast array of hand drums came into play when he performed in over seventy shows of “The Lion King”, the Santa Rosa Symphony’s rendition of the silent film “Metropolis”, and John Luther Adams’ “Inuksuit”. Brian has a B.M. in Percussion Performance and Ethnomusicology from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music.

PREVIEW THE ARTISTS:

SAN FRANSISCO INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL (SFIAF):

SFIAF celebrates the arts by bringing together a global community of artists and audiences. SFIAF presents innovative projects that focus on increasing awareness and understanding within and across cultures. Their core values are based on principles of cultural and economic equity and coordinating the shared resources of multiple organizations in order to reach mutually beneficial goals.
SFIAF presents the work of innovative artists from the Bay Area and around the world; many of the international artists make their US debut at the Festival. From 2003-23, SFIAF and more than 100 presenting partners have coordinated, presented, and/or produced performances by over 600 arts ensembles from California and 60 other countries, and presented hundreds of educational and community engagement activities with diverse communities.
In addition to working with larger institutions, SFIAF places a high priority on the participation of culturally diverse and smaller entities—in particular, communities whose histories have been marginalized or left out of the prevailing American narrative. Activating and supporting relationships between such organizations and artists is a key component of SFIAF.

EVENT DETAILS
Sunday, May 4th, 2025
Time: 6:30 pm doors, 7:00 pm show
Admission: Early Bird: $20 / Advance: $25 / Door: $28
Note: A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door unless otherwise noted on the Facebook event page that the show is SOLD OUT.
Purchase tickets for this event here. For the best deals, see multiple shows with a discount Festival Pass.
Note: Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee a seat. Seating is first come, first served.
RSVP to the Facebook event:

Volunteer for this event!

ReroRera World Ethnic Inspirations
2025-05-10 19:00 - 20:15
Advance tickets are available online. You are advised to purchase advance tickets for this event.

ReroRera World Ethnic Inspirations
World music in the language of Jazz, Funk, Fusion
ReroRera is in a continuous search for “common grounds”, common paths and, ultimately, a common expressive language of different ethnic musical traditions. Then, using that language in the original compositions influenced by Georgian, Polish, Scandinavian, Turkish, and Afro-Cuban folk musical traditions.
Featuring:
Zaza Korinteli
Sergey Prokushkin – Piano
Billy Edwards – Bass

Saturday, May 10th, 2025
Time: 6:30 pm doors, 7:00 pm show
Admission: (Online) $30-$35 / (Door) $25-$35 general, ($25 student & senior)

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Zaza Korinteli – better known by his stage name Zumba – is a Georgian ethnic-jazz-rock musician and musicologist whose work fuses a wide variety of genres, both Georgian folk and other world musical traditions. Zaza is a multi-instrumentalist on guitar, bass, Georgian Phanduri, and other wind instruments, percussions, and vocals.
Sergey Prokushkin is a jazz pianist and composer with a multicultural background focusing on a variety of world folk music with South American, Middle Eastern, and European flavors. Born in Tajikistan, Sergey has been playing on the Bay Area scene since 2015 including San Jose Jazz Summerfest.
Billy Edwards is a bassist from San Jose under the mentorship of Buster Williams. Billy has found success as a sideman with artists such as Steve Carrington, Roy McCurdy, Douye, Sylvia Cuenca, Blaque Dynamite, and Faye Carol.
Follow their work on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok!

EVENT DETAILS
Saturday, May 10th, 2025
Time: 6:30 pm doors, 7:00 pm show
Admission: (Online) $30-$35 / (Door) $25-$35 general, ($25 student & senior)
Note: A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door unless otherwise noted on the Facebook event page that the show is SOLD OUT.
Purchase advance tickets for this event
Note: Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee a seat. Seating is first come, first served.
RSVP to the Facebook event:

Volunteer for this event!

SFIAF - Bach, Tango & Beyond
2025-05-11 16:30 - 17:45
Bach, Tango & Beyond
Teresa Tam, Obadiah Díaz Wrynla, Basma Edrees
Teresa and Obadiah began their first project together in 2024, brought together by their shared love of tango music. Joining them is Basma, an accomplished violinist with an extensive and diverse background in Western and Arabic music. The three musicians, with vastly different histories, come together to showcase a wide array of songs from various traditions. From Bach to Piazzolla, Disney to Mandopop, and beyond, their repertoire celebrates the boundless possibilities between violin, voice, and bandoneón.
Featuring:
Vocals: Teresa Tam
Violin: Basma Edrees
Bandoneón: Obadiah Díaz Wrynla

Sunday, May 11th, 2025
Time: 4:00pm doors, 4:30 pm show
Admission: Early Bird: $20 / Advance: $25 / Door: $28
Purchase tickets for this event here. For the best deals, see multiple shows with a discount Festival Pass.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Teresa Tam is a vocalist known for her versatile repertoire, ranging from classical crossover to jazz and tango-inspired music. Obadiah Díaz Wrynla is a bandoneón specialist with a deep passion for tango and folk traditions. Basma Edrees is a Juilliard-trained violinist proficient in Western orchestral performance and skilled in traditional Arabic music. Together, they create an intercultural exchange of ideas that resonates deeply with audiences and themselves, transforming each concert into a shared journey of discovery.
Teresa’s Facebook and Instagram
Obadiah’s Instagram
Basma’s Instagram

PREVIEW THE ARTISTS:

SAN FRANSISCO INTERNATIONAL ARTS FESTIVAL (SFIAF):

SFIAF celebrates the arts by bringing together a global community of artists and audiences. SFIAF presents innovative projects that focus on increasing awareness and understanding within and across cultures. Their core values are based on principles of cultural and economic equity and coordinating the shared resources of multiple organizations in order to reach mutually beneficial goals.
SFIAF presents the work of innovative artists from the Bay Area and around the world; many of the international artists make their US debut at the Festival. From 2003-23, SFIAF and more than 100 presenting partners have coordinated, presented, and/or produced performances by over 600 arts ensembles from California and 60 other countries, and presented hundreds of educational and community engagement activities with diverse communities.
In addition to working with larger institutions, SFIAF places a high priority on the participation of culturally diverse and smaller entities—in particular, communities whose histories have been marginalized or left out of the prevailing American narrative. Activating and supporting relationships between such organizations and artists is a key component of SFIAF.

EVENT DETAILS
Sunday, May 11th, 2025
Time: 4:00pm doors, 4:30 pm show
Admission: Early Bird: $20 / Advance: $25 / Door: $28
Note: A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door unless otherwise noted on the Facebook event page that the show is SOLD OUT.
Purchase tickets for this event here. For the best deals, see multiple shows with a discount Festival Pass.
Note: Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee a seat. Seating is first come, first served.
RSVP to the Facebook event:

Volunteer for this event!

Barbar Band
2025-05-17 19:30 - 21:00
Advance tickets are available online. You are advised to purchase advance tickets for this event.

Barbar Band
Modern Soundscapes in Armenian Music
Barbar Band is a creative collaboration between Khatchadour Khatchadourian, vocalist and duduk player, and Karine Vann, pianist, and musicologist. Combining modern musical styles with traditional instrumentation, the duo presents arrangements of Armenia’s folk, troubadour, and sacred music, which include musical landscapes both old and new to showcase the incredible diversity in these timeless songs of love, loss, faith, and the land.
Featuring:
Karine Vann – Piano and Vocals
Khatchadour Khatchadourian – Duduk and Vocals

Saturday, May 17th, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $25-30 / (Door) $30 general, $25 student & senior

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Khatchadour is a Lebanese-Armenian vocalist and musician. He sings in Armenian, Arabic, and Farsi, and plays the Armenian double reed woodwind, Duduk. Khatchadour has released five albums and is working on his sixth album, Shounch: Breath.
Follow his work on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube!
Karine Vann is a pianist and researcher with degrees in classical piano from the Jacobs School of Music and Musicology from the University of Oxford. Originally from the DC area, she studied improv with local jazz master Wade Beach for two years before moving to Armenia, where she worked with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage to help preserve and document the country’s rich folk culture. She currently resides in Napa, where she teaches piano, singing, improvisation, and arranging.
Follow her work on Facebook, and Instagram!

EVENT DETAILS
Saturday, May 17th, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $25-30 / (Door) $30 general, $25 student & senior
Note: A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door unless otherwise noted on the Facebook event page that the show is SOLD OUT.
Purchase advance tickets for this event
Note: Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee a seat. Seating is first come, first served.
RSVP to the Facebook event:

Volunteer for this event!

SFSU Creative Writing Thesis Reading
2025-05-18 19:00 - 21:00
Take Place: SFSU Creative Writing Thesis Reading
Celebrating Groundbreaking Bay Area Writers
Take Place presents a cross-genre thesis reading honoring the work of graduating SFSU Creative Writing MFA/MA students. A night to celebrate and gather with the local literary community.
Featuring:
Maria Thomas
Tashina Boyer
Kirsten Lofgren
Laird Harrison
Zoey Sparks
Ferdos Heidari
Meilani Clay
Lizeth De La Luz
Michael Gallagher
Nithya Vasudevan
Clara Sperow

Sunday, May 18th, 2025
Time: 7 pm to 9 pm
This is a FREE event!

ABOUT THE PRESENTERS:
Take Place is a reading series run by graduate students in the Creative Writing program at San Francisco State University. Throughout the school year, we invite emerging authors to come read from their work, with an emphasis on featuring current MFA/MA students and alumni of our program.

EVENT DETAILS
Sunday, May 18th, 2025
Time: 7 pm to 9 pm
This is a FREE event!
Note: Seating is first come, first served.
RSVP to the Facebook event:

Volunteer for this event!

Tardezinha do Carnaval
2025-05-25 15:00 - 19:00
Tardezinha do Carnaval
A Relaxed Post-Carnaval Gathering in the Mission
Red Poppy invites friends, family, and the extended community to a laid-back afternoon celebration following the Carnaval SF parade. Join us at the legendary Red Poppy Art House for an early evening of music, connection, and joy.
Expect Música Brasileira, drinks, snacks, and great company!

EVENT DETAILS
Sunday, May 25th, 2025
Time: 3 pm to 7 pm
This is a FREE event! All are welcome.
NOTE: This is a free community event. A suggested donation of $10 will help cover event costs, and if there’s anything left over, it will go as a contribution to the Red Poppy Art House.
Viva lá Carnaval – Vamo Que Vamo!

Note: Seating is first come, first served.
RSVP to the Facebook event:

Volunteer for this event!

Pedro José Pastrana and Friends
2025-05-31 19:30 - 21:00
Advance tickets are available online. It is advised to purchase advance tickets for this event.

Pedro José Pastrana and Friends
Noche de Boleros y Trova
Pedro José Pastrana presents Noche de Boleros. A tribute project to play the music connected to our roots, which never gets old.
Featuring:
Pedro José Pastrana
Karla Rivera Lozada – vocals
Mario “Mayombe” Cruz – clarinet
Alejo Cordero on Bandola – Guitar

Saturday, May 31st, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $20 – $25 (Door) $25 general, $20 student & senior

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
A music creator rethinking the concept of Puerto Rican music, Pedro crosses over invisible frontiers with an (extra)ordinary approach to music. He aims to fuse the earthy quality of folk music with forward-looking compositions and live performances, reflecting the mixed identities of his heritage and influences.
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Pedro José Pastrana grew up in the “jíbaro” music tradition and was surrounded by the vocabulary of other popular sounds. His work has been reviewed and play-listed by LatinJazzNet, KCSM Jazz, Puerto Rico Jazz, and PRPop. As a sideman, Pedro has redefined the versatility of the Puerto Rican Cuatro in Latin Jazz by performing and recording with artists like John Santos, Barrio Manouche, Jerry Medina, Juango Gutierrez, Orestes Vilató, and The Oakland Symphony, among others.
His 2022 debut album, Crónicas de la Pierna Inquieta, selected by prpop.org among the top 20 best recordings of that year, consists of eight original tracks, serving as snapshots of self-discovery, inspired by the coming-of-age events of the past 13 years. This work combines incisive, Cuatro-generated groove-based songwriting with the sounds of Puerto Rico as the color palette.
https://www.pjpastranamusic.com/

EVENT DETAILS
Saturday, May 31st, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $20 – $25 (Door) $25 general, $20 student & senior
Purchase advance tickets for this event
Note: Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee a seat. Seating is first come, first served.
RSVP to the Facebook event:

Volunteer for this event!

Charles Gorczynski Tango Quartet
2025-06-06 19:30 - 21:00
Advance tickets are available online. You are advised to purchase advance tickets for this event.

Charles Gorczynski Tango Quartet
Contemporary Tango
Bandoneonist and composer Charles Gorczynski returns to the Bay Area, for the first time with his acclaimed Minneapolis quartet: pianist Alex Woods, violinist Devan Moran, and bassist Sarah Lahasky. The quartet is touring to support their new album Dead Stars (Caverns Records 2025), a set of original and contemporary tangos that push into very personal, heartfelt, and dark themes.
Featuring:
Charles Gorczynski – Bandoneon
Devan Moran – Violin
Alex Woods – Piano
Sarah Lahasky – Contrabass

Friday, June 6th, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $30-$35 / (Door) $25-$35 general, ($25 student & senior)

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Minneapolis-based composer and bandoneonist Charles Gorczynski works in contemporary tango, new music, and studio production. He leads the acclaimed modern tango ensemble Charles Gorczynski Tango Quartet and is the director of the Twin Cities Tango Collective.
Charles has premiered his compositions at the Chamber Music Northwest Festival and the San Francisco International Arts Festival, worked as faculty for Tango Sin Fin and Tanguero Workshop, and is regularly commissioned for new works for tango chamber ensembles. As a bandoneonist, he has worked with the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Chorale, California Symphony, Vocal Essence at Orchestra Hall, Mason Bates’ Mercury Soul Orchestra, and many other orchestral and chamber music organizations. Charles has recorded and toured with international tango projects, including Mariano Barreiro Tango Trio, Tango BC Quartet, Alejandro Ziegler Cuarteto, Maxi Larrea Trio, Maldito Tango, and Los Tangueros Del Oeste.
Follow his work on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube!

EVENT DETAILS
Friday, June 6th, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $30-$35 / (Door) $25-$35 general, ($25 student & senior)
Note: A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door unless otherwise noted on the Facebook event page that the show is SOLD OUT.
Purchase advance tickets for this event
Note: Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee a seat. Seating is first come, first served.
RSVP to the Facebook event:

Volunteer for this event!

June 7th MAPP
2025-06-07 19:00 - 22:00
June 7th MAPP

Saturday, June 7th, 2025 | 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Red Poppy Art House
2698 Folsom @23rd
Curator: Dina Zarif
6:30 pm – Doors
7:00 pm – 7:50 pm: Andrea Guskin, Fracture Zones (art, music, words)
8:00 pm – 8:50 pm: Eduardo Corzo (Cuban Piano)
9:00 pm – 10:00 pm: Jazz Manouche duo (Acoustic Jazz guitar)
Exhibition: Andrea Guskin’s newest body of work: Fracture Zones.
THIS IS A FREE EVENT!
MAPP (Mission Arts & Performance Project)
Launched in 2003, the Mission Arts & Performance Project (MAPP) is a homegrown bi-monthly, multidisciplinary, intercultural event that takes place in the Mission District of San Francisco. On the first Saturday of every even month of the year, the MAPP transforms ordinary spaces, such as private garages, gardens, living rooms, studios, street corners, and small businesses into pop-up performance and exhibition sites for a day/night of intimate-scale artistic and cultural exchange among a kaleidoscope of individuals and communities.
RED POPPY MAPP TEAM:
Artistic Director | Managing Director: Dina Zarif
PR and Digital Marketing: Anjali Varma
THE PROGRAM

Time

Performance/Event
Description

Artists

Exhibition:
Andrea Guskin’s newest body of work: Fracture Zones

7:00 pm- 7:50 pm

Exhibition Opening
Fracture Zones | art, music, words

Andrea Guskin

8:00 pm -8:50 pm

Eduardo Corzo
Cuban Piano

Eduardo Corzo – Piano

9:00 pm -10:00 pm
Jazz Manouche duo
Acoustic Jazz guitar

Ross Howe – Guitar
Javier Jiménez – Guitar

EXHIBITION: Fracture Zones
Fracture Zones | art, music, words
Join us for a multidisciplinary art event featuring Andrea Guskin’s newest body of work: Fracture Zones.
On opening night, she will sing original songs related to this series and share the story and inspirations behind the work.

ARTIST STATEMENT
Andrea Guskin is a San Francisco Bay Area-based artist working across multiple disciplines, including photography, sculpture, and painting. She often uses everyday domestic materials and tools for mending–such as thread, foil, spices– to explore ancestry, domesticity, and strategies for repair and transformation in our daily lives.
Her current body of work, Fracture Zones, was inspired by the geographical language and imagery of topographic maps — particularly the large scars forming “fracture zones” deep beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. She sees the fracture zones as a metaphor for the layers of emotional experience related to ancestry, immigration, and lost family narratives.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Photo Credit: Gary Sexton
Andrea Guskin is a San Francisco Bay Area based multidisciplinary artist who was raised amongst the woods and college campuses of Wisconsin and Ohio. After studying painting at Antioch College in Ohio, Guskin moved to New York City and became part of the art and songwriting communities on the Lower East Side, joining a group of visual and performing artists working in a 19th century school building now known as The Clemente. She exhibited her work and performed her songs regularly in the East Village (Sidewalk Cafe, C Note, CBGB’s Gallery).
Since moving to California, she has regularly exhibited her work throughout the state (Berkeley Art Center, H Gallery, Mercury 20 Gallery), often combining her experience in museum education with her creative practice to lead participatory art events. Andrea is a 2025 recipient of the San Leandro Arts and Culture grant for her community cyanotype project, Local Roots.
In 2023, she graduated with an M.F.A degree in Interdisciplinary Arts from Mills College at Northeastern University. She currently lives in San Leandro with her husband and two sons.

ABOUT THE PERFORMING ARTISTS

Eduardo Corzo
Cuban Piano
Featuring originals and standards of the Cuban music repertoire.
Eduardo Corzo was born and raised in Havana, Cuba, where he began his musical studies with his father, a violinist in the Cuban National Symphony Orchestra. Eduardo studied guitar and piano and graduated as a clarinetist from Conservatorio Ignacio Cervantes. He has composed and arranged music for Cuban and Mexican television, served as musical director of the Conjunto Nacional de Espectáculos, and toured throughout Latin America. Living in Mexico during the 90’s, he played piano, clarinet, and alto sax with artists like Lila Downs, Amaury Gutierrez, Leoginaldo Pimentel, and more. Today, he resides in San Francisco and performs as a soloist with local and international bands. He is an artist with a broad vision, interested in genres and styles different from his own, and whose background ranges from Bach’s partitas to Afro-Cuban sounds, as well as music from around the world.

Jazz Manouche
Acoustic Jazz Manouche guitar duo
Their style is very open and often incorporates Latin or flamenco style influences while always maintaining the jazz concept of improvisation.
Featuring:
Ross Howe – Guitar
Javier Jiménez – Guitar
Born in Madrid Spain, Javi Jiménez has been playing and studying guitar for over 25 years. In 2007, after graduating from the Conservatory of Jazz Music in Barcelona, Spain, Javi performed all over Europe. During this time, he discovers the music of Django Reinhardt, falls in love with it, and starts studying it. In 2010 Javi arrived in California and has been performing & working as a studio musician and teaching music. He composes, arranges and performs in his own band Barrio Manouche – A Blend of flamenco, gypsy jazz and latin rhythms. The band recently played at the Monterey Jazz Festival and Stern Grove Festival.
Ross Howe grew up in the Bay Area and was heavily influenced by the vibrant local music scene. In his early 20’s he discovered the music of Django Reinhardt and fell in love with it. Ross started playing Piano at the age of 8 and then turned to cello at 11. By the time he turned 12 he started playing guitar and has been in love with it ever since. His style of playing incorporates elements of classical tradition with the vocabulary of contemporary jazz, and gypsy jazz Manouche music, while always maintaining respect of the jazz guitar traditions and it’s forefathers, particularly the immortal Django Reinhardt. When not composing, playing or teaching guitar, Ross spends as much time as possible surfing and racing sailboats. Ross tries to breathe a bit of fresh air into the art of improvised music through contemporary aesthetics that he hopes his audience will find refreshing.

A MAP for a MAPP
Coming soon…

IN PERSON EVENT DETAILS
Time: June 7th, 2025, 7pm- 10pm (IN-PERSON)
Admission: Free!

DONATE

Art of the Duo: George Brooks and Utsav Lal
2025-06-14 19:30 - 21:00
Advance tickets are available online. You are advised to purchase advance tickets for this event.

Art of the Duo: George Brooks and Utsav Lal
“Raga Pianist” joins forces with legendary saxophonist
Utsav Lal, the trailblazing “Raga Pianist,” joins forces with legendary saxophonist George Brooks for a captivating duo performance. Together, these two virtuosos craft new music that draws from the profound traditions of Indian classical music and American jazz, seamlessly fused with the aesthetics of contemporary minimalism.
Featuring:
George Brooks – Saxophone
Utsav Lal – Piano

Saturday, June 14th, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $25 student & senior – $29 Early Bird – $35 General / (Door) $35

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
George Brooks, celebrated for his pioneering work in fusing Indian classical music with jazz, has collaborated with iconic artists such as Zakir Hussain, John McLaughlin, and Terry Riley. His emotive and technically brilliant saxophone artistry has earned him acclaim as a leading figure in cross-cultural musical innovation. Known for his innovative reimagining of Indian classical music, Utsav Lal blends tradition with modernity. His piano mastery brings ragas and talas to life with emotional depth and precision, offering a fresh, captivating perspective on this ancient tradition.
This extraordinary collaboration creates a genre-defying soundscape that bridges cultures and traditions. The performance will feature a mix of composed and improvised material, inspired by the rich structures of Indian classical music. A true treat for lovers of Indian classical, jazz, and world music!
Utsav Lal, the acclaimed “Raga Pianist” and Young Steinway Artist, is a visionary Indian pianist and composer who has redefined the role of the piano in Hindustani Classical music. With a career spanning two decades, Lal’s soulful renditions of traditional Alap Jod Jhalla have captivated audiences worldwide, with performances at leading venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Southbank Centre, and NCPA. Blending ancient tradition with innovation, Lal’s music is renowned for its sincerity, depth, and intensity. Influenced by Dhrupad music and artists like The Necks and Thelonious Monk, he has developed a unique voice for the piano, challenging conventional improvisation techniques. Novara Jazz Festival Director Corrado Beldi describes Lal’s playing as having “illuminating grace.”
George Brooks is an award-winning saxophonist and composer renowned for bridging jazz and Indian classical music. He founded influential Indian fusion groups, including Summit with Zakir Hussain, Bombay Jazz with Ronu Majumdar and Larry Coryell, Raga Bop Trio with Steve Smith and Prasanna, Kirwani Quartet with Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasia, and Elements with Kala Ramnath and Gwyneth Wentink. Brooks began his jazz studies with Count Basie saxophonist Frank Foster and continued at the New England Conservatory with George Russell, Joe Allard, and Jaki Byard. His journey took him to India, where he studied Indian classical music with Pandit Pran Nath. His albums are considered groundbreaking in the fusion of jazz and Indian classical music.

PREVIEW THE PERFORMANCE:

EVENT DETAILS
Saturday, June 14th, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $25 student & senior – $29 Early Bird – $35 General / (Door) $35
Note: A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door unless otherwise noted on the Facebook event page that the show is SOLD OUT.
Purchase advance tickets for this event
Note: Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee a seat. Seating is first come, first served.
RSVP to the Facebook event:

Volunteer for this event!

Sarah Cabral Invites
2025-06-15 19:30 - 21:00
Advance tickets are available online. It is advised to purchase advance tickets for this event.

Sarah Cabral Invites
Brazilian Jazz
Brazilian singer Sarah Cabral returns to the Bay Area and invites colleagues to collaborate on a unique repertoire, original material as well as classics.
Featuring:
Sarah Cabral – Vocals
Ian Faquini – Acoustic Guitar
Eva Scow – Mandolin
Alex Calatayud – Percussion

Sunday, June 15th 2025
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $29 Students & Seniors – $35 Early Bird – $40 General / (Door) $40

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Sarah Cabral is a vocalist and composer from southern Brazil whose music breathes new life into traditional and popular Brazilian forms. Drawing from modern jazz, avant-garde, and classical influences, her work bridges the past and present with both elegance and innovation. As noted by Helvécio Cardoso in Diário da Manhã, her music “unites the sophistication of the most exquisite taste and simplicity.”
Cabral studied at the California Jazz Conservatory under the mentorship of Marcos Silva. She has collaborated with a wide range of acclaimed artists, including Bororó Felipe, Guilherme Monteiro, Simone Pratico, Mauro Refosco, Hélio Alves, Mike Moreno, and Chico Pinheiro.
Now based in New York City, Cabral is actively working on several recordings and original compositions. One of her upcoming projects, co-produced by Grammy Award–winner Chico Pinheiro, is set for release later this year.
She has performed at notable venues and festivals both in the U.S. and internationally.
Follow her work on Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube

PREVIEW THE PERFORMANCE:

EVENT DETAILS
Sunday, June 15th 2025
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $29 Students & Seniors – $35 Early Bird – $40 General / (Door) $40
Note: A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door unless otherwise noted on the Facebook event page that the show is SOLD OUT.
Purchase advance tickets for this event
Note: Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee a seat. Seating is first come, first served.
RSVP to the Facebook event:

Volunteer for this event!

ShadowLight Presents: 7 Visions
2025-06-20 19:30 - 21:00
ShadowLight Presents: 7 Visions
Shadow Theater Meets Día de los Muertos
Join us at Red Poppy for a special screening of “7 Visions of Encarnacion” (2002), followed by an artist talk and Día de los Muertos-inspired live music!
7 Visions is a shadow theater film that blends live-action puppetry, narration, and music to explore themes of cultural identity and spiritual awakening. Written by acclaimed playwright Octavio Solis and directed by shadow master Larry Reed, the story follows a young monk in San Francisco’s Mission District as he experiences a series of surreal visions that reconnect him to his Latino roots. The original music, composed by Richard Marriott and performed by the duo Cascada de Flores, fuses traditional Mexican folk with original compositions that underscore the dreamlike and emotional journey of the protagonist. The screening will be followed by an artist talk and live musical selections from the original soundtrack.
Featuring:
Larry Reed – Director, Artist Talk
Moja – Masked shadow performer of Encarnación (featured in film)
Cascada de Flores (Arwen Lawrence & Jorge Liceaga) – Live musical performance
Arwen Lawrence – Vocals, percussion
Jorge Liceaga – Guitar

Friday, June 20th 2025
Time: 7 pm doors; 7:30 pm show
Admission: Minimum donation: $5. Contributions above this amount are appreciated.
Tickets are now available!

ABOUT:
Larry Reed is a master shadow puppeteer and founder of ShadowLight Productions. Trained in traditional Balinese wayang kulit, he is internationally recognized for pioneering cinematic shadow theater, which blends live puppetry, film, and music into immersive storytelling.
ShadowLight Productions was founded in 1972 by filmmaker/theatre director/shadow artist Larry Reed. We have served San Francisco as a nonprofit theater company for nearly 30 years.
The mission of ShadowLight Productions is to expose the general public to the art of Shadow Theater. The means of providing such exposure includes but is not limited to live theater, film, and other media. We strive to preserve indigenous shadow theater traditions and to explore and expand the possibilities of the shadow theater medium by creating innovative interdisciplinary, multicultural works.
Follow us on Facebook and Instagram!

EVENT DETAILS
Friday, June 20th 2025
Time: 7 pm doors; 7:30 pm show
Admission: Minimum donation: $5. Contributions above this amount are appreciated.
Get your tickets now!
RSVP to the Facebook event:

Volunteer for this event!

Mending Workshop
2025-06-29 14:00 - 17:00
Mending Workshop
Repair, Reuse, Reimagine
For this workshop, bring your clothes that you want mended and/or embellished with embroidery, or come to learn and practice sewing/embroidery with your guide, Verda Bursal’s materials and guidance. You can also bring your own craft and just hang out!
We’ll only be doing smaller mends/embellishments in this event. If you have a bigger project, reach out to Verda at verda.bursal@gmail.com to see about feasibility.
The workshop will be entirely donation-based. No tickets, no need to RSVP, pay what you can for your alteration and/or lesson.
You can pick from the embroidery styles shown here and at the event, or ask for something unique!

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Verda Bursal is a Turkish American artist and software engineer. She predominantly creates visual art (various fiber arts, drawing, painting), as well as scavenger hunts and other events that connect her community with their history and environment. She is passionate about education and sharing her knowledge of art, language, STEM, and everything with others. Verda grew up on the East Coast and moved west in 2021.
She is a multimedia fiber artist who has been making and altering clothes for herself and others for over a decade. When she’s not volunteering/hosting at Red Poppy (and even sometimes when she is), you can find her knitting, crocheting, embroidering, sewing, and more.

EVENT DETAILS
Sunday, June 29th, 2025
Time: 2 pm to 5 pm
This is a FREE event! All are welcome.
NOTE: The workshop will be entirely donation-based. No tickets, no need to RSVP, pay what you can for your alteration and/or lesson. Seating is first come, first served.
RSVP to the Facebook event:

Volunteer for this event!

Julio Lemos - Brian Rice Duo
2025-08-01 19:30 - 21:00
Advance tickets are available online. It is advised to purchase advance tickets for this event.

Julio Lemos – Brian Rice Duo
Intimate Brazilian Grooves
Join us for an unforgettable evening of Brazilian music with renowned 7-string guitarist Julio Lemos and master percussionist Brian Rice, one of the leading American specialists in Brazilian rhythms. Recognized today as one of the leading contemporary Brazilian 7-string guitarists, Julio Lemos follows in the tradition of great masters such as Rafael Rabello and Dino Sete Cordas. His performance will feature a stunning set of original compositions and classic pieces by Brazilian icons including Baden Powell, Tom Jobim, Rafael Rabello, Garoto, and more. With the brilliant accompaniment of Brian Rice on pandeiro, this duo will present a richly expressive concert that celebrates the depth, virtuosity, and soul of Brazilian instrumental music.
Featuring:
Julio Lemos – 7-string guitar
Brian Rice – percussion

Friday, August 1st, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $25 Students & Seniors – $29 Early Bird – $35 General / (Door) $35

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Julio Lemos is a virtuoso 7-string guitarist specializing in Brazilian instrumental music, blending classical guitar technique with influences from Villa-Lobos, Radamés Gnattali, and the choro and samba traditions, inspired by Dino 7 Cordas, Rafael Rabelo, Baden Powell, and Marco Pereira. A professor at the Federal University of Goiás since 2010, he holds a doctorate in music and has recorded with renowned artists like Hermeto Pascoal and Carlos Malta. His international career includes tours and workshops across Europe, the U.S., and China, as well as judging the São Paulo carnival. In 2023 and 2024, he performed extensively in Brazil and abroad, collaborated with major artists, and released his CD/DVD Julio Lemos Brasil Acústico, reinforcing his role as a representative of Brazilian music. Follow his work on Facebook!
Percussionist Brian Rice specializes in both Brazilian and Afro-Cuban percussion. Brian is a founding member of the Berkeley Choro Ensemble and is frequently called upon for his expertise on the pandeiro (Brazilian tambourine). In 2023, Brian premiered Danzas #4 for pandeiro and orchestra with the Diablo Symphony by Felipe Senna. Brian has worked with Mike Marshall, Jovino Santos Neto, Spok, Claudia Villela, and Alessandro Penezzi, among others. Brian performed at the Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, the Savannah Music Festival, and NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert with the Danilo Brito Quintet. In July 2019, Brian celebrated the release of his first self-produced choro CD, Três Baías, with Almir Côrtes and Nando Duarte. Brian is the co-founder and artistic director of the Berkeley Festival of Choro and teaches Samba School and the Afro-Cuban Ensembles at UC Davis. Follow his work on Facebook!

EVENT DETAILS
Friday, August 1st, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $25 Students & Seniors – $29 Early Bird – $35 General / (Door) $35
Purchase advance tickets for this event
Note: Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee a seat. Seating is first come, first served.
RSVP to the Facebook event:

Volunteer for this event!

Tango with Winnie Collective
2025-08-16 19:30 - 21:00
Advance tickets are available online. It is advised to purchase advance tickets for this event.

Tango with Winnie Collective
3 Minute Mini Dramas on an Exploration of Humanity
This program is a celebration of a two-year collaboration with tango musicians in Taiwan – Winnie is super excited to share the stage with her musical brother in combat, Bandoneonista Lee, this time in the US! Their combined love and knowledge of tango have knitted together their local communities, so don’t miss these two powerhouses joining forces! Tango classics of Troilo, Pugliese, and Gobbi will be performed alongside tango composers of today by the Tango with Winnie Collective with special guest Teresa Tam.
Featuring:
Teresa Tam – Voice
Winnie Cheung – Piano
Janice Lee – Violin
C.C. Lee – Bandoneón

Saturday, August 16th 2025
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $29 Students & Seniors – $35 Early Bird – $40 General / (Door) $40

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Teresa Tam, a Taiwan-born musician, began playing violin in childhood and fell in love with singing while performing with the Taipei Philharmonic Chorus. She made her professional debut as a soprano soloist with the American Bach Soloists during her undergraduate studies. Though classically trained, Teresa now sings a wide range of styles—including jazz, classical, tango, folk, and pop—and performs with ensembles of all sizes across the country. She holds a Master of Music from Boston University and continues to teach, perform, and collaborate across genres, most recently with bandoneonist Obadiah Wrynla and violinist Basma Edrees. Follow her work on Facebook and Instagram!
Convinced of tango’s power to include everyone, Pianist-Bandoneonista-Dancer Winnie Cheung launched Tango With Winnie to bring live tango dance and music to both classic and unconventional tango corners of the world: concert halls, milongas, art galleries, farmers markets, K-12 schools, universities, dementia homes, assisted living spaces, prisons, town-wide multicultural celebrations, and more. Originally from Hong Kong, Winnie has played well over 1,000 tango events in the USA, Canada, Asia, Argentina, and even Antarctica. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Chicago and Master’s and Doctorate from the Eastman School of Music in Piano and Music Composition. Follow her work on Facebook and Instagram!
Janice Lee, violinist and arranger, performed as soloist with the University of Illinois, Raleigh, and East Carolina University Symphony Orchestras and regularly tours with Tango with Winnie in the US and Asia. Along with guitarist Jose Guzman, she performs as J2 strings, which celebrates their combined musical background of jazz and classical music. Janice formed the Chicago Avenue Ensemble to present chamber music programming for strings that finds the connections between contemporary composers, classical music, and popular music. She is a graduate of East Carolina University (BM) and the Cleveland Institute of Music (MM), and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (DMA). Follow her work on Facebook and Instagram!
Taiwanese bandoneonista, composer, arranger, and recording artist, C.C. Lee, received formal musical training in violin and piano. Primarily self-taught on the bandoneon, he sought guidance from Bandoneon luminaries such as Walter Rios, Rodolfo Daluisio, and Victor Hugo Villena. Chen-Chung has performed across the US, Turkey, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. He founded his Tango ensemble, “Circo,” which fuses classical and jazz influences, navigates and innovates within the Tango and Piazzolla’s musical landscape. He holds a PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and is passionately dedicated to promoting the intersection of music and science in education and society.

EVENT DETAILS
Saturday, August 16th 2025
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $29 Students & Seniors – $35 Early Bird – $40 General / (Door) $40
Note: A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door unless noted on the Facebook event page that the show is sold out.
Purchase advance tickets for this event
Note: Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee a seat. Seating is first come, first served.
RSVP to the Facebook event:

Volunteer for this event!

Raga & Rhythm
2025-08-23 19:30 - 21:00
Advance tickets are available online. It is advised to purchase advance tickets for this event.

Raga & Rhythm
A journey of rhythm, resonance, roots, and reinvention.
The concert is a musical raga journey through the fretless voice of Anupam’s custom Double-neck guitar and the pulsating heart of Sameer’s Tabla. Anupam’s music is rooted deep in the Indian classical traditions, where melody and rhythm weave intricate, hypnotic patterns and reach for thunderous rhythm crescendos.
Featuring:
Anupam Shobhakar – Fretted & Fretless Double Neck Guitars
Sameer Gupta – Tabla

Saturday, August 23rd, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $25 Students & Seniors – $29 Early Bird – $35 General / (Door) $35

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Starting his musical journey at age 10 in Bombay, India, Anupam Shobhakar played guitar for rock and metal bands. But as his curiosity deepened, his focus shifted to the sarod, a 25-string fretless instrument from North India. Studying under Ustad Aashish Khan of the Maihar Gharana and other master musicians in the complex Indian classical tradition and performing in concerts around the world eventually led Anupam to NYC, which is now his home. The move reignited his interest in Western culture and fueled new explorations into jazz and classical music. The music that came from this heady mix required a new instrument, one that could encompass his diverse influences, so a new instrument was born: the custom double-neck guitar. His creation blends both fretted and fretless, allowing Anupam to combine elements from the Indian sarod repertoire with a thrilling new range of musical ideas that connect East and West. Long associations with NYC jazz musicians such as guitarist and composer Joel Harrison and drummer Dan Weiss ensued, as Anupam explored the meeting ground of classical Indian music, the sarod, and jazz. He was featured on the album The Middle of Everywhere by AGS Records in 2024, along with some of the biggest names in jazz guitar, including Kurt Rosenwinkel and Nels Cline, amongst others.
Following his historic 2023 solo release, Raga Jhinjhoti on Fretless Guitar, the first-ever recording of Indian classical music
for electric fretless guitar, Anupam breaks new ground again with the release of Liquid Reality on AGS recordings. With his latest release, Anupam Shobhakar not only expands the realm of electric guitar with the invention of his custom double-neck guitar ”KaliMa” but also expands the musical dialogue between East and West. Liquid Reality is essential listening for fans of adventurous jazz, rock, and world music and guitarists everywhere. Follow his work on Facebook, Instagram, and Youtube!

Sameer Gupta has created a unique musical sound by combining traditional and modern improvisational styles, drawing from his dual Indian and American heritage, and has already established himself as an original voice in music today. Gupta did not begin mastering the tabla until well into his jazz career in the early ‘00s, and now he continues to compose and perform music from a true multi-cultural perspective that bridges several continents. Follow his work on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube!

EVENT DETAILS
Saturday, August 23rd, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $25 Students & Seniors – $29 Early Bird – $35 General / (Door) $35
Purchase advance tickets for this event
Note: Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee a seat. Seating is first come, first served.
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String, Skin & Breath
2025-09-26 19:30 - 21:00
Advance tickets are available online. You are advised to purchase advance tickets for this event.

String, Skin & Breath
A Sound Journey Across Continents and Cultures
String, Skin & Breath will take you on an improvised journey, weaving melodies and rhythms from around the world. Together, they create a dynamic, spontaneous dialogue—sometimes tender and meditative, other times fiery and exuberant—inviting the audience into a world without borders, where music speaks beyond words.
Featuring:
Misha Khalikulov – Cello
Aaron Kierbel – Percussion
Arslen Metouii – Kanun
Daniel Riera – Flute/Ewi

Friday, September 26th, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $25 student & senior – $29 Early Bird – $35 General / (Door) $35

Special Guests:
Chris Burch – Freestyle Rap
Adrienne Shamszad – Vocals and Setar

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Rooted in the SF Bay Area and reaching across continents, this dynamic ensemble unites global traditions with contemporary soundscapes. Featuring Latin Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist Daniel Riera, Tunisian-born kanun player Arslen Metouii, world-touring drummer Aaron Kierbel, and genre-blending cellist Misha Khalikulov, the band weaves classical, electronic, and folkloric elements into a rich, genre-defying tapestry. With members from acclaimed acts like The Jazz Mafia, StringQuake, The April Fishes and Kev Choice, their collective experience spans over 30 countries and countless stages. Together, they create music that is as soulful as it is exploratory—bridging cultures through rhythm, melody, and improvisation.

EVENT DETAILS
Friday, September 26th, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $25 student & senior – $29 Early Bird – $35 General / (Door) $35
Note: A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door unless otherwise noted on the Facebook event page that the show is SOLD OUT.
Purchase advance tickets for this event
Note: Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee a seat. Seating is first come, first served.
RSVP to the Facebook event:

Volunteer for this event!

October 4th MAPP
2025-10-04 19:00 - 22:00
October 4th MAPP

Saturday, October 4th, 2025 | 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.
Red Poppy Art House
2698 Folsom @23rd
Curator: Dina Zarif
Doors open at 6:30 pm
7:00 pm – 7:40 pm: Amelia Romano (Lever Harp Untamed)
7:50 pm – 8:50 pm: Louda y Los Bad Hombres (Latin and Jazz Rhythmics)
9:00 pm – 10:00 pm: Sambamba trio (Rio de Janeiro’s samba)
Exhibition: Andrea Guskin’s newest body of work: Fracture Zones.
THIS IS A FREE EVENT
MAPP (Mission Arts & Performance Project)
Launched in 2003, the Mission Arts & Performance Project (MAPP) is a homegrown bi-monthly, multidisciplinary, intercultural event that takes place in the Mission District of San Francisco. On the first Saturday of every even month of the year, the MAPP transforms ordinary spaces, such as private garages, gardens, living rooms, studios, street corners, and small businesses into pop-up performance and exhibition sites for a day/night of intimate-scale artistic and cultural exchange among a kaleidoscope of individuals and communities.
We will continue our work in presenting unique artistry to the communities that we serve.
RED POPPY MAPP TEAM:
Artistic Director | Managing Director: Dina Zarif
PR and Digital Marketing: Anjali Varma
MAPP OCTOBER 4TH, 2025 PROGRAM

Time

Performance/Event
Description

Artists

Exhibition: Andrea Guskin’s newest body of work: Fracture Zones.

7:00 – 7:40 pm
Classical to Charismatic
Lever Harp Untamed
Amelia Romano – Lever Harp

7:50 – 8:50 pm
Louda y Los Bad Hombres
Latin and Jazz Rhythmics
Leo Nava – Guitar and Tres
Marley Edwards – Upright
Dave Eagle – Percussion
Laura Camacho – Vocals and Percussion

9:00 – 10:00 pm
Sambamba trio
Rio de Janeiro’s samba
Lau Paiva – Guitar, Vocals, Percussion
Rodrigo Lemes – Cavaquinho, Vocals, Pandeiro
Andrew Scott – Pandeiro, Tantan, Reco-reco, cajon, tamborim
+ Surprise Special Guests!

ABOUT THE PERFORMING ARTISTS

Classical to Charismatic
Lever Harp Untamed
Presenting works from the 17th century and today, Amelia celebrates the lever harps eclecticism — a voice as relevant today as it was in the castles of 16th century Ireland.
Featuring:
Amelia Romano – Lever Harp
Amelia Romano is re-imagining the lever harp to showcase the instrument’s versatility.
The lever harp is often played by folk musicians and designed to play folk music from countries including Ireland and Scotland. In this context, oftentimes the lever mechanisms at the top of the instrument are set in the key of the song and left that way throughout the folk song. Conversely, on the classical pedal harp, one can easily change notes by stepping on the pedals.
Amelia’s vision has taken on both harp worlds and tackles complex classical passages on the lever harp by shifting the mechanisms mid-song, which is fascinating to watch. While pedal harps weigh 80 pounds, lever harps weigh 25 making them very portable. Romano lived in South Africa for a year and has toured in Europe, the southern United States and Pacific Northwest, bringing her enthusiasm for lever harps to classical music, wherever she goes.

Louda y Los Bad Hombres
Latin and Jazz Rhythmics Bilingual Spanish Vocals
Featuring original music and reimagined Pop and Afro-Latin covers, LBH seamlessly blends their jazz studies, international influence, and open hearts through their instruments to your seat, to your moving feet.
Featuring:
Leo Nava – Guitar and Tres
Marley Edwards – Upright
Dave Eagle – Percussion
Laura Camacho – Vocals and Percussion
Louda y Los Bad Hombres came to life during the Revolution Cafe days of the Mission District. Since 2018, this group has played large, small, new, and retired venues throughout the Bay Area.

Sambamba
Celebrating the spirit of Rio de Janeiro’s samba
Sambamba brings the spirit of Rio de Janeiro’s samba to Red Poppy, celebrating the music of Paulinho da Viola, Martinho da Vila, Zeca Pagodinho, Almir Guineto, Jorge Aragão, Revelação, Arlindo Cruz, Fundo de Quintal, and beyond for a true Carioca experience.
Featuring:
Lau Paiva – Guitar, Vocals, Percussion
Rodrigo Lemes – Cavaquinho, Vocals, Pandeiro
Andrew Scott – Pandeiro, Tantan, Reco-reco, cajon, tamborim
+ Surprise Special Guests!
Sambamba is a Bay Area group specializing in the authentic joy of samba and bossa nova, singing the songs that every Brazilian seems to know. The core of Sambamba is a trio, which can expand to a quartet or quintet depending on the situation. The band members have been playing together in various Bay Area groups for over 20 years. Their diverse backgrounds bring an eclectic mix of influences to their music.
Lau Paiva is from Piracicaba, São Paulo. A talented guitarist (violão) and singer, Lau performs a wide range of Brazilian music styles and knows hundreds of songs. She also performs as a solo artist and as part of various small groups in the Bay Area.
Rodrigo Lemes is from Goiânia and Rio de Janeiro. He grew up with Sertanejo country music from Goiás and later became captivated by the samba and samba funk of Rio. Rodrigo has played with numerous top Bay Area musicians in groups like Grupo da Sete, Grupo Borogodo, and alongside Maestro Jorge Alabé. Known for his infectious energy, Rodrigo brings dynamic vocals and rhythmic grooves on cavaquinho and pandeiro.
Andrew Scott moved to San Francisco from London and has lived in the Mission and Bernal Heights for 40 years, returning to London annually. He runs Studio 401, which has been recording and producing a diverse array of artists from the Bay Area, London, Brazil, South Africa, and Argentina for over 25 years. In addition to drum-set, Andrew plays a wide range of percussion instruments. He has performed throughout the Bay Area, notably with his groups The Rhyth-o-matics, Kombokwela, and Grupo da Sete. He has also lived in Brazil and participated in Carnaval with Paraiso Samba in London and Samba Rio in San Francisco. Andrew has studied with Maestro Jorge Alabé, Maestro Chuck Brown, and Maestro Marcos Suzano. A specialist in South African jazz, he recently produced the acclaimed Duduvudu CD.

Visual Art Exhibition: Fracture Zones

Inspired by the geographical language and imagery of topographic maps, particularly the large scars forming “fracture zones” deep beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, she uses these fissures as a metaphor for the layers of emotional experience related to ancestry, immigration, and lost family narratives.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Andrea Guskin is a San Francisco Bay Area based multidisciplinary artist who was raised amongst the woods and college campuses of Wisconsin and Ohio.
She works across multiple disciplines including photography, sculpture, and painting. She often uses everyday domestic materials and tools for mending–such as thread, foil, spices– to explore ancestry, domesticity and strategies for repair and transformation in our daily lives.
After studying painting at Antioch College in Ohio, Guskin moved to New York City and became part of the art and songwriting communities on the Lower East Side, joining a group of visual and performing artists working in a 19th century school building now known as The Clemente. She exhibited her work and performed her songs regularly in the East Village (Sidewalk Cafe, C Note, CBGB’s Gallery).
Since moving to California, she has regularly exhibited her work throughout the state (Berkeley Art Center, H Gallery, Mercury 20 Gallery), often combining her experience in museum education with her creative practice to lead participatory art events. Andrea is a 2025 recipient of the San Leandro Arts and Culture grant for her community cyanotype project, Local Roots. In 2023, she graduated with an M.F.A in Interdisciplinary Arts from Mills College at Northeastern University. She currently lives in San Leandro with her husband and two sons.

STREETMAP for MAPP
Join us in MAPP at all other spaces throughout the Mission District.

IN PERSON EVENT DETAILS
Time: Saturday, October 4, 2025, 7pm- 10pm (IN-PERSON)
Admission: Free!

DONATE

Scott Amendola/Ben Goldberg/Mat Muntz Trio
2025-10-11 19:30 - 21:00
Advance tickets are available online. You are advised to purchase advance tickets for this event.

Scott Amendola/Ben Goldberg/Mat Muntz Trio
Exploratory Jazz / Original Music with an improvised edge

Ben, Mat, and Scott are all composers and improvisers. Expect the unexpected and expect to have an engaging evening!

Featuring:
Ben Goldberg – clarinet
Mat Muntz – bass
Scott Amendola – drums/percussion/electronics

Saturday, October 11, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $25 student & senior – $29 Early Bird – $35 General / (Door) $35

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
The Scott Amendola/Ben Goldberg/Mat Muntz Trio brings together 3 creative forces to one end goal: dig deep, jump in the pocket, be creative, invite the audience in, and have a blast doing it. There’s a long history of saxophone bass, and drum trios. We carry that torch with the idea of bringing our vibe to the concept. From our own compositions with a lot of improv, to groove to free playing, to some interesting cover songs, and everything in between. Hold on to your hat! It’s going to be a fun ride.

EVENT DETAILS
Saturday, October 11, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $25 student & senior – $29 Early Bird – $35 General / (Door) $35
Note: A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door unless otherwise noted on the Facebook event page that the show is SOLD OUT.
Purchase advance tickets for this event
Note: Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee a seat. Seating is first come, first served.
RSVP to the Facebook event:

Volunteer for this event!

Once Upon a Klezmer
2025-10-19 19:30 - 21:00
Advance tickets are available online. You are advised to purchase advance tickets for this event.

Once Upon a Klezmer
A Mixed Bag of Tunes and Folk Tales

Klezmer music, in its essence, has always been about joy for its own sake. Join accordionist Dan Cantrell, visiting from Los Angeles, and clarinetist Asaf Ophir, for an evening devoted exactly to that. We will play some classics, some favorites, some oldies, some newbies, and some more exotic tunes that just go so well together that we couldn’t pass them up. Mixed in with storytelling, this is going to be a memorable night!

Featuring:
Clarinet: Asaf Ophir
Accordion: Dan Cantrell

Sunday, October 19, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $25 student & senior – $29 Early Bird – $35 General / (Door) $35

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Asaf Ophir (clarinet) began his professional career in musical theaters in Israel, while studying at the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, and later at the Jerusalem Academy. Arriving in the United States in 2014, he began to perform in musicals around the Bay Area, such as the award-winning “Love Sick” in 2017, and “The People in the Picture” in 2018. Finding a home away from home, he can most often be seen in world music projects on Jewish, Arabic, and Balkan stages.
Asaf has performed on such distinguished stages as Habima, HaCameri, and Jerusalem Theaters in Israel, as well as the Paramount Theater, the Palace of Fine Arts, the Great American Music Hall, Freight & Salvage, Brava Theater, and others in the San Francisco Bay Area. Throughout his career he has shared the stage with artists such as Miri Mesika, Avi Kushnir, Emel Mathlouthi, Ustad Mahwash, and Barbra Streisand. https://www.asafophir.com/
Dan Cantrell (accordion) is an Emmy award winning composer and multi-instrumentalist known for his innovative film scoring approach, and his virtuosic abilities on the accordion, piano and musical saw. An impulsive decision in his teenage years lead him to buy an accordion in a thrift store in Hemet, California. From that fated day, he pursued the instrument, learning in schools, music camps and eventually traveling to Eastern Europe to learn from Bulgarian Macedonian, and Turkish Romani masters.
Dan has now emerged as one of the most well known living American accordionists. His unique sound can be heard on the albums of Tom Waits, Joanna Newsom, and Beats Antique, in Major Motion Pictures such as Mean Girls, and The Tiger and the Snow. Recently a featured soloist with the San Francisco Symphony, Dan performed with the Oakland Symphony, and the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, gigged and collaborated with Danny Elfman, Bono, Joan Baez, Anoushka Shankhar, the Klezmatics, and Angelo Moore of Fishbone. https://bellowhead.com/
​
EVENT DETAILS
Sunday, October 19, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $25 student & senior – $29 Early Bird – $35 General / (Door) $35
Note: A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door unless otherwise noted on the Facebook event page that the show is SOLD OUT.
Purchase advance tickets for this event
Note: Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee a seat. Seating is first come, first served.
RSVP to the Facebook event:

Volunteer for this event!

ShadowLight Productions presents: Ghosts of the River - a Shadow Theater Film, Artist Talk
2025-10-24 19:30 - 21:30
Advance tickets are available online. You are advised to purchase advance tickets for this event.

ShadowLight Productions presents: Ghosts of the River – a Shadow Theater Film, Artist Talk
Ghost Stories from the Borderlands A Cinematic Shadow Theater Film

ShadowLight Productions presents Ghosts of the River, a cinematic shadow theater film written by Octavio Solis that explores ghost stories from the U.S.–Mexico borderlands. Inspired by testimonies of people living and crossing along the Rio Grande, the work blends shadow puppetry, live actors, and projected imagery into a dreamlike visual language. Originally staged as a large-scale performance, this film captures the layered artistry of light, shadow, and story, bringing the ephemeral medium to new audiences.

Friday, October 24, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: Sliding-scale pay-what-you-can: $10-$100

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
ShadowLight Productions presents Ghosts of the River, a cinematic shadow theater film written by Octavio Solis that explores ghost stories from the U.S.–Mexico borderlands. Inspired by testimonies of people living and crossing along the Rio Grande, the work blends shadow puppetry, live actors, and projected imagery into a dreamlike visual language. Originally staged as a large-scale performance, this film captures the layered artistry of light, shadow, and story, bringing the ephemeral medium to new audiences. https://www.shadowlight.org/upcoming-events; https://www.facebook.com/ShadowLightProductions/
TRAILER:

https://www.shadowlight.org/upcoming-events,
https://www.facebook.com/ShadowLightProductions/
​
EVENT DETAILS
Friday, October 24, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: Sliding-scale pay-what-you-can: $10-$100
Note: A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door unless otherwise noted on the Facebook event page that the show is SOLD OUT.
Purchase advance tickets for this event
Note: Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee a seat. Seating is first come, first served.
RSVP to the Facebook event:

Volunteer for this event!

LitCrawl 2025
2025-10-25 17:00 - 21:00
LitCrawl 2025

One of the most anticipated literary nights of the year, LitCrawl SF brings together authors and fans for the world’s largest free pop-up literary event!

Saturday, October 25, 2025
Time: 5:00pm – 9:00pm
Admission: FREE

5:00pm – 6:00pm
Between Borders & Belonging
6:30pm – 7:30pm
The Tall Grass in Your Eyes: A reading from Trans Poetry Workshop
8:00pm – 9:00pm
Nulla is Haunted!

ABOUT LITCRAWL 2025:
One of the most anticipated literary nights of the year, San Francisco’s Lit Crawl is a massive, one-night literary pub crawl through San Francisco’s Mission District that caps off our annual Litquake Festival. Lit Crawl SF brings together 250+ authors and close to 5,000 fans for the world’s largest free pop-up literary event.Started in 2004, Lit Crawl cultivates a unique, resonant brand: smart and silly, worldly and wacky, with events presented in venues usual (bars, cafes, galleries, and bookstores) and unusual (tattoo parlors, barbershops, and laundromats).
​2025 LIT CRAWL MAP PDF

Between Borders & Belonging
As immigrants and descendants of immigrants, we understand the power of borders to define us, exclude us, and decide our fate. How can we as writers reclaim and rewrite borders, transforming them from places of fear and division to sites of reunion and belonging? This reading by 17 Syllables–along with audience contributions to a collective poem about belonging–will open up a space in which to remake ourselves and reimagine a future where we can all be safe and free. Featuring Jay Dayrit, Brian Komei Dempster, Lillian Howan, Grace Loh Prasad, Marianne Villanueva.
The Tall Grass in Your Eyes: A reading from Trans Poetry Workshop
Come hear what the poets of Trans Poetry Workshop have to say, and celebrate the release of our anthology, Distilled Devotion. From the bird living at the end of the world, to creating a personal sex golem, to chronicling romance in poetic APA, you won’t want to miss this window into the poetics of the trans community. Come through to buy your copy of Distilled Devotion and get it signed by these fabulous authors.
Nulla is Haunted!
What haunts you? At NULLA IS HAUNTED, we will be conjuring ghosts, memories, strange moods, and mysterious versions of ourselves. Inspired by the older meanings of haunt (to dwell, to frequent), Nulla writers will track presences that linger. Expect all sorts of hauntings: psychic, familial, atmospheric. Join us for a night of literary apparitions, where we explore what’s still here…and what shouldn’t be. Nulla readers are Jennifer Lewis, Ari Moskowitz, Laura Schadler, Alex Dezen, Polly Conway, Michelle Richmond, and Joanna Lioce. See more at thenulla.com

EVENT DETAILS
Saturday, October 25, 2025
Time: 5:00pm – 9:00pm
Admission: FREE

Sirvan Manhoobi / Striking Strings
2025-11-15 19:00 - 20:15
Advance tickets are available online. You are advised to purchase advance tickets for this event.

Sirvan Manhoobi / Striking Strings
World music/ Middle eastern music/ Iranian music/ improvisation

Striking Strings is a captivating performance by Iranian virtuoso Sirvan Manhoobi, featuring the Oud, Setar, and Tanbour. Blending Persian, Kurdish, and Iranian folk roots with improvisation and original compositions, the program explores the diverse soundscapes of these string instruments. Through each piece, Sirvan creates a dialogue between ancient traditions and contemporary expression, guiding listeners on a journey through resonance, memory, and innovation. The performance reflects his deep cultural heritage and personal artistic vision, revealing how traditional melodies can be reborn through creative interpretation and emotional expression.

Featuring:
Sirvan Manhoobi: Oud, Setar & Tanbour
Saturday, November 15, 2025
Time: 6:30 pm doors, 7:00 pm show
Admission: (Online) $29 Students & Seniors – $35 Early Bird – $40 General / (Door) $40

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Sirvan Manhoobi is a Kurdish Iranian multi-instrumentalist, composer, and educator specializing in Iranian classical and folk music. A graduate of San Francisco State University under Hafez Modirzadeh, he is pursuing a PhD in ethnomusicology at the University of Maryland, focusing on Kurdish and Yaresan music. Winner of three national soloist awards, he has performed with Shahram Nazeri, Bijan Kamkar, Mojgan Shajarian, and Bahram Beyzai, and ensembles such as Shams, Pacific Symphony, and Sorvad. His works, including music for theater and film, blend tradition with innovation, bridging cultures and sharing Iran’s rich musical heritage across global stages.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089873876823&mibextid=wwXIfr

EVENT DETAILS
Saturday, November 15, 2025
Time: 6:30 pm doors, 7:00 pm show
Admission: (Online) $29 Students & Seniors – $35 Early Bird – $40 General / (Door) $40
Note: A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door unless otherwise noted on the Facebook event page that the show is SOLD OUT.
Purchase advance tickets for this event
Note: Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee a seat. Seating is first come, first served.
RSVP to the Facebook event:

Volunteer for this event!

Teagan Faran, ft. Paul Sussman and Breakfast Calculus
2025-11-23 19:00 - 20:30
Advance tickets are available online. You are advised to purchase advance tickets for this event.
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Teagan Faran, ft. Paul Sussman and Breakfast Calculus
“Middle Child” Album Release show / Violin, Flute, Storytelling, and more!

Join us for a live performance of Teagan Faran’s new album “Middle Child,” a record exploring homesickness and belonging, with guest appearances by local legend storyteller Paul Sussman and the wind/string duo Breakfast Calculus (ft. Leo Sussman, flutes). Hailed as “deeply personal and expansively collaborative” (Pitch Perfect), this album celebrates hybrid identity through music by Brahms, Laurie Anderson, Jens Ibsen, and others.

Featuring:
Teagan Faran, violin/viola
Leo Sussman, flute/electronics
Paul Sussman, storyteller
Sunday, November 23, 2025
Time: 6:30 pm doors, 7:00 pm show
Admission: (Online) $25 student & senior – $29 Early Bird – $35 General / (Door) $35

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Teagan Faran – Teagan Faran is a multidisciplinary musician focused on enacting social change through the arts. An active soloist and chamber musician, she has performed with the Buffalo Philharmonic, the Amherst Symphony, Alarm Will Sound, and the Cabrillo Festival Orchestra, among others. Faran attended the University of Michigan and the Manhattan School of Music. She was a fellow of the Fulbright Program, Turn the Spotlight, Dee Dee Bridgewater’s Woodshed Network, and OneBeat. Faran is a Co-Artistic Director of GRAMMY-nominated ensemble Palaver Strings and an Assistant Professor at Ithaca College.
Leo Sussman – Flutist Leo Sussman grew up playing chamber music in living rooms and gigging with a salsa band in San Francisco. Now based in Ithaca, NY, he delights in breathing life into new music and producing imaginative community-based arts projects that foster conversation and connection. Some recent exploits include coding tactile electroacoustic installations in Max/MSP, recording a new work for 12 flutists by Julia Wolfe, and performing Stravinsky’s Firebird at Burning Man.

https://www.facebook.com/teagan.faran
https://www.facebook.com/Paul.Sussman.SF
https://www.facebook.com/LeoSussman
https://www.youtube.com/@teaganfaran
https://www.instagram.com/teagbby
https://www.teaganfaran.com
​
EVENT DETAILS
Sunday, November 23, 2025
Time: 6:30 pm doors, 7:00 pm show
Admission: (Online) $25 student & senior – $29 Early Bird – $35 General / (Door) $35
Note: A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door unless otherwise noted on the Facebook event page that the show is SOLD OUT.
Purchase advance tickets for this event
Note: Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee a seat. Seating is first come, first served.
RSVP to the Facebook event:

Volunteer for this event!

December 6th MAPP
2025-12-06 19:00 - 22:00
Holding the Thread: A Gathering for Life & Dignity
MAPP (Mission Art Performance Project)
Saturday, December 6th, 2025
In a moment when many communities are experiencing heightened fear, repression, and instability—both here and globally—we gather to hold the thread of humanity. This event brings together Palestinian, Iranian, Mexican, and Jewish artists—communities whose histories carry occupation, displacement, censorship, and struggle. Their voices stand together in intentional solidarity, with the suffering in Palestine remaining a central heartbeat of this gathering.
December 6th MAPP

Saturday, December 6th, 2025 | 7:00 to 10:00 p.m.
Red Poppy Art House
2698 Folsom @23rd
Curator: Dina Zarif
Doors open at 6:45 pm
7 p.m. to 10 p.m. event
7:05–7:45 • Diana Gameros (Folk / Indie-Pop / Jazz – Mexico)
8:00–8:50 • Nēkajun & Ensemble (Iranian Liberation Folk)
9:05–10:00 • Basma & Edrees & Ensemble (Palestinian Melodies Under Occupation)
Exhibition: Andrea Guskin – Fracture Zones (Jewish artist exploring rupture & resilience)
THIS IS A FREE EVENT
We gather to witness, to remember, and to resist dehumanization in all forms—standing firmly against Islamophobia, antisemitism, racism, state violence, and the erasure of any people. Through music, art, and community presence, we honor dignity, grief, resilience, and the struggle for justice across all our communities.
In this space, the arts become a bridge:A place to listen, to grieve, to imagine, and to insist on the dignity of all communities.
Our canvas is connection.
Our palette is compassion.
Our gathering is an offering for peace, justice, and the possibility of collective safety, belonging, and hope.
All are welcome.
Red Poppy Art House
MAPP DECEMBER 6TH, 2025 PROGRAM

Time

Performance/Event
Description

Artists

Exhibition: Andrea Guskin’s newest body of work: Fracture Zones.

7:05 – 7:45 pm
Diana Gameros
Folk / Indie-Pop / Jazz – Mexico
Diana Gameros – songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist

8:00–8:50
Nēkajun & Ensemble
Iranian Liberation Folk
Nekajun – guitar, vocals
Aaron Kierbel – drums
Ahmed Ragab – oud
Arslen Matouii – quanun
Z: guitar

9:05–10:00
Basma & Edrees & Ensemble
Palestinian Melodies Under Occupation
Basma Edrees-Piano, Violin, Voice
Alaa Alqallel-Oud
Loay Dahbour-Percussion
Shaden Amleh-Singer
Hala Al-Khalil: Singer
Nour Bouhassoun-Singer
Frank Gelat: Singer
Marvin Flores: Poet

MAPP (Mission Arts & Performance Project)
Launched in 2003, the Mission Arts & Performance Project (MAPP) is a homegrown bi-monthly, multidisciplinary, intercultural event that takes place in the Mission District of San Francisco. On the first Saturday of every even month of the year, the MAPP transforms ordinary spaces, such as private garages, gardens, living rooms, studios, street corners, and small businesses into pop-up performance and exhibition sites for a day/night of intimate-scale artistic and cultural exchange among a kaleidoscope of individuals and communities.
RED POPPY MAPP TEAM:
Artistic Director | Managing Director: Dina Zarif
Sound Crew: Andrew Scott
PR and Digital Marketing: Jennie Legary
Volunteer coordinator: Verda Bursal

ABOUT THE PERFORMING ARTISTS

7:05 – 7:45 pm
Diana Gameros
Songs of Light and Remembrance
Featuring
Diana Gameros – songwriter, singer, multi-instrumentalist
Diana is a singer, guitarist, pianist, composer, songwriter, music instructor, lead teaching artist with the Lullaby Project and core band member of the Immigrant Orchestra. Based in San Francisco, California, she was born and raised in Ciudad Juárez, México and immigrated to the United States as a teenager to study music in Michigan. Over the last decade in the Bay Area she has released two albums of original songs written in Spanish and English, and Mexican classic songs. In 2014 Diana received the Emerging Leader Award by the Chicana/Latina Foundation. In 2015 she was named one of YBCA’s 100: creative minds, makers, and pioneers that are asking the questions and making the provocations that will shape the future of American culture. NPR Music gave Diana an honorable mention to Arrullo in best Latin albums of the year in 2017. Diana was named one of SF Magazine’s 100 Artists: Artists Putting The East Bay On The Map, in 2018.
Diana is currently a lead and teaching artist in San Francisco, for the Lullaby Project, a project of Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute which pairs new and expecting parents and caregivers with professional artists to write and sing personal lullabies for their babies, supporting parental health, aiding childhood development, and strengthening the bond between parent and child.

8:00 pm – 8:50 pm
Nēkajun
Iranian Liberation Folk
Featuring:
Nekajun – guitar, vocals
Aaron Kierbel – drums
Ahmed Ragab – oud
Arslen Matouii – quanun
Z: guitar
Nēkajun is an Iranian American musician, storyteller, and farmer whose work braids land, memory, and resistance. Her songs draw from dried riverbeds, quieted forests, and communities shaped by borders and power. On stage, she blends performance and education, lifting up stories of Iranian farmers, Indigenous land stewards, and others fighting to protect the earth. Her music aims to connect, teach, and energize collective action.

9:05 pm – 10:00 pm
Melodies Under Occupation
Music from Palestine
An evening of Palestinian songs that celebrate resilience, culture, and love. Experience an intimate program of music and personal storytelling that highlights the human side of life in Palestine—focusing on family, community, and the everyday moments that shape identity.
Featuring:
Basma Edrees-Piano, Violin, Voice
Alaa Alqallel-Oud
Loay Dahbour-Percussion
Shaden Amleh-Singer
Hala Al-Khalil: Singer
Nour Bouhassoun-Singer
Frank Gelat: Singer
Marvin Flores: Poet
This event is not only about listening—it’s about understanding.
Awareness is the first act of solidarity. Come with an open heart and leave with a deeper sense of connection. With a special guest reading by Chicano poet Marvin Flores.
Basma Edrees is a graduate of The Juilliard School where she received her Masters in Violin Performance and Mannes School of Music where she received her Bachelors degree. She studied with Joseph Lin, Laurie Smukler, Sally Thomas, and Catherine Van Hoesen. Basma has performed under the batons of many great conductors including Alan Gilbert and Daniel Barenboim. Basma has served as Associate Concert Master of the Oakland Symphony during their 2015-2016 season. She has also been invited to sub for the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, San Francisco Opera Orchestra, San Jose Chamber Orchestra, San Jose Opera Orchestra as well as the Santa Rosa Symphony.
Basma has performed as a soloist in various countries including the USA, Montenegro, Ethiopia and her native country, Egypt.
Equally at home with Arabic music, Basma is the founder of Music in-Takht; an instrumental ensemble dedicated to preserving Egyptian musical heritage in the SF Bay Area. She performed with renowned musicians from the Arab world and has been invited to give Arabic Music workshops at UC Berkeley and Stanford. She has taught Arabic music at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and has also been a member of the Arabic Music faculty at Labyrinth; one of the leading educational institutions of modal music. In early 2023, Basma was invited to play on the sound track of Assasin’s Creed Mirage alongside members of the New York Arabic Orchestra. From 2016 to 2019, Basma Edrees held the position of Music Director of the Aswat Women Ensemble, an all female Bay Area community ensemble specializing in Arab music. She also served as the co-manager and instructor of the Aswat Women Empowerment Program during their 2019 Fall season.

Visual Art Exhibition: Fracture Zones

Inspired by the geographical language and imagery of topographic maps, particularly the large scars forming “fracture zones” deep beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, she uses these fissures as a metaphor for the layers of emotional experience related to ancestry, immigration, and lost family narratives.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Andrea Guskin is a San Francisco Bay Area based multidisciplinary artist who was raised amongst the woods and college campuses of Wisconsin and Ohio.
She works across multiple disciplines including photography, sculpture, and painting. She often uses everyday domestic materials and tools for mending–such as thread, foil, spices– to explore ancestry, domesticity and strategies for repair and transformation in our daily lives.
After studying painting at Antioch College in Ohio, Guskin moved to New York City and became part of the art and songwriting communities on the Lower East Side, joining a group of visual and performing artists working in a 19th century school building now known as The Clemente. She exhibited her work and performed her songs regularly in the East Village (Sidewalk Cafe, C Note, CBGB’s Gallery).
Since moving to California, she has regularly exhibited her work throughout the state (Berkeley Art Center, H Gallery, Mercury 20 Gallery), often combining her experience in museum education with her creative practice to lead participatory art events. Andrea is a 2025 recipient of the San Leandro Arts and Culture grant for her community cyanotype project, Local Roots. In 2023, she graduated with an M.F.A in Interdisciplinary Arts from Mills College at Northeastern University. She currently lives in San Leandro with her husband and two sons.

PROGRAM for MAPP
Join us in MAPP at all other spaces throughout the Mission District.

IN PERSON EVENT DETAILS
Time: Saturday, December 6, 2025, 7pm- 10pm (IN-PERSON)
Admission: Free!

DONATE

Mostly Kosher
2025-12-13 19:30 - 21:00
Advance tickets are available online. You are advised to purchase advance tickets for this event.
RSVP to the Facebook event:

Mostly Kosher
Los Angeles-based Klezmer-Rock
Mostly Kosher, the acclaimed Los Angeles-based Klezmer/Rock band, radically reconstructs Judaic and American cultural music through ravenous global beats and arresting Yiddish refrains. Their original voice resounds with themes of social justice, human dignity, and mutual understanding. “Mostly Kosher is klezmer music to heal the soul!” – LA Weekly

Saturday, December 13, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $25 student & senior – $29 Early Bird – $35 General / (Door) $35

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Mostly Kosher is a powerhouse Klezmer-Rock band based in Los Angeles, radically reinventing Jewish and American cultural music with fiery klezmer beats, rich Yiddish refrains, and global influences of jazz, Latin, folk, and rock. Their music explores themes of social justice, resilience, and cultural celebration. Led by vocalist and clarinetist Leeav Sofer, the ensemble includes top LA musicians: Janice Mautner Markham, Eric Hagstrom, Adam Levy, Nadav Peled, and Ben Tevik. The band has captivated audiences at Disney Parks’ Festival of Holidays, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Skirball Cultural Center, as well as headlining the Ashkenaz Festival in Toronto. Highlights include a feature in the film The Accursed, and their video “Vitebsk” in film festivals worldwide.

www.mostlykosher.com​
EVENT DETAILS
Saturday, December 13, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $25 student & senior – $29 Early Bird – $35 General / (Door) $35
Note: A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door unless otherwise noted on the Facebook event page that the show is SOLD OUT.
Purchase advance tickets for this event
Note: Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee a seat. Seating is first come, first served.
RSVP to the Facebook event:

Volunteer for this event!

Of Persian Poetics
2025-12-19 19:00 - 20:15
Advance tickets are available online. You are advised to purchase advance tickets for this event.
RSVP to the Facebook event:

Of Persian Poetics
Live Persian Music Duet Performance

Behfar Bahadoran: Setar and Tanbur’
Nariman Assadi: Tombak, Bendir, and Daf
Friday, December 19, 2025
Time: 6:30 pm doors, 7:00 pm show
Admission: (Online) $25 student & senior – $29 Early Bird – $35 General / (Door) $35

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Behfar Bahadoran, born in Tehran / Iranian 1987, studied under Iranian classical and folklore music masters including Homayoun Khorram, Ramin Rahimi, Ali-Akbar Moradi, Darioush Talaei, and Hamid Motebassem. A Visual Arts graduate from Maryland Institute College of Art, he is a composer, multi instrumentalist and a multidisciplinary visual artist who founded P e z h a k Ensemble in 2008, and is also the band leader and cofounder of Sorvad Ensemble. Throughout his career, he has worked and performed alongside notorious international musicians and artists such as Shahram Nazeri, Majid Derakhshani, Alireza Shahmohammadi, Pejman Hadadi, Pezhham Akhavass, Dawn Avery, John Wubbenhorst, Larry Mitchel, Kazem Davoudian, Susan Deyhim and Mojgan Shajarian. He performs regularly at many prestigious venues in the United States including the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco; Lincoln Center and Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; Kennedy Center and Freer Shackler Gallery in Washington D.C.
Nariman Assadi is an Iranian musician. Raised in Tehran, he always felt drawn to percussion instruments, and at the age of thirteen, he began studying Tombak under Master Amir Mogharab Samadi. From 2008 to 2013, Nariman performed at Vahdat Hall as a soloist and with the Persian Percussion Ensemble at Pars Academy, the premier music academy for children. After mastering Tombak, he then began learning Daf under the great Master Bijan Kamkar, and with a strong understanding of the Daf and Tombak, Nariman started learning Barbat (Oud) under Master Mohammad Firouzi. In 2015, Nariman immigrated to the United States, where he immediately began his professional music career by performing and attending festivals. Along with being a member of various ensembles, Nariman is a certified-Orff teacher and teaches Daf, Tombak, and Music for children.
In 2022, he toured all over the United States with Afra Ensemble, led by Master Hossein Behrouzina, and additionally, Nariman relaeasd his first album Larzanah, Improvisation of Iranian Folk Music, with Master Faraj Alipour on vocals and Kamancheh. Currently, he teaches Iranian Music at Farsi Schools in Sacramento and the Bay Area. He also teaches music at more than seven elemantary schools in Sacramento.

Facebook • Nariman Assadi: https://www.facebook.com/NarimanAssadiPercussion
Instagram • Nariman: https://www.instagram.com/nariman.percussion
Instagram • Behfar Bahadoran: https://www.instagram.com/behfarbahadoran

EVENT DETAILS
Friday, December 19, 2025
Time: 6:30 pm doors, 7:00 pm show
Admission: (Online) $25 student & senior – $29 Early Bird – $35 General / (Door) $35
Note: A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door unless otherwise noted on the Facebook event page that the show is SOLD OUT.
Purchase advance tickets for this event
Note: Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee a seat. Seating is first come, first served.
RSVP to the Facebook event:

Volunteer for this event!

Ricardo Peixoto & Carlos Oliveira
2026-01-17 19:30 - 21:00
Advance tickets are available online. You are advised to purchase advance tickets for this event.
RSVP to the Facebook event:

Ricardo Peixoto & Carlos Oliveira
Brazilian Guitar Music

Brazilian guitarists Ricardo Peixoto and Carlos Oliveira return to the Red Poppy for a reunion concert during Carlos’ visit to the Bay Area from his home in Brazil. Featuring original compositions as well as Brazilian choro, samba and baião classics.
Ricardo Peixoto – guitar
Carlos Oliveira – guitar
Saturday, January 17, 2026
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $25 student & senior – $29 Early Bird – $35 General / (Door) $35

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Born in Rio de Janeiro, guitarist, composer and arranger Ricardo Peixoto came to the U.S. by way of a scholarship to the Berklee College of Music, and later settled in the Bay Area. An inspired improviser with a keen compositional sense, Ricardo’s eloquent style evokes images far beyond his Brazilian territory. In addition to his most recent recording ‘Scary Beautiful’, Peixoto’s long-standing partnership with vocalist/composer Claudia Villela has produced the acclaimed CD ‘Inverse Universe’. Peixoto has recorded and performed with, among others, Flora Purim and Airto, Claudia Villela, Bud Shank, Dom Um Romão, Claudio Roditi, Toots Thielemans and Dori Caymmi.
Guitarist, composer, arranger, and teacher Carlos Oliveira, originally from the state of Pernambuco (Northeast region of Brazil), started playing the guitar in his teens but lived in the US since 1980 teaching and performing his native music in which he showcases a variety of Brazilian music styles. His CD Brazilian Origins was released in 2000, and his group Brazilian Origins has appeared as main and introductory acts for great Brazilian artists such as Sergio Mendes, Jaques Morelenbaum Quartet, Rosa Passos, and has appeared at many important venues like Yoshis, Kuumbwa Jazz, San Francisco, San Jose and Monterey Jazz Festivals

https://www.facebook.com/ricardo.peixoto.92754

EVENT DETAILS
Saturday, January 17, 2026
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $25 student & senior – $29 Early Bird – $35 General / (Door) $35
Note: A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door unless otherwise noted on the Facebook event page that the show is SOLD OUT.
Purchase advance tickets for this event
Note: Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee a seat. Seating is first come, first served.
RSVP to the Facebook event:

Volunteer for this event!

Warango
2026-01-31 19:30 - 21:00
Advance tickets are available online. You are advised to purchase advance tickets for this event.
RSVP to the Facebook event:

Warango
The Sounds of Afro-Peruvian Music / Afro-Peruvian Rhythms

Warango is a musical project born in 2019 in Oakland, California. Its music is based on vibrant Afro-Peruvian rhythms. This proposal is a meeting of traditional sounds represented by the Cajón, which symbolizes Afro-Peruvian roots; with harmonies and melodies of jazz and classical music. These worlds coexist in the sounds of Warango creating a unique musical proposal.
Pierr Padilla, Cajon
Kyla Danysh, Violin
Javier Trujillo, Guitar
Saturday, January 31, 2026
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $25 student & senior – $29 Early Bird – $35 General / (Door) $35

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
The name of the group comes from the “huarango” tree that grows on the southern coast of Peru, where the Afro-descendant population is mainly settled. The huarango is characterized by its great resistance to extreme climates, it has strong and extensive roots that can reach up to 70 meters deep, this allows it to live up to a thousand years in a self-sufficient way, feeding on the water from the subsoil, even creating new ecosystems for the habitat of other species.
Inspired by this unique tree, we brought our Warango to life giving it a different context in which our music originally belongs to. By exploring the interplay between Afro-Peruvian roots and other musical styles, a vibrant and innovative sound is generated that honors traditions while pushing creative boundaries. Warango wants to create a powerful and captivating musical experience that engages both Peruvian audiences, who are familiar with Afro-Peruvian music, and those who are discovering it for the first time.
www.facebook.com/warangomusic
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www.youtube.com/@warangomusic

EVENT DETAILS
Saturday, January 31, 2026
Time: 7:00 pm doors, 7:30 pm show
Admission: (Online) $25 student & senior – $29 Early Bird – $35 General / (Door) $35
Note: A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door unless otherwise noted on the Facebook event page that the show is SOLD OUT.
Purchase advance tickets for this event
Note: Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee a seat. Seating is first come, first served.
RSVP to the Facebook event:

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Standing with the People of Iran: Echoes of Stolen Lives
2026-02-07 19:00 - 22:00
Standing with the People of Iran:
Echoes of Stolen Lives
On December 28, 2025, millions of Iranians took to the streets, calling for dignity, freedom, and an end to decades of repression. In response, the Islamic Republic of Iran unleashed one of the deadliest crackdowns in its history. Tens of thousands were killed, many shot at close range, including children, women, and young people, and thousands more were blinded, injured, or arrested, all under a nationwide internet blackout to this day that plunged the country into digital darkness, crippling communication, erasing evidence, and preventing people from seeking help.
Families grieve. Communities endure. And yet, their courage echoes.
To honor those lives stolen and to stand in solidarity with the people of Iran, MAPP brings together eight artists from Iranian, Kurdish, Armenian, and Arab backgrounds. Through music, reflection, and shared witness, we mourn, remember, and lift the voices that authoritarian regimes try to erase.
Join us for an evening of remembrance, resistance, and hope.
Read the full statement on the ongoing struggle and the call for global accountability [here].
FEBRUARY 7TH MAPP PROGRAM
Red Poppy Art House
2698 Folsom @23rd
Curator: Dina Zarif
MAPP (Mission Art Performance Project)
Saturday, February 7, 2026
Doors open at 6:45 pm
7 p.m. to 10 p.m. event
Standing with the People of Iran
Echoes of Stolen Lives
7:00 – 7:10 PM: Video Projection (Witness Iran)
7:20 – 7:45 PM: Yearning for Homeland (Lebanese-Armenian vocals & duduk)
8:00 – 8:25 PM: Love Tunes from Iran (Harp, clarinet & vocals)
8:40 – 8:55 PM: Between Two Rivers (Contemporary Kurdish folk)
9:10 – 10:00 PM: Echoes of Zagros (Love, resilience & freedom)
Video Projection “Witness Iran” during the night.
Exhibition: Andrea Guskin – Fracture Zones, exploring rupture & resilience
Poster graphic design by Romina Zabihian
THIS IS A FREE EVENT
RSVP HERE

MAPP (Mission Arts & Performance Project)
Launched in 2003, the Mission Arts & Performance Project (MAPP) is a homegrown bi-monthly, multidisciplinary, intercultural event that takes place in the Mission District of San Francisco. On the first Saturday of every even month of the year, the MAPP transforms ordinary spaces, such as private garages, gardens, living rooms, studios, street corners, and small businesses into pop-up performance and exhibition sites for a day/night of intimate-scale artistic and cultural exchange among a kaleidoscope of individuals and communities.
RED POPPY MAPP TEAM:
Artistic Director | Managing Director: Dina Zarif
Content manager: Jennie Legary
Sound crew: Andrew Scott
Host: Verda Bursal

ABOUT THE PERFORMING ARTISTS

Yearning for Homeland
Lebanese-Armenian vocals & duduk
Khatchadour will present Armenian songs of loss, grief and of yearning for the beloved and for homeland. He will share with the community several pieces narrating stories through both singing and performing on the Armenian woodwind, Duduk.
Featuring:
Khatchadour Khatchadourian – Vocal & Duduk
Khatchadour is a Lebanese-Armenian vocalist and duduk player based out of the Bay Area. His vocal repertoire is grounded in the Armenian and Levantine Arabic vocal traditions. Growing up within the Armenian diaspora on the Lebanese Mediterranean coast, and later having spent many years in Aleppo, Syria, Khatchadour’s voice pays homage to the vocal landscapes spanning the regions of the South Caucasus, Levant, and Anatolia. Khatchadour’s passion for the duduk, an Armenian double reed woodwind, began in 2007, and has since taken him on musical journeys across Armenia and Southern France. He studies under master duduk player, Levon Minassian. Additionally, for the past few years, Khatchadour has been immersed in the study of Persian vocal Radif, and sings in Farsi, under the instruction of master vocalist Mahsa Vahdat.
Khatchadour is currently completing his 6th album, Shounch: Breath, which is partially funded and made possible through the Musical Grant Program, administered by InterMusic SF, and supported by the Clarence E. Heller Charitable Foundation and the Hewlett Foundation.

Love Tunes from Iran
Iranian Classical & Folk Music – A Soundscape of Tragedy & Triumph
This project is a collaboration between Dina Zarif, Iranian immigrant singer, and Amelia Romano, San Francisco–based harpist, blending classical and folk music into a seamless sonic journey. Their performances fuse Iranian classical and folk traditions with South American–inspired rhythms, creating a soundscape of tragedy and triumph that explores themes of immigration, homeland, and cultural memory. Since 2016, they have headlined stages at the San Francisco International Arts Festival (Fort Mason), Montalvo Arts Center, Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, Palace of Fine Arts, Brava Theater, and the Asian Art Museum.
Featuring:
Dina Zarif – Vocal
Amelia Romano – Harp
Asaf Ophir – woodwinds
Dina Zarif is a San Francisco–based multidisciplinary performing artist, designer, curator, and arts activist, born and raised in Iran. As a vocalist, she fuses Western classical technique with Middle Eastern and Persian traditions, creating a distinctive sound rooted in her cultural heritage.
As an actress, Zarif has trained and worked under renowned Iranian theater master Bahram Beyzaie at Stanford University’s Iranian Studies Program. Her stage credits include Ardaviraf’s Report, Tarabnameh (musical), Crossroads, The Language of Wild Berries (Golden Thread Productions, 2022), and Exodus to Eden (Oakland Theater Project, 2023). Most recently, she appeared in Dash Akol According to Marjan, which premiered in two parts at Berkeley Repertory Theatre’s Roda Theatre (2024–2025), and in Leili and Majnun musical (2024–2025).
Zarif starred in the title role of the feature film MITRA (2021), which premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
As a shadow performer and costume designer, Zarif toured internationally with the cinematic shadow play Feathers of Fire: A Persian Epic, winner of the 2019 UNIMA Award for Excellence in Live Performance and Design. The production toured extensively with over 100 performances worldwide, including major institutions such as Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Musée du quai Branly (Paris), and leading international festivals across Europe, Asia, and the United States.
Zarif has served as a panelist for the San Francisco Arts Commission Community Investments Committee and is currently the Artistic and Managing Director of Red Poppy Art House, a multidisciplinary artist incubator in San Francisco. She holds an MA in Landscape Architecture from the University of Tehran, College of Fine Arts.
Amelia Romano (harp, voice) is a lever harpist, programming classical re-imaginations alongside original works. She received her master’s in classical lever harp performance at San Francisco State University under the tutelage of Karen Gottlieb, retired second harpist of the San Francisco Symphony. Her latest album, “Levers Engaged: Classical Works Re-imaged for Harp ” and sheet music collection “Classical Re-imaginations,” present the instrument as a valid voice in classical music. A composer, arranger and trailblazer in the lever harp world, she is equally at home writing Latin America inspired works for solo harp as she is adapting classical pieces for chamber collaborations.
Asaf Ophir (woodwinds, voice, guitar) began his professional career in musical theaters in Israel, while studying at the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music, and later at the Jerusalem Academy. Arriving in the United States in 2014, he began to perform in musicals around the Bay Area such as the award winning Love Sick in 2017, and The People in the Picture in 2018. Finding a home away from home, he can most often be seen in world music projects on Jewish, Arabic, and Balkan stages.
Asaf has performed on such distinguished stages as Habima, HaCameri, and Jerusalem Theaters in Israel, as well as the Paramount Theater, the Palace of Fine Arts, the Great American Concert Hall, Freight and Salvage, Brava Theater, and others in the San Francisco Bay Area. Throughout his career he has shared the stage with artists such as Miri Mesika, Avi Kushnir, Galit Giat, Rana Farhan, Ustad Mahwash, and Barbara Streisand.

Between Two Rivers
Contemporary Kurdish folk
Featuring:
Elana Sasson – Vocal
Elana is a vocalist, composer, and bandleader creating music at the intersection of Kurdish and Persian traditions, contemporary jazz, and Mediterranean folkloric influences. She explores themes of identity and duality: weaving emotive modal melodies, intricate harmonic textures, and diverse instrumentation to dialogue between tradition and modernity.
Shaped by years of training with master musicians from Iran and Kurdistan and studies at the Berklee College of Music in Valencia, Elana’s clear voice reflects a fusion of rich tradition and personal expression. Her music has been celebrated with nods from global press such as Songlines Magazine, who described her voice as “an arrestingly beautiful focus” and gave a 4 star review to the album ‘Golestan’. Her new album, ’In Between’ released with PKMusik in April 2025 and received shining reviews from press, including a 4 star review from Songlines.
She has graced global stages at prestigious venues such as Fundación Juan March (Madrid, Spain), Palau de Les Arts Reina Sofia (Valencia, Spain), Stone Nest (London, UK), Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (San Francisco, California), and Fabrica Research Centre (Treviso, Italy). Elana has been featured in festivals across Europe such as UPV Jazz Festival in Valencia, Spain, Isole Che Parlano in Sardigna, Italy, and AtoJazz Festival in Sofia, Bulgaria.
Elana’s voice can be heard on Growing Songs, a 2024 album produced by esteemed Iranian vocalist Mahsa Vahdat, and her music was featured in the 2023 Venice Biennale-premiered film Tatami. She has collaborated with renowned musicians such as Matthieu Saglio, Mahsa Vahdat, Perico Sambeat, and Hadar Noiberg.
Elana holds a Master of Music in Contemporary Performance and Production from Berklee College of Music in Valencia and a BA in Design Media Arts from UCLA. She was a resident at Fabrica Research Centre in 2019 and is a member of the Iranian Female Composers Association (IFCA).

Echoes of Zagros
Love, resilience & freedom
In Solidarity with the People of Iran
Echoes of Zagros brings together Kurdish musical traditions in solidarity with the people of Iran. Rooted in the sounds of the Zagros Mountains, the program weaves ancestral rhythms and melodies into a shared human story of resilience, love, and freedom.
Featuring:
Nariman Assadi – Daf
Asaf Ophir – Clarinet
Evîn Şah – Vocal
Raman osman – Baglama
Evîn Şah is a Kurdish singer and performer who brings together the traditional roots of Kurdish music with a contemporary interpretation. She was born in Muş, Turkey, and was introduced to Kurdish folk music at an early age, particularly the dengbêji tradition. Throughout her artistic journey, she has aimed to preserve this heritage through both live performance and recorded work, while carrying it to diverse audiences and geographies.
Evîn Şah completed her music education at the Istanbul University State Conservatory, where she received training in folk music and modal (maqam-based) traditions. Combining her academic background with extensive stage experience, she has developed a distinctive vocal style of her own. Her repertoire features primarily Kurmanji, alongside other Kurdish dialects, as well as songs in Turkish and Armenian. Blending traditional melodies with modern arrangements forms the core of her musical identity.
She has performed widely in Turkey and abroad, taking part in concerts, cultural events, festivals, and special projects. In her work, music is not only an aesthetic expression but also a means of memory, identity, and cultural transmission.
Since 2019, Evîn Şah has focused on studio production. She released the 9-minute potpourri single “Hine”, followed in 2021 by “Şahino,” a tribute to her cultural roots. The music video for Şahino was filmed in the United States. Both of her music videos were directed by her husband, Oktay Şahin.
In 2019, Evîn Şah relocated with her family from Turkey to California, USA, where she continues her musical work today. With her strong stage presence and emotionally powerful interpretations, she stands out as an artist who resonates with both the Kurdish community and international audiences.
Nariman Assadi was born in Hamedan, Iran on January 1, 1992. Raised in Tehran, he always felt drawn to percussion instruments. At the age of thirteen, he began studying Tombak under Master Amir Mogharab Samadi. In 2007, he was invited to Pars Academy, the premier music academy for children. Following Pars Academy, Nariman was selected to be a member of the Persian Percussion Ensemble, which included a hundred percussionists. From 2008 to 2013, Nariman performed at Vahdat Hall as a soloist and with the Persian Percussion Ensemble. After mastering Tombak, he then began teaching himself how to play the Daf and later was trained under the great Master Bijan Kamkar. With a strong understanding of the Daf and Tombak, Nariman wanted to further his skills as a percussionist by learning the melodic instrument, Barbat (Oud) under Master Mohammad Firouzi. In 2015, Nariman immigrated to the United States. He immediately began his professional music career by performing and attending festivals throughout the Northern California area. Along with being a member of various ensembles, Nariman also teaches Daf and Tombak.
Raman Osman is a Kurdish composer and master tembûr (saz) musician from Al-Hasaka, Syria. In his early age, he was exposed to a variety of music and cultural sources like Kurdish, Persian, Arabic, Turkish, Armenian, Assyrian, and more. Osman has performed at a variety of venues, including the Damascus Opera House, several universities in Syria, and throughout the Bay Area.

Visual Art Exhibition: Fracture Zones

Inspired by the geographical language and imagery of topographic maps, particularly the large scars forming “fracture zones” deep beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean, she uses these fissures as a metaphor for the layers of emotional experience related to ancestry, immigration, and lost family narratives.
Andrea Guskin is a San Francisco Bay Area based multidisciplinary artist who was raised amongst the woods and college campuses of Wisconsin and Ohio.
She works across multiple disciplines including photography, sculpture, and painting. She often uses everyday domestic materials and tools for mending–such as thread, foil, spices– to explore ancestry, domesticity and strategies for repair and transformation in our daily lives.

MAPP GENERAL PROGRAM
Join us in MAPP at all other spaces throughout the Mission District.

PREVIEW THE PERFORMANCE

Khatchadour Khatchadourian
Dina Zarif & Amelia Romano
Elana Sasson
Evîn Şah – Vocal

IN PERSON EVENT DETAILS
Time: Saturday, February 7th, 2026, 7pm- 10pm (IN-PERSON)
Admission: Free!

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