Flower Piano Announces 2021 Schedule

Image: SF Botanical Gardens

We learned in June that the beloved Golden Gate Park Flower Piano concerts would return after a two-year COVID absence, and that it would be a shortened five-day festival compared to its usual “two weeks in July” format. We didn’t know who was playing and when, though, but now we do. The SF Botanical Gardens has released the full Flower Piano schedule , and the concert series is scheduled from Friday, September 17 to Tuesday, September 21.

Remember, entry is free for SF residents! (Though you are encouraged to RSVP). The musical lineup offers everything from “Devo done Lounge” to “Beethoven and Brahms” to “Amusing 21st-Century Yacht Rock for Piano.” Remember, there are 12 different concert spots, so bring a blanket and picnic basket, and you too can jam on the piano between sets!

Image: SF Botanical Gardens

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17

12:00 – 1:00pm, Fragrance Garden | Mongolounge and Friends: Mongolounge is “Devo done lounge”

12:00 – 2:00pm, Great Meadow | SF Conservatory of Music: Emerging Artist Showcase

1:00 – 4:00pm, Children’s Garden | Bean Sprouts Family Days

4:00 – 5:30pm, Great Meadow | Community Music Center Latin Jazz Kick-Off with Eduardo Corzo and Friends

3:00 – 6:00pm, Conifer Lawn | Beat Corner: Avante Garden Poetry and Music by Mauro, Dean, and Friends

Image: SF Botanical Gardens

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18

10:00am – 4:00pm, Fountain Plaza | Flower Piano Community Art with Messy Art Lab

Lend a hand creating a one-of-a-kind community art piece inspired by Flower Piano!

12:00 – 4:00pm, Children’s Garden | Bean Sprouts Family Days 

Join us and our friends from the Mexican Museum to make musical instruments to take home!

12:00 – 3:00pm | Twelve Piano Extravaganza

12:00-1:00pm

1. Great Meadow | Joshua Raoul Brody: Plays Beatles Songs & Accompanies YOU!
2. Celebration Garden | Mena Ramos & Laura Harris: AfroCuban Meets Classical, Latin Jazz 
3. Garden of Fragrance | Kevin Navarro: Timeless Romantic Works of Frederic Chopin
4. Rhododendron Garden | Amy Norman: Swingin’ Tunes & Sultry Songs
5. Ancient Plant Garden | Yaamini Rao & Ryan Jacobs: American Songbook/Jazz Standards!
6. New Zealand Collection | Eugene Fan & James Stone: One-piano Four-Hands Duet, Classical
7. South Africa Collection | Robbie Dehlinger: Original Music Which Honors the Classics
8. California Native Plant Garden | Ben Faulkner & Matt Mangels: Elton John’s Perennial Hits & More
9. Redwood Grove | Dawn Oberg: Amusing 21st-Century Yacht Rock for Piano
10. Conifer Lawn | Patti Weiss & Anna Toso: To India and Back – a Musical Journey
11. Moon Viewing Garden | Penelope Keep: Mostly Classical Piano Music and Some Jazz
12. Zellerbach Garden | Elektra Schmidt: Bach, Beethoven, Brahms & Chopin

1:00 – 2:00pm

1. Great Meadow | Robert Dehlinger’s Alpha Rhythm Kings: Jumpin’ Jivin’ Jazzy Swing
2. Celebration Garden | Free Press Music: Lively Local Jazz/Blues Trio with Vocalist
3. Garden of Fragrance | Danny Sullivan: Ballet & Opera Mega-Medley Extravaganza
4. Rhododendron Garden | Samer Fanek: Mediterranean and Arabic Music
5. Ancient Plant Garden | Eric Shifrin: Eclectic Medleys Twisting through Groove After Groove
6. New Zealand Collection | Steve Abrams & Heath Proskin: Hard Bop, Swing, Latinjazz, Salsa, Blues
7. South Africa Collection | Mary Fineman: Joni Mitchell and Debussy Have A Daughter
8. California Native Plant Garden | Suzanne Ramsey, Kitten on the Keys: Unexpected Eclectic Nostalgic Flapper Rock Originals
9. Redwood Grove | Colin Farish: Spontaneous Jazzical Musings from the Philoverse
10. Conifer Lawn | Diva Marisa, with Kymry Esainko: Modern and Classical Operatic Arias and Storytelling
11. Moon Viewing Garden | Eric Chase: Classical Music and Improvisations Inspired by Nature
12. Zellerbach Garden | Esther Aeschbach: Bach, Scarlatti, Brahms, Schumann, Debussy, & a Surprise

2:00 – 3:00pm

1. Great Meadow | Francisco Rosales Ensemble: Musica Cubana
2. Celebration Garden | Kings and The Tropical Jam: Jazz, Latin, Brazilian, Fusion, Rhythmic, Experimental
3. Garden of Fragrance | Earth, Wind, and Flowers: Chamber Music of Various Styles
4. Rhododendron Garden | Amy Stephens: Original Third-Stream Compositions for piano
5. Ancient Plant Garden |Joseph Magdalena: Martuni’s Piano Bar: Standards, Pop, Sing-alongs!
6. New Zealand Collection | Kymry Esainko: Melancholy Moods to Soothe the Savage Skeptic
7. South Africa Collection | Lisa Spector: Piano Music for One and Two Hands
8. California Native Plant Garden | Ben Ames: Emotive Improvisational Cross-Genre Power Piano
9. Redwood Grove | Jill Tracy: Elegant, mystical, noirish, transportive piano spells    
10. Conifer Lawn | Caroluna, soprano, Jennifer M. Lee, pianist: Scintillating, Evocative Art Songs and Arias
11. Moon Viewing Garden | Tin Yi Chelsea Wong: Contemporary Classical Passion, Magnetism, & Vibrant Tonality
12. Zellerbach Garden | Rob Reich: Tribute to Ellington, Waller, and Monk

3:00 – 4:00pm, Garden of Fragrance | Oscar Cervarich

Classical and fun jazz from Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, Rachmaninoff, and more 

​3:00 – 4:00pm, Redwood Grove | Tom Jonesing

Pop Renovations, Remodeling, and Demolition

3:00 – 6:00pm, Conifer Lawn | Beat Corner

Avante Garden Poetry and Music by Mauro, Dean, and Friends=

4:00 – 5:00pm, Zellerbach | Ensemble SF 

4:00 – 5:00pm, Great Meadow | Martin Luther McCoy with Paisley Hinton and the Freak Genius Band

Image: SF Botanical Gardens

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 19

9:00 – 9:45am, Great Meadow | Noe’s Garden Music Class 

10:00 – 11:30am, Gardens nearest Main Gate | Rabbit Hole Theater Magical Scavenger Hunt

10:00am – 4:00pm, Fountain Plaza | Flower Piano Community Art with Messy Art Lab

Lend a hand creating a one-of-a-kind community art piece inspired by Flower Piano!

12:00pm – 6:00pm, Zellerbach Garden | Featured Artists

12:00pm – 1:00pm | Alon Nechushtan Trio: Striding & Swinging Piano for all ages

1:00 – 2:00pm | Tammy Hall and Leberta Lorál: To Nina Simone, With Love

2:00 – 3:00pm | Allison Lovejoy: Romantic and Impressionist Piano Masterpieces

3:00 – 4:00pm | Kev Choice Trio: Black music infused with classical

4:00 – 5:00pm | Serene: Late 19th-century virtuosity. Plus Russian Jazz

5:00 – 6:00pm | Christian Tumalan Trio: High energy Latin Jazz w. deep Afrocuban roots

11:00am – 4:00pm, Celebration Garden |  Featured Artists 

11:00am – 12:00pm | Classical Revolution Trio: Chamber Music for the People

12:00 – 1:00pm | The Kevin Gerzevitz Trio: Monkish Bebop and Soul Jazz

1:00 – 2:00pm | Quinta Tango: Argentine Tango Music

2:00 – 3:00pm | Kash Killion: World, Sun Ra, Jazz, Afro Futuristic

3:00 – 4:00pm | The Cottontails: 30s/40s jazz, blues, R&B

2:00 – 3:30pm, New Zealand | Little Mission Studio

2:00 – 4:00pm, Redwood Grove | SF Symphony

2:00 – 4:00pm, CA Native Plant Garden | SFJAZZ High School All-Stars

​MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 20

12:00 – 2:00pm, Celebration Garden | SF Conservatory of Music: Emerging Artist Showcase

12:00 – 3:00pm, Redwood Grove | Elizabeth Dorman: PlantBerg Project

2:00 – 3:00pm, Celebration Garden | Marco Diaz in partnership with Community Music Center 

4:00 – 5:30pm, Celebration Garden | Harlem of the West Talk and Performance 

4:00 – 5:00pm, Great Meadow | Gail Dobson Band & Vocals for Kids 

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2!

4:00 – 5:00pm, Celebration Garden | SF Conservatory of Music: Pre-College Showcase

4:00 – 5:00pm, Zellerbach | Sarah Cahill and Regina Myers