Red Poppy Art House: July, 2019

Events are just beginning to trickle into the Upcoming Events Web page on the Web site for the Red Poppy Art House. However, the events that have been posted those far take place later in the month of July, rather than earlier. Those who follow this site regularly know that this Web page will be updated to reflect additions to the Upcoming Events list and that I use my “shadow” Facebook site to put out the word each time there is an update.

The Red Poppy is located in the Mission at 2698 Folsom Street on the southwest corner of 23rd Street. Tickets are now being sold in advance online through Eventbrite. As a result, the dates provided below will be hyperlinked to the Eventbrite event pages for purchasing tickets.

Given the demand for these concerts, it is likely that only a limited number of tickets will be available at the door. Remember, the Poppy is a small space. Even those who have purchased their tickets in advance should probably make it a point to be there when the doors open one half-hour before the performance is scheduled to begin. Here are the specifics for the events that have been posted thus far:

Friday, July 19, 7:30 p.m.: Brazilian guitarist Ricardo Peixoto will return to the Poppy, this time giving a duo performance with Almir Côrtes (also Brazilian), who plays bothy mandolin and guitars with differing string counts. They will be present an evening of choros, sambas, and bossa novas. Admission will be on a sliding scale between $20 and $25.

Saturday, July 20, 7:30 p.m.: Readers may recall that one of the high points of 2017 took place when members of Brooklyn Raga Massive appeared at the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival to give a performance of Terry Riley’s “In C.” Riley composed this score as a collection of 53 short numbered music phrases, which may be played by any number of performers on instruments of their choosing. In addition to performing in Yerba Buena Gardens, Brooklyn Raga Massive used their visit to San Francisco to perform also at the Red Poppy. Next month the group will return to the Poppy, this time performing their distinctive take on “In C” at that venue. The program will also include a sneak peak at a new Riley composition written exclusively for the ensemble. The group will be led by co-founder Sameer Gupta on percussion. The other performers will be Neel Murgai on sitar, violinists Arun Ramamurthy and Trina Basu, Pawan Benjamin alternating between bansuri and saxophone, Michael Gam on bass, David Ellenbogen on guitar, and Lauren Crump on percussion. Admission will be on a sliding scale between $20 and $25.

Friday, July 26, 7:30 p.m.: Mark Deutsch will return to the Poppy, again playing the bazantar, an instrument of his own invention that is basically a 39-string upright bass. This time he will be joined by computer scientist and pioneer of virtual reality Jaron Lanier, who will bring with him a collection of various wind and string instruments from Asia. They will use the combination of their respective instruments to explore properties of resonance. Admission will be on a sliding scale between $20 and $25.

Saturday, July 27, 7:30 p.m.: Dror Sinai will present a program entitled Love Songs of the World. His repertoire will provide a journey from the Middle East to Turkey, from Egypt to Tunisia, with a visit in Yemen and rest in Morocco. The performers that will join him have not yet been announced. Admission will be on a sliding scale between $15 and $20.

Sunday, July 28, 2 p.m.: This will be the next installment of the free Monthly Community Rumba, with music provided by Rumberos de Radio Habana. While this is a free event, donations are warmly accepted. All donated money goes to the performing musicians, and a recommended amount is between $5 and $10.

Sunday, July 28, 7:30 p.m.: This evening will be a presentation of the end of a solo flamenco performance development program by French-born dancer La Tania Baile. The program will feature solos by six of her students: Sara Moncada, Claudia Bermudez, Claudia Deveze, Vannessa de Fabrerga, Ana-Lucia Jardim, and Mimi Wiener-Misher. Music will provided by guitarist Roberto Aguilar and vocalist Roberto Zamora. Admission will be on a sliding scale between $15 and $20.