We’ve been meaning to go to Flower Piano for awhile now. An annual event, Flower Piano is presented by Sunset Piano & San Francisco Botanical Gardens and its now in its 5th year. Pianos are set up throughout San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park every summer for people to play and from small children to professionals, music lights up the skies, warms people’s hearts, heals people’s souls and entertains visitors.
They have singalongs as well as professional performances. For kids, they had a Rabbit Hole Theater Scavenger Hunt through the garden. They sell plants and offer a Friday evening Flower Piano at Sunset, which is a new family-friendly addition which allows a young talent showcase for musicians 12 years old and under. There’s also Flower Piano by Night, which they charge for, however the weekend day performances are completely free for San Francisco residents and a nominal fee if you’re not.
On the weekend during the day, they have twelve piano extravaganza, which means that there are simultaneous performances at all pianos set up throughout the park. In the Great Meadow, Heidleberg Hill, Garden of Fragrance, the Rhododendron Garden, the Ancient Plant Garden, in the New Zealand and South Africa garden section, as well as the California Native Garden, Redwood Grove, Conifer Lawn, the Moon Viewing Garden and Zellerbach Garden — all of them were alive with music. In the Redwoods, Dawn Oberg did songs about plant life and our friend Noam Eisen played for most of the day. In the California Native Garden, we heard from Steve Abrams Trio, and Eric Chase played music from beloved composers and improvisations.
We also hear from Monty Oxymoron in the Zellerbach Garden — classical jazz improv with a touch of Psychedelia. Other performers included Paulo Sultanum and guests, Jordan Feinstein, Benjamin Gribble, Esther Aeshbach, Samantha Cho and Florin Parvulescu, Sandra Simich, Elektra Schmidt, Lewis Patzner & friends, Martha Cooper & friends, Mark Techler and others. In the Fountain Plaza, the main area in the park, there was an incredible orchestra collective, which included David Moschler (conducting), and featured Serene on piano (so much wow here)! They performed Chopin and Rachmaninoff on Saturday, performances not to be missed.
Below are some photos from the day.
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Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
