2003 Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PRESS CONTACT:
Barbara Webb
(415) 453-9678

Yerba Buena Gardens International Music Festival
June 16-20 and 23-28 2003
12:30 pm, Esplanade Gardens

SAN FRANCISCO, CA. May 22, 2003. For two weeks, Yerba Buena Gardens, in collaboration with consulates and cultural centers in San Francisco, will again host a wide variety of musicians from around the world to play free noontime concerts. The International Music Festival, an annual celebration of summer solstice, features local and international musicians from Canada, Columbia, Italy, Brazil, Sweden, Switzerland, Japan, Germany, Nicaragua, Peru, Indonesia, India, and the Philippines. The performances are presented by Yerba Buena Arts & Events and are part of the 2003 Yerba Buena Gardens Festival.

Canada will be represented on June 16 by Canadian pop-jazz recording artist Shannon Bryant backed by a 7-piece ensemble. She will perform original pop-jazz from the 60's and 70's, Brazilian jazz, and contemporary. Representing Columbia on June 17 will be Tambores de Colombia, Grupo Vallenato Colombiano, and folklorical dancers. On Wednesday, June 18, Alessandra Belloni from Italy will perform. From Brazil on June 19 comes The Mauro Correa Band "Alma Brasileira" who will play Brazilian classical, Brazilian choro, samba, bossa-nova, popular Brazilian music, Argentinean tango and world music from Latin America. In addition to Mauro Correa, who plays string guitar, musicians include Chris Kranyak, violin; David Gibbs, clarinet; Markinhos Calatayub, cavaquinho; Rick Elmore, trombone; and Steve Lau, percussion. Director Mauro Correa was born in Rio de Janeiro. He now lives in San Francisco and performs extensively throughout the Bay Area and Northern California. From Sweden on June 20, there will be a performance by soprano Ulrika Mjorndal and pianist Samuel Skonberg.

Week two of the Festival begins on June 23 with a performance by a Swiss 34-member children's choir (aged 11-14) from the Adda Clevenger School . On June 24, the group Capital Hill, representing Japan will perform many new and classic Japanese pop hits from their upcoming release "Rain or Shine." Bandleader Capital is joined by Chris Brague, drummer; Lorenzo Farrell, bassist; and Ben Stolorow, keyboard player. On June 25, the Goethe Institut Inter Nationes presents the Theo Joergensmann Quartet, hailed as "the strongest players on the German jazz scene." The quartet is composed of Theo Joergensmann, clarinet; Christopher Dell, vibraphonist; Christian Ramond, bassist; and Klaus Kugel, drummer.

On June 26, Flor de Sacuanjoche and Folklore y Marimba from Nicaragua will perform the traditional music of Nicaragua. Friday, June 27, will be a performance by Afro-Peruvian dancers and Andean musicians from Peru. Closing the Festival on June 28 will be performers from India, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Mario Garcia Durham, Executive Director of the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival said, "We are honored to include performers from countries around the world in our International Music Festival this year. We invite San Franciscans and visitors to bring a picnic, a blanket and a sunhat and sit back and enjoy these very special free performances in the gardens."

Free artistic and cultural programming in Yerba Buena Gardens has been made possible through the generous support of the San Francisco Redevelopment Agency, KTB Management Group, the San Francisco Foundation, the Zellerbach Family Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the W.A. Gerbode Foundation, and other sponsors. Media sponsors for Festival 2003 are JC Decaux, KDFC, San Francisco Downtown Magazine, Dance Magazine, and the San Francisco Bay Guardian.

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


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Yerba Buena Gardens Festival

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Mailing Address:
760 Howard Street
San Francisco CA 94103
Phone: 415 543 1718
Fax: 415 543 1755
info@ybgf.org
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