Calendar

Opera Guild preview lectures are scheduled in communities throughout the greater Bay Area by local Guild chapters. Each preview features a renowned musicologist who may use recordings and/or handouts to familiarize the audience with repertoire from the current season.

Tales of Hoffmann by Jacques Offenbach

Speaker: Timothy Flynn

Back by popular demand, Six Roses, (David Boyce & Michael Cavaseno) kick off the Summer Reading Program and take us on a musical journey with a solid performance of Jazz renditions and creative originals. Great for the whole family.

Misión Flamenca's performances aim to access the creative energies of it's members and create an open, collaborative space, in a venue accessible to all who want to participate --- to share flamenco with everybody, not only those who want to perform on stage, but those who come to share in that process as active spectators.

So come and experience this expresive dance form and kick off your Summer Reading Program in Spanish style!

Join us for Lego Night and get your inner builder into gears! And while you are here, sign-up for SFPLs largest annual event -- Summer Reading! This is an all ages event and family participation is encouraged.

Teen DJ workshop with KMEL & Project Level

Program for Tweens and Teens, ages 11-18

Come learn how to spin and scratch records with KMEL and Project Level

No musical experience needed.

For more information please contact Eric Hannan

Musical fun for children and families.

For over twenty-five years, Bonnie has developed a dynamic repertoire which feeds Songs & Music Games.

Designed to maximize children's participation, her shows feature sing-along, clap along, move-along activities with folk songs from many countries and cultures.

In addition to a wealth of folk songs, Bonnie’s own original materials lend a distinctive vitality to her presentations.  She encourages children to sing, dance and fingerplay their way into the joys of music.  Kids and families cooperate and collaborate in singing games, call and response chants, story-songs, and on-the-spot rhythm bands.

Accompanying herself on guitar, keyboards, and percussion, Bonnie sings with irresistible enthusiasm.  With a repertoire rich in cultural diversity, she entertains while nurturing the seeds of children's self esteem.

Space is limited, please call for reservations.

Join renowned architect and Chinese American studies historian Philip P. Choy for an insider’s guide to the history and architecture of San Francisco’s Chinatown in his book San Francisco Chinatown: A Guide to Its History and Architecture.  In this lecture and slide presentation, witness the triumphs and tragedies of the Chinese American experience in the United States from the city's earliest days to its post-quake transformation into an "oriental" tourist attraction as a pragmatic means of survival.

Mr. Choy co-taught the nation's first college level course in Chinese American history at San Francisco State University.  He has served on numerous boards including the California State Historic Resource Commission, the San Francisco Landmark Advisory Board, and the Chinese Historical Society of America.  He is the recipient of the prestigious San Francisco State University President's Medal.

This program will be conducted in English.

Opera Guild preview lectures are scheduled in communities throughout the greater Bay Area by local Guild chapters. Each preview features a renowned musicologist who may use recordings and/or handouts to familiarize the audience with repertoire from the current season.

Gospel of Mary Magdalene by Mark Adamo

WORLD PREMIERE

Speaker: Lynne Morrow

The Bernal Jazz Quartet explores familiar standards and fresh new compositions, from bop to blues to ballads and more. An unusual front-line pairing of vibraphone (Jim Zimmerman) and sax (Michael Gold) combines with a creative supportive rhythm section of bass (Ken Lenga) and drums (Curt Moore).

 Join music historian Richie Unterberger for  "The Golden Age of Soul Vol. 3"  The program will feature rare clips of  performers such as Mary Wells, Jackie Wilson, Major Lance, Jimmy Cliff, Little Eva, the Four Tops, and Les McCann & Eddie Harris.  Also featured will be performers spotlighted in the previous two programs, such as Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Sly Stone, and Stevie Wonder.

Come celebrate the 17th anniversary of the library's grand reopening and enjoy an afternoon of music with Gold Mountain Music Ensemble!  Light refreshments will be served.  There will be photo displays, digital scrapbook, and video documenting the branch’s long history including the 1996 reopening after major expansion and renovations, up to the present day.

Join us for a lively morning of music from around the world, including new and traditional songs. Clap, dance, and sing to the music!

Groups, please call for reservations.

Join us for a fabulous music program presented by the award-winning team, Keith Torgan and Barbara Siesel!

New York- based duo Barbara Siesel and Keith Torgan will introduce children to the magic of classical music through a lighthearted, comical embellishment of the traditional Rapunzel. For ages 5 and up. Space is limited, please call for a reservation.

Free, safe, and temporary tattoos in the tradition of Africa and India. 
Choose your own design and learn how to apply it with henna. 
Henna artist Rachel-Anne Palacios will show you how, and will help apply a design on participants. 
Program limited to 25 people. 
For ages 12-19. 
This event requires a signed parent permission form for those under 18. 
To request a form and sign up, or for more information, please contact Lisa Fagundes lfagundes@sfpl.org or call 415 355 2822

The Bernal Jazz Quartet explores familiar standards and fresh new compositions, from bop to blues to ballads and more. An unusual front-line pairing of vibraphone (Jim Zimmerman) and sax (Michael Gold) combines with a creative supportive rhythm section of bass (Ken Lenga) and drums (Curt Moore).

The Bernal Jazz Quartet explores familiar standards and fresh new compositions, from bop to blues to ballads and more. An unusual front-line pairing of vibraphone (Jim Zimmerman) and sax (Michael Gold) combines with a creative supportive rhythm section of bass (Ken Lenga) and drums (Curt Moore).

The Bernal Jazz Quartet explores familiar standards and fresh new compositions, from bop to blues to ballads and more. An unusual front-line pairing of vibraphone (Jim Zimmerman) and sax (Michael Gold) combines with a creative supportive rhythm section of bass (Ken Lenga) and drums (Curt Moore).

Over 400 years old, the Hamamatsu Festival is a celebration held each year in the town of Hamamatsu, Japan, from May 3 to May 5. Local towns which participate in the kite battles and float parades of the festival create cotton banners, called tenugui, with unique designs and colors that act as logos to help spectators identify the different groups competing. The library will be presenting over 100 of these tenugui cloths, along with the history of one of Japan’s most prominent events.