With musicians playing trombones, trumpets, flugel horns, cornets, euphoniums, tubas and french horns, it’s a rare thing to hear a live 14-piece brass band. When the concert is a Musical Bridgestribute by the Golden Gate Brass Band for the 75th Anniversary of the Golden Gate Bridge (1937-2012), it is truly a “once in a blue moon” opportunity.
The Board and Staff of Bread & Roses would like to thank all of the performers, volunteers, donors and sponsors who participated in our March 22 benefit concert, "Take Heart." We couldn't have done it without your support. And what a night it was, complete with dinner, music and dancing! The following is a slideshow of photos taken at the event:
All photos by Ken Friedman, courtesy of Bread & Roses.
If you attended the event, please leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts.
In Singing Lessons: A Memoir of Love, Loss, Hope and Healing(c. 1998 p. 174) Judy Collins recalls looking for songs for an album project in 1976.
“After the death of her husband, Dick Fariña, Mimi Fariña, Joan Baez’s younger sister, had started a nonprofit organization in San Francisco called Bread & Roses, to provide free entertainment for people in homes, jails and hospitals in the Bay Area.She wrote the “Bread and Roses” melody to a poem by James Oppenheim and I recorded it, using a choir of voices in a church in New York.”
In her liner notes for the album, also titled Bread & Roses Judy said:“Songs come from many places, unexpectedly, amazingly.”She relayed how Mimi had sent her a copy of the “Bread and Roses” poem. She thought it so beautiful that she asked her to set it to music.Her sister Holly Ann then designed a Bread and Roses tapestry piece featuring a single rose and wove it using hand-dyed yarns which was then used as the art for the inside album cover.
We are thrilled to announce Take Heart the exciting and eclectic 2012 Concert to Benefit Bread & Roses. The show will be held on March 22 at the historic Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, and will feature an extraordinary lineup of some of the Bay Area’s hottest local artists, all of whom inspire our audiences year-round.
The concert will be big, bold and brilliant – ranging from blues and jazz to pop and Broadway show tunes. Some of our featured artists include:
Mitch Woods and his Rocket 88s. Mitch is described as “one of the top boogie piano men around” by Dan Aquilante of the New York Post. Mitch Woods and his Rocket 88s will fill the room with their jumpin’ and jivin’, pumpin’ and poundin’, New Orleans rhythm and blues “rock-a-boogie” magic.
Lisa Bautista (left) with Joyce DeWitt, actress from Three's Company, and Kris Koskela, RRazz Room office manager, at the venue’s 3rd annual “RRAZZiversary” earlier this year.
We are grateful that The RRazz Room’s first annual “Season of Giving” in December will benefit Bread & Roses.Throughout the month, San Francisco’s Premier Nightclub is presenting many performers who support Bread & Roses including:Maria Muldaur (Dec. 7) and Pete Escovedo & Family (Dec. 9-11).Donations will be requested for Bread & Roses at each concert from Dec. 1-30, 2011.
And Bring Good Cheer To Our Isolated Audiences in December!
Bread & Roses is sponsoring a holiday sing-along for several of our facility audiences with a chorus of volunteer singers co-led by singers Claudia Russell and Marian Hubler.
Anyone who enjoys singing holiday songs is welcome to participate. Each program will be approximately 45 minutes to an hour. If you interested in being part of the group, you can do one show or all, which will be held in the East Bay, San Francisco and Marin.
Not according to Frederica. There will be operatic elements, but Frederica's repertoire will more closely resemble an intimate classical recital. "It will be My Life in Song," she said when we posed the question to her. "I will be singing excerpts from Jake Heggie'sDead Man Walking, an aria from Werther, and a special song by John Musto titled, 'Litany,' which is based on Langston Hughes' poem 'Shadow of the Blues.' "
When asked why she chose to lend her talents in support of Bread & Roses, Frederica warmly responded by saying:
"People who are suffering, who are down and out, who are living in poverty, don't know that they are loved. Bread & Roses is about healing and helping them. We remind them that they are God's special creatures, even when the world tells them they're not."
Micah Press and his jazz combo at the San Rafael farmer's market.
Fall is a time when many nonprofits step up their fundraising efforts in order to meet end-of-year goals. This fall, Bread & Roses was delighted to be on the receiving end of the generosity of thirteen-year-old Micah Press, who took our mission to the streets with the help of his school’s jazz combo.
We first met Micah a few months ago when he set out to raise money in support of our organization. Being a musician himself, he said that of all the Marin nonprofits he could support, he felt most aligned with the mission and impact of Bread & Roses. In order to raise money, Micah played with his jazz combo at the San Rafael farmers market and requested that for his bar mitzvah, his guests make contributions to Bread & Roses in lieu of gifts.
In an ironic turn of events, we were recently able to give back to Micah when he spent time at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital for a neck problem. Singer/songwriter Francesca Lee (who is also a Bread & Roses producer) performed a bedside concert for Micah, reminding him that through his generosity, he had become a cherished member of the Bread & Roses extended family.
Recently, Micah was discharged from the hospital, and one of the first things he did was to deliver his donation. Amazingly, he exceeded his goal of raising $1,800, a number he chose because in Judaism, the number 18 is an expression of life. Micah says that he will continue to raise money for Bread & Roses with the help of his jazz trio once he is fully recovered. In the meantime, we will use his generous gift to sponsor shows for kids in other pediatric hospitals throughout the Bay Area.
Thank you Micah. A whole lot of hope, healing and joy will soon be shared thanks to your generosity.
With red, white and blue balloons bobbing cheerfully in the breeze, the band Moonalice played an upbeat Bread & Roses concert for the veterans at the VA Hospital in Menlo Park on Labor Day 2011. Blessed with beautiful sunny weather, this early afternoon special event was held on Monday, September 5 on a small stage in a grassy area to the right of the front door of the Community Living Center.
Our audience was a mix of veterans -- most from World War II who lived in the nursing unit close by and enjoyed the performance from a covered deck. They were assisted by other vets from the Vietnam era who came from a residential rehab program in a nearby building.
Photo: Moonalice performing a Bread & Roses show at Delancey Street Foundation in San Francisco.
A band of seasoned musicians, Moonalice features Roger McNamee on rhythm guitar, bass and vocals; Ann McNamee on keyboards and vocals; Pete Sears on keyboards, guitar, vocals and bass; Barry Sless on lead, pedal steel and bass guitars; and John Molo on drums and vocals.
Pete Sears launched the set with "Down the Road", a crowd pleaser and apt metaphor for this traveling band that goes all over the country playing outdoor festivals and parks as a living embodiment of their belief that music is a communal experience that should be shared.
OIGC Director, Terrance Kelly takes a turn at the microphone.
Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir -- their name says it all. Buddhists, Christians, Jews and others join their voices to sing traditional and contemporary Black Gospel music. Many races and ethnicities blend into one beautiful chorus. Residents of Crossroads Homeless Shelter in Oakland were engulfed by the powerful sound that filled their dining hall during a recent Bread & Roses concert there. Some laughed, some cried as songs of trials and faith touched their hearts. “Never Alone,” “All I Need,” and upon request “Amazing Grace” buoyed the spirits of folks facing a hard time in their lives.
Volunteer host Barb Withers who attended the show wrote, “There was a shared energy in the room and it just kept encircling everyone with love and strength. It was hard to believe how much the music filled the room, and as it did, more and more of the audience stood smiling, clapping and singing to the inspiring music.”
After the show, a young choir member said that she was especially happy to be working with Bread & Roses. She had been inspired by seeing shows while attending a high school for students with special needs. She was now able to give back to the organization that gave to her.
OIGC has been blessing Bread & Roses audiences since 1990, performing regularly in detention centers, rehab facilities and shelters.
So, is it opera?
