Red Poppy Art House

Jamie Zee: Neo-Soul & Jazz Vocalist Debuts EP
2019-08-24 19:30 - 22:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Red Poppy Art House, 2698 Folsom St., San Francisco, CA, 94110, United States
Award-winning jazz vocalist Jamie Zee returns to celebrate the release of her self-titled EP. Inspired by life as a non-binary, Chinese-American child of San Francisco, Zee has spent the past five years meticulously documenting her life through song and performance to bring together her debut collection of original works.

FEATURING:
Jamie Zee – vocals
Max Brody – guitar
Madison Bohrer – saxophone
Alex Shapiro-Romano – drums
William Bohrer – bass
Julian Lopez – keyboard

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Premiering vocalist and winner of Jazz Search West 2017, Jamie Zee is one of the Bay Area’s most sought-out composers. This upcoming artist’s style is evocative, alluring, soulful, and innovative. Zee performs an array of compositions and arrangements of originals, as well as the classics of funk, soul, jazz, reggae, and Afro-Cuban jazz. Audiences enjoy the blend of cultures she brings from all around the Bay Area. Her style is distinctively San Franciscan and embodies the life of a non-binary, Asian-American child of San Francisco.

Learn more: Facebook | YouTube | Spotify | Apple Music

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: $20-25 sliding scale. A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Rumberos de Radio Habana: Monthly Community Rumba
2019-08-25 14:00 - 17:00, 2019-09-22 14:00 - 17:00, 2019-10-27 14:00 - 17:00
Rumba music originated in the Afro-Cuban neighborhoods of Havana and Matanzas as the soundtrack to community, partnered dancing and get-togethers as a means of cultural expression. Its global diaspora means rumba rhythms have found their way into other genres of music such as country, rock, and blues, and continue to impact the genres of today. Rumberos de Radio Habana bring their own contribution to the Red Poppy on the fourth Sunday of each month for a free afternoon of beat-making, hip-shaking, and good company.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 2:00pm event
Admission: Free; donations accepted for musicians ($5-10)
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Sandcatchers / Charming Hostess: Americana & Middle Eastern / Intersection of Voice & Text
2019-08-29 19:30 - 22:00
NYC-based quartet Sandcatchers blends the Middle Eastern trope of the oud with the dreamy, Americana-influenced textures of the steel. Featuring original music by bandleader Yoshie Fruchter that is inspired both by maqam and the Appalachian trail, Sandcatchers is a beautiful collaboration of sound and souls. Led by Jewlia Eisenberg, the band Charming Hostess shares the night, exploring the intersection of text and the sounding body.

FEATURING:
Sandcatchers
Yoshie Fruchter – oud
Myk Freedman – lap steel
Michael Bates – bass
Mathias Kunzli – drums/percussion
Charming Hostess
Jewlia Eisenberg – vocals
(Other musicians TBA)

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Sandcatchers consists Yoshie Fruchter on oud, Myk Freedman on lap steel, Michael Bates on bass, and Shai Wetzer on drums/percussion, with special guest Erik Friedlander on cello. The ensemble began as a weekly gig in a Brooklyn restaurant and quickly became a focused musical and compositional exploration. The goal of the band has been to establish a sonic combination that is not only pleasing to the ear, but also challenges notions of how we view musical context. The oud has a deep history in the Middle East and strands of tradition spanning centuries, while the lap steel is a much younger entity whose sound is still being established. Together, the instruments have beautiful contrasting timbres but are also unique tools for composition, forming a combination that is both unparalleled and beautiful. Sandcatchers has performed/recorded with Erik Friedlander, David Krakauer, Tim Sparks, Ben Goldberg, and has toured all over North America.
Learn more: Facebook | Bandcamp

Charming Hostess is a whirl of eerie harmony, hot rhythm, and radical braininess. Their music explores the intersection of text and the sounding body, complex ideas expressed physically, based on voice and vocal percussion, handclaps and heartbeats, sex-breath, and silence. The band lives where diasporas collide, incorporating piyyutim and Pygmy counterpoint, doo-wop and niggunim, and work songs and Torah chanting.
Jewlia Eisenberg is an American musician and composer. As the founder and bandleader of Charming Hostess, she coined the term “Nerdy-Sexy-Commie-Girly” to describe her genre of music which spans an eclectic range of styles. Originally from New York City, Eisenberg became an integral member of the San Francisco Bay Area and New York Downtown music scenes in the 1990s and continues to create music in 2019 with her new project with guitarist Jeremiah Lockwood, Book of J.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: $20-25 sliding scale. A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Los Nadies: Danceable Latin Rock with a Conscience
2019-08-30 19:30 - 22:00
Los Nadies bring a keen mix of politics, poetry, street party, and musicianship every time they step on to a stage. They play an eclectic combination of highly danceable Latin music with rock.

FEATURING:
Juan Cuba – lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Mateo Nube – lead electric guitar, backup vocals
Marty Jones – bass guitar
Chris Mayorga – lead & rhythm acoustic guitar
José Vergelin – drums, cajón, bongó, percussion

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Los Nadies weave together a wide array of Latin American rhythms with rock, creating a distinct and sophisticated danceable blend that includes rumba flamenca, cumbia, Afro-Cuban, Peruvian and Brazilian music, reggae, and South American folklore, along with poetically and politically charged lyrics. Their music often mirrors and reflects the Latino experience in a globalized U.S., with immigrant roots hailing from Argentina, Bolivia, Peru, and the Bay Area. The music is also greatly influenced by Nueva Trova Latinoamericana in the vein of Silvio Rodriguez, as well as Santana, Bunburi, Calamaro, Bersuit Vergarabat, and Manu Chao to name just a few. Los Nadies, or “The Nobodies,” take their name from the eponymous poem/essay by Uruguayan historian Eduardo Galeano decrying the invisibility cast upon the millions of dispossessed people around the world. As a band, Los Nadies are proudly committed to social justice as well as to environmental and political awareness, yet they embrace a spirit of fun, joy, and sheer musicianship in every performance.
Frontman Juan Cuba, from Peru, writes most of the songs and brings an inimitable stage presence to the group. Mateo Nube, from Bolivia, is the political soul and in-house activist who plays lead electric and acoustic guitar and shares vocal duties. Bay Area native Marty Jones provides the low-end bass grooves to complement Argentinean José Vergelin’s eclectic drums and percussion. Chris Mayorga, with roots in Nicaragua and the San Francisco Bay Area, brings his nuanced, virtuoso solos and rhythmic drive on the electric and acoustic guitar.
Learn more: Facebook | SoundCloud

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: $15-20 sliding scale. A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Citizens Jazz: Music of Dizzy Gillespie
2019-08-31 19:30 - 22:00
Citizens Jazz pays tribute to legendary American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, and singer John Birks “Dizzy” Gillespie. Gillespie was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuoso style of Roy Eldridge but adding layers of harmonic and rhythmic complexity previously unheard in jazz. In the 1940s, Gillespie, with Charlie Parker, became a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz. He taught and influenced many other musicians, including trumpeters Miles Davis, Jon Faddis, Fats Navarro, Clifford Brown, Arturo Sandoval, Lee Morgan, Chuck Mangione, and balladeer Johnny Hartman.

FEATURING:
Riley Bandy – alto saxophone
James Mahone – tenor saxophone
Grant Levin – piano
Caroline Chung – upright bass
Malachi Whitson – drums

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Citizens Jazz is a collective of some of the Bay Area’s best up-and-coming and veteran musicians. Each combo brings a different element of magic that happens in the spontaneity of the language of jazz and improvisation. The group is led by bassist Caroline Chung, who has been gigging professionally for over a decade playing in bands ranging from jazz and funk to Brazilian and Latin. Chung has studied under the late great Herbie Lewis, performs regularly in the Bay Area, and has organized several Bay Area Women in Jazz series at Red Poppy Art House. She has opened up for the Buena Vista Social Club’s last U.S. tour at Mountain Winery, as well as for Ozomatli at the New Parish with Afro-Latin funk band Sang Matiz.

Learn more: YouTube
Article by Andrew Gilbert: Summer Sounds | San Francisco Classical Voice

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: $15-20 sliding scale. A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Mónica María: Song Release Celebration, Son Jarocho, Zapateado Workshop
2019-09-06 19:00 - 22:00
Come celebrate the release of Mónica María’s first single, “Levanta”! Presenting a set of her original music and a set of son jarocho with a special guest artist from Veracruz, the evening will begin with a zapateado workshop (at 7:00pm) taught by the guest artist and will end with a mini fandanguito. ¡Nos vemos!

FEATURING:
Mónica María – vocals, jarana, guitar, bass
(Special guest artist) – vocals, jarana, quijada, zapateado

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Mónica María‘s music reflects her Californian roots mixed with traditional and contemporary sounds of Latin America. Her songs are innovative and expressive of a world where cultures coexist, where fear is transformed by compassion, where we learn to truly love ourselves, and where we view the world from an empathetic and holistic state of mind. A vocalist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer, she is a graduate of San Francisco State University who has spent more than half her life writing songs and performing various genres such as son cubano, salsa, son jarocho, cumbia, jazz, and R&B.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors + workshop / 7:30pm show
Admission: (Online) $20-25 / (Door) $25 general, $20 student & senior with valid ID
*A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Family Art ft. Special Guest Artist Carlos Cartagena
2019-09-07 13:30 - 15:30
Family Art returns to Red Poppy Art House with instructor Sofia Elias! On Saturday, September 7, we’ll be kicking off our weekly free art happenings with a visit from the wonderful artist Carlos Cartagena, who will be sharing his project Silhouettes with the community.
Cartagena will set up his art tables on the sidewalk and work with children and adults who walk by the Poppy, engaging in conversations with neighbors and inviting them to become part of the creative process of the silhouette pieces that he is creating. The conversation will focus on the situation with the children who are stuck in Tijuana and for the children who have been separated from their parents and are now in the U.S. border prisons.
During that afternoon, SF Youth Theatre will also be holding their annual free Open House where students can take mini classes in acting, story theatre, and auditioning. Visit sfyouththeatre.org for more information.
Family Art classes will continue weekly on Saturday afternoons through Thanksgiving. To learn more about the Poppy’s current exhibition, Silhouettes eMOTION, visit our Exhibitions page.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 1:30pm event
Admission: Free; donations welcome
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Benji & Rita: Brazilian, Jazz & Classical Traditions
2019-09-07 19:30 - 22:00
Brazilian music has a keen ability to tie the magical and surreal with the grounded and historical. New York-based composer Benji Kaplan and Brazilian singer-songwriter Rita Figueiredo pick up that vibrating, multicolored thread and weave it into fantastical new portraits of Brazil and New York on Benji & Rita, their album-length debut as a duo. Cinematic and refined, Benji & Rita channels the scents and sounds, the flora and fauna of the couple’s homelands, drawing on everything from samba and baião to waltzes and pop catchiness, much as Brazilian popular composers have over the last five decades.

FEATURING:
Benji Kaplan – vocals, guitar, compositions
Rita Figueiredo – vocals, guitar, compositions

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Benji Kaplan crafts his own mix of Brazilian music ingeniously vitalized with the full gamut of his rich musical understanding. His penultimate album, Chorando Sete Chores, features 13 pieces for acoustic guitar and wind quintet. Now releasing his fifth album, this time in duo partnership with his wife Rita Figueiredo, Benji & Rita have enchanted audience members all over Brazil, North America, and Europe with their resplendent compositions and performances. Together, they explore the intimacy of voice and guitar, blending lyrical melodies with intricate harmonies and telling stories of Figueiredo’s homeland, Brazil, in all of its beauty, complexity, simplicity, and irony.
Rita Figueiredo is a classically trained singer who shifted to popular forms, recording a 2013 debut album rich in stories that made numerous “best of” lists. She has dedicated decades to animation and illustration, with works featured in more than 20 international festivals, and had cartoons and vignettes featured on MTV Brazil and USA, Nickelodeon, TV Cultura, and many other networks. She has worked with artists such as Marisa Monte, Ed Motta, and Cássia Eller, among others. In 2015, Figueiredo moved to New York and has since been intensely dedicated to recording and performing new repertoire in partnership with Benji Kaplan. In the last three years, she has played in several cities in South and North America and Europe. She is now releasing her second album entitled Benji & Rita.

Learn more: Website | Spotify

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: (Online) $15-20 / (Door) $20 general, $15 student & senior with valid ID
*A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Bianca Rodriguez: Flamenco with Latin Classics
2019-09-13 19:30 - 22:00
Sevillian flamenco singer Juan Murube has inspired a show which is part-traditional flamenco and part-Latin music. Tying together both musical styles to bring the audience to its feet, the ensemble will perform traditional flamenco along with boleros and salsa.

FEATURING:
Juan Murube (special guest singer) – cante
Gopal Slavonic – guitar
Chus Alonso – flute
Marlon Aldana – percussion
Bianca Rodriguez – dance
Radha Garcia – dance

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Bianca Rodriguez began dancing Spanish classical/ballet at the age of three. Her first teachers were Mina Gutierrez, Cristina Greco, and Jose Greco II. She graduated with a degree in dance from the University of New Mexico with an emphasis in flamenco. Upon studying at UNM, she was fortunate to perform with Juan Siddi, Keka Villar, Silverio Heredia, Yjastros, Antonio Granjero, Roberto Lorente, and Chuscales. Rodriguez was featured as a soloist in the National Hispanic Cultural Center’s production of El Pintor. During her time studying in Sevilla, Bianca’s idol Juana Amaya told her during class that she has “peso,” a characteristic of flamenco movement which is innate and found in many great dancers. Rodriguez toured with Flamenco Vivo in their North Carolina residency, where she discovered her passion for teaching children. She has choreographed for St. John’s Catholic School in San Francisco through World Dance Fusion. Under the direction of Carola Zertuche’s Theatre Flamenco, she worked with artists Juana la del Pipa, Adela Campallo, Carmen Ledezma, and Pastora Galvan. Her most esteemed moment has been dancing in Antonio Rey’s Dos Partes de Mi, produced by Eddie and Catherine Diaz of SJFS. Rodriguez has performed all over California, LA’s Fountain Theatre, SF’s Brava Theatre, Herbst Theatre, and tablaos in Spain. She currently teaches in Berkeley, CA, and performs regularly with local and visiting artists.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: (Online) $15-20 / (Door) $20 general, $15 student & senior with valid ID
*A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Nicole Takesono & Sharon Wayne: Journey to the Iberian Peninsula
2019-09-14 19:30 - 22:00
Join mezzo-soprano Nicole Takesono in collaboration with guitarist Sharon Wayne for an evening in exploration of classical Spanish songs, traditional Portuguese fado, classical guitar repertoire, and traditional Hawaiian tunes.

FEATURING:
Nicole Takesono – mezzo-soprano
Sharon Wayne – guitar

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Originally from Hawaii, mezzo-soprano Nicole Takesono has been praised for her sweet, warm voice and dedication to character. She has performed roles with San Francisco Opera, Opera San Jose, West Edge Opera, Festival Opera, and West Bay Opera among others. Most recently on the West Edge stage, she performed the mezzo-soprano role in Hydrogen Jukebox. Other roles performed include Rosina in The Barber of Seville, Suzuki in Madama Butterfly, Angelina in La Cenerentola, Dido in Dido and Æneas, the Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors, Second Lady in The Magic Flute, Mercedes in Carmen, Siébel in Faust, Stefano in Romeo et Juliette, and Hansel in Hansel and Gretel. Takesono sings with the San Francisco Opera Chorus, San Francisco Symphony Chorus, Cappella SF, and studies with Deborah Benedict.
Classical guitarist Sharon Wayne has been an active teacher, performer, and recording artist, working for nearly 30 years in the Bay Area and New England. Called “one of the most appealing new guitarists around” with “bewitching vitality” (San Jose Mercury News) and “superbly executed style” (Charleston’s Post and Courier), Wayne has performed throughout the U.S. and abroad as a soloist and chamber musician. A founding member of the San Francisco Guitar Quartet, she helped generate new repertoire for guitar, commissioning works by Carlo Domeniconi, Eitan Steinberg, and others. Wayne appears on six albums, including In the Midst of Winds, Black Opals, and her solo record, From the Heart, which features works by living composers. While living in New England, she performed as a member of crossover group the Back Bay Trio. She has served on the faculties of San Francisco Conservatory of Music‘s Preparatory Division and Santa Clara University, and was Artistic Director of both San Francisco Classical Guitar Society and Boston Classical Guitar Society. Wayne currently performs with flutist/vocalist Martha Rodriguez-Salazar as part of Ave Fénix Duo.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: (Online) $20-25 / (Door) $25 general, $20 student & senior with valid ID
*A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Norberto Guerra: Cuban Music & Flamenco Guitar
2019-09-19 19:30 - 21:30
Cuban-born flamenco guitarist Norberto Guerra presents a wide range of classical, flamenco, and original pieces. This project ranges from work with Acituna sin Hueso and Rainer Mariño in Cuba to work composed in Memphis, Chicago, and San Francisco.

FEATURING:
Norberto Guerra – classical & flamenco guitar

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Norberto Guerra is a Cuban musician, composer, and producer. Equipped with the classical and flamenco guitar as his primary instrument, his solo work blends flamenco, classical guitar, Cuban son, and the blues. He was schooled in the renowned Cuban conservatory system as well as at the Instituto Superior de las Artes (ISA) in Havana. Guerra lives between Havana and Chicago, where he can be heard regularly in both cities. He and his wife, the painter Kay Whitchurch, are the co-founders of the cultural travel group Otros Ojos. Guerra is currently working on his first solo album.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: (Online) $20-25 / (Door) $25 general, $20 student & senior with valid ID
*A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Istanbul Connection: Reconnecting (TWO SHOWS)
2019-09-20 19:00 - 22:00
Istanbul Connection returns to the Red Poppy as a nine-piece band for a live, intimate performance of Balkan, Turkish, North African, and flamenco music. Come prepared to dance!

FEATURING:
Kata Miletich – vocals
Haluk Kecelioglu – vocals, oud, violin
Raúl Vargas – vocals, cajón, percussion
Melissa Cruz – percussion, dance
Sean Terguis – darbuka, tupan
Isaac Weiser – bass
Javier Jimenez – guitar
Danny Cao – trumpet
Joey Friedman – saxophone

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Istanbul Connection, a Bay Area musical collective, formed when 13 members of the most in-demand Balkan and Latin bands were gravitationally pulled to visit the city of Istanbul. With a mind towards cross-cultural connection and sonic expansion, these die-hards flew 7,000 miles to represent a piece of the Bay Area music scene. In the process, they have cemented themselves as a supergroup of groove, and since their epic beginnings, the band has performed sold-out show after sold-out show. They continue to draw their inspiration from the musical styles of Turkish maqam, flamenco, rumba, Balkan, and cumbia, which they are so deeply rooted in.
Learn more: Facebook

EVENT DETAILS

Time: (First Show) 6:30pm doors, 7:00-8:15pm show / (Second Show) 8:30pm doors, 8:45-10:00pm show
Admission: (Online) $15-20 / (Door) $20 general, $15 student & senior with valid ID
*A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Silhouettes eMOTION: Artist Reception with Carlos Cartagena
2019-09-21 19:00 - 21:00
On Saturday, September 7, for the grand reopening of Family Art, Carlos Cartagena will set up his art tables on the sidewalk and work with children and adults who walk by Red Poppy Art House. He will engage in conversations with neighbors and invite them to become part of the creative process of the silhouette pieces that he is creating. The conversation will focus on the situation with the children who are stuck in Tijuana and for the children who have been separated from their parents and are now in the U.S. border prisons.
Creating art pieces with the letters that are written, he will exhibit the final works at Red Poppy Art House for his reception on Saturday, September 21. These silhouettes—made of plywood and covered with original stories of migrant people, photos, documents, poems, and original letters—are dedicated to Jakelin Caal and the children held in the prisons at the border.
Learn more about the exhibition Silhouettes eMOTION here.

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Carlos Cartagena was born in El Salvador, and the formative years of his youth were in the 1980s when his country was beginning to bleed incurably from the wounds of war. A restless desire to make art was always with him, but initially he opted to undertake a more practical career: studying business administration at the National School of Commerce.
Cartagena was always in direct contact with painting and artists since for generations his family had been in the framing business. This, as well as the socio-political condition of his country, induced him, against all odds, to abandon his academic career and take up art, not only as a profession but also as an alternative form of resistance to the oppression of the regime in those years.
In November of 1989, Cartagena came to the United States and started to work with new techniques. First, he worked with CODICES, a group of artists working in support of Salvadoran culture, and then, for five years, was part of a group of artists at the KALA Art Institute in Berkeley. There he learned various techniques of etching and printmaking.
Today he is working independently through painting, printmaking, installations, and mixed media. In 2009, Cartagena founded a cultural project in his art studio, No Right Turn Studio. He has had the opportunity to exhibit his work in group shows with well-known artists such as Francisco Toledo, Claudia Bernardi, Rupert García, Enrique Chagoya, Nathan Oliveira. Since 1993, Cartagena’s work—in addition to being shown at numerous venues in the Bay Area—has been exhibited in El Salvador, Mexico, Japan, Cuba, and throughout the United States.

ABOUT THE CURATOR:
Chelis López is an award-winning Mexican journalist who has lived in San Francisco since 1996. For almost 10 years, she hosted the national radio show Línea Abierta at Radio Bilingüe, the National Latino Public Radio Network where she interviewed and produced diverse stories, including the live broadcast of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, an annual celebration of communities and cultures in the United States and around the world presented annually in Washington, D.C. López is the host and producer of two Spanish-language shows on KPOO 89.5FM in San Francisco, Pájaro Latinoamericano and Andanzas, where she explores and offers news, comments, and interviews with newsmakers and artists throughout Latin America. She is also the San Francisco correspondent for Rompeviento TV in Mexico, as well as hosts locally at Marin TV.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm event
Admission: Free; donations welcome
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The Bywater Band: Boston’s Scottish/Irish Traditional Quartet
2019-09-26 19:30 - 21:30
Up-and-coming traditional group the Bywater Band makes its second-ever appearance on the West Coast on its way to KVMR Celtic Festival. Lead by singer/piper Elias Alexander (Soulsha, MAC, Seven Nations, Fàrsan), the band’s blazing tight virtuosity and intricate arrangements make them an act not to miss for anyone who loves Celtic music.

FEATURING:
Elias Alexander – vocals, border pipes, whistle, harmonium
Maura Shawn Scanlin – fiddle, vocals
Eamon Sefton – guitar, vocals
Patrick Bowling – flute, whistle, vocals, bòdhran, step dance

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
The Bywater Band is one of Boston’s fiercest and most innovative Celtic ensembles. The band draws on their roots in the Scottish and Irish traditions to create tight tune sets and emotional song renditions. Their music combines original compositions, improvisation, and tones of American roots music, giving it a fresh feel. Their creativity within the tradition, combined with their passionate performances and instrumental virtuosity, have made their debut album, Bywater, beloved of listeners around the country; it serves as a reminder of why traditional music continues to be relevant across continents and generations.
Learn more: Facebook

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: (Online) $20-25 / (Door) $25 general, $20 student & senior with valid ID
*A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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French Oak Gypsy Band: New Orleans Jazz
2019-09-27 19:30 - 22:00
French Oak Gypsy Band, led by Stella Heath, is releasing their second album this October 2019! Along with the release of the CD, they are changing the name of the band officially to Bandjango Collectif. The full-length album will contain some of the band’s favorites such as Edith Piaf’s “La Foule” and “Sous Le Ciel de Paris,” American traditional “St James Infirmary,” the Romani national anthem “Djelem Djelem,” and the classic “La Vie en Rose”!

FEATURING:
Stella Heath – vocals
Thierry Gabriel Pirard – guitar, harmony vocals
Jimmy Inciardi – baritone, tenor & soprano saxophone
Josh Fossgreen – electric bass
Jamie Foster – drums

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
The Bandjango Collectif, formerly known as French Oak Gypsy Band, is a wild-around-the-edges experience, melding French jazz manouche and chanson, New Orleans jazz, global traditions, and folk. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, the band features North Bay native and vocalist Stella Heath as the leader, French/American guitarist Gabriel Pirard, reed player James Inciardi, standup bassist Skyler Stover, and drummer Jamie Foster. With their French-inspired global panoply of sounds spotlighting Heath’s magnetic vocals and the band’s tight rhythms, they transport their audiences to lands unknown.
Learn more: Facebook | YouTube

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: $20.
*A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Corazon Tango: Discovering Argentine Tango Music
2019-09-28 19:30 - 22:00
Corazon Tango presents traditional and contemporary Argentine tango pieces arranged by world-renowned maestros from the mid-twentieth century to the present. The program will include a variety of solo, duo, trio, and quartet arrangements.

FEATURING:
Hanel Yeon – bandoneon
Sumi Lee – piano
YoonHo Jeong – contrabass
Maximiliano Larrea (guest artist) – guitar

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Sumi Lee is a classically trained pianist who obtained a master’s degree in music, piano performance, from San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She has also been professionally trained as a tango pianist from La Orquesta Escuela de Tango Emilio Balcarce, the most prestigious tango orchestra school in the world sponsored by the city government of Buenos Aires. Lee is a widely respected piano teacher and is on the Board of Directors for the San Francisco branch of Music Teachers’ Association of California. While living in Buenos Aires, she performed with living maestros and musical directors such as Víctor Lavallén, Jose Pepe Colangelo, Osvaldo Piro, Roberto Alvarez, Daniel Binelli, Mauricio Marceli, Nicolas Ledesma, and many more. Her latest concert at Teatro General San Martin in Buenos Aires was sold out to a large audience and aired live via national radio 2*4 and TV. Since moving back to the Bay Area in 2018 after receiving her diploma, she plans to perform authentic Argentine tango music and tour the U.S. and Asia with her own group and produce her own contemporary tango music.
YoonHo Jeong is a classically trained contrabass player who also has been professionally trained as a tango bassist from La Orquesta Escuela de Tango Emilio Balcarce. He has performed in concerts throughout Argentina and South Korea, such as international tango festival Mundial 2017 and 2018. While living in Buenos Aires, Jeong also performed at prestigious concert venues such as Kirchner Cultural Centre, Teatro General San Martin, Teatro Coliseo, Usina del Arte, Biblioteca Nacional, and Parque Centenario. After receiving his diploma in 2018, he moved back to Seoul, South Korea, and is planning to perform authentic Argentine tango music and tour many cities in Asia with his own tango group.
Hanel Yeon is a classically trained pianist who obtained a bachelor’s degree in composition from Sookmyung Women’s University in Seoul, and is a professionally trained tango bandoneonist from La Orquesta Escuela de Tango Emilio Balcarce. She has studied with top bandoneon maestros such as Rodolfo Daluisio, Rodolfo Mederos, Federico Pereiro, and Dino Salouzi, as well as piano maestros Nicholas Ledesma, German Martinez, and Hernan Posetti. While living in Buenos Aires for 10 years, Yeon was a widely respected piano teacher and shared the stage with several maestros at prestigious venues. She currently performs with the tango group Scaimmarella as a pianist and bandoneonist. Her previous work includes performing as a pianist at the theater Tango Porteño from 2012-2019, playing with Siamarella Group in the 2015 Tarbes en Tango Festival in France, and performing as a bandoneonist in the Buenos Aires Tango Festival and often with the group Romantica Milonguera.
Maximiliano Larrea is an accomplished guitarist, arranger, and composer from Rosario, Argentina, and is one of the leading interpreters of classical and contemporary guitar of the new tango generation. After completing a degree in classical guitar, he moved to Buenos Aires where he studied tango and folk music in the prestigious Manuel de Falla Conservatory under legendary guitarist Juan Falú, as well as tango arranging and composition from renowned masters Diego Schissi, Nicolas Ledesma, and Gabriel Senanes. In Argentina, Larrea worked as a guitarist, arranger, and director of multiple acclaimed tango and Argentine folk music groups including Cuartero Revirado, Quinteto Negro La Boca (Sony Argentina), Quinteto Clandestino, and Aires Trio. Most recently, he has been working as an arranger for the New Mexico-based quintet Q-Tango, performing with various tango bands in the Bay Area—such as Mariano Barreiro Quartet and Trio Larrea-ODay-Durso—and preparing the launch of his new musical project, Maximiliano Larrea Tango Trio.

Learn more: Facebook

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: (Online) $25-30 / (Door) $30 general, $25 student & senior with valid ID
*A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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Lee Dynes World Jazz Trio / Amanda Addleman Standards Trio: A Common Thread
2019-10-04 19:30 - 22:00
Lee Dynes and Amanda Addleman present a single night of varied perspectives on the American improvisational art form of jazz. This exciting night of music will include Dynes’ world jazz trio featuring his work on oud and guitar, as well as Addleman’s swinging trio featuring bass, guitar, and vocals.

FEATURING:
Lee Dynes Trio
Lee Dynes – guitar, oud
Lee Hodel – bass
Matthew Buckner – drums
Amanda Addleman Trio
Amanda Addleman – vocals
Lee Dynes – guitar
Lee Hodel – bass

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Lee Dynes is a guitarist, oudist, composer, and educator living in the San Francisco Bay Area. His style is reflective of his many interests and influences combined with a sophisticated understanding of the guitar and oud. For the majority of his career, Dynes has dedicated himself to and is steeped in the language and traditions of jazz. He has also pursued Arabic, Persian, and Turkish oud playing. Dynes plays with Sudan Music Ensemble, Amanda Addleman Band, and Aswat Ensemble. In his own group, he creates a multi-cultural hybrid of jazz, global music, and free improvisation.
Learn more: Facebook | YouTube

Amanda Addleman is a San Francisco-based vocalist, pianist, composer, arranger, and educator. Her musical approach is one well steeped in reverence for the traditions of great jazz singers and instrumentalists of the last century; yet her sound represents an informed departure from the tropes and fixations of earlier generations of improvisational musicians. Combining the spirit of contemporary folk, rock, and pop composition and performance stylings, Addleman’s style blossoms with a freedom from genre restraint, while maintaining a consistent and cohesive sound that still maintains an obvious reverence for those who came before.
Learn more: Facebook | YouTube

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: (Online) $20-25 / (Door) $25 general, $20 student & senior with valid ID
*A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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October 5th MAPP
2019-10-05 17:00 - 22:00
Launched in 2003, the Mission Arts & Performance Project (MAPP) is a homegrown bi-monthly, multidisciplinary, intercultural happening 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.

RPAH PROGRAM

Time
Performance/Event
Description

5:00-6:30pm
“From Where to Here”
Participatory visual art workshop by Andrea Guskin

7:00-7:30pm
From Bach to Debussy
Conversation of harp & winds with Amelia & Asaf

7:45-8:20pm
Lee Dynes World Jazz Trio
A multi-cultural celebration in jazz

8:30-9:10pm
East Meets West
Contemporary & Persian fusion

9:20-10:00pm
Camille Mai Rebirth Canal
Vietnamese/Latin jazz

ABOUT THE PROJECTS & ARTISTS

From Where to Here is a participatory art project by local artist Andrea Guskin that honors the journeys we/our families embarked upon to bring us to where we are today and helps us think about all those still within those journeys, looking for a place to call home.
Interact with a community painting: movable wood pieces were created by participants who were asked to paint around the trajectory of their families’ journey.
Create your own piece by using tape to draw lines on a piece of wood, mapping you or your families’ journey. Add paint or create a collage using vintage and current maps of the Mission District and local nature. Take home or add to project for future exhibitions.

After performing together in such projects as Let Her Sing and Music of the Banned, Amelia Romano and Asaf Ophir come together to perform some of the music they grew up playing—classic pieces from Bach to Debussy, combined with folk melodies and original compositions in a variety of styles, all specially arranged in a conversation of strings and winds.

FEATURING:
Amelia Romano – lever harp
Asaf Ophir – clarinet, flute, saxophone

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
An eclectic blend of austere serenity and kinetic vibrancy, Amelia Romano takes what is known about conventional harp and surpasses every time. Pulling from first-hand experiences in South Africa and from her roots in a cultural hotbed in San Francisco, Romano not only plays classics from the repertoire but reprises them and creates originals. Latin, gypsy, and jazz are all genres that she touches, but her music defines its own path. She has released two solo albums, Seeking Peace (2010) and New Perspectives (2017), as well as numerous collaborations with musicians from the Bay Area. Romano has toured throughout the U.S., Mexico, and Europe. Learn more »
The son of an Israeli film composer, Asaf Ophir was exposed to many styles of music from an early age—his father’s love for jazz, the Jewish music of his heritage, a classical upbringing, and the Middle Eastern backdrop of his childhood. From the very beginning, he was drawn to many different sources and genres, as well as to different musical instruments. Beginning his career with Israeli musicals, Ophir currently lives and performs in the Bay Area. The San Francisco Chronicle writes: “Asaf Ophir gives the clarinet the timbre of a trumpet, then a violin, then a raspy scream… the instrument’s wail almost becomes too plaintive and beautiful to bear.” Learn more »

Re-imagination of standards, unhinged guitar work, microtonal maqams over jazz changes, and freely improvised music—the many facets of the Lee Dynes World Jazz Trio create a blend of flavors and textures which celebrate the multitude of cultures which makes us truly American. The implications of a cry for social justice and equality are not to be overlooked with this group and helps to serve as an umbrella for the many focuses and inspirations of the trio.

FEATURING:
Lee Dynes – oud, guitar
Robb Fischer – bass
Vincent DeJesus – drums, percussion

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
The Lee Dynes World Jazz Trio is one of various ensembles fronted by multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser Lee Dynes. The trio hinges on both Dynes’ training in Arabic-style oud playing, as well as his seasoned jazz guitar work. The multi-cultural leanings of musicians like John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Pharoah Sanders, and Randy Weston serve as a starting point for Dynes’ oud and guitar interpretations of jazz standards. Meanwhile, his knowledge of Arabic and Turkish maqam and Middle Eastern rhythms typically played on the derbekki drum fill out the picture. Dynes’ willingness to bring the ensemble into the territory of freely improvised jazz and new music gives the group yet another exciting dimension.
Latin-American drummer and percussionist Vincent DeJesus brings his distinct blend of jazz and Latin soul to the ensemble, drawing on a vast lineage ranging from Roy Haynes and Elvin Jones to Tito Puente and Dafnis Prieto. Deeply rooted in the hard-bop and post-bop traditions, bassist Robb Fischer grounds the group with earthy soul and intellectual interplay.

Multi-instrumentalist Emad Bonakdar, pianist Nima Hafezieh, and guest vocalist/duduk player Khatchadour Khatchadourian come together to perform a blend of contemporary and Persian music.

FEATURING:
Emad Bonakdar – guitar, tar
Nima Hafezieh – piano, synthesizer
Khatchadour Khatchadourian (guest artist) – duduk, vocals

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Emad Bonakdar is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, and performer who initially started his training in jazz and pop. Eventually, he found a home in flamenco, a style that touched his heart and allowed him to express his deep emotions and passion in a way that no other music could. His love of traditional Persian music, coupled with expressive and soulful flamenco music, created a style that is distinctively his. His first concert in crossover music was in Tehran, Iran, in 1991, and his first album, ARG, was inspired by the immense culture of the ancient Persian Empire. Bonakdar composed a full film score for Momâs Guest in Iran. In 2004, he was nominated for the best fusion album at World Music Festival in New York. Since moving to the U.S. in 2006, he has performed at SF Yoshi’s, Red Poppy Art House, and many house concerts.
Nima Hafezieh is an Iranian composer and pianist born in 1994 in Iran. His talent in music was found at the age of four, and he was awarded a piano from the president of Iran at the age of 10. Going to music school at 15, he was accepted to Tehran Music School to study piano and composition. Hafezieh is currently working as a music transcriber/editor and music education advisor in support of the blind musicians and students with the Association of Blind Students and Graduates in Iran. He is known amongst the disabled as an ingenious artist.
Khatchadour Khatchadourian is a Bay Area-based vocalist and duduk player. He is a founding member of the Sayat Nvaq Ensemble, Saideh & Khatch, and Yeraz Trio. He is also a supporting musician in the Kaavya Connections: World Poetry, Literature & Music. Khatchadourian combines sacred Armenian and Arabic voice with duduk and electronica. He works within world music, meditation, sound healing, and ambient music genres. His latest album, Oror ou Nani, focuses on Armenian lullabies.

Take the lush harmonies of Bill Evans and Ravel, and add the sticky grooves of post-J Dilla hip-hop and Afro-Latin jazz. Now weave in the vocal undulations of Vietnamese folk music, and you get Rebirth Canal—a bold, new Bay Area ensemble led by French-Vietnamese singer and pianist Camille Mai.

FEATURING:
Camille Mai – piano, vocals
Marcelo Perez – drums

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
A true vocal instrumentalist, Camille Mai sings with the raw emotion and technical chops of classic divas like Elis Regina and Ella Fitzgerald. Born in the Bay Area and raised in Paris, Mai has developed an extensive repertoire of original songs in French, English, Vietnamese, and Spanish. Since returning to San Francisco in 2011, she has released five records and worked with internationally acclaimed artists including John Santos, Nahuel Bronzini, Shahab Paranj, and Greg Landau. Mai performs regularly at venues like the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival, Peace Day Festival, Neck of the Woods, and Red Poppy Art House, where she was a resident artist in 2014.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 5:00pm visual art workshop / 7:00pm performances
Admission: Free (donations welcome)
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RagaMenco: Exploring India, Gypsy Music & Flamenco
2019-10-11 19:30 - 22:00
RagaMenco represents the synthesis of ancient traditions that have been linked by human and cultural migration through the centuries⁠. A collaboration of Spanish and Indian musicians from the Bay Area, RagaMenco explores exciting new territories by combining haunting Indian melodies with exciting gypsy, flamenco, and jazz traditions from Spain. Come hear ancient traditions from the Old World finding a new voice in California.

FEATURING:
Javier Jiménez – guitar
Luis Jiménez – cajón
Satish Pillai – piano
Nilan Chaudhuri – tabla
Devi SenGupta – vocals
Mallar Bhattacharya – sarode
Chris Bastian – double bass

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Javier and Luis Jiménez are founders of the acoustic global music septet Barrio Manouche, known for its distinctively syncretistic global sound, with influences from Spain, France, Brazil, and a wide range of musical styles and genres. Bassist Chris Bastian draws from a diversity of traditions, from classical to blues to flamenco. Satish Pillai is a pianist with eclectic musical influences, from rock to jazz to Indian classical music. Mallar Bhattacharya is a sarode (lute) player of the Maihar school of classical North Indian music. Percussionist Nilan Chaudhuri specializes in tabla from the North Indian city of Lucknow. Devi SenGupta is a classically trained vocalist who sings devotional songs in the medieval languages of North India.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: (Online) $20-25 / (Door) $25 general, $20 student & senior with valid ID

Ultra World X-Tet: Psychedelic World Jazz
2019-10-12 19:30 - 22:00
Ultra World X-Tet’s sound has been described as “psychedelic world jazz,” “world class,” and other colorful labels. Whatever you want to call it, this distinct San Francisco sound with a global music sensibility will transport you and fire your imagination. The band will perform a program designed especially for the intimate environment at Red Poppy, including selections from their recordings as well as brand new material.

FEATURING:
Doug Ebert – bass
Nick Sager – drums
Gary Schwantes – saxophone, bamboo flutes
Winnie Wong – guzheng

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Ultra World X-Tet’s latest album, Wise Dreams and Fables of the Sky, was a DownBeat Editors’ pick for June 2019. A three-time recipient of Zellerbach grants to present new works, the band’s previous releases include the album Moon and Legend and the live concert DVD Night Market.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: (Online) $20-25 / (Door) $25 general, $20 student & senior with valid ID
Note: A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
Purchase advance tickets for this event:
Note: Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee seats. Seating is first come, first served.

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Örjan Hulten Orion / Garuda Blue: Jazz w/ Nordic Rhythms & Atmospheres
2019-10-17 19:30 - 22:00
Touring the U.S. for the first time, Örjan Hulten Orion delivers that much-loved Scandinavian sensibility to modern jazz. Bay Area jazz group Garuda Blue shares the night, presenting original arrangements of famous jazz classics and lesser-known gems.

FEATURING:
Örjan Hulten Orion
Örjan Hultén – saxophones
Torbjörn Gulz – piano
Anders Langörgen, bass
Peter Danemo – drums
Garuda Blue
Abraham Imansjah – piano
Matt Gafney – saxophones
Danny Castro – bass
Evan Williams – drums

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Örjan Hulten Orion is part of the new movement in European jazz bringing Nordic rhythms and atmospheres to life. Örjan Hultén, one of Sweden’s foremost saxophonists and improvisers, is a musical explorer always looking for the next challenge. His critically acclaimed quartet Orion was conceived from Hultén’s impulse to create something altogether fresh in 2009. The quartet has recorded four albums, and the latest, Minusgrader, has received stunning reviews. In his compositions, Hultén moves effortlessly across boundaries and musical genres. Here and there Middle Eastern and Balkan traits can be heard while one can distinguish traces from Wayne Shorter or Joni Mitchell in other parts. Orion features four of Sweden’s top musicians, each of them a well-known and celebrated musician/bandleader in his own right.
Garuda Blue is a Bay Area jazz group that explores a wide spectrum of the jazz tradition, from swinging burners to lush ballads.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: (Online) $20-25 / (Door) $25 general, $20 student & senior with valid ID
Note: A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
Purchase advance tickets for this event:
Note: Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee seats. Seating is first come, first served.

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Lars and in Charge: Turkish Roman & Original Music
2019-10-18 19:30 - 22:00
High-energy fiddle tunes from Turkey, Greece and beyond, Lars Tergis leads the charge on violin with driving, gritty interpretations of traditional party tunes and his own original compositions. Chris Reid adds a touch of ‘West’ with percussive chordal accompaniment on steel-string guitar. Gopal Slavonic brings his flamenco guitar chops to bear, while Faisal Zedan keeps the beat popping on derbekki, riqq, and davul. Joined on stage by some of the Bay Area’s top dancers, Lars and in Charge delivers a big sound and an even bigger party.

FEATURING:
Lars Tergis – violin, vocals
Chris Reid – steel string guitar, vocals
Gopal Slavonic – flamenco guitar
Faisal Zedan – percussion
Sean Tergis – percussion

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Lars and in Charge formed in the past year as an acoustic violin-led band playing traditional Turkish Roman, Balkan, and Middle Eastern music, as well as original compositions using regional scales and rhythms. Focusing on upbeat, danceable tunes, Lars and in Charge also incorporates vocals and slower, soulful songs.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: (Online) $20-25 / (Door) $25 general, $20 student & senior with valid ID
Note: A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
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15th Annual Lit Crawl SF: Lighten Up / Squaw Valley
2019-10-19 18:30 - 21:00
One of the most anticipated literary nights of the year, San Francisco’s Lit Crawl is a massive, one-night literary pub crawl throughout the city’s Mission District. Lit Crawl SF brings together 500+ authors and close to 10,000 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 events presented in venues usual (bars, cafes, galleries, and bookstores) and unusual (police stations, tattoo parlors, barbershops, and laundromats).

SCHEDULE:

Phase
Time
Performer
Description

1
6:30-7:30pm
JUST ART Stanford Artist Collective
Colorism is an everyday, insidious oppression that has utterly absurd day-to-day effects. Simply put, it’s ripe for comedy.

2
8:00-9:00pm
Community of Writers at Squaw Valley
Come hear poets of the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley share poems that germinated at their summer workshops.

FEATURING:
Phase 2
Adesuwa Agbonile
Carah Alexander
Joy Alexander Allen
Kavita Selva
Neil Singh
Shreya Venkat
Thao P. Nguyen
Phase 3
Emily Wolahan
Joan Baranow
Marcene Gandolfo
Masha Lisak

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS:
Stanford Theater and Performance Studies is an artist/activist collective.
For 49 summers, the Community of Writers at Squaw Valley has brought together poets and prose writers for separate weeks of workshops, individual conferences, lectures, panels, readings, and discussions of the craft and the business of writing.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 6:30pm event
Admission: Free (donations encouraged)
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Karavan Sarai: Silk Road Music Meets Electronics & Dance
2019-10-25 20:00 - 22:00
Karavan Sarai is a modern-ancient bridge joining global melodies from the Silk Road with its own distinct compositions. Its soundscapes travel from Arabia to India and the Balkans to Persia, rendering the electronics of now with ancient artistry. Listen and you’ll hear the echoes of old world footsteps in the music and behold them in the dancing. Karavan Sarai forges ahead where tracks end.

FEATURING:
Narayan Sijan – oud, saz, vocals, electronics
Nathalie Tedrick – dance
Schirin Chams-Diba – dance

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Karavan Sarai’s soundscape is a global tapestry, embodying the magic of old world music and seamlessly linking its musical impulses with the heart of ancient rhythms. Karavan Sarai fully embodies tradition in its improvisations and innovations. The debut album, Woven Landscapes (2015), reached number six on the World Music Charts, while the follow-up, Painted Sands (2018), peaked at number four with over 10 weeks on the charts. The group’s festival highlights range from Symbiosis and Lighting in a Bottle to performing at art centers in San Francisco, New York, and Egypt. Karavan Sarai’s evocative visual and sonic journey carries listeners to a nighttime courtyard of a virtual Silk Road palace.
Composer, multi-instrumentalist, and vocalist Narayan Sijan lived on the Silk Road from 1994-2006, learning and performing music with mystics, masters, and locals. He creates musical storytelling from original compositions and traditional melodies. Karavan Sarai’s electronic music is created by two-time Grammy nominee producer and programmer Carmen Rizzo, whose credits range from A.R. Rahman to co-founding the world/electronic act Niyaz.
Nathalie Tedrick is a SAG actress and professional belly dancer native to the San Francisco Bay Area. She toured extensively with the Bellydance Superstars and has more recently performed with Thievery Corporation and Beats Antique. Tedrick’s work has been featured on PBS, BBC, ABC, national and international commercials, music videos, and film. She began her performance career as a lead actress with Avalon Players Shakespeare Company, later developing her technique in various Los Angeles studios under the direction of Deb Aquila, Brian Reise, Cliff Osmond, Donna Morong, Erin Cardillo, Jen Dede, Wendy Haines, and locally in the Bay Area with Rachael Adler. Tedrick attributes much of her growth as a belly dancer to the principal dancers of the Bellydance Superstars, with whom she toured internationally from age 19 to 26. She loves teaching and performing regularly throughout the Bay Area and beyond.
Schirin Chams-Diba is a world dance artist, mystica, yogini, and pilgrim of the world. She has immersed herself in the magic of everyday folklife, from her native Persian culture, to India and the Middle East, to Central Asia. This deep-rooted connection with traditional living is the foundation of her sacred dance, as well as her classical and folk dance embodiments. Chams-Diba has traveled the world dancing with master teachers of the Silk Road including Shahrazad, Tais, Helia Bandeh, and Miriam Peretz. She has also performed with renowned artists such as Omar Faruk Tekbilek, Stellamara, Beats Antique, Sua Devi, Jillina Carlano, and Bellydance Evolution. Chams-Diba offers performances and workshops worldwide to remember, reclaim, and redefine the sacred feminine.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:30pm doors / 8:00pm show
Admission: (Online) $20-25 / (Door) $25 general, $20 student & senior with valid ID
Note: A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
Purchase advance tickets for this event:
Note: Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee seats. Seating is first come, first served.

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Lily & Khatch: An Evening of Lullabies from Europe & Armenia
2019-10-26 19:30 - 22:00
Lily and Khatch released their separate lullaby albums—Louloudhia: A Collection of Lullabies from Europe and Oror ou Nani: Armenian Lullabies, respectively—within a month of each other and decided to collaborate in presenting their shared passion in a joint concert. Having received wide reception in the Bay Area and across the states, both albums evoke softness, ask for rest, and bring the meditative qualities of voice and instruments to light, urging audiences to feel deeply, contemplate, and rest.

FEATURING:
Lily Storm – vocals, frame drum
Khatchadour Khatchadourian – vocals, duduk, frame drum
Supporting Musicians
Diana Rowan – harp
Dan Cantrell – accordion

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:
Lily Storm is a singer specializing in traditional music, with particular emphasis in Eastern European styles. She is a member of Kitka Women’s Vocal Ensemble, touring with them nationally and internationally, and also performs as a solo artist, collaborating with many Bay Area musicians. Last year she released a second solo album, a collection of European lullabies called Louloudhia. Storm holds a masters in music from Holy Names University, and a BA in mathematics from Bryn Mawr College. She teaches math and music at a K-8 public school and evening community workshops for adults.
Khatchadour Khatchadourian was born in Lebanon and grew up singing for seven years in the Syrian-Armenian children’s choir Karoun. He credits the start of his musical focus on meditative genres to his early years singing in Armenian Orthodox church. In 2006 he began playing the Armenian woodwind, duduk. Khatchadourian holds bachelor’s degrees in both anthropology and Middle Eastern studies from the University of California, Berkeley. He is a founding member of Sayat Nvaq Ensemble, Saideh & Khatch, Dahmkash, and Yeraz Trio. He is also a supporting musician in the Kaavya Connections: World Poetry, Literature & Music. Khatchadourian combines sacred Armenian and Arabic voice with duduk and electronica, working within global music, meditation, sound healing, and ambient music genres. Oror ou Nani: Armenian Lullabies is his fifth album.
Diana Rowan is an award-winning musical artist performing worldwide. Born in Ireland and raised the child of an Irish diplomat, Rowan has traveled, lived, and performed on six continents. As a natural outgrowth of this inspiration, her music interweaves global music, art, spirituality, and mythology. She can be heard on many CDs and soundtracks, including her solo albums Panta Rhei, The Bright Knowledge, and the forthcoming As Above, So Below. Rowan’s 30+ year performance career spans venues such as the World Harp Congress in Australia, Washington D.C.’s Smithsonian, the US Embassy in Vietnam, and Eastern European cathedrals. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, she holds a PhD in music theory (world harp composition techniques), plus an MM in piano performance (classical). Rowan founded Bright Knowledge Guild, the online academy for creatives, featuring Virtual Harp Summit and Bright Knowledge Harp Circle. Her first book, The Bright Way: 5 Steps to Freeing the Creative Within, will be published by New World Library in January 2020.
Dan Cantrell 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. His extensive scoring catalogue spans a wide range of emotion and style. Cantrell’s compositions for film and television have earned him numerous awards including an Emmy for KQED’s Homefront, a Golden Gate Award for the soundtrack to the documentary Divided Loyalties, and an Annie nomination for his work on three seasons of Cartoon Network’s The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. His orchestral music was recently featured by the Oakland Symphony, and his chamber music was performed at San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the Arts and in Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center. Cantrell also recently composed a suite of choral music performed by the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir as part of their yearly concert series.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: (Online) $20-25 / (Door) $25 general, $20 student & senior with valid ID
Note: A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
Purchase advance tickets for this event:
Note: Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee seats. Seating is first come, first served.

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Rob Garcia 4: NY Artist Playing Adventurous & Melodic Jazz
2019-11-01 19:30 - 22:00
“A prime mover in the current Brooklyn jazz scene” (Time Out-New York) and “one of New Yorkʼs great jazz drummers and composers” (Capital New York), Rob Garcia brings his group to the Red Poppy playing his original music plus arrangements of American folk songs, as well as music by Chopin and Jimi Hendrix.

FEATURING:
Rob Garcia – drums, compositions
Matt Renzi – tenor saxophone
Dave Ambrosio – bass
TBA – piano

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Rob Garcia continues to be a strong presence in the New York and international jazz scene as a sideman and bandleader. He has collaborated with such stellar artists as Joe Lovano, Sheila Jordan, Dave Liebman, Wynton Marsalis, Diana Krall, Myra Melford, Joseph Jarman, Anat Cohen, Vince Giordano, Reggie Workman, Bill McHenry, and Wycliffe Gordon. Having played on over 70 albums—including Grammy winners—he has also released six critically acclaimed albums as a bandleader. His CD Perennial was in the “10 Best Jazz Albums of 2009” in the New York Observer, and his most recent album, Finding Love in an Oligarchy on a Dying Planet, includes special guests such as jazz legend Joe Lovano and vocal sensation Kate McGarry. Garcia has also been a major force in artist-run jazz organizations. He is the founder and artistic director of Connection Works, a member of the Brooklyn Jazz Underground, and a founding member of the Douglass Street Music Collective. (Photo by: April Renae)
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EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:00pm doors / 7:30pm show
Admission: (Online) $20-25 / (Door) $25 general, $20 student & senior with valid ID
Note: A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
Purchase advance tickets for this event:
Note: Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee seats. Seating is first come, first served.

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Volunteer for this event!

CANCELLED - Citizens Jazz: Music of Jazz Great Benny Golson
2019-11-02 19:30 - 22:00
Due to unforeseen circumstances, this event has been cancelled. If you have already purchased tickets for this event, please note a refund will be issued as soon as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding.

Citizens Jazz explores the brilliant compositions of an unknown giant of jazz, Benny Golson. Raised with an impeccable musical pedigree, Golson has played in the bands of the world-famous Benny Goodman, Dizzy Gillespie, Lionel Hampton, Earl Bostic, and Art Blakey. Few jazz musicians can claim to be true innovators, and even fewer can boast of a performing and recording career that literally redefines the term “jazz.” Golson has made major contributions to the genre with a long list of great standards, and he is the only living jazz artist to have written eight standards for jazz repertoire.

FEATURING:
Riley Bandy – alto saxophone
James Mahone – tenor saxophone
Grant Levin – piano
Caroline Chung – upright bass
Ruthie Price – drums

Jackeline Rago & VMP: Venezuela 360° Musical Journey
2019-11-08 20:00 - 22:00
Join Jackeline Rago and the Venezuelan Music Project (VMP) to celebrate the beauty and diversity of Venezuela in a 360° musical journey. Featuring styles of music from different regions of the country, the evening will explore tonada llanera and joropos from the plains, tambores and Afro-Venezuelan percussion from the coast, calypsos from the southeast, plus gaita zuliana, tamborera, and more from the western region.

FEATURING:
Jackeline Rago – Venezuelan cuatro, percussion, vocals
Anna Maria Violich – vocals, percussion
Jimmy Kansau – vocals, percussion
Donna Viscuso – flute
Yonathan Gavidia – percussion

ABOUT THE ARTIST:
The Venezuelan Music Project (VMP) showcases the tradition of Venezuelan music in which the intermingling of indigenous, African, and European influences has yielded a vivid array of musical forms. Jackeline Rago, musical director of VMP, is a Venezuelan multi-instrumentalist, educator, composer, and musical producer. She has been a leader of Venezuelan cultural awareness in the Bay Area and around the world for many years.

EVENT DETAILS

Time: 7:30pm doors / 8:00pm show
Admission: (Online) $25-30 / (Door) $30 general, $25 student & senior with valid ID
Note: A limited quantity of additional tickets will be available for purchase at the door.
Purchase advance tickets for this event:
Note: Purchasing an advance ticket guarantees admission but does not guarantee seats. Seating is first come, first served.

RSVP to the Facebook event:

Volunteer for this event!
