Performances
Saturday, April 20 2024 - Piedmont Park Center Stage
A community dojo since 1998, Oakland Taiko brings the modern "kumi-daiko" form of taiko drumming to the Bay Area. With origins in the religious ceremonies and folk festivals of Japan, modern "kumi-daiko" style emerged from the work of jazz drummer Daihachi Oguchi in 1951. Since then, kumi-daiko has experienced a worldwide renaissance that began in the 1960s and continues to grow today.
Beloved Little Circus (BLC) is an aerial arts school and events company for children, teens, and adults. BLC is based on the border of Concord and Walnut Creek, and provides lyra, aerial pole, and silks classes. We are passionate about community, teaching and inspiring movement art, and performance! Come fly with us!
The Great Wall Youth Orchestra, part of the Purple Silk Music Education Foundation, is an Oakland-based nonprofit orchestra that supports music education for young people across the Bay Area. Musicians, including many including first-, second-, and third-generation Chinese immigrants, learn how to play traditional Chinese instruments and repertoire. The orchestra offers a special connection between their origins and heritage and their life in the United States, and promotes cross-cultural appreciation in the local community. Notable appearances include Good Morning America, Meghan Mullally Show, and the Golden State Warriors.
O'Hina'aro Nui is a school of Tahitian Dance and Music based in Brisbaone, CA. Our passion is to share the Tahitian Dance and Music culture to everyone who is interested.
"We are forever students of the culture."
Ayo Brame is a 16-year-old up and coming tenor saxophone jazz musician out of Oakland, California. He is a student at Oakland School for the Arts. He is trained by jazz great Richard Howell by way of Oaktown Jazz Workshops. He considers himself a purist when it comes to jazz as he channels late greats such as John Coltrane, and Wayne Shorter. Embraced by the jazz community, he has been very lucky in acquiring additional mentors that he has played with with such as Kev Choice, Howard Wiley, Terrace Martinn, Keyon Harrold, Stacy Dillard, and Marcus Shelby.This year he is touring in the United States, Brazil and Cuba. In addition to the tenor saxophone, he also plays the soprano & alto saxophones, clarinet, EWI, bass guitar and drums. He composes and arranges music and is currently recording his debut album entitle "Oakland in My Soul!" He plans to study music in New York after high school graduation . Ayo has sold out his May 2nd 8pm and has a second show at 10pm!
https://yoshis.com/events/buy-tickets/ayo-brame/detail
August Lee Stevens is an emerging Bay Area based musician and singer-songwriter with an atmospheric range of Indie Soul and Folk. Her dynamic sound merges the lyrical rawness and simplicity of Folk songs with the lush melodies and vocals of Neo Soul. A lover of storytelling, she uses music to cut into the heart, inviting people to look in on some of her most intimate moments. Her music showcases that there is strength that comes from vulnerability and through the sharing of music hopes to provide the backdrop to the more delicate moments of life.
Her debut EP, Better Places recorded with Women’s Audio Mission (WAM) is out now and available everywhere. You can find her latest releases and performance on her website and all social media platforms.
Linktree | Instagram | Spotify |Bandcamp
Local non-profit No Immigrant No Spice (NINS) is back with its engaging and educational Trivia Show, guaranteed to surprise and delight Food Festers of all ages!
The Devendra Sharma Folk Opera Ensemble is honored to present excerpts from a traditional art form of song and dance which dates back 200 years. In fact, the scenes being performed at the 2024 Piedmont Food Fest are from one of the oldest scripts. This production, called Princess Nautanki, became so famous across stages in India that the art form itself soon came to be known as “nautanki.” Over the years, these traditional stage musicals were replaced by cinema and television. Though Bollywood is popular in India and other parts of the world, few are aware that its roots can be traced back to the folk opera art of nautanki. Dr Devendra Sharma’s father, Pundit Ram Dayal Sharma, is the recipient of the highest honor awarded to artists by the President of India. Devendra and his father work tirelessly to preserve this art form, and they have received a grant from the Hewlett Foundation to fund a full production in the US. They will be performing Princess Nautanki in May 2024 in San Francisco along with musicians from India as well as singers and dancers from the Bay Area. This is a story of a princess and a commoner, and it explores many themes including female empowerment. We hope you enjoy the excerpts from the show, and we would love to see you at the full production of Princess Nautanki in May!
