Flower Piano — Sunset Piano

Flower Piano V : SF Botanical Garden, July 11-22, 2019

Celebrating five years of our interactive music festival, Sunset Piano is bringing back the Awesome Orchestra, featuring Serene and Allison Lovejoy in two major piano concertos, master Cuban jazz player Chuchito Valdes, and over 70 local musicians and ensembles to the SF Botanical Garden in Golden Gate Park. On weekdays and whenever a piano is unoccupied, anyone can sit down and play. We brought Flower Piano to the Botanical Garden in 2015, and we’re excited to celebrate our fifth birthday with our beloved San Francisco this year.

Flower Piano at Night (July 18, 19, and 20), is a fabulous ~ ticketed event ~ with adult refreshments, snacks, outrageous lighting, and Sunset Piano performers. Below you’ll find our complete schedule of music performances and other wonderful events. Over sixty thousand people experienced music of all kinds from both sides of the keyboard in 2018. This year promises to be even more crazy wonderful… stay tuned! Below you’ll find this year’s exciting calendar of music and other events. Piano locations codes are located at the bottom of this page.

Photos from 2018 Flower Piano by Travis Lange

Flower Piano 2019 Full Schedule

Pianos open daily 9am-6pm with performances and events as scheduled below.

Thursday, July 11
9am - 6pm | Opening Day
4 - 6pm, Great Meadow | Sing-along with Community Music Center

Friday, July 12
6 - 8:30pm | Flower Piano at Sunset
A NEW, family-friendly addition to the Flower Piano special event lineup.
Special ticket required. Children 12 and under are FREE.

Sunset Piano Performers
RG : Daniel Sullivan : A Twilight Melange of Mirthful Melodies!
CL : Kitten on the Keys : Flapper, Rock, Blues, Pop, Cabaret, Phalanges Fun
CN : Caroline Dahl : Boogie woogie and up tempo swingin’ piano
NZ : Eric Shifrin : Shuffling, rhapsodic medleys, funky loungy saloon classics

6 - 6:45pm, Great Meadow | Meadowlark Music Class
6:15 - 8pm, Great Meadow | Young Talent Piano
6:30 - 8:30pm, Ancient Plant Garden | Little Mission Studio Chorus and Chamber Ensemble
6:15 - 7:30pm Garden of Fragrance | Charity Kahn of Charity Kahn and the Jamm Band

Saturday, July 13
9 - 10am, Great Meadow | Yoga with Kaiser Permanente
10 - 11:30am, Main Gate | Rabbit Hole Theater Scavenger Hunt

12 - 2pm, | Twelve Piano Extravaganza
1. GM | Paulo Sultanum & Guests: Brazilian Groove
2. HH | Jordan Feinstein: Songs and Improvisations
3. GF | Benjamin Gribble / Esther Aeschbach: 4 hands / 2 pianos: New Music by Benjamin Gribble
4. RH | Samantha Cho w. Florin Parvulescu: Sonata Feast of Beethoven, Debussy & Grieg
            Sandra Simich: Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Brahms, Debussy
5. AP | Elektra Schmidt, Lewis Patzner & Friends: Chamber Music Masterpieces
6. NZ | Martha Cooper and Friends: Brahms, Bartok, and Very Weill Cabaret Opera
7. SA | Mark Techler: Bebop, Beatles, Chick, Duke, Gershwin, Rag, Rodgers
8. CN | Steve Abrams Trio: Jazz, Latin Jazz, Salsa and Hard Bop
9. RG | Dawn Oberg: Songs About Plant Life and Other Stuff
            Tom Jonesing: Pop Demolition and Remodeling
10. CL | Daniel Sullivan: Dance-along Ballet Extravaganza
11. MV | ERIC CHASE : Classical Music from Beloved Composers and Improvisations
12. ZG | Monty Oxymoron: Classical Jazz Improv With a Touch of Psychedelia

1pm - 4pm, Children's Garden | Bean Sprouts Family Days Presented by Kaiser Permanente

2pm - 5pm, Fountain Plaza | Awesome Orchestra Collective - David Möschler, Conductor
A full symphony orchestra that will work through and perform two major piano concertos. Awesöme Orchestra strives to make orchestra adventures accessible to everyone.
2pm | Frédéric Chopin - Andante spianato et grande polonaise brillante in E-flat major, Op. 22 (1834), featuring Allison Lovejoy, Piano
3pm | Sergei Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 3 in D minor, Op. 30 (1909) featuring Serene, Piano

5pm - 6pm, Location TBA | Moving Meditation with Charity Kahn

Sunday, July 14
9 - 10am, Great Meadow | Yoga with Kaiser Permanente
10:15 - 11:15am, Location TBA | Moving Meditation with Charity Kahn

11am - 6pm, Zellerbach Garden | Featured Artists
11am - 12:30pm | Sarah Cahill: Music by Hélène De Montgeroult, Florence Price, and Vítězslava Kaprálová
12:30 - 2pm | Kash Killion & Killion’s Trillions: Exotic world instruments presentation and World Music
2 - 3pm | Craig and Macgregor Band: Jazz to Satie plus unique originals
3 - 4pm | DIVA MARISA WINTER vocal, ELEKTRA SCHMIDT piano : Soprano operatic arias with a contextual storytelling narrative
4 - 5pm | Kevin Gerzevitz Trio : Monkish Bebop and Soul Jazz
5 - 6pm | Mariah Parker : Indo Latin Jazz

11am - 4pm, Great Meadow | Featured Artists
11am - 12pm | Sandra Simich : Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Brahms, Debussy
12 - 1pm | Caroluna & Paul Smith: Sehnsucht - Arias and art songs elucidating ineffable desire
1 - 2pm | Kat Downs: Classically Inspired Pop Originals
2 - 3pm | Antony Ty (MC Sightsee): Gospel, Beat and Other Cuts of Meat
3 - 4pm | Francisco Rosales Ensemble: Musica Tradicional Cubana

1pm - 5pm, Garden of Fragrance | Duo Piano Program
1pm | Benjamin Gribble & Esther Aeschbach: 4 Hands / 2 Pianos: new music by Benjamin Gribble
2pm | Allison Lovejoy With Elektra Schmidt & Members of Awesome Orchestra, Carnival of the Animals, With Marionettes by Niki Ulelha, Puppeteer. Plus, Improvisations With Marc Capelle
3pm | Ann Wu & Yu-chi Tai: Mid-summer Days Fantasy
4pm | Emergency Room: Indie, EDM & Pop Covers

Monday, July 15 – Friday, July 19
12 - 1pm, Ancient Plant Garden and Garden of Fragrance | Lunch Time Concerts Presented by San Francisco Conservatory of Music

Tuesday, July 16 – Wednesday, July 17
3 - 6pm, Location TBA | Community Music Center Piano Mini-Lessons

Thursday, July 18

8 - 11pm | Flower Piano at Night A special after dark event with food trucks and outdoor bars. Performances 8:30-10:30 w break. Special ticket required.
ZG | The Return of Chuchito Valdes! 9 - 10:30pm With special guest, Mauro ffortissimo on the liberated piano.
AP | Sarah Cahill: Music by Žibuoklė Martinaitytė, Germaine Tailleferre, and Frangiz Ali-zadeh
CN | Elektra Schmidt, Carlyn Kessler & Friends: Solo Piano Masterpieces and Chamber Music Gems
RG | Jill Tracy: a Sonic Séance of Elegant Dark Beauty
NZ | Joe Magdalena: Standards, Pop, Sinatra, Happy Stuff
GF | Byerself Trio: Synomatic Soul Jazz; Cellist Lead Trio
CL | Rob Dehlinger’s Alpha Rhythm Kings: Jumpin’ Jivin’ Piano Party!

Friday, July 19

8 - 11pm | Flower Piano at Night : A special after dark event with food trucks and outdoor bars. Performances 8:30-10:30 w break. Special ticket required.
AP | Allison Lovejoy & Friends: Satie Salon and Cabaret
RG | Serene: Post-romantic Synesthesia with Serene
NZ | Joshua Raoul Brody: Originals, Aboriginals, Standards, Substandards & Beatles Songs.
CN | Kitten on the Keys & MC Sightsee: Metal Is Tough & Other Garden Lullabies
CL | Eric Shifrin & the in Crowd: Upbeat, Swingin', Jumpin', Groovin', Good Time Music
GF | Paulo Sultanum & Casulo: a Brazilian Bossafolk Experience

Saturday, July 20
9 - 10am, Great Meadow | Yoga with Kaiser Permanente
10 - 11:30am, Main Gate | Rabbit Hole Theater Scavenger Hunt

12 - 2pm, | Twelve Piano Extravaganza
1. GM | Joshua Raoul Brody : Originals, Aboriginals, Standards, Substandards, and Beatles Songs.
2. HH | Eric Chase : Classical Music From Beloved Composers and Improvisations
3. GF | Mauro ffortissimo : Piazzolla Tangos and Poetry
Penelope Keep : a Mix of Classical and Jazz
4. RH | Thea Becker : Mozart, Schubert, Chopin : Favorites Not Often Performed
5. AP | Alon Nechushtan : Stride, Stroll, & Roll (a Tribute)
6. NZ | Eric Shifrin : Confessions of a San Francisco Saloon Pianist
7. SA | Caroline Dahl : Boogie Woogie and American Roots Piano
8. CN | Rob & Petra Sullivan, Piano & Mandolin : Ragtime Era Classics, Waltzes, Tangos, Songs
9. RG | Kitten on the Keys : Flapper, Rock, Blues, Wave, Cabaret, Phalanges Fun.
10. CL | Dizzy Victrola & Co. : Tickling Tunes From the Grateful Dead & Queen
11. MV | Kimberly Hou : Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, and More
12. ZG | Colin Farish : Classical and Jazz, Brazilian, Blues and Beatles

1pm - 4pm, Children's Garden | Bean Sprouts Family Days Presented by Kaiser Permanente

2 - 5:30pm, Conifer Lawn | Club Flor
2:00 - 2:30pm | Beat Corner: Mauro & Dean, Musical Guests, Avant Garden Poetry
2:30 - 3:00pm | Eric Chase: Classical Music Inspired by Nature
3:00 - 3:30pm | Beat Corner: Mauro & Dean, Musical Guests, Avant Garden Poetry
3:30 - 4:00pm | Steve Holtzman: Slow Dancing With Trees, a Mindfulness Workshop
4:00 - 4:30pm | Beat Corner: Mauro & Dean, Musical Guests, Avant Garden Poetry
4:30 - 5:00pm | Mr Brandy: Dark Rock Tales

2 - 4pm, Moon Viewing, CA Native Garden, and Garden of Fragrance

8 - 11pm | Flower Piano at Night : A special after dark event with food trucks and outdoor bars. Performances 8:30-10:30 w break. Special ticket required.
RG | Jill Tracy: a Sonic Séance of Elegant Dark Beauty
AP | Joe Magdalena: Standards, Pop, Sinatra, Happy Stuff
CN | Daniel Sullivan: Night Fever: a Bacharach Bacchanal
GF | Paulo Sultanum & Casulo: a Brazilian Bossafolk Experience
NZ | La Mantia: Afro Caribbean Latin Argentinian Jazz Originals
CL | Mr Lucky and the Cocktail Party Featuring Joshua Raoul Brody: Ellington to Bacharach & Beyond!

Sunday, July 21
9 - 10am, Great Meadow | Yoga with Kaiser Permanente
10:30 - 11:30am, Library | Story Time and Family Garden Walk

11am - 6pm, Zellerbach Garden | Featured Artists
11 - 12pm | Lisa Spector: Left Hand Plus: Five to Ten Fingers!
12 - 1pm | Allison Lovejoy and Rebecca Kleinmann: Chopin, Debussy, Ravel and Poulenc
1 - 2pm | Byerself Trio: Synomatic Soul Jazz; Cellist Lead Trio
2 - 3pm | Van-anh Nguyen: Bach Meets Bobby Mcferrin, Beethoven Meets Britney & More!
3 - 4pm | Tammy Hall: Tribute to Seven Goddesses
4 - 5pm | Serene: Post-romantic Synesthesia With Serene
5 - 6pm | Rob Reich Swings Left: Bold, Quirky Nod to Swing Era Jazz

11am - 4pm, Great Meadow | Featured Artists
10:30 - 12pm | Elektra Schmidt
12 - 1pm | Stanford University Ragtime Ensemble: Scott Joplin Rags With Paul Phillips
1 - 2pm | Freddi Price & Robin Coomer: Singing From the Songbook of Pain & Dissolution
2 - 3pm | La Mantia: Afro Caribbean Latin Argentinian Jazz Originals
3 - 4pm | Francisco Rosales Ensemble: Musica Tradicional Cubana

Time and Location TBA | Members of San Francisco Symphony

Monday, July 22 9am - 6pm | Closing Day I Pianos open to all, no scheduled performances