Stern Grove Festival

Established in 1938, the Stern Grove Festival is an admission-free series of performing arts events held during the summer months at the Sigmund Stern Recreation Grove, a eucalyptus-wooded natural amphitheater on a 33-acre (130,000 m²) site at 19th Avenue and Sloat Boulevard, about two miles (3 km) south of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.

Sigmund Stern Grove itself is a part of San Francisco history and tradition. Prior to being purchased by Rosalie Meyer Stern in 1931, the land was owned by the Greenes, an entrepreneurial family in the agriculture sector. The Trocadero, a large clubhouse built the premises in 1892 and still standing, served as a family residence, a tavern and saloon, and a hotel. Mrs. Stern bought the land and gifted it to the City of San Francisco in honor of her husband, Sigmund. Her terms were that the space be used to present “music, dramatics, and pageantry” to the public, or the land would revert to the ownership of the Stern family.

The natural amphitheatre (referred to as “nature’s music box”) was dedicated on June 4, 1932. Two weeks later, June 19, 1932, the first official concert was held. Gaetano Merola directed the San Francisco Symphony in Wagner’s Overture to Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, Bizet’s L’Arlésienne Suite No. 2, Borodin’s In the Steppes of Central Asia, and the Blue Danube Waltz. Guest violinist was Jascha Veissi performed the second movement of Saint-Saens’ Violin Concerto. The concert was a benefit for the Symphony’s musicians with admission costing $0.25, as well as a celebration of the Grove’s dedication.

Every summer since 1938, Stern Grove Festival has presented admission free performances for the residents of and visitors to the Bay Area. Generally, the concerts begin in mid-June and continue till mid-August, held on Sundays at 2pm. The San Francisco Symphony is a returning annual favorite. The San Francisco Ballet and San Francisco Opera perform most summers as well. Through the years, several other groups became fixtures at the Grove, including Preservation Hall Jazz Band, The Lamplighters, and the Pacific Opera Company.

As the city of San Francisco has diversified and grown, so has the Festival. Prominent acts that have performed at the Grove include Ozomatli, Johnny Otis, Joan Baez, Roberta Flack, Blind Boys of Alabama, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, They Might Be Giants, Jovanotti, Neko Case, Aaron Neville, Arrested Development, Femi Kuti, Totó La Momposina, Angelique Kidjo, Ladysmith Black Mombazo, Aimee Mann, Huey Lewis and the News, Allen Toussaint, Trombone Shorty, and Alonzo King LINES Ballet.

A keystone of Stern Grove Festival’s mission is public access to arts education. The Festival itself presents several outreach programs throughout the summer. Troc Talks are held pre-concert in the Trocadero Clubhouse and feature interviews with the headlining artist of the afternoon. KidStage programs are family events held in the West Meadow, also pre-concert, featuring activities corresponding with the musical genre presented that day. During the season on weekdays, Stern Grove Festival hosts KidsDays, day long classes for individual families as well as class and camp groups, featuring lessons in music, dance, and performance art. In 2011, Stern Grove Festival began Summer Sessions, an intensive program for high school instrumentalists.

The Stern Grove Festival Association is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.

Concert Videos and Podcasts

Visit the Web site for concert videos and podcasts that began with the 2006 Stern Grove Festival season. Videos are produced and directed by Craig Abaya with a crew of students from the Digital Video Intensive training program at SF State University Extended Learning. Videos include performances, pre-concert talks, and backstage interviews. Click the Interact tab at Stern Grove. Videos can also be viewed at YouTube and iTunes.

External links

• Stern Grove Festival
• Official history of Stern Grove Festival performances (1970–present)
• Video tour of park and amphitheater
• Stern Grove Festival Facebook
• Stern Grove Festival Twitter