Saturday, August 12, 2017 at 11 AM to 5 PM
Waverly Place,
San Francisco, CA
The free afternoon music and alleyway festival will bring
together San Francisco residents and visitors alike and will feature an
eclectic and inclusive mix of traditional and contemporary artists,
performances, and art. A highlight of this year’s Festival will feature a newly
commissioned work about inclusion by Jon Jang, “Walter U. Lum: Chinese
Times.” The piece is dedicated to the
legacy of Walter Uriah Lum (1882-1961), a Chinese American journalist and
civil rights leader, and serves a powerful reminder of the 135th Anniversary of
the passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act. In 1985, the alleyway adjacent to
Portsmouth Square in Chinatown was renamed Walter U. Lum Place, making it the
first local street named in honor of a Chinese American.
The festival will also feature:
·
Marcus Shelby, whose work and music has focused
on sharing the history, present, and future of African-American lives, and on
social movements in the United States of America
·
Chinatown’s own Jest Jammin’, the last of the
local “Chinatown bands” that performs soulful tunes from the ‘60s, ‘70s,
and recent decades
·
The duo Jabel featuring Jason Liu and beloved
Chinatown performer Belinda Ho performing classic songs from Shanghai music’s
golden era
·
The Great Wall Youth Orchestra of Laney College,
whose repertoire consists of traditional folk songs and orchestral and
opera compositions from China, augmented by a mix of European classics,
American pop pieces, and a variety of African, Australian, and Latin American
folk songs
·
Gingee will return this year with her unique
take on electronic music, blending elements of global bass, world music, hip
hop, and a contemporary twist on the Filipino Kulintang
·
Long-standing community fixture, the popular
Maggie Wong will be the Master of Ceremonies.
In addition to wonderful musical performances at this
year’s Chinatown Music Festival, there will also be an array of art and
cultural activities that will extend across two streets of Waverly Place to
further transform and highlight the alleyways. “Living Alleyways” activities
include interactive design exhibitions, dance, Chinese opera face painting,
massage, Chinese puzzles, and more.
New this year, participants will also be able to pick up
a special coupon booklet featuring some of the best local businesses and merchants
on Waverly Place and near the alleyway.
Cost: Free
