Stern Grove Festival
Encyclopedia
Established in 1938, the Stern Grove Festival is an admission-free series of performing arts
events held during the summer months at the Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove
, a eucalyptus
-wooded natural amphitheater on a 33 acres (133,546.4 m²) site at 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard, about two miles (3 km) south of Golden Gate Park
in San Francisco.
The summer Sunday afternoon concerts present music and dance including symphony
, opera, jazz
, international sounds
and pop artists.
San Francisco's beloved Stern Grove Festival (SGF) – the nation's longest-running free, outdoor music fest – kicked off its 72nd season on Father's Day 2009 with Roberta Flack ("The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," "Killing Me Softly") and Davell Crawford, the "Piano Prince of New Orleans."
The festival starts each season on Father's Day Sunday and runs through mid-to-late August. Each year, this festival presents 10 admission-free Sunday concerts at 2 pm The three staple acts of each season are the San Francisco Symphony
(July 5, 2009), the San Francisco Ballet
(August 16, 2009) and the San Francisco Opera
(August 23, 2009), this season's last concert.
Around those three attractions, many musical genres are booked, with a definite slant toward so-called World Music the last few years. For a couple of decades or so, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band
played the Sunday closest to the Fourth of July, but several years ago – as that grew a bit stale – the tradition was jettisoned in favor of variety.
The Sigmund Stern Grove was presented to the City of San Francisco in 1931 by Rosalie Meyer Stern in honor of her husband Sigmund Stern. The SGF is held in a beautiful, natural amphiteater at the major intersection of 19th Avenue (one of The City's main westerly thoroughfares on which San Francisco State University
is located) and Sloat Boulevard (which leads to the San Francisco Zoo
at The Great Highway along the Pacific Coast).
The Stern Grove Festival Association is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
with a crew of students from the Digital Video Intensive training program at SF State University Extended Learning. Videos include performances, pre-concert talks, and backstage interviews. Click the Interact tab at Stern Grove. Videos can also be viewed at YouTube and iTunes.
Performing arts
The performing arts are those forms art which differ from the plastic arts insofar as the former uses the artist's own body, face, and presence as a medium, and the latter uses materials such as clay, metal or paint which can be molded or transformed to create some physical art object...
events held during the summer months at the Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove
Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove
Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove, locally called Stern Grove, is a recreational site in the Sunset District, San Francisco, California. It is administered by the city's Recreation and Parks Department, and is the concert setting for the 74-year-old Stern Grove Festival.The site, along Sloat...
, a eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
-wooded natural amphitheater on a 33 acres (133,546.4 m²) site at 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard, about two miles (3 km) south of Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park, located in San Francisco, California, is a large urban park consisting of of public grounds. Configured as a rectangle, it is similar in shape but 20% larger than Central Park in New York, to which it is often compared. It is over three miles long east to west, and about half a...
in San Francisco.
The summer Sunday afternoon concerts present music and dance including symphony
Symphony
A symphony is an extended musical composition in Western classical music, scored almost always for orchestra. A symphony usually contains at least one movement or episode composed according to the sonata principle...
, opera, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, international sounds
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
and pop artists.
San Francisco's beloved Stern Grove Festival (SGF) – the nation's longest-running free, outdoor music fest – kicked off its 72nd season on Father's Day 2009 with Roberta Flack ("The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face," "Killing Me Softly") and Davell Crawford, the "Piano Prince of New Orleans."
The festival starts each season on Father's Day Sunday and runs through mid-to-late August. Each year, this festival presents 10 admission-free Sunday concerts at 2 pm The three staple acts of each season are the San Francisco Symphony
San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony is an orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980, the orchestra has performed at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus are part of the organization...
(July 5, 2009), the San Francisco Ballet
San Francisco Ballet
The San Francisco Ballet is a ballet company, founded in 1933 as the San Francisco Opera Ballet. The company is currently based in the War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, under the direction of Helgi Tomasson. SFB is the first professional ballet company in the United States...
(August 16, 2009) and the San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera is an American opera company, based in San Francisco, California.It was founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola and is the second largest opera company in North America...
(August 23, 2009), this season's last concert.
Around those three attractions, many musical genres are booked, with a definite slant toward so-called World Music the last few years. For a couple of decades or so, the Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
Preservation Hall Jazz Band is the name for numerous groups of Dixieland Jazz and traditional jazz bands at Preservation Hall in New Orleans, Louisiana, and on tours as organized by the Preservation Hall...
played the Sunday closest to the Fourth of July, but several years ago – as that grew a bit stale – the tradition was jettisoned in favor of variety.
The Sigmund Stern Grove was presented to the City of San Francisco in 1931 by Rosalie Meyer Stern in honor of her husband Sigmund Stern. The SGF is held in a beautiful, natural amphiteater at the major intersection of 19th Avenue (one of The City's main westerly thoroughfares on which San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
is located) and Sloat Boulevard (which leads to the San Francisco Zoo
San Francisco Zoo
The San Francisco Zoo, housing more than 260 animal species, is a zoo located in the southwestern corner of San Francisco, California, between Lake Merced and the Pacific Ocean along the Great Highway...
at The Great Highway along the Pacific Coast).
The Stern Grove Festival Association is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
Concert Videos and Podcasts
Visit the Web site for concert videos and podcasts that began with the 2006 Stern Grove Festival season. Videos are produced and directed by Craig AbayaCraig Abaya
Craig Abaya is an independent artist from San Francisco, California. In music, he is a singer, musician, songwriter, producer and engineer. In film, he has directed music performance and interview videos for countless musical celebrities as well as his own music videos. As a concert photographer,...
with a crew of students from the Digital Video Intensive training program at SF State University Extended Learning. Videos include performances, pre-concert talks, and backstage interviews. Click the Interact tab at Stern Grove. Videos can also be viewed at YouTube and iTunes.