La Peña

La Pe�a's 8th Annual Friendraiser

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Monday March 15, 2010 6:30-8:30pm
Celebrating 35 Years! Like Brand New
Join us for an inspiring evening where friends, artists, community members, and activists come together to share their stories about the impact La Peña has had on their lives. The Friendraiser is our major fundraising event of the year. Your support is essential to fulfilling our mission of promoting peace, social justice & cultural understanding through the arts and community action. We will have the honor of inducting into La Peña’s Hall of Fame the fearless civil rights & social justice activist Yuri Kochiyama. Event will be taking place at The Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th Street in downtown Oakland. Please contact Nadine at 510-849-2568 ext. 12 for more information.

Concert

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Thursday March 18, 2010 7:30pm
Ohana!

RAMA Arts presents Ohana! (Hawai’ian for family), a showcase of Asian American musicians, spoken word artists, dancers, video/multidisciplinary artists, and visual artists. This event features singer/songwriter Cynthia Lin and more guests. Hosted by Ryan Takemiya.

^{Note: No advance sale tickets for this show. Tickets will be available at the box office 30 minutes prior to show time.}

Concert

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Friday March 19, 2010 8pm
Rafael Manriquez & Ingrid Rubis

For advance tickets click here.

Join Rafael Manrîquez and Ingrid Rubis for songs from their recent CD "Aqui te traigo una Rosa / I Bring You a Rose" and works by Victor Jara, Violeta Parra, Atahualpa Yupanqui, and the immortal sung poetry of Pablo Neruda and Gabriela Mistral.

Concert-Music from Venezuela

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Saturday March 20, 2010 8pm
Nicolas Real and guests artists Jackeline Rago

For advance tickets click here.

La Peña is proud to present Nicolas Real - direct from Venezuela. Internationally recognized Venezuelan flutist Nicolas Real’s new CD Music from the Eastern Venezuela, gathers an exquisite selection of the great variety of Venezuelan genres. Special guests include Jackeline Rago and Anna-Maria Violich, Lali Mejia, percussion, Edgar Lavado on bass from the Venezuelan Music Project.

After three successful musical productions in Miami: Navidades Venezolanas in 2008 and December 2009, and La Boda del Raton Perez in June 2009, AMUNDOS PRODUCTIONS proudly presents the international tour Sonidos de Venezuela y Latinoamerica by the internationally recognized Venezuelan Flutist: Nicolas Real. Besides his vast experience in the symphonic and chamber ensemble areas, Nicolas Real is a remarkable performer of the music from his beloved Venezuela. His first CD as a soloist, “Music from the Eastern Venezuela”, gathers an exquisite selection of the great variety of genres from the East side of Venezuela, some of which will be included in the tour program.

Sponsored by Citgo Co. this tour will bring the artist for the first time to the San Francisco Bay Area. Nicolas Real says: “I am very excited about the opportunity to perform a selection of Venezuelan and Latin American pieces for the multicultural audience of such a well known Cultural Center as La Peña by taking advantage of the variety and sonority of the flute, it’s great expression capacity, and its versatile potential”.

Andreina Sanabria, Executive Director of AMUNDOS says: “We are very proud to feature our beautiful music to different places and venues in this country, such as Miami, Orlando, Washington D.C., Houston and now San Francisco, where Nicolas Real will share the stage with Jaqueline Rago and Anna-Maria Violich, both from the Venezuelan Music Project.”

Art Opening Reception

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Saturday March 20, 2010 3:30-5:30pm
David Perea
Join us for an unveiling of David Perea's art show.

Los Amiguitos

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Saturday March 20, 2010 10:30am
Uncle Eye

Tickets will be available at the box office 30 minutes prior to show time.

Uncle Eye, also know as Ira Levin, presents a performance of wacky and fun songs. Whether you are looking for Velcro Sideburns, Manna from Heaven, a Penguin Party or The Sultan of Time, you've come to the right place to cheer you up and to cheer you on.

Jam Session

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Sunday March 21, 2010 3:30-6pm
Caf� Rumba
The Afro-Cuban folkloric drums, dances, and songs of rumba. Rumba is the word used for a group of related, community-oriented, musical and dance styles in Cuba. Rumba developed in rural Cuba, with strong influences from African drumming and Spanish poetry and singing. There are three basic types of rumba in Cuba: yambu is a slower, simpler style; the guaguanco, a moderate to fast style where the rhythm can be more complex; and the columbia, the fastest style danced by solo males who perform to demonstrate their strength, agility, and sense of humor.

Concert

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Sunday March 21, 2010 7pm
La Pe�a Community Chorus & Vukani Mawethu

For advance tickets click here.

Join two Bay Area choral treasures, Vukani Mawethu and La Peña Community Chorus, as they join hearts and voices in an evening of inspiration with songs from South Africa, Latin America, and the world. Why has this never happened before? We don't know! But now it is HAPPENIN' so come to La Peña for two concerts for the price of one as these two Bay Area choirs share their unique and inspired repertoires with each other and an audience of our combined fans!

The La Peña Community Chorus has been singing songs of peace, justice, and hope since it began in 1978. Started by the Chilean exile community who founded La Peña Cultural Center in Berkeley in 1975, the original mission of the Chorus was one of solidarity with the resistance against the dictatorship in Chile. But over the years their focus has expanded to other countries, including the struggles of people in El Salvador, Nicaragua, Mexico, Cuba, and to various labor, community, and women’s struggles closer to home. Their music includes not only the Nueva Canción (or "New Song Movement") of Chile, but styles based in the folk and social justice movements of all of Latin America. They sing in nursing homes, elders’ residences, hospitals, migrant labor camps, juvenile halls, rehabilitation centers, and schools, in addition to their public concerts and performances. In 1995, they were the first North American chorus to take part in the International Choral Festival in Santiago, Cuba. They followed up that tour by visiting Chile in 1999, Mexico in 2002, and Peru in 2006.

Vukani Mawethu is a nonprofit multiracial choir which sings the freedom songs of Southern Africa, primarily of South Africa in Zulu, Xhosa, Sethu, and English, and also gospel, spirituals, labor and civil rights songs linking peoples in the U.S., South Africa, and around the world. Formed in 1986 by the late great James Madhlope Phillips, an ANC union and cultural organizer, for a major concert at UC Berkeley's Zellerbach Hall, they are united by their strong opposition to racism and apartheid and by their love of the rhythms and melodies which have grown out of century-long struggles for freedom. Vukani Mawethu has continued to sing out against racism and injustice whenever and wherever possible-from small AIDS rallies, homeless shelters or prisons, to performing directly behind Nelson Mandela before 78,000 at the Oakland Coliseum in June 1990, and throughout the cities and townships of South Africa on a dynamic cultural tour in July-August 1997. Vukani Mawethu is proud to have contributed to the international effort to bring about democratic elections for all the people of South Africa, and to have often been called "the spirit of the movement" and "cultural ambassadors of good will.

4th Annual Not-A-Seder

Wed, 24 Mar 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Wednesday March 24, 2010 7pm
Passover Cabaret of Laughter & Liberation
The event will feature real-life stories of contemporary liberation from local social justice activists and new spins on ancient tales from Bay Area artists.

Concert

Thu, 25 Mar 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Thursday March 25, 2010 8pm
Anita Tijoux

For advance tickets click here.

From Chile, La Peña is proud to present rap all-star Anita Tijoux who will be giving us a taste of her new album 1977. With her cunning and sophisticated lyrics, her hypnotic, jazzy voice and dynamic beats Tijoux paints us a picture of her beginnings in France and pays homage to the early 90s era of hip-hop that got her into rapping as a teenager in Chile. Featuring DJ Juan Data and special guests TBA.

Concert

Fri, 26 Mar 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Friday March 26, 2010 8pm
Patricio Hidalgo

For advance tickets click here.

Direct from Southern Veracruz, Patricio Hidalgo brings us his captivating rhythms for an evening of son jarocho. Along with El Son del Norte (from San Jose, CA), Patricio will be presenting new and old compositions. This dynamic, charismatic performer is a prominent figure in the son jarocho community, and it's a show you do not want to miss.

The Ties That Connect Us

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Saturday March 27, 2010 8pm
Enlaces

For advance tickets click here.

The Community Music Center of San Francisco, La Peña Cultural Center, and Gabriela Shiroma of De Rompe y Raja are proud to present Enlaces (translated as 'the ties that connect us'). This five part series, of which this concert is the second part, explores the Spanish, Indigienous, Arabic, and African influences in the music and dance of the Americas.

Tonight's show, entitled Y Los Pañuelos, features the zamacueca, a mother dance of the Americas. Performing are groups Aracauria, De Rompe y Raja, Trio Chaskinakuy, and Los Lupeños de San Jose along with artists Daniel Zamalloa, Vladimir Vukanovich, Lichi Fuentes, Gabriel & Efrain Escobar, Pampa Cortes & Gigi Jensen, Nestor Ruiz, and Gabriela Shiroma. The show will be narrated by Paul Flores.

Los Amiguitos

Sat, 27 Mar 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Saturday March 27, 2010 10:30am
Mariela & Monica

Tickets will be available at the box office 30 minutes prior to show time.

Local Berkeley artists Mariela & Monica presents a morning of songs in Spanish for the entire family. Mariela has performed for Centro Vida, Studio Grow, and Hola Kids.

Poetry Reading

Sun, 28 Mar 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Sunday March 28, 2010 7-10pm
Muchas Voces Una Vision / Many Voices One Vision

Join La Peña as we celebrate César Chávez Day with a collective poetry reading by more than 30 Bay Area poets as a benefit for the relief efforts in Haiti by Doctors Without Borders. Show will feature San Francisco Poet Laureate Diane di Prima as Guest Poet; Former San Francisco Poet Laureates: Devorah Major and Jack Hirschman; Alameda Poet Laureate: Mary Rudge; Former Poet Laureate of Sonoma County: Geri Digiornio; and Former State Poet Laureate: Al Young.

Also joining us are poets: Adrián Arias • Alejandro Murguía • Avotcja • Boadiba • Daniel del Solar • Dorinda Moreno • Fernando Torres • Francisco X. Alarcón • Genny Lim • Graciela Ramírez • Jack & Adelle Foley • Jennifer Andrea Porras • Jennifer Fox Bennett • Jewelle Gomez • JoAnn Anglin • Jorge Tetl • Argueta • Joyce Jenkins • Lisa Bernstein • Lorna Dee Cervantes • Lucha Corpi • Mamacoatl • Marc Piñate • Nicole Limón • Nina Serrano • Nellie Wong • Odilia Galván Rodríguez • Paul Lobo •Portugues • Rafael Jesús González • Roberto Vargas • Rosa Escamilla • Sharon Doubiag

Film Screening

Wed, 31 Mar 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Wednesday March 31, 2010 7:30pm
The Seed
A story with an air of magic, "The Seed" chronicles the life of Fikir, an orphan boy of the streets, after an angel appears to him in a dream. Director Joshua Bee Alafia blends the colorful reality of an Ethiopian city with supernatural fantasy to create a gentle story of perseverance and hope.

Soulful vocals & inspiring messages

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Friday April 02, 2010 8pm
Lichi Fuentes & Jon Fromer

For advance tickets click here.

Songs for the struggle, featuring the rich voice, haunting melodies and moving lyrics of Lichi and Jon's soulful vocals, rhythmic guitar and inspiring messages.

One of the finest Latin American female voices in the Bay Area, Lichi Fuentes is a multi-instrumentalist known for her strong voice and commitment to social justice. She is an established voice in the Bay Area's Latin American new song scene who has been described as a natural vocalist whose "commitment to social justice is a tangible force in her music." (SF Bay Guardian). Founder and lead vocalist of the group Altazor, Lichi is currently musical director of La Peña's Community Chorus and teaches music at elementary schools in the Bay Area.

Jon Fromer is an award-winning singer/songwriter whose music is a special blend of folk, blues and country that has been at the center of movements for peace and social change in the San Francisco Bay Area for decades. Jon is known for his rich soulful voice, rhythmic guitar style, and poetic lyrics that capture the human condition. Jon latest CD “Gonna Take Us All” speaks to the power of working together. Pete Seeger's response was “It's a great record! I hope many people start singing your songs.”

La Pe�a 35th Anniversary Edition

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Saturday April 03, 2010 9pm
The Park Presents... Vol. 3

The Bay Area's most in-demand rhythm section makes their long awaited return to La Peña backing an All-Star cast of emcees & vocalists including Nino Moschella, Wonway, Melina Jones, Do Dat & Isis, 40 Love, and Siaira Shawn. With DJ Whooligan.

^{Note: No advance sale tickets for this show. Tickets will be available at the box office 30 minutes prior to show time.}

Family Show

Sat, 03 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Saturday April 03, 2010 10:30am.
The Alphabet Rockers

High energy beats with The Alphabet Rockers. A Parents' Choice Award and National Parenting Publications Award winner, Alphabet Rockers has rocked families coast to coast, getting everyone on their feet with their hip (hop) sounds, DJ-style scratching and jammin’ beats. And it's all educational! CD reviews state that "parents will want to listen to it in the car … maybe even without the kids on board!” and the San Francisco Chronicle calls Alphabet Rockers "high energy kiddie hip hop". Come see for yourself - Alphabet Rockers is music and for parents who want to avoid "the brutal assaults of the purple dinosaur" (Boston Globe).

Community participatory event

Sun, 04 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Sunday April 04, 2010 3:30 - 6pm
Caf� Rumba
There are three basic types of rumba in Cuba: yambu is a slower, simpler style; the guaguanco, a moderate to fast style where the rhythm can be more complex and the columbia, the fastest style danced by solo males who perform to demonstrate their strength, agility, and sense of humor.

Every Monday

Mon, 05 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Monday April 05, 2010 8-10pm
The Rebirth
For street dancers of all styles! All levels are welcome. An open and inclusive environment for dancers of all levels to cypher, build community, & improvise with live musicians. Open freestyle practice sessions for street dancers of all styles including House, B-boying/B-girling, Hip-Hop Proper, Popping, Waaking, Locking, and dances of the African Diaspora. Two resident DJ's will spin mostly deep soulful house & hip-hop. Each week there will be guest local MC's, vocalists, or percussionists.

Caf� Science presents

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Wednesday April 07, 2010 7pm
Jeffrey Silverman

Jeffrey Silverman, Graduate Student from the Astronomy Department at UC Berkeley, will share his passion for the wonders of our universe.

The East Bay Science Café is a Café Scientifique style forum for discussing interesting and relevant scientific issues. The goal is to encourage public engagement with science by inviting members of the scientific community to present topics for a casual evening of conversation. The East Bay Science Café is brought to you by the University of California Berkeley Natural History Museums.

Cross-cultural musical event

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Thursday April 08, 2010 8pm
Chaskinakuy, Gabriela Lena & SF Chamber Orchestra

From Beethoven to Bolivia. Trio Chaskinakuy, Gabriela Lena Frank, and the SF Chamber Orchestra All-Stars perform music of Beethoven plus folkloric music from South America in a very special cross-cultural musical event.

^{Note: No advance sale tickets for this show. Tickets will be available at the box office 30 minutes prior to show time.}

Afro-Haitian Neo-Folklore

Fri, 09 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Friday April 09, 2010 8pm
Adia Whitaker

For advance tickets click here.

Performance Artist Lec-Dem. Two Days Only! Adia Whitaker is one of the youngest, professional choreographers and Master Teachers of Afro-Haitian Folklore in the US. She will show and talk about the piece Ampey!, a multidisciplinary theatre, music, & dance piece that explores the spiritual, emotional, & physical disconnect between African Americans and Continental Africans.

Afro-Haitian Neo-Folklore

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Saturday April 10, 2010 8pm
Adia Whitaker

For advance tickets click here.

Family Show

Sat, 10 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Saturday April 10, 2010 10:30am
Los Mapaches
Saturday, April 10
Los Mapaches includes young musicians, ranging from kindergartners to high school students, who study and perform locally. The group's repertoire includes traditional from the Andes and other regions of Latin America.

Solidarity with the Cuban Revolution

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Sunday April 11, 2010 3-7pm

Speakers and discussion on the U.S. blockade, travel to Cuba, and the Cuban 5. Sponsored by Pastors for Peace. For more info: (831) 512-6688 or cucaravan@igc.org.

^{Note: No advance sale tickets for this show. Tickets will be available at the box office 30 minutes prior to show time.}

Hood Games Film Fest

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Wednesday April 14, 2010

Seamless mix of political stand-up

Thu, 15 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Thursday April 15, 2010 8pm
The W Kamau Bell Curve

Bring a friend of a different race and get in 2 for 1!

For advance tickets click here.

Third Root presents The W Kamau Bell Curve). Kamau returns to the La Peña stage with his seamless mix of political stand-up comedy, video and audio clips, and solo theatrical performance. Kamau attacks racism with a new slew of material at every performance.

(Two shows on Friday: 8pm & 10pm)

Seamless mix of political stand-up

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Friday April 16, 2010 Two shows: 8pm & 10pm
The W Kamau Bell Curve

Bring a friend of a different race and get in 2 for 1!

For advance tickets click here.

Third Root presents The W Kamau Bell Curve. Kamau returns to the La Peña stage with his seamless mix of political stand-up comedy, video and audio clips, and solo theatrical performance. Kamau attacks racism with a new slew of material at every performance.

The African Connection

Sat, 17 Apr 2010 04:00:00 GMT

Saturday April 17, 2010 8pm
La Colectiva

For advance tickets click here.

La Colectiva Presents: The African Connection between Mexico & Peru! Featuring the Masters: Liche Oseguera and Patricio Hildalgo from Chuchumbe, Pedro Rosales and De Rompe Y Raja, and a special performance by La Colectiva!