Yerba Buena Gardens Festival 2010 Press Releases | 2010 Season

2010 Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

YERBA BUENA ARTS & EVENTS ANNOUNCES LINE-UP FOR THE 2010 YERBA BUENA GARDENS FESTIVAL

FESTIVAL CELEBRATES 10 YEARS WITH 100 FREE PROGRAMS IN
DOWNTOWN SAN FRANCISCO

KICK OFF EVENT MAY 1 WITH WORLD PREMIERE OF
MARCUS SHELBY JAZZ ORCHESTRA’S MLK

(San Francisco, CA – March 11, 2010) - Linda Lucero, Executive/Artistic Director of Yerba Buena Arts & Events, today announced the programming for the 2010 Yerba Buena Gardens Festival at Yerba Buena Gardens in downtown San Francisco running May 1 through October 31, 2010.  The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival (YBGF) will be celebrating its 10th year with 100 free events including music, theater, circus, dance, poetry, family festivals and children’s programs with artists from Cuba, Bali, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Italy, Sweden, and other lands. Yerba Buena Gardens is located between Mission Street and Howard Street and 3rd and 4th Streets in downtown San Francisco.  For more information, visit www.ybgf.org or call (415) 543-1718.

Yerba Buena Gardens Festival Executive/Artistic Director Linda Lucero says, “Since we became ‘official’ in 2000, the Festival has grown dramatically. This year we will present more than 1,400 artists on our outdoor stages in a six-month season that showcases the extraordinary creativity and diversity of the region’s artists.  Today, more than ever, people need the joy, the spiritual sustenance, and the inspiration that only music, dance or theater can provide.”

Festival highlights include the festival kick-off event on Saturday, May 1 with the world premiere of Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra’s MLK and the Hawaiian dance company Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu, directed by Patrick Makuakane on Saturday, May 8. Other highlights include Gamelan Sekar Jaya (5/15), Bassam Saba (5/22), Los Terrys (6/12), AXIS Dance Company performing a YBGF commissioned piece (6/26), enCayapa + Venezuelan Music Project (6/27), Circus Bella (7/3), The Angola Project (8/28) and the Nice Guy Trio premiering Darren Johnston’s Waking Music and Rob Reich’s Clown School, both commissioned by YBGF (9/4).

The Festival continues the dance series, Let’s Go Dance@Jessie!, a monthly open-air dance party in Jessie Square in front of the Contemporary Jewish Museum with live bands playing groovin’ rhythms.  The series take place on the First Thursdays of the month from 6:00pm – 7:30pm. Come early for the dance lessons, stay late for the dancing!  Performers include Orquesta La Moderna Tradición (Cuban danzón, 5/6), A Klezmer Wedding Celebration with Kugelplex (Klezmer, 6/3), Lavay Smith & the Red Hot Skillet Lickers (Swing, 7/1), Tom Rigney & Flambeau (Cajun, 8/5), Édessa (Balkan, 9/2), Kumu Hula Shawna Alapa’I and Na Pua O Ka La’akea (Hula, 10/7).

The Festival continues the very popular Music In The Gardens 101 Series of narrated programs that provide audiences a unique and invaluable opportunity to hear first-hand from master musicians about the music they perform and their sources of inspiration. This year’s Music In The Gardens 101 Series features Gamelan Sekar Jaya (5/15), Bassam Saba (5/22), SF Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band (5/29) and Howard Wiley’s The Angola Poject (8/28),

The Latin Jazz Series will present a wide array of artists including Los Terrys From Africa to Camaguey to Yerba Buena(6/12), Latin Jazz Youth Summit - Latin Jazz Youth Ensemble meets Futuro Picante (9/11) and Latin Jazz Tardeada (10/3).

The Festival offers the delightful Children’s Garden Series, interactive performances specially designed for kids and families, on Fridays and Saturdays including performances by kid favorites Caterpillar Puppets, Chuna McIntyre, Pi Clowns, The Unique Derique, Chelle! & Friends, Eth-Noh-Tec, Balamcoatl and Venezuelan Music Poject.  The series ends with the popular Gardens Halloween Costume Walk (10/31). The Children’s Garden Series takes place in the Children’s Garden at Howard and Fourth streets.

The Thursday Lunchtime Concert Series, each Thursday from 12:30pm to 1:30pm, is popular with downtown workers and students. This year features the very best of Bay Area musicians including Frank Jackson Trio (6/3), Consulate of Sweden’s Jenny Lind Concert (6/17), John Worley’s WorlView (6/24), Irene Jalenti (7/1), Lord Loves A Working Man (7/8), Tango No.9 (7/15), Crosscut (7/22), The Mo’Rockin Project (8/5), VidyA (8/19), Gramophone and Dynamo (9/2), Wayne Wallace Quintet (9/9) and María Volonté Tango Jazz (9/16).

The Festival also presents exclusive performances by Bay Area dance and theater companies and organizations including the YBGF commissioned work by AXIS Dance Company (6/26), San Francisco Theater Festival (8/8) and the Tony Award-winning San Francisco Mime Troupe (8/22).

The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival hosts annual cultural celebrations: Israel in the Gardens (6/6), Native Contemporary Arts Festival (6/20), Jewish Music Festival (7/11), Target Family Day (7/18), Afro Solo Jazz in the Gardens (8/7), and Pistahan: Filipino American Arts Exposition (8/14-15).

Yerba Buena Gardens is proud to partner with SFJAZZ and the Museum of the African Diaspora (MOAD) to present John Santos’s African Spiritual Practices and Retentions in Latin Music. Taught by renowned ethnomusicologist and musician John Santos, this six-part series will reveal several elements of African spiritual origin which form the basis of, and/or inform popular Latin music, including instrumentation, rhythm, melody, lyrics, mythology, oral history and language as they are used in dance music and Latin jazz. The series will play and analyze a broad cross-section of recorded examples from Cuba, Puerto Rico, República Dominicana/Haiti, the United States and Brasil that span the last century. Classes will consist of lecture, listening and discussions in which participants and instructor will analyze the music. Audio tape recorders are welcome. Participants can register for the full course at reduced rates, or attend any combination of individual classes.

Participants can sign up for the entire series, or on a class-by-class basis each Tuesday from May 5 – June 16, 7:00-9:00pm. Museum of the African Diaspora is located at 685 Mission Street, San Francisco. $20 per class, $96 for full course (6 classes).  For more information, visit www.ybgf.org.

2010 YERBA BUENA GARDENS FESTIVAL LINE-UP
Visit www.ybgf.org or call (415) 543-1718 for more detailed information.
Calendar Editors please note: The Yerba Buena Gardens Festival IS NOT part of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. All programs on the Yerba Buena Esplanade, unless otherwise indicated. 

MAY
World Premiere of Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra‘s, MLK, featuring Faye Carol, Kenny Washington, Jeannine Anderson, Nicholas Bearde, Saturday, May 1, 1:00pm–2:30pm
Let’s Go Dance@Jessie!, Orquesta La Moderna Tradición, Thursday, May 6, 6:00pm–7:30pm
Nā Lei Hulu I Ka Wēkiu, Saturday, May 8, 1:00pm–2:30pm
Gamelan Sekar Jaya, Saturday, May 15, 1:00pm–2:30pm
Bassam Saba, Saturday, May 22, 1:00pm-2:30pm
SF Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band, Saturday, May 29, 1:00pm-2:30pm

JUNE
Frank Jackson Trio, Thursday, June 3, 12:30–1:30pm
Let’s Go Dance@Jessie!, A Klezmer Wedding Celebration with Kugelplex, Thursday, June 3, 6:00pm-7:30pm
Israel in the Gardens, Sunday, June 6, 11:00am-5:00pm
Los Terrys From Africa to Camaguey to Yerba Buena, Saturday, June 12, 1:00pm–2:30pm
Sweden: Jenny Lind, Thursday, June 17, 12:30pm–1:30pm
Native Contemporary Arts Festival, Sunday, June 20, Noon-3:00pm
John Worley’s WorlView, Thursday, June 24, 12:30pm–1:30pm
AXIS Dance Company, Saturday, June 26, 1:00pm-1:20pm, 1:50pm-2:10pm,
2:40-3:-00pm (3 performances)
Direct from Venezuela! enCayapa + Venezuelan Music Project Sunday, June 27, 1:00pm-3:00pm
TODCO Poets, Tuesday, June 29, 12:30pm-1:30pm

JULY
Irene Jalenti, Thursday, July 1, 12:30pm–1:30pm
Let’s Go Dance@Jessie!, Lavay Smith & the Red Hot Skillet Lickers, Thursday, July 1, 6:00pm-7:30pm
Circus Bella, Saturday, July 3, Noon & 2:15pm
Lord Loves A Working Man, Thursday, July 8, 12:30pm–1:30pm
Jewish Music Festival, Sunday, July 11, Noon-5:00pm
Tango No. 9, Thursday, July 15, 12:30pm–1:30pm
Target Family Day, Sunday, July 18, 11:00am-4:00pm
Crosscut, Thursday, July 22, 12:30pm–1:30pm
Merola's Schwabacher Summer Concert, Sunday, July 25, 2:00pm-­4:00pm
The Consulate General of Japan Presents, Thursday, July 29, 12:30pm-1:30pm

AUGUST
The Mo’Rockin Project, Thursday, August 5, 12:30pm–1:30pm
Let’s Go Dance@Jessie!, Tom Rigney & Flambeau, Thursday, August 5, 6:00pm-7:30pm
Afro Solo’s Jazz in the Gardens, Saturday, August 7, 1:00pm-3:00pm
San Francisco Theater Festival, Sunday, August 8, 11:00am-5:00pm
Arab Cultural Presents, Thursday, August 12, 12:30pm-1:30pm
Pistahan, Saturday & Sunday, August 14 & 15, 11:00am-5:00pm
VidyA, Thursday, August 19, 12:30pm–1:30pm
Artists Guild, Saturday, August 21, 9:00am-5:00pm, East Garden
San Francisco Mime Troupe, Sunday, August 22, 2:00pm, music at 1:30pm
Consulate of Mexico Presents, Thursday, August 26, 12:30pm-1:30pm
The Angola Project, Saturday, August 28, 1:00pm-2:30pm
TODCO Poets, Tuesday, August 31, 12:30pm-1:30pm

SEPTEMBER
Gramophone and Dynamo, Thursday, September 2, 12:30pm-1:30pm
Let’s Go Dance@Jessie!, Édessa, Thursday, September 2, 6:00pm-7:30pm
Nice Guy Trio + Special Guests, Saturday, September 4, 1:00pm-2:30pm
Wayne Wallace Quintet, Thursday, September 9, 12:30pm–1:30pm
Latin Jazz Youth Summit, Saturday, September 11, 1:00pm-3:00pm
María Volonté Tango Jazz, Thursday, September 16, 12:30pm-1:30pm
Orchestra Nostalgico, Thursday, September 30, 12:30pm–1:30pm

OCTOBER
Latin Jazz Tardeada, Sunday, October 3, 1:00pm-3:00pm
Let’s Go Dance@Jessie!, Kumu Hula Shawna Alapa’I and Na Pua O Ka La’akea, Thursday, October 7, 6:00pm-7:30pm

CHILDREN’S GARDENS SERIES
Performances from 11:00-11:30am and 12:15-12:45pm. Yerba Buena Gardens Children’s Garden is located at Howard & Fourth Streets.

Chuna McIntyre; Friday, June 4; Friday, August 6
Caterpillar Puppets; Saturday, June 5; Friday, July 2; Saturday, August 7
Unique Derique; Friday-Saturday, June 11-12; Friday-Saturday, July 9-10; Friday, July 23; Friday, July 30; Friday, August 13
Pi Clowns; Friday, June 18; Saturday, July 17; Friday, August 20
Balamcoatl: Mesoamerican Music & Dance; Saturday, June 19; Saturday, July 3; Saturday, August 21
Chelle! & Friends; Friday, June 25; Saturday, July 24
Venezuelan Music Project; Saturday, June 26; Friday, July 16; Saturday, July 31
Eth-Noh-Tec; Friday, August 27; Saturday, August 28
Gardens Halloween Costume Walk, Sunday, October 31, Noon–1:30 pm

All programs in the Yerba Buena Gardens are free and open to the public, drawing an audience of San Francisco and Bay Area residents and tourists that numbers more than 130,000 each year. Yerba Buena Gardens Festival is made possible through the generosity of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, National Endowment for the Arts, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Evelyn & Walter Haas Foundation, Target Foundation, LEF Foundation, Bill Graham Foundation, LEF Foundation, Bill Graham Foundation, Royce Philanthropic Fund, Forest City Development, CJ & Mattie Lowery Fund, and Metreon. Media sponsors: CWCBS, SF Examiner, BART, SF Station, KPFA-FM, Google, AsianWeek. Presenting Partners: Embassy and Consulate of the Boliviarian Republic of Venezuela, Chevron, Consulate General of Japan, Consulate General of Mexico, Consulate General of Sweden Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco. Pro-bono contributions: MJM Management Group, John Spicer, Latino Entertainment Partners, Latin Percussion, Latin Percussion, Millennium Partners, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, David Wong, Copy Central, Pro Piano.

Yerba Buena Arts & Events, producer of the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival is located at 760 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94103. Phone (415) 543-1718; Fax (415) 543-1755; website: http://www.ybgf.org.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Marshall Lamm
(510) 928.1410
marshalllamm@earthlink.net

 

Yerba Buena Gardens Festival | 760 Howard St | San Francisco, CA 94103 | Phone: 415 543 1718 | Fax: 415 543 1755 | info@ybgf.org
produced by Yerba Buena Arts & Events | Festival Photos: John Spicer | ©2010 YBGF