Berkeley Symphony kicked off their 2025-2026 opening season with a full house at the First…read moreCongregational Church of Berkeley. Dina Gilbert was guest conductor Gabriel Cabezas, cellist. Visions of Elysium opened with Elysium and closed with Ludwig van Beethoven Symphony #3 Every selection on the program was fantastic, Elysium was my favorite. After the concert, attendees were treated to a free reception sponsored by Jane Hammond with wine by Knuttel Winery. If you haven't been to the Berkeley Symphony, get to a concert this season!

Top quality. This is a "period orchestra" i.e., a specialist in music written post 1940. That is…read morenot to say you'll never hear Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn etc. - those guys inspired the composers you'll hear here. You'll get to hear outstanding compositions that you don't already own in your vast CD collection, and conductor Joana will let you know why. Programs are oriented to hang well together. Composer in residence, Gabriela Lena Frank will help keep them on track. Joana Carneiro, already of International fame, hails by way of Lisbon, Portugal and assoc. of the L.A. Phil under Esa Pekka Solonen brings a new vitality to the pit. Kent Nagano whose baton ruled the roost for 25 years will occasionally pop in from the Bavarian State Opera, or Montreal Symphony for old times sake. This is not a competitor to SFO or OEBS, it is a cohesive group of professional musicians with a uniquely exciting playlist. Come early for composer & conductors confab. Four or Five concerts per year, phenomenally active Music in the Schools program in all of Berkeley's elementary schools, and several in-progress concerts by living composers.

"I seriously need a break from grocery-shopping in Chinatown!"…read more Whether the genre of music is jazz, contemporary, hip-hop, heavy metal, country, and sub-zero and maybe squeeze in an opera tune, depending on my mood, I still love music. Whenever any part of San Francisco hosts a music festival, I'm there. Local bands and performer(s) play the mastery jazz session to attract locals and visitors. Although I'm not too familiar with any of the unknown local performer's music or materials, but still I love to listen the music and wish them a future success. With the recent complaints of drunkenness from past festivals, the inside section of the park is alcohol free, but the Union Street side sell alcohol and must be drank on the street, before you enter the park. The festival wants everybody to enjoy the music and have a fun time without any misfortunes. There are booths, some from neighboring businesses selling souvenirs, clothing, foods and other odds and ends. With the charcoal grill being cooked by the vendors, you can't leave the festival without the smell of the smoke. I had lunch from elsewhere prior to my appearance to the festival. And there is a booth that sells beignets for $2.00 each. The same booth also sells a unique item that I couldn't deny to try: Frozen Cheesecake with Chocolate sauce on a stick. For $6.00, you get a slice of frozen cheesecake dipped in a chocolate sauce on a skewer. No kidding, that cheesecake was frozen and I suffered a mild brain-freeze after results, but still it was a one of a kind treat. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/7CfGUlfLG8X4v8sBACMxDQ?select=gNHl424OD7oaUkovwTMGFw The event is "free" and plays through the nice sunny weekend.

An annual (although almost canceled in '06) event for San Francisco showcasing the city's rich…read morehistory of jazz and blues. Events go on for a week with different jazz acts in different venues around North Beach. The fest caps off at Washington Sq Park on the weekend with several stage acts performing for the neighborhood. Flanked by St. Peter and Paul Church and Coit Tower in the distant, this is a perfect way to enjoy a summer day. Enforcements have been stepped up so be wary of outside alcohol, but nothing a camelbak cant solve. ;) Bring a dirty towel or a mat or simply get your pants moist, grab a spot on the lawn, and enjoy the mellow tunes. Food is available in the park, but with a variety of delis, restaurants, take out places in both NB and Chinatown, just find a cheapy slice of pie or dim sum. Gfs and I got slices from Golden Boy nearby and got drunk off of my backpack of sangria. Good times! $6 ripoff beer, wine, and other booze available within the park. Everyone tends to be in a good mood either naturally or from their backpack/baggy of fun! We had a creepy old dude stare at us. The stage was toward his back and he much rather enjoy the entertainment of the 4 of us talking about boys and us complaining over earshot about "Creepy Old Men Staring At US!" Grab friends, grab booze, grab a picnic, listen to good music.

It feels so important to have this museum, especially in Downtown Oakland. It is easily accessible…read moreby BART and free admission, though I recommend donating to help support. It is a small space but the exhibits are curated nicely. I went during the Happy Birthday Oscar exhibit and it was emotional but informative.

Easy to get to on the Bart transit system. You only walk…read moreabout a block from train station. Building is clearly labeled. Aliyah was welcoming when we walked in. We signed in using tablet. Aliyah explained the best place to start exhibit. There is comfortable se as ting to look at books and watch the video. Good information to add to what you may already know or not know. Great merchandise in store and online. Would definitely pop in again!

I had no idea there even was a Berkeley Opera until I read this article in the newspaper:…read more http://www.contracostatimes.com/search/ci_14419420?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com I grew up w/ opera on the radio. My mother listened to the Met every Saturday morning. I've seen several over the years and enjoyed them but am not what I would call an opera buff. Alan has never been to an opera, but when he read the article we agreed we wanted to see Berkeley Opera's production of "Don Giovanni". Having the production at the new Performing Arts Theatre at El Cerrito High made it really convenient. We bought tickets for today's production. We arrived and I sat and watched people gather while Alan stood in line to get our tickets. It was a very diverse audience w/ a lot of grey haired folks, a surprisingly large number of youngsters, plus a good number of the middle aged too. We were seated upstairs in the first row of the balcony. The seats were comfortable and leg room was adequate. There was a screen for Supertitles which was cool, although it did interfere a bit w/ our view of the Commendatore's statue at the end. The temperature in the balcony was uncomfortably warm in the beginning but they were able to address that and it became much more comfortable once they did. The production was fantastic. The voices were excellent, as was the orchestra. The staging was bare-bones, but was effective. We were very impressed w/ the quality. The opera was lively, moving and accessible. Not only was the singing first rate, but the acting was as well. We both enjoyed it, although Alan was unable to sit through three hours and decided to leave at intermission after an hour and three quarters, but that had to do w/ him rather than the production. He came back to pick me up afterward. I'm attaching the newspaper review of the production for more detail, although I disagree w/ the reviewer's statement that the costumes were tawdry. I thought they were just fine. http://www.contracostatimes.com/search/ci_14449670?IADID=Search-www.contracostatimes.com-www.contracostatimes.com&nclick_check=1

I doubt that you have been missing my West Edge Opera review. I first posted it on 8/8/2010. The…read morereview has been happily dozing away in the innards of the vast Yelp network. (There are several other reviews for the opera, all of which are quite good.) Should you have been looking for it last week, however, you would not have been able to find it. It was removed as a violation of Terms of Service. (A TOS for those of you who know Yelp.) So...to dispel the mystery about the contents of this review, I am reposting it in entirety. I have no connect to West Edge Opera, enjoyed the performance, gave it five stars. Nothing more simple. Here it is: This afternoon we saw the final performance of Richard Wagner's Legend of the RIng. It was adapted by David Seaman into a three hour performance. It was stupendous. Let me break down the stars: 1) We walked to the new El Cerrito Performing Arts Theatre. One big hurrah for having this state of the art theater so close to our house that we will never, ever, have to worry about parking. 2) The stars. That is, the performing stars. Fresh from productions in Seattle, San Francisco, The Met, and various European cities...these opera singers are just that. Opera SIngers. Not namby-pamby wannabe choristers, these folks resonate, project, slide effortlessly up and down the scale. In a word, they made the show. 3) The sets. Amazingly projected computerized scenery with clearly visible visual subtitles. The whole production was simple, amazing and very, very professional. 4) The orchestra. HIdden away from sight, their music was beautifully played with nary a false sound. Very professional 5) Mark Streshinsky's lecture before the performance. Funny, articulate, informative. And professionally delivered. And local, he's an ECHS grad. Did I mention professional? He is... The sum total: Five stars and then some. Catch the opera for next season. You'll enjoy it, even if you've never been to the opera before. Oh, and the price. We sat in the balcony. Great seats, no straining to hear or see. $25 bucks. We are so proud that they've moved to El Cerrito and hope the company stays here forever!

There are not sufficient words to describe this event, this experience. Deeply spiritual, divine…read morelife-shifting, ethereal and cosmic. Breathtaking, surreal, and profoundly therapeutic. This was my third trip to Beautifica, each time is an event I will never forget. It truly makes me feel closer to my late husband, David, who is, I am sure, cruising the cosmos that look like what I am seeing. You can't help but be in awe of the brilliance, the music, the stunning graphics. Extremely grateful not to personally know those who gave this a negative rating.

Do you miss the 1990s and the miraculous creation that was After Dark, a wonderful set of low…read moreresolution screensavers that festooned your screen with flying toasters and the like? Well wonder no more because Beautifica 360 brings everything you loved about lo-fi screen savers to the big screen. Set to a soundtrack that seems like the result of a ChatGPT prompt "Make an album by Mike Oldfield but make it less good" and you've got Beautifica 360. Had I been visiting the Chabot and this was offered as part of the admission I'd have enjoyed it more but we went out of our way to attend this "spectacular" and paid $40 a head. The rest of the center was closed and we were ushered into the planetarium and subjected to 45 minutes of run of the mill visuals emitted from a projector that might have been cutting edge 25 years ago but in this 4K world just seemed weak. As an aside the seats were very uncomfortable too and I got a sore neck.

A friend introduced me to Dewayne Oakley during the COVID-19 lockdown, and I will be forever…read moregrateful. He does occasional Sunday concerts online, all of them soulful and moving. I usually prefer jazz without vocals, but Oakley's singing is so delightful. We are lucky to have such a talented jazz vocalist and bass player in our Northern California community. Highly recommended (and loved).

I stumbled upon them in Golden Gate Park and they crept into my soul. They were so good and so…read morehumble playing that you couldn't not listen.

Ballet's illustrious heritage was paved by Kings and Nobility who guaranteed its posterity. Ballet…read moredancers became the muses of composers who also popularized it throughout the centuries. Flamenco, however, hung onto the fringes of perdition and suffered immense persecution. The Spanish Inquisition and Aristocrats did not want to accept the migrant gitanos (gypsies), Sephardic jews, Morsicos (Moors) in Southern Spain. They were often banished or forced to convert. Today it is still unclear when and how flamenco started- but one cannot doubt the spirit and pride that is inherent in this dance- its purpose is clear- to preserve the memory and the stories of the people who suffered during this time. It is this spirit that lives on in the dance, the defiant spirit- that quelled the marching soldiers footsteps with the dancer's own taconeo (footwork), or the spirit of floreo (hand movements) that elevates the soul, and the defiant face that dared look back to the condemning court. The poet Lorca (my personal favorite) speaks of this Spirit as the Duende- the Life Force that inhabits the dancer- it is closely defined as a possession of sort- a transfiguration that channels the performers and audience to that time and place. This zenith is where the feelings of raw emotion, destitution and punishment finally dissolves and where hope and resurrection are no longer a dream but has now become reality! Concha Vargas, Ethan Margolis, Daniel Staffler Clara Mora and Carmen de Quintin- gave a performance that conjured the duende- I felt the upheaval and destruction- I sank like an anchor deep in the ocean, the very last breath around me vanished. But it was this will to survive that persisted through my veins. It was such a powerful emotion- one of the rare ones I have ever experienced. A people limited in their capacity to write and preserve their heritage- did so with this artform- the only best way they knew how:- the dance, the guitar, the song. Marked by blood and pride this they knew would pass on for generations to come. That night- I clapped, I cried and LIVED- again. Ole' ! PS- La Pena Cultural Center of Berkeley hosted the night's event- the next door Valencia Cafe- was a great retreat for wine and beverages!

If you're looking for authentic flamenco outside of Spain, you've found it! I go to the shows at…read morethe Kuumbwa in Santa Cruz--no bad seats in this small club and perfect for flamenco. I think flamenco is best in small clubs, so the audience and artists can interact. In Santa Cruz audience is knowledgeable, appreciative, and friendly, which inspires the artists even more. The festival producer knows the artists and the music well, and lines up phenomenal shows. It's a musical highlight in my year, especially since I can't make it to Spain!

One of best music performing venues in the San Francisco Bay Area. Berkeley Piano Club is a…read morenonprofit organization for the female musicians.

I've been coming here for piano recitals and competitions for the past, oh, probably 10 years. It's…read morea great space, not too big, not too small. The piano's pretty good, and the acoustics aren't bad. There's a nice place to chill outside with food for the after-party. I do think it could be less stuffy inside and a bit brighter, but in general, it's a nice place.