Generational habits have always shaped how people connect, but the shift from phone calls to texting is especially stark. For Monica O’Brien, a communications scholar based in southwest Florida, the contrast has become part of her research and her daily life.

“For Gen Xers, using the phone was a privilege,” she said. “Every kid dreamed of having a phone in their bedroom. I probably had a hundred numbers memorized, and now I can’t remember anyone’s.”

O’Brien recalls her father being strict about phone use, a reminder that in the 1970s and ’80s, making a call was not just convenience but standard. Today, she sees that context missing from her younger coworkers’ experiences.

“A lot of them feel anxiety about answering the phone on the sales floor,” she said. “They just never had to learn those skills. They’re so used to screens.”

That difference in comfort is borne out in research. A survey conducted by the recruitment firm Robert Walters found that 59% of young professionals prefer to use email or messaging instead of phone calls, and about half report feeling uncomfortable making business calls. Only 16% said phone conversations are an effective use of time. Older workers, by contrast, often worry that fewer calls and in-person meetings undermine relationships.

The split between generations appears in personal life as well. A 2023 YouGov poll covering 17 countries found that 40% of people said text messages were their most-used method of staying in touch with loved ones. Voice calls came in second at 29%. Among 18-to-24-year-olds, nearly half favored texting, while adults over 55 were more likely to pick up the phone.

For Keisha R., a Gen Xer from Berkeley, the choice depends on context.

“Texting is definitely more convenient,” she said. “I can schedule a text and communicate when I’m available.”

That balance between efficiency and intimacy captures the current divide. Texting offers flexibility and control, but the human voice conveys emotion that words on a screen can’t always deliver.

O’Brien recognizes both.

“I’m actually a Gen Xer who likes to text a lot,” she said. “But if I have to have a serious conversation with someone, it’s better not to text because things can get misinterpreted.”

Gen Xers, O’Brien argues, stand out for their versatility: Raised on phone calls but fluent in texting, they occupy a unique middle ground between the call-oriented Baby Boomers and the text-first Gen Zers.

“We can do it all. We’re in that sweet spot,” she said.

For Anna Trinh, who is in her early 20s, the calculation is very different. Texting is not just convenient—it is low-pressure, safe and even creative. Saying most of her discomfort stems from social anxiety, her experience echoes that of many people her age.

“I find that texting is a low-pressure form of communication, especially when compared to calls. It allows for a lot of freedom,” Trinh said.

She described the practical benefits of being able to respond on her own schedule.

“I can choose when to text back,” she said. “If I’m busy or if I’m not feeling up to responding yet, I can reply at my own convenience. This is a benefit to the other party as well.”

Texting also allows her to be mindful and expressive in ways calls cannot. She described the joy in being more mindful of what she says and using memes to creatively convey how she is feeling with friends. Safety and privacy are also factors for her. Trinh pointed to the rising number of spam and scam calls, as well as potential AI misuse of voice clips.

“There’s been a lot of scams nowadays, which is another reason why I really don’t like phone calls,” she said. “Tech is advancing rapidly, and there’s been talks of people using AI to take voice clips to impersonate others. Not only that, but I get a TON of spam calls from random VOIP numbers every day.”

Her “motto” captures her generation’s approach to phone calls: “If it’s that important, they’ll leave a voicemail,” she said.

Statistics reinforce her experience. A 2022 survey from Communication Research Reports of 18-to-24-year-olds found that 81% reported feeling anxiety before making a phone call, while most reported texting as their preferred method of communication. While older adults continue to rely on calls, young adults treat the ring with caution or avoid it entirely.

The ring of a phone may be less common among the youth today, but it has not disappeared. Instead, it competes with pings, vibrations and unread notification bubbles. For some, it provokes anxiety. For others, it signals intimacy. For many, like O’Brien, Keisha and Trinh, the real skill lies in being able to switch between modes depending on the moment.

“I think the goal is not to lose the ability to talk,” O’Brien said. “You need to be able to do both. There’s a lot you can tell from someone’s voice that you’ll never get from a text.”

Still some, like San Jose Baby Boomer Alison England, are firmly rooted in old-school ways. She believes texting is “lazy.”

“I do not even own a cell phone,” England said. “I have a landline. Personally I hate the idea of being reduced to a text recipient.”

Still, there are Gen Zers who prefer calls, Boomers who favor text and a spectrum of habits in between. O’Brien reiterates that the focus should not be on the generational divide itself, but on bridging the differences so that everyone can communicate effectively in a variety of settings. 

“You need to be able to switch,” O’Brien said. “That’s what makes you a good communicator.”

Among 7,000 entries to NRP Music’s Tiny Desk Contest earlier this year, one Bay Area native captivated the judges with her “beautifully arranged music, passion and, above all, authenticity.”

Rapper Ruby Ibarra was declared the winner of the Tiny Desk Contest in May, after submitting a trilingual, intergenerational performance of her single “Bakunawa.”

Ibarra was born in the Philippines and immigrated to the East Bay with her family at a young age. Much of Ibarra’s music tackles topics of identity, immigration and the “American Dream.” All of which are reflections of her personal experiences.

The Filipino community she found in the Bay Area drives her to tell stories with her music. And she’ll be sharing those stories in San Jose when she performs at Music in the Park on Sunday, Sept. 21 alongside Bay Area artists LaRussell, Souls of Mischief and Kung Fu Vampire.

“I look at the people in my Filipino-American community and how a lot of them often still don’t have the opportunity to share their stories and highlight who they are and where they came from,” Ibarra says. “Who is going to tell their story if not me?”

A distinct element Ibarra uses to showcase her culture is the multilingual flow of her words, in and out of English, Tagalog and Bisaya. “It only becomes natural that I do a lot of those language switch-ups in my lyrics to help illustrate those stories even more,” Ibarra says. “It’s a conscious decision of wanting to highlight these languages on a visible level in hip hop.”

The Bay Area not only played a part in her finding a Filipino community, but also contributed to her falling in love with hip hop. “With there being such a vibrant music scene and culture here, that absolutely cultivated and strengthened my love for [hip hop], and also helped shape and develop myself as an artist.”

For Ibarra, winning the Tiny Desk Contest was a dream come true. “It was a feeling of validation, that we deserved to be there,” Ibarra says. In her performance, she shared that in 2019 she submitted a video for the contest but wasn’t chosen. However, for the rapper, winning in 2025 felt much sweeter than it would have then.

“Ultimately, it didn’t even feel like winning a contest; it felt more like a reminder to ourselves that we’ve been building the right path, because these last six years the music I created has been authentically me,” Ibarra says. “I’ve never had to challenge or change who I am. Knowing that I didn’t compromise in that entire journey made it a lot more special.”

After her D.C. performance, Ibarra and her band set off on a 10-city tour around the country. One member of her band, June Millington, is no stranger to touring. Millington is a rock and roll pioneer who is known for her trailblazing career with the 1970s all-female band Fanny. Sharing a similar story of immigrating from the Philippines to Northern California at a young age, Ibarra shared what she learned from working with Millington.

“When it comes down to it, it’s not about the places that you go or the accolades that you have from your career,” Ibarra says. “It’s about still remembering why you do what you do. That’s something that I hope to continue to be able to answer as I further develop in my career.”

After a successful summer of touring in cities from Los Angeles to Philadelphia, Ibarra is excited to perform in Music at the Park’s 35th season finale. “Bringing the music back home to the Bay Area, and us being able to showcase what we’ve been touring across the nation, is a very special feeling. There’s no place like home.”

Music at the Park will take place 4–11pm on Sunday, Sept. 21 at Plaza de Cesar Chavez in downtown San Jose. For more information, visit mitpsj.com.

Four talented rappers formed Souls of Mischief in Oakland back in 1991: A-Plus, Opio, Phesto Dee, and Tajai. Since its inception, they have established the band as a cornerstone of West Coast hip hop. They are also a vital part of the legendary hip-hop collective Hieroglyphics, which has been celebrated for its innovative contributions to the genre over the past three decades.

On Sunday, Sept. 21, Souls of Mischief will take the stage at the season finale of Music in the Park, an annual concert series that has brought live music to San Jose for more than 30 years. Sunday will be the event’s first hip-hop show.

Souls of Mischief join a lineup of Bay Area artists, including Vallejo rapper LaRussell, Filipino-American artist Ruby Ibarra, Gothic hip-hop performer Kung Fu Vampire, and singer Misa James. This performance is not only an opportunity for fans to experience the group’s dynamic stage presence but also a moment of reflection and celebration for the band, coming just a few weeks after the 13th annual Hiero Day festival in San Francisco, which is a highlight of the Bay Area’s musical calendar.

In a recent interview, group member Phesto Dee made it evident that the group’s legacy is founded on more than just early career success. Their dedication, persistence and deep respect for hip hop as an art form have helped shape and influence generations of artists. Phesto Dee offers an insightful perspective into their journey, their influences and what it means to continue making music after more than 30 years.

Phesto started rapping when he was just eight years old. Though he’s been involved in the genre for decades, his initial motivation wasn’t to become a star but to connect with people who shared his love for hip hop culture.

“I didn’t get into hip hop to become a rapper. I got into hip hop because it connected me with like-minded people,” he explained. “It was about the community and shared passion I found in the music.”

His first steps as a rapper involved collaborating informally with his childhood friend and future groupmate A-Plus. The two would often freestyle and create music together during their school years. Later, during high school, they met Tajai and Opio, forming the core of Souls of Mischief in 1991. Their earliest influences included legendary artists and groups like Grandmaster Caz, KRS-One, Kool G Rap and De La Soul. While these influences helped shape their style, Phesto emphasizes that the group always aimed to be original and authentic to themselves.

“You have no idea as a kid what your life will be like 30 years into the future,” Phesto reflected. “Back then, we were just having fun, but at the same time, we were competitive and wanted to be the best at what we did. We wanted to represent hip hop in a way that hadn’t been done before, and that drive hasn’t changed.”

The group initially signed with a major label, Jive Records, while still in high school. During their time with Jive, they released two albums, which garnered some acclaim but more importantly built a solid and loyal fanbase. However, as they matured as artists, they decided to pursue independence—building their own brand and legacy through creative ventures and business savvy under the umbrella of Hieroglyphics.

Their iconic “third eye” symbol has become one of the most recognizable logos in hip hop and stands as a symbol of enlightenment and awareness. Their merchandise—worn by fans from Oakland to Tokyo—has helped solidify their global presence. In the early 2000s, Souls of Mischief was one of the pioneering hip hop groups to produce and sell their merchandise online, helping to establish a new model for independent artists. Their innovative approach to marketing and their tight-knit community with fans have contributed significantly to their enduring influence.

Perhaps their most famous song, “93 ’Til Infinity” is often considered a classic and one of the greatest hip hop tracks of all time. However, Phesto admits that when the song was first released, he couldn’t have predicted the profound reverence it continues to receive today.

“A lot of times, a record hits hard like a meteorite and then disappears. ‘93 ’Til’ did the opposite; it kept growing and gaining steam over time. You can perform a song for years and it finally catches on,” he said.

Since that debut, Souls of Mischief has released five additional studio albums, each exploring different themes and sounds. The group remains active, working on new material and planning upcoming projects. Fans attending Sunday’s concert can expect a lively performance featuring hits from throughout their catalog. Phesto also indicated he’s especially looking forward to performing some of his favorite tracks, such as “That’s When Ya Lost,” “Make Ya Mind Up” and the newest release, “Yes LOvEly.”

Music in the Park’s big hip hop show starts at 4pm on Sept 21 at Plaza de Cesar Chavez in San Jose. Tickets are $39-$85 at caltix.com.

Also Playing

LaRussell—The first artist booked for Music in the Park’s Sept. 21 season closer, LaRussell headlines the main stage, which also features Ruby Ibarra and Souls of Mischief and Kung Fu Vampire. Read Dan Pulcrano’s interview with LaRussell, which ran in last week’s issue, on metrosiliconvalley.com. Follow on IG: @larussell

Kung Fu Vampire—Also on the main stage is this San Jose rapper, who fused the energy of rap music with the stylish imagery of vampire fantasies. His CD/DVD debut, Blood Bath Beyond, laid the foundation for his career, followed by the drop of Dead Sexy in 2008 and, most recently, Black Heart Machine in 2023. His tracks have gained cinematic traction, and in 2023 he made his acting debut in Four Hour Layover in Juarez. But it’s as a live act where Kung Fu Vampire really sucks his fans in, having done 24 tours across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada since 2009 and appearing eight times at Insane Clown Posse’s Gathering of the Juggalos. Follow on IG: @kungfuvampire.

Misa James—Music in the Park has added a second stage for Sunday’s show to feature emerging local artists. The stacked lineup for San Jose’s biggest outdoor hip hop show ever includes Misa James, a recent winner of LaRussell’s Good Compenny Bay Area showcase, The San Jose musician will showcase his smooth, soulful vocal style. Follow on IG: @themisajames.

Amen & the Scooby Valdez Band—Local talents Amen and Scooby Valdez will bring additional heat to the second stage. Amen will keep the words flowing over Valdez’s sizzling guitar work. Follow them on IG: @Amen_HoggTV and @ScoobyValdez83.

Young Hoff—A musician and rapper from South San Jose, Justin Hoffman performs under the stage name Young Hoff. The 30-year-old rapper’s journey so far has taken him through more than four-and-a-half years of sobriety. His purpose, Young Hoff explains, “is to show people—through art and music—the beauty and realness of our lives from the perspective of an artist in recovery.” The South Bay musician is “absolutely ecstatic” about the Music in the Park booking. “I can’t wait to represent San Jose!!” he says. Follow on IG: @younghoff4real

Combining muscle, malevolence, sarcasm and sophistication, Blue Öyster Cult became one of the hottest live attractions of the 1970s … and beyond. Nearly 54 years after releasing their self-titled debut, Blue Öyster Cult plays Music in the Park at Plaza de Cesar Chavez on Sept. 19.

The Long Island rock band’s earliest years found them trying on a succession of names (The Stalk-Forrest Group, Oaxaca, Soft White Underbelly) before settling on the distinctive name. And the signature ümlaut—subsequently copied by Mötley Crüe, Motörhead, Queensrÿche, Hüsker Dü and even Spın̈al Tap—telegraphed a vaguely sinister undercurrent.

Yet for the band launched by guitarist Donald “Buck Dharma” Roeser and Eric Bloom, gimmickry has always been secondary to the music. The band’s brand of rock leverages proto-metal instrumental prowess with a literate lyrical bent.

BÖC members have often collaborated with writing partners to create memorable and well-loved songs; rock critic Richard Meltzer and original manager Sandy Pearlman both worked extensively with the band on writing material. Celebrated science fiction authors Michael Moorcock, Eric Van Lustbader and John Shirley have lent their vivid prose to the band’s songs. Rocker/poets Patti Smith (“Career of Evil”) and Jim Carroll wrote with the band as well.

Imbuing pop culture with the rock aesthetic, BÖC scored one of its biggest successes with 1977’s “Godzilla,” a million-seller. And “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” from 1976’s Agents of Fortune was a smash hit that has remained in the public consciousness for decades, thanks in part to Saturday Night Live’s parodic 2000 “More Cowbell” sketch.

To be sure, BÖC has had its ups and downs; with 16 studio albums under its belt, today the band focuses primarily on live performance. Along the way, the group has experienced its share of personnel changes; only Bloom and Dharma remain from the classic lineup. These days, the band’s secret weapon is bassist Richie Castellano, who’s been with the band for 20 years. In addition to his role in another group, The Band Geeks (who record and tour with former Yes vocalist Jon Anderson), Castellano is a songwriter and prime mover within BÖC.

The band’s latest release, 2024’s Ghost Stories, is a collection of songs recorded decades ago during rehearsals. That album project was an ambitious endeavor. “The tapes oxidized over time and had to be cleaned up,” Bloom explains. “So they were baked.” Then, using state-of-the-art AI software, Castellano “demixed” and remixed the two-track recordings, with the band adding new instrumentation and vocals as needed.

Meanwhile, the group remains on good terms with former members. Founding drummer Albert Bouchard played on all BÖC releases through 1981’s hit Fire of Unknown Origin, but he has returned for occasional guest spots many times in the 40-plus years since his official exit. “We did a gig near his house in Connecticut a couple of years ago,” Bloom recalls. “He came up and sang ‘Hot Rails to Hell.’”

Bloom is pleased that his band gets recognized for its place in rock history, though he’s clearly a bit annoyed—or at least mystified—at BÖC’s being passed over for consideration by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

“The main principal [Jann Wenner] had a bug up his ass around certain bands that would never get in,” he suggests. “He’s out now, but there are still certain bands…I mean, Alice Cooper only semi-recently got in. He should have been in 20 years before!

“There’s so much real rock that just doesn’t seem to get in there; they should have just changed the name to the Music Hall of Fame, the Entertainment Hall of Fame or something like that,” Bloom observes.

“Lately I’ve been doing deep Internet dives,” Bloom says. In the process, he made a fascinating discovery. “On YouTube, I came across some live Blue Öyster Cult shows from ’89 and ’90, one of which was a WPLR New Haven broadcast from a place called Toad’s. And it’s a slamming show; it rocks from top to bottom.” Conceding that the late ’80s doesn’t rank as most fans’ favorite BÖC era, he says that the performance remains noteworthy. “It’s from the Imaginos album era; we play ‘In the Presence of Another World’ and [other] songs we don’t usually play, like ‘Take Me Away’ [from The Revölution by Night]. Any BÖC fan of any time should watch this show,” he says.

Bloom often finds himself amused by fans’ adoration for his band. On another of his deep dives, he encountered some of the group’s hardcore fans. “One time I found several guys who have Blue Öyster Cult ‘history pages,’” he says. “And it’s very interesting to see: Are they right? They go off on tangents, and some of them are pseudo-intellectual treatises on what they think we’re all about.”

He laughs as he recalls one fan commenting on the band’s tepidly received 1985 album. It’s kind of interesting,” he observes. “Some of them are sort of correct: ‘Club Ninja. Boy, did they go wrong on this one!’ I understand that. I mean, who makes every record great? Nobody! But it’s kind of funny to just watch their takes on my life.”

Still, Eric Bloom has long since found whatever validation he might need. He recalls a gig in either 1975 or ’80 (“I’m sure there are hardcore fans who would know which; I just don’t remember,” he says). That night, his elderly mother attended a show at Madison Square Garden. “When my 80-year-old mother came to see us play, I figured, ‘Maybe I’ve done something right!’”

Blue Öyster Cult plays at Music in the Park, taking place Sept 19, 5–10pm, at Plaza de Cesar Chavez, San Jose. Tickets are $39-$89. caltix.com or mitpsj.com

Also Playing

Eagles of Death Metal—Frontman Jesse Hughes says he wanted to be a square, but—as he told radio show host Jim Poorman Trenton—“the gods of rock decided one day to just give me a mustache and the incredible propensity for dancing. And, you know, here I am. Thank the gods. Thank the gods.” Eagles of Death Metal fans can also thank the deities that Hughes avoided a humdrum life, instead starting the band with fellow Palm Desert musician Josh Homme (Queens of the Stone Age) back in 1998. Eagles of Death Metal faced a real-life deadly situation in November 2015 when Islamic terrorists attacked the crowd during a sold-out concert at the Bataclan theatre in Paris, killing about 90 fans. EODM in its current lineup—Hughes, Leah Bluestein, Scott Shiflett and Dustin Drevitch—will be “Speaking in Tongues” and delivering a “High Voltage” set at Music in the Park on Sept. 19.

Super Cassette—Formed in 2016, Super Cassette is the manifestation of years of songwriting and jamming between brothers Max and Nick Gerlock. The Oakland-based indie rockers got their start when Max wanted to do a solo project, but the energy from their first gig gave the brothers the push to make the band its own project. Drawing from video game soundtracks and ’90s alternative rock, Nick and Mack create tight harmonies that are grounded by the rhythmic chemistry of bass player Devin Hollister and drummer Zach Briefer, who sharpened their skills in Pistachio, an Oakland fusion rock outfit.

It would be easy to assume that Lisa Loeb’s foray into children’s music happened after she had children herself.

But the first children’s album from the chart-topping ’90s pop singer-songwriter predated her daughter’s birth by six years. The inspiration for 2003’s Catch the Moon was not her kids’ childhood, but her own.

“I just loved growing up, my childhood, and I think I’ve always had a nostalgic connection with my childhood and a lot of the music and entertainment I enjoyed as a kid,” says Loeb, 57, who grew in Dallas and now lives in Los Angeles with her husband, TV producer Roey Hershkovitz, and children, Lyla, 15, and Emet, 13.

From TV shows like The Carol Burnett Show and the early days of Sesame Street to albums like Marlo Thomas’ Free to Be You and Me and Carole King’s Really Rosie, that ’70s entertainment appealed to both kids and adults with “a high level of humor and storytelling,” Loeb says. “I wanted to do things like that. … It was about nostalgia and joy and living inside that world and creating inside that world.”

Her Newest Album 

Loeb’s most recent album is another nod to nostalgia. That’s What It’s All About is a collaboration with the L.A.-based children’s folk music group The Hollow Trees, with whom Loeb will play at Bay Area Parent’s second annual Kids Day in the Park on Sept. 20 in San Jose.

The album includes some originals, plus reimagined standards like “If I Knew You Were Comin’ I’d’ve Baked a Cake” and “A Doodlin’ Song.”

“It’s a love letter to our parents and grandparents who raised us with music,” Loeb says. “These are the songs my dad played on the piano when I was growing up.”

Music was always a part of Loeb’s life, she says, and she started playing piano and writing songs at a young age. And then, one year at summer camp, a friend brought along a guitar. Loeb began to learn to play and was hooked.

“We would do skits … we would play camp songs. Music was just very central. It was a way to connect with other people as a community, it was a way to express myself, and it was a way to have a lot of fun,” she recalls. Camp was “a place where you could be independent, learn about yourself and have so much fun. You might learn more at camp than you do at school, you know, trying new things and meeting new people in a safe environment.”

From Camp to College 

Loeb continued to play music into college, where she had a popular band at Brown University, and then was part of a duo before striking out solo. Her breakout hit, “Stay (I Missed You)” from the movie Reality Bites, topped the Billboard charts in 1994 and was followed by two more hits.

After releasing Catch the Moon in the early 2000s with collaborator Elizabeth Mitchell, Loeb continued to make music for both kids and adults. Her follow-up children’s album, Camp Lisa, was inspired by her camp days and proceeds support her foundation, which helps pay to send kids to camp.

In 2009, Loeb had her first child, when she was 41. She says she was at least 10 years older than some of her mom friends having kids, but also had many friends her own age with older kids from whom she could learn. Another benefit was having had lots of her own life experiences and an established career.

The only drawback, she says, of being a quote-unquote “older mom” is “the sad math of it. … It’s possible I won’t live as long as some of the other parents and I won’t get to know my kids when they’re older. But I’m not sure you know what will happen then.”

Family Focus

Having kids also helped Loeb focus on her children’s music in a new way.

“I was definitely interested in the values of the songs. I did a whole album called Feel What U Feel, which was probably the most like Free to Be You and Me, where we really were thinking about what lessons we would like to pass along and what messages we think are important to hear … you know, what messages did I wish I had heard growing up,” Loeb says. Those messages resonated with both listeners and critics, and that 2016 release won the Grammy for Best Children’s Album.

In addition, “as a working mom, you know you really focus on where you’re putting your energy,” she says.

For Loeb, that means balancing giving her kids what she considers a “traditional” childhood, along with the demands of recording and touring. Whether she’s performing for kids or adults, much of Loeb’s music has crossover appeal and audiences are bound to sing along, especially to “Stay,” which she always includes in her set.

“I’m glad we have something like a music festival … to bring us together because there’s so much going on in the world that’s really difficult,” Loeb says. “And showing people’s true heart, and that they can actually connect with each other and be in a place together and in community is really powerful.”

Kids Day in the Park, featuring Lisa Loeb and The Hollow Trees, and the Alphabet Rockers, takes place Sept 20, 11am–4pm, at Plaza de Cesar Chavez, 1 Paseo San Antonio, San Jose. Tickets: $10-$25. mitpsj.com or caltix.com.

Bring your own blanket (no chairs allowed). In addition to the concert, there will be face painting, magic tricks, bounce houses, vendors and exhibits, as well as food trucks and beer, wine, water and other beverages available for purchase.

The year 2025 has been big for LaRussell. He dropped collaborations with Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Montell Jordan and Lil Jon, played a critically acclaimed set on Outside Lands’ biggest stage and, just last weekend—for the first time in decades—brought E-40 to play LaRussell’s and the OG hyphy torchbearer’s hometown, Vallejo.

On Sunday, Sept. 21, LaRussell headlines the largest bill in Music in the Park’s 35 seasons: seven live acts and a DJ. The headlining San Jose performance showcases the deep connections within Bay Area culture. Speaking with LaRussell, one is immediately inspired by his mission to unite people through music. Of his work with young artists, he shares, “Man, it’s changed my life.”

“There weren’t many adults in my life that really saw my perspective,” he explains, “or views weren’t valued. I was not asked about how I felt and what I was experiencing.  With the youth that’s around us, they’re really cultivated. So to see all them flourish and shine, it’s really dope.”

LaRussell put out the word some time ago that he wanted to stage high-energy hip hop events where everyone is welcome. Music in the Park on a Sunday afternoon was a natural fit. “It’s my first time actually performing in San Jose,” LaRussell says. “They’ve been asking me for a [San Jose] show for years, and I haven’t been able to find a venue to accommodate what I wanted to do,” he says.

The South Bay and East Bay talent lineup includes 1990s underground hip hop pioneers Souls of Mischief, NPR Tiny Desk winner Ruby Ibarra, San Jose native rapper Kung Fu Vampire and Misa James, who recently was handpicked by LaRussell at an open mic he hosted with KQED.

“So, to do my first time in San Jose in this fashion is just ideal and perfect. We outside. We in a park. I get to run around and play football and just be immersed in the people. And I think that’s the best way for people to experience what I bring.

“Even when I was younger, when I was a kid, my dad used to wake me up every Sunday to go to the flea market out there. And we spend hours there just kind of getting material and moving around. So San Jose got a place in my heart.”

The excitement the upcoming show has generated is, in part, due to LaRussell’s mission as a transformative entrepreneur who brings a DIY model of artist empowerment to the music business.

“I really see music changing. I’ve literally watched the change of people going from streaming back to direct-to-consumer, back to in-real-life experiences.”

LaRussell says he has built infrastructure and platforms for artists to go direct. “I’ve seen some of the biggest artists in the world doing it now, and I get messages and calls from artists, like, how is this possible? How do you do this?

“For me, it’s much larger than hip hop. I’ve innovated and changed the way music and music business looks and works today. If you look online of any artist that’s like upcoming, their social media strategy mimics and mirrors what I’ve done for years. You know, we’ve set a blueprint for what this is and how to build your own, independent base and build something sustainable.”

LaRussell stays community-focused with backyard concerts and “​​pay what you want” pricing for some shows and album pre-orders.

He doesn’t have a manager or agent, and does deals himself. “As I’ve grown, I’ve just like, gotten better and better at it. And I know what I want best. You know, someone trying to speak on my behalf can’t speak the way I speak. They can’t talk to it the way I talk to them. They don’t see it the way I see it. So there’s no point in me having a middle man because it’s going to dilute my vision anyway,” he says. “I’m the best spokesperson for La Russell.”

LaRussell references heroes from the Black Liberation movement such as Huey P. Newton in his lyrics. “I feel, like, I’m a pivotal piece to the revolution that began. And, I’m in a state where my ancestors may not even have envisioned or seen possible.”

“When you come to my shows and you see the demographic and who’s there, from 1 to 100 Black, white, Indian, Mexican, every, every fucking race. It looks like a ‘We Are the World’ commercial at my shows. The people who were fighting before me couldn’t even see this, this side of it. You know, they were fighting for something that most didn’t live to see come to fruition. It’s very important for me to stand in my truth and who I am.”

LaRussell is pleased to play Music in the Park’s first hip hop show, 14 years after the seies was shut down for two years by city officials who believed the then-unticketed concerts attracted what they called an “undesirable element,” a euphemism for pot-smoking teenagers who wore sports team jerseys.

“San Jose? The reason I wasn’t able to do shows out there is because the venues that I did go to weren’t keen on bringing a hip hop show into the space.”

A Vallejan playing Plaza de César Chávez is also historic. It’s where California was founded and the state capitol sat for 16 months. That is, until Californio warlord Don Mariano Vallejo enticed hard-drinking legislators with a failed donation of 150 acres and $300,000 to build more comfortable digs—in Vallejo—than the edured at San Jose’s cramped, leaky and poorly lit Adobe Hotel, which stood at the Plaza. That slippery slope led to today’s state capitol in Sacramento, after brief detours in Vallejo and Benicia.

“I’ve been able to shift the narrative and the feeling around what hip hop is and what it’s supposed to be like. I’ve taken it back to the core and to the root. Hip hop is unification.”

LaRussell has relationships with many of the artists on the Sept. 21 bill, but won’t speculate if there will be any mainstage surprises. “It’s beautiful to see us all in one place together. You know, when magical people come together, magical things happen. So who knows what will occur.”

“I’m excited. Like I said, this is my first time in. San Jose’s the only place in the bay that I haven’t got to do a show in. But every time I pull up there, I just walk around and people are excited and the energy is there. So I can only imagine what this show is going to be like. It’s going to be a great homecoming.”

Mr. Ato Walker, local comedy impresario, co-conducted the interview and contributed to this piece. 

Metro editor Dan Pulcrano leads the Metro-affiliated team that produces Music in the Park.

Music in the Park’s final show of the season begins at 4pm on Sept. 21, with a bill that includes LaRussell, Souls of Mischief, Ruby Ibarra and Kung Fu Vampire. For tickets, visit CalTix.com.

On Sept. 6, Black and Brown in San Jose will transform into a gallery alive with analog energy. Eric Weiss’s portraits of 1980s and ’90s icons, from Madonna to Tupac, will hang beside rows of restored vintage cameras, including Leicas, Nikon Rangefinders and large-format machines.

At the center are two men: Eric Weiss, the photographer who captured the pulse of New York’s cultural heyday, and Tomek Maćkowiak, a Bay Area craftsman dedicated to reviving the tools of film photography.

Their collaboration is not just about nostalgia. It is a meditation on memory, patience and the tactile joy of film in a digital world, reminding us that slowing down can be the boldest act of all.

Eric Weiss’s journey into photography began suspended between boyish play and artistic awakening. Babysitting younger cousins as a 12-year-old, he detected a glow of alchemy in his cousin’s makeshift darkroom, a moment he describes as luminous and irrevocable. Books his mother kept at home, with anthropological photographs, further fueled his desire to see how others lived and to traverse worlds via images. A security gig at the Brooklyn Museum brought him face-to-face with a Life photographer’s exhibition—Eliot Elisofon’s African reportage—and crystallized his path.

“It was like a miracle, seeing a blank sheet of paper suddenly having an image on it,” Weiss said, romanticizing his first experience in a darkroom at his cousin’s house.

By his early twenties, Weiss was deep in New York’s frenetic rush for celebrity and fashion. Without formal pathways into the glossy magazines, he navigated through event PR networks, offering to photograph events for agencies so his work could be seen in Women’s Wear Daily. One morning after photographing a high-profile event, he delivered contact sheets to the editor, who not only published them but told him he’d like to hire him for future projects. That day marked the start of a career spanning Vogue, NYT and behind the velvet ropes of pop culture’s upper echelon.

Before long, Weiss found himself brushing shoulders with the elite. Not every encounter was pleasant—he recalls moments of rudeness, like a sour exchange with Madonna—but others left him with lasting warmth. While photographing backstage at the Grammys for The New York Times, he crossed paths with Beyoncé. Expecting a carefully guarded star, he was struck instead by her openness. When he asked to take her portrait, she agreed without pretense, leaving him with an impression that has stayed with him.

“She was so just so polite and was like ‘I hope it turns out good,’” he recalled.

What propelled his work from snapshots to artifacts was his approach: like a surfer, he waited for the perfect wave—the decisive visual moment. Surrounded by photogs flashing relentlessly in the chaos of film-era event lighting, he learned to be quiet, respectful, invisible, patient.

Chasing the Light

Even today, Weiss shoots film, not for nostalgia but for its mindful precision. And though the process is more involved than digital, the photography veteran declares that film remains gratifying. While portraiture is still his first love, he now mostly captures Northern California’s landscapes for pleasure.

“I love going out to Death Valley and chasing the light with a 4×5 view camera,” Weiss said.

Film photography’s decline was dramatic but not total. In the U.S., photography reporter Pete Brook discovered sales of film cameras plummeted from 19.7 million units in 2000 to under 250,000 by 2010. Camera brands, labs and empires disintegrated. Kodachrome processing ended in 2010, and the last roll developed in a Kansas lab in January 2011, according to a Wikipedia article.

But analog isn’t dead, and the market has slowly revived. By 2023, global film production rose 18% year-over-year, distributing over 20 million rolls worldwide, according to Market Growth Reports. Gen Z and millennials are embracing film for its authenticity, imperfections, and “romantic mistakes” like grain and light leaks, journalist Ellie Violet Bramley reported last year. 

Why? It’s not just visuals, it’s the process. Film photography demands presence: manual loading, focused composition, and timed exposures. Both Maćkowiak and Weiss say that “Digital fatigue,” “dopamine overload,” and the desire for slow craft propel film’s resurgence. Analog photography offers delayed gratification, mindfulness, and a tangible artifact in a commodified digital flood.

Yet constraints remain: fewer than 1,200 full-service labs worldwide (in 2023), processing delays, and rising costs challenge the analog revival, another Market Growth Report states. Still, art schools, workshops and analog festivals are growing fast. East Bay Photo Collective, for example, is an Oakland-based nonprofit aiming to provide inspiration, education and community through photography.

Accessible High Art

Tomek Maćkowiak’s relationship to film is hands-on. A self-identified technical person, Maćkowiak found grounding in the analog process when other art forms like painting proved to be too challenging for him. He shoots plenty in his free time, but his main focus is vintage camera collection. He collects, repairs and rebuilds everything from WWII-era Leicas to medium and large format systems, with the hope of providing film photographers with access to working tools.

“It’s my little way of giving back to the film community,” he said.

He sees analog photography as an accessible form of high art. One roll only yields one or two perfect frames—but those frames become cherished and more meaningful. Film demands precision, offers physicality, and gives emotional rewards that the fast shooting nature of digital cannot, he argues. In a world of instant everything, Maćkowiak says analog is deliberate beauty.

Tomek invited Weiss into what began as a solo camera show because he admired his extensive body of high-profile work. On Sept. 6 from 5 to 10pm, upstairs at Black & Brown (751 W. San Carlos), attendees will browse grids of Weiss’s celebrity portraits—fashion icons, musicians, political figures. They’ll also see Tomek’s restored vintage cameras. The two photographers hope the show can inspire people wanting to learn more about the world of film.

“I hope people can feel that my work touches a part of their soul,” Weiss said.

Known for her rapid-fire bilingual flow and sharp wit, Snow tha Product takes the mainstage Saturday night at Plaza de César Chávez for Silicon Valley Pride’s 50th anniversary celebration.

The choice to make the queer Mexican-American rapper the headlining act Saturday was an easy one, Nicole Denson says: “Everything that Snow stands for, her music, her life, really speaks to our mission of Silicon Valley Pride.”

This year’s theme for Pride is “Unstoppable”—a word Snow says couldn’t fit more perfectly.

“For a long time I think I held myself back because I thought I needed validation, needed accolades, needed a manager, or a label. Now I am in a place where I know I don’t need this kind of support. I’m showing up and I’m coming as my full, true self. I know my ‘why’ and for who I do it for, and that to me is what makes you unstoppable,” she says. “The power that you take back when you finally stop coming from this place of ‘I need,’ and start showing up as your real self, that is what it’s about.”

The rapper has been outspoken on social media and in her music about issues like immigration rights and gender equality since the beginning of her career in the early aughts of the 2000’s. She saw immediate success after the release of several mixtapes and began touring internationally. In 2012, she signed to Atlantic Records following acclaim for her independently released debut album, Unorthodox, and the rest is history.

Breaking through in a predominantly male-dominated space as a woman is challenging enough but also being queer brings double the challenge. Through it all, Snow has continued to develop her artistry and carve her own path as a talented digital creator, entrepreneur and woman emcee.

After establishing herself as an independent artist once more in 2018, she continued to see success with her music and branching out into the digital entertainment space with livestreaming and podcasting. Most recently, in 2021, Snow received her first Latin GRAMMY Award nomination for Best Rap/Hip-Hop Song for a collaborative project with Argentinian producer Bizarrap.

Despite seeing continued success as a trailblazing rapper, being Latina and queer in the music industry has “unfortunately held me back in a lot of places,” she says. “But I think it speaks a lot to my character that I still showed up as myself.”

“I don’t think that a queer Latina is going to get as much support as most artists you know. Unless your queerness is packaged somehow for the male gaze, people still don’t accept it within the Latino community,” Snow says. “They’d rather see a straight woman kiss another straight woman and go back to her boyfriend on stage for shock value and get all the headlines than to actually support real queer women.”

“We’re the ones that get harassed on the street, we’re the ones that get blackballed, or ignored in our families and sometimes straight people get to just cosplay, and then go back to their life.”

The rapper says what motivates her is the next generation—and the hope that they’ll continue to carry the torch forward by showing up as themselves and representing the LGBTQ community in all spaces.

“And maybe they’ll take the next generation even further because they saw themselves represented, because they saw that it was possible.”

Snow’s discography, a blend of Spanish and English lyrics intertwined with quick, clever quips performed with an inimitable charm and cadence, is expansive. Many of her songs feel personal and they’re as relatable as they are intergenerational. And her journey to being the confident, queer Latina rapper she is lauded as today is a story many queer people can resonate with.

“My mom is one of nine, my dad is one of nine. I wish I could say I have more family that is very supportive, but…” she shares. “It doesn’t affect me any more. At this point in my life, I live in a small bubble. I’ve been OK with living my life without those that don’t necessarily support me; we don’t see each other. No love lost.”

The artist says she had to “carve out the people in my family that supported me, and love them,” and the people that didn’t, she carved herself out of their lives.

“Life is a journey, and it’s about finding the people who are going to take that ride with you. You create your own family as you go. I’ve got my people,” she says, smiling.

The independent artist has built a fiercely loyal fanbase despite a major label’s backing for years, which is a rarity in the music space. “We have the sauce, and we know the fans love what we’re doing,” she says.

Her performance for SV Pride will be a special one—San Jose is a place she calls home, and Plaza de César Chávez’s main stage is a space where years of activism, artistry and identity will converge in front of her many fans, friends and communities.

“Every time any of my communities ask me to represent, I show up. San Jose is my roots,” she says. “When my parents migrated to the United States, that’s where everyone was—San Jose, the Bay Area. We still come back to visit Chuck E. Cheese and it’s so cozy. That’s where some of my happiest memories were.”

Snow joins an iconic roster of past Pride performers, including RuPaul (1998), Cyndi Lauper (2000), and Robin S (2023). Her mainstage performance Saturday evening will be an opportunity to set the tone for a weekend where music, activism and unapologetic self-expression all intersect in the ultimate annual celebration of joy, and of responsibility.

A full week of Pride-themed events—listed online and on SV Pride’s Instagram with partners tagged—leads up to the main weekend. The celebration kicks off on Aug. 30, with the Night Festival from 6 to 11pm, featuring Watsonville wordsmith DannyV and headliner Snow tha Product.

On Sunday, the annual SV Pride Parade steps off at 10:30am, starting at Julian and Market streets and culminating at Plaza de César Chávez. The festivities continue with the Day Festival at noon, bringing entertainment, food, family-friendly activities, and a performance by newly crowned RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 17 winner Onya Nurve.

General admission is $45.59 on Saturday and $14.51 on Sunday. For more details, visit svpride.com.

Fifty years after its first march in San Jose, Silicon Valley Pride is still defined by the people daring to show up—who refuse to let the party, or the politics, fade into the background, and the community go unseen. People like Nicole Denson, CEO of SV Pride.

“I came out when I was 17 years old,” says Denson, who has “made it a point to attend San Francisco Pride and also San Jose, now Silicon Valley Pride, every year.”

The activist says attending year after year shaped her connection to the LGBTQ+ community. “I always felt it was important, even to this day. I no longer go to San Francisco on Sunday for the parade, but I remember starting with SV Pride in 2017 and that was a whole other level of the community bond that I have since developed and cherished.”

Denson had attended the first Women’s March in San Jose in 2016, after President Donald Trump won the presidency the first time. “It was right after the election had just happened, and I was in a desperate state to do something, to be heard,” she says. “There had to be some action because of the state that we were all in, as a country.”

After a recommendation from her brother Timothy, she connected with then SV Pride CEO Thaddeus Campbell, who had revived the event and was searching for a new board of directors for the nonprofit that was “coming back from a few depleted years when [Thaddeus] took over.”

The activists met at the Billy de Frank Center on a rainy evening, and he simply asked her what she’d like to help with. “He was like ‘What would you like to do? We have operations, marketing…’ And I thought, well, I work for the City of San Jose and I could help with permitting. ‘How about the chief operations officer role?’ And unbeknownst to me, it was one of the hardest roles in the organization,” she says, smiling. “It was the first year we brought the event back to Plaza de Cesar Chavez, which has been its home ever since.”

Over the years, SV Pride has shifted names, venues, and scope alongside the community it represents. The very first Pride event in San Jose was organized in 1975 by San Jose State University’s Gay Student Union across its campus, and a year later it moved to St. James Park as the Gay Freedom Rally and Dance. Among the roughly 300 attendees was Harvey Milk, who returned as a speaker in 1978.

By 1981, the celebration relocated to what’s now Plaza de César Chávez, then called City Plaza, and in 1983 took on the name Gay Pride Celebration. Just two years later it returned to St. James Park, where, according to QueerSiliconValley.org, about 5,000 people turned out—joined by a growing number of local LGBTQ+ businesses and organizations.

Throughout the ’80s and ’90s the event kept moving: from SJSU’s athletic fields on 10th and Alma, to the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, to Stockton Avenue in the early ’90s, and in 1995 to Discovery Meadow, where attendance hit a then record high of 12,000 attendees.

Nearly two decades later, in 2014, Pride’s organizers rebranded San Jose Pride as Silicon Valley Pride to better include the region’s wider LGBTQ+ community.

After reviving the event with a new parade and venue, and clearing the debt that had burdened the organization in previous years, Thaddeus Campbell guided Pride’s return to its longtime home at Plaza de César Chávez.

In 2018, recognizing that Pride events often skew heavily male, the organization launched HEY GIRL!, a queer women–focused subcommittee under the SV Pride umbrella, co-founded by Denson and Liz Asborno.

“That first year I joined was a successful year. Since then, Silicon Valley Pride, under Thaddeus’ leadership and my own, cheering on his vision and mission, we’ve seen growth. The event has quadrupled in attendance, things are operating on budget, and we’re still growing and that’s in large part due to his vision.”

Chief Strategic Partnership Officer Saldy Suriben started with SV Pride in 2014 as chief marketing officer. “I had volunteered for other LGBTQ+ organizations such as GLADD and the Billy De Frank Center, but I felt like I wanted to give more back and enhance my skillset.”

With a background in event planning and a degree in marketing from San Jose State, Suriben says he was keen to get involved. “SV Pride, at that time, was the perfect organization to get involved with. Throughout the years, I’ve learned a lot, helping [Pride] with sponsorships and donations, so I was able to enhance my skillset after all, in addition to the marketing and planning,” he says. “Without being boastful, I do believe my contributions have helped make a difference in what SV Pride is today.”

On Aug. 21, Suriben was recognized for his advocacy work and commitment to supporting LGBTQ+ community organizations by Assemblymember Ash Kalra on behalf of the 25th Assembly District.

It’s thanks to contributions from individuals like Suriben and Denson that SV Pride has grown into a collaborative, well-attended celebration. Now, it not only provides guidance and support to the LGBTQ+ community but also advocates for their rights, sponsors year-round events, and awards $30,000 annually in scholarships to LGBTQ+ youth through the Thaddeus Orlando Campbell Scholarship Fund.

When Campbell passed away in 2019, Denson became interim CEO and then took over officially in 2021. Denson, reflecting on his influence and his work, says she still carries Campbell in her leadership today. “I always ask myself, what would Thaddeus do? When he took over the organization it was San Jose Pride. He had a vision to make a more high-tech festival and he also saw the need to diversify what SV Pride entailed—and not only in the landscape, which included all of the South Bay.”

Historically, Prides around the country have leaned toward white cis-gender gay males, Denson says. Under Thaddeus’ leadership, Pride brought on its first Chief Diversity Officer Sera Fernando, now Santa Clara County’s manager of the Office of LGBTQ Affairs.

“We became more intentional with our programming. We came up with a Trans and Friends rally that first year, and HEY GIRL!, a collaborative subcommittee of SV Pride,” Denson says. The organization produces and promotes events that are geared toward “queer women and femme identified individuals across the entire LGBTQ+ spectrum, including our gender-non-conforming siblings,” she says.

HEY GIRL! has grown over the years, and it always has a “large stake hold” at Pride. “The subcommittee was a largely part of Campbell’s vision,” Denson says, and the team continues to move his vision forward every year, welcoming new advocacy group partners and sponsors that align with the organization’s mission and vision.

“He was my friend, my mentor, and somebody that I look to make proud each year. We try to make a festival that he would enjoy and be proud to be a part of,” she adds.

Now at the 50-year mark, Denson reflects, carrying Pride’s legacy forward is something she sees as a necessity.

“With the state we’re in, much like in 2016, but worse, I think that we’ve been set back 50 years. The true meaning and need for Pride is alive now more than ever. Pride was not started to be a party in the streets. It started from a need to be seen, to be heard, to be visible, to have a right to live. Right now, our rights are being stripped away from our community, and all other marginalized communities in this country. The need for Pride, the true definition, and the root of what it’s for, is more important now than ever.”

Moving forward, Suriben hopes SV Pride remains as fabulous and exciting as it continues to grow. “We want people to be their authentic self,” he says. “We’re here for you, as a community, for whatever you need, to be out and proud.”

Denson says she wants this year’s attendees to come and take away a sense of pride, but really, a feeling of belonging and a sense of boldness, and responsibility. “This is a community that will open its arms to you, as an individual. You are safe here, and you belong here. We were unstoppable in 1975, and we’re still unstoppable no matter how much they’re trying to put a hold on us.”

Pride’s intersectionality touches everyone, Denson says. “We would be remiss to ignore the plights of other marginalized groups—we see ICE, we see the murder of our black and brown brothers and sisters, we see the gender rights being stripped away from our siblings with female genitalia. We see all of this happening and not only does it affect those individual communities, but it also impacts the queer community because we are a part of it.”

“But here in Silicon Valley, California, here on the West Coast, we have the privilege of living somewhere where we are protected by the laws that govern us. … Not everybody has that privilege,” she says. “I don’t find privilege to be some comfy place where somebody should reside; I find privilege to be a responsibility. I want people from Pride to take away the responsibility to uplift those that aren’t able to uplift themselves.”

The warning was there for anyone who examined Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s blueprint to win the culture wars: There would be trouble ahead for the arts community in a Trump 2.0 administration.

Much has already come to pass: the shuttering of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the termination of the National Endowment of the Arts grants and an intensifying campaign (stymied for now) to rename and gain control of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

In May, Bay Area News Group reported that of the more than 80 Bay Area arts nonprofits that received grants from the Biden administration, nearly 30 confirmed they had lost all or a portion of the grants, including San Jose Museum of Art, San Jose Taiko, Opera San Jose and the artist collective Local Color.

Despite all this, Silicon Valley arts groups continue to stick to their mission statements, bringing thoughtful, challenging and—yes—entertaining works of music, theater, visual art and literature to their supporters.

But just in case it isn’t already obvious, these groups need those supporters more than ever before. Not only has government spending dwindled; large corporations, faced with the uncertain effects of tariffs and the economic disruption of the AI revolution, are more cautious with their cash. (One acknowledged casualty is Día San José, which has cancelled its annual October event for 2025, citing an inability to secure corporate funding.)

So that leaves the job of supporting the arts squarely in the hands of those who can’t imagine a world without theater, music, dance and the visual arts. Valley residents are lucky enough to be able to see three plays by Lauren Gunderson, including 2018’s Ada and the Engine (produced by Pear Theatre) and the brand-new Little Women (TheatreWorks, which is doing two of the playwright’s works). City Lights looks on the lighter side of Bram Stoker’s protagonist with Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors. Stanford Live is adding something new: a series of three productions cherry-picked from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. And if edgy doesn’t suit the mood, community theater groups are offering up some comfort-food favorites, like Gypsy (Palo Alto Players) and The Sound of Music (South Bay Musical Theatre).

And support means attendance: marking the calendar, getting the tickets and making the trek across town to witness the act of creation. We hope valleyites will use this guide (it’s triple the size online at metrosiliconvalley.com) to find events and be there in the audience, lending their support to the arts. In times like these, it’s as much an act of defiance as any protest.

Festivals

Palo Alto Festival of the Arts
Aug 23-24, 10am-6pm | University Avenue, Downtown Palo Alto | paloaltochamber.com
More than 250 fine artists and artisans will put their best work forward at this annual festival held on University Avenue. Even the sidewalks become a canvas during the festival, with Italian street painting on Tasso Street. 

Kings Mountain Art Fair
Aug 30-31 & Sept 1, 8am-5pm | 13889 Skyline Blvd, Woodside | kingsmountainartfair.org
Launched in 1963 to raise funds for fire protection in the woodsy Kings Mountain community, the fair continues to support the Kings Mountain Volunteer Fire Brigade. A zero-waste festival, the juried fair draws and 400 local volunteers, who help make this art fair a standout cultural event. In addition to the artwork, there will be food (including Grandma Jenny’s giant cookies), beer and wine, and children’s activities. Admission is free, and a shuttle service operates for drivers parking along Skyline Boulevard. Artist’s work can be previewed online before, during and after the fair.

Silicon Valley Pride Festival
Aug 30-31 | Plaza de Cesar Chavez Park, Downtown San Jose | svpride.com
Silicon Valley Pride marks a big anniversary with a two-day festival titled “Unstoppable: 50 Years of Love, Legacy & Liberation.” Snow Tha Product, a San Jose native and Latin Grammy-nominated rapper, will headline the Saturday night show.

Mountain View Art and Wine Festival
Sep 6, 11am-7pm; Sep 7, 10am-6pm | Downtown Mountain View | mvartwine.com
Art is the heart of the event—a regional draw, with more than 350 artists and craft-makers selling their goods on Castro Street, between El Camino Real and Evelyn Avenue . Admission is free, and includes live music, kids’ activities, food and free-flowing wine.

Alebrije Glass Blowing
Sept 8, 7pm | Bay Area Glass Institute, 635 Phelan Ave, San Jose | bagi.org
In a workshop presented by BAGI and San Jose Jazz, artist Carolina Argote, creator of hand-carved alebrijes—Mexican folk art figures—collaborates with Bay Area Glass Institute’s team of glassblowers to create her designs in molten glass. 

Middle Eastern & Greek Food Festival
Sept 12-14 | 195 N Main St, Milpitas | sjorthodox.org/festival
Saint James Orthodox Church hosts the Middle Eastern and Greek Food Festival, with authentic cuisine, a traditional Greek band, and dance performances by church youth groups.

Chile, Mole, Pozole Festival
Sep 13, 12:30-5pm | Mexican Heritage Plaza, 1700 Alum Rock Ave, San Jose | schoolofartsandculture.org
On top of the headlining Mexican culinary stars, the eighth annual Chile, Mole, Pozole Festival also offers ritual Aztec dance from Calpulli Ocelocihuatl, music from Banda La Única and Mariachi Azteca, and folklórico dance by Los Lupeños de San José, and lucha libre drama from Pro Wrestling Revolution. Plus, there will be a market with local makers selling handcrafted goods.

Santa Clara Art & Wine Festival
Sep 13, 10am-6pm; Sep 14, 10am-5pm | Central Park, Santa Clara | santaclaraca.gov
Artists, crafts makers, food vendors and local nonprofit groups flock to Central Park for this community event, along with live entertainment from local bands. Bululú, The Peelers and Pride & Joy play on Saturday, followed by TBT Jazz Trio, East Side Funk, Aja Vu and Pop Rocks on Sunday.

SALA 2025
Sept 13-14, 11am-7pm | Menlo College, 1000 El Camino Real, Atherton | salafestival.org
The South Asian Literature and Art Festival, presented by Art Forum SF, brings together globally celebrated names from South Asia and the diaspora. For two days, these luminaries in the fields of literature, filmmaking, the arts, science and more will engage in conversations around this year’s theme: Thoughts without Borders. Prominent panelists will include Nobel Laureate and economist Abhijit Banerjee, modern mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik, Bollywood filmmakers Kiran Rao and Kabir Khan, and Michelin restaurateur Ajay Walia. 

CityDance
Sept 18, 6-9pm | Circle of Palms, San Jose Museum of Art, 110 S Market St, San Jose | facebook.com/citydancesj
This dance event features professional lessons, live bands and DJs. All skill levels are welcome. Free (includes museum admission).

Oktoberfest Downtown Redwood City
Sept 19-28 | Courthouse Square, Redwood City | redwoodcity.org
Every day except Mon, Sept 22, Courthouse Square will become a magnet for lederhosen-wearing, beer-guzzling crowds, drawn by seasonal contests (stein-holding, yodeling, dancing), lively music, and lots and lots of brats and brews. Tickets: $10-$35 (includes a commemorative stein); food and extra drink tickets are sold separately. 

Music in the Park: Blue Öyster Cult
Sept 19, 5pm | Plaza de Cesar Chavez, San Jose | CalTix.com
This half-century-young heavy metal pioneer has regained relevance as the inspiration behind Saturday Night Live’s legendary “More Cowbell” sketch, featuring Christopher Walken and Will Ferrell. The Long Island band is one of very few hard rock/heavy metal bands to earn both genuine mainstream critical acclaim as well as commercial success, epitomized by “Don’t Fear the Reaper.”

Bay Area Parent Kids Day in the Park
Sept 20, 11am-4pm | Plaza de Cesar Chavez, San Jose | CalTix.com
The second year of this event at Plaza de Cesar Chavez will feature top-name entertainment, including inflatables, entertainers, interactive play and food vendors. But the real highlight will be live music by Lisa Loeb and the Hollow Trees. Their new album, That’s What It’s All About, is a heartfelt tribute to timeless tunes and family traditions.

Music in the Park: LaRussell and Kung Fu Vampire
Sept 21, 4-11pm | Plaza de Cesar Chavez, San Jose | CalTix.com
Rising star LaRussell makes his Music in the Park debut. Born and raised in the northern part of Vallejo, a city with a rich vein of hip-hop talent, LaRussell began to rap at the age of eight. He is also the founder of Good Compenny, an organization that helps promote rising Bay Area artists. Just added to the bill is goth rapper Kung Fu Vampire, a San Jose native who has been rapping since he was 14 is known for his live performances. The booking marks the Vampire’s return to the Bay after two years and more than 150 national shows on the road.

Great Glass Pumpkin Patch
Sept 27-28, 10am-5pm | Palo Alto Art Center, 1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto | greatglasspumpkinpatch.org
Pumpkins come in all colors at this festive annual event sponsored by the Bay Area Glass Institute and the Palo Alto Art Center, where thousands of hand-crafted glass gourds are available for purchase, handcrafted by more than 25 artists, from teeny-tiny to gargantuan, in myriad colors and shapes.

Illo Mart
Sept 27-28, 11am-6pm | South Hall, 435 S Market St, San Jose | sanjosemade.com
This free event sponsored by SJ Made promises to bring together 350+ illustrators all in one place, showing their work.

Glass Pumpkin Patch
Oct 3, 3-9pm; Oct 4, 10am-9pm; Oct 5, 10am-5pm | Santana Row, San Jose | bagi.org
This event sponsored by Bay Area Glass Institute offers a chance for art lovers to purchase decorative pumpkins in time for Halloween.

Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2025
Oct 3-5 | Golden Gate Park, San Francisco | hardlystrictlybluegrass.com
Though it’s clearly not in Silicon Valley, this San Francisco show is notable for offering three days jampacked with music of many varieties, with only one thing in common: every show is absolutely free. Trampled by Turtles, Courtney Barnett and The War and Treaty? Yes! Emmylou Harris, Margo Price and Rosanne Cash? You bet. And much more.

Silicon Valley Asian Pacific Film Festival
Oct 17-26 | AMC Sunnyvale and online | svapfilmfest.org
Asian American cinema takes center screen for three days of live screenings at AMC Sunnyvale plus an additional seven days of online events. Feature films, documentaries and shorts are screened at this festival that seeks to celebrate culture, creativity and connection.

Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival
Oct 18-19, 9am-5pm | Main Street, Half Moon Bay | hmbpumpkinfest.com
Aside from gargantuan gourds, there’s plenty more to do at Half Moon Bay’s best-known event. Fine arts & crafts booths, live entertainment, a parade, the Pumpkin Run, pancake breakfasts, pie-eating contests and plenty more comestibles are in store.

Avenida de Altares
Nov 1 | Mexican Heritage Plaza, San Jose | schoolofartsandculture.org
Every year, the School of Arts and Culture organizes Avenida de Altares (Avenue of the Altars), a free event celebrating Dia de Los Muertos. In addition to the altar walk from the intersection of Alum Rock Avenue and King Road to the Mexican Heritage Plaza, there will be various activities, including face painting and artist booths.

SJ Made Holiday Fair
Nov 28-29, 11am-6pm | Santa Clara Convention Center, 5001 Great America Pkwy, Santa Clara | sanjosemade.com
The largest winter holiday craft fair in the South Bay Area is back, featuring more than 350 amazing makers, artists, designers, curators, workshop guides, food producers and creative small businesses.

Theater

National Theatre Live
Aug 21-Sept 11 | Hammer Theatre Center, 101 Paseo De San Antonio, San Jose | hammertheatre.com
Can’t make it to London for an evening at the National Theatre? The Hammer screens the following productions: Fleabag, written and performed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, screens Aug 23. Present Laughter—Noël Coward’s comedy, featuring Andrew Scott—screens Aug 21 and Sept 12. Scott also stars as multiple characters in Vanya, Simon Stephens’ new version of Chekhov’s play, which screens Aug 22, Aug 24 and Sept 11.

Gypsy
Sept 5-21 | Lucie Stern Theater, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto | paplayers.org
Palo Alto Players Artistic Director Patrick Klein is “beyond excited” that the company is opening its season with Gypsy, which he calls “one of the most iconic and emotionally powerful American musicals of all time.” Directed by Janie Scott, the production features 29 Bay Area actors, one pup, and the unforgettable score by Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim.

Cabaret
Sept 5-28 | 97 Hillview Ave, Los Altos | losaltosstage.org
Los Altos Stage Company enters the divinely decadent Kit Kat Klub, reprising Kander and Ebb’s indelible musical numbers while exploring the play’s darker side: the spectacle of a cosmopolitan society undone away by virulent demagoguery.

Little Shop of Horrors
Sept 6-28 | Sunnyvale Community Theatre, 550 E Remington Dr, Sunnyvale | sunnyvaleplayers.org
When floral assistant Seymour Krelborn stumbles across a new breed of plant, he has no idea that it will grow into a foul-mouthed, R&B-singing carnivore in this musical adaptation of the Roger Corman horror flick.

Sultana Daku
Sept 6-28 | Cubberley Theatre, 4120 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto | naatak.org
Naatak, a South Asian theater company, opens its 30th season with a tale written for the occasion: an adaptation of the 2009 novel The Confession of Sultana Daku, recounting the exploits of Sultana Daku and set in 1920s India. The play, which has never been performed before, will feature live music, dance and humor. 

Little Women
Sept 24-Oct 12 | Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St, Mountain View | theatreworks.org
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley kicks off Season 55 with the world premiere of Lauren Gunderson’s take on Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women. The Bay Area native’s adaptation brings the March sisters—Meg, Beth, Amy and Jo—to the stage in a new production in which author Alcott joins her characters to tell the tale of growing up in 19th-century New England.

Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors
Sept 25-Oct 19 | City Lights Theater, 529 S 2nd St, San Jose | cltc.org
Playing Bram Stoker’s legendary vampire story for both laughs and suspense, City Lights presents a gender-bending production with plenty of wordplay and six actors playing more than a dozen roles, including famed female vampire hunter Doctor Jean Van Helsing and a dangerous yet hot Count Dracula.

The Sound of Music
Sept 27-Oct 18 | Saratoga Civic Theater, 13777 Fruitvale Ave, Saratoga | southbaymt.com
South Bay Musical Theatre presents the beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. Artistic Director Walter M. Mayes, who also directs this production, says, “It reminds us that even when the world is filled with uncertainty, we can still choose love, light and family.”

The Art of Murder
Oct 3-19 | The Pear Theatre, 1110 La Avenida, Suite A, Mountain View | thepear.org
In this play by Joe DiPietro, acclaimed artist Jack Brooks has invited his art dealer, Vincent, to his secluded home for what seems to be a business discussion—but which unfolds quite differently as revelations of ambition and revenge shatter the mask of civility and artistic integrity.

Dos maridos pa’ Enriqueta
Oct 4, 7:30pm & Oct 5, 2pm | SecondStage, Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St, Mountain View | mvcpa.com
Teatro Nahual reimagines The Wise Women (1672), a satirical comedy by Molière, under the title Two Husbands for Enriqueta (Dos maridos pa’ Enriqueta). Molière’s critique of intellectual pedantry and societal hypocrisy has been moved from 17th-century France to late 19th-century Mexico City. Performed in Spanish.

Silicon Valley Twelfth Night
Oct 17, 7:30pm; Oct 18, 3 & 7:30pm | Mainstage, Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St, Mountain View | mvcpa.com
Set in a future where artificial intelligence thrives, Silicon Valley Twelfth Night weaves modern narrative threads into Shakespeare’s classic comedy. The story unfolds in Silicon Valley, where AI replaces not only human labor but also human emotions.

Crazy Quilt Club
Oct 24-Nov 8 | Hall Pavilion at Triton Museum, 1750 Don Ave, Santa Clara | scplayers.org
Santa Clara Players play this murder mystery for laughs. Veronica Blather is a sweet little old lady who spends most of her time knitting and solving murders; clues drop as fast as corpses and the dialogue keeps the audience in stitches.

Dracula
Oct 25-Nov 9 | Sunnyvale Community Theatre, 550 E Remington Dr, Sunnyvale | sunnyvaleplayers.org
This new adaptation brings the suspense and seduction of Bram Stoker’s classic novel to the stage, with a theatrical picture of Stoker’s famous vampire that’s rich with both humor and horror.

A Driving Beat
Oct 29-Nov 23 | SecondStage, Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St, Mountain View | theatreworks.org
TheatreWorks presents a world-premiere play by Jordan Ramirez Puckett, a Bay Area writer now living in New York City. Directed by Jeffrey Lo, it tells the story of a road trip shared by a white mother and her adopted brown son.

Humans 2.0
Nov 1, 7:30; Nov 2, 2:30pm | Bing Concert Hall, Stanford University | live.stanford.edu
Ten bodies appear in a flash of light, moving in harmony. Created by visionary Yaron Lifschitz, it’s part of Australian performing troupe Circa’s current show, Humans 2.0, which addresses the challenge of being homo sapiens.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Musical
Nov 5-9 | Montgomery Theater, 271 S Market St, San Jose | cmtsj.org
Children’s Musical Theater San Jose’s Junior Talents presents the musical adaptation of Jeff Kinney’s Diary, starring local performers, ages 7-10.

Annie
Nov 7-23 | Lucie Stern Theater, 1305 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto | paplayers.org
“It’s A Hard Knock Life” at Miss Hannigan’s orphanage, but little Annie keeps her spirits up, hoping for a better “Tomorrow.” The Palo Alto Players bring the Broadway classic to life for a three-week run.

Burnout Paradise
Nov 12-15, 7pm | The Studio, Stanford University | live.stanford.edu
For the first time, Stanford Live will present three acts from the cutting-edge Edinburgh Festival Fringe. First up is the Australian theater collective Pony Cam, presenting Burnout Paradise, which Timeout called “One of the most frenetically uproarious shows you will ever experience.”

Fiddler on the Roof
Nov 14-23 | Montgomery Theater, 271 S Market St, San Jose | cmtsj.org
Children’s Musical Theater San Jose’s Rising Stars present the story of Tevye and his five daughters, and the traditions of the village of Anatevka, featuring local performers ages 11-15.

A Twig in the Thief’s Beard
Nov 14-23 | Cubberley Theatre, 4120 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto | naatak.org
This South Asian company adapts Nikolai Gogol’s The Government Inspector—first published in 1836 and staged in countless adaptations and styles. Here, corrupt local officials in a Gujarati town are abuzz because Inspector Sahib is on his way to check on them.

Over the River and Through the Woods
Nov 20-Dec 21 | City Lights Theater, 529 S 2nd St, San Jose | cltc.org
Joe DiPietro’s play is centered on single, Italian-American New Jerseyite Nick, who still sees both sets of his grandparents every Sunday for dinner. When they catch wind of his dream job offer in Seattle, a series of schemes ensue to keep Nick at home.

Ada and the Engine
Nov 21-Dec 7 | The Pear Theatre, 1110 La Avenida, Suite A, Mountain View | thepear.org
Playwright Lauren Gunderson turns her talents to the story of Ada Lovelace, daughter of Lord Byron, who finds beauty in numbers instead of words. Her connection with inventor Charles Babbage led her to be considered the world’s first computer programmer. The Pear’s production is directed by Miller Liberatore.

Classical and Opera

Invitation to the Dance
Sept 6, 7:30pm | Hammer Theatre, 101 Paseo De San Antonio, San Jose | cambriansymphony.org
Cambrian Symphony kicks off its 2025–26 season with a musical journey across continents. The program features Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake suite, José Pablo Moncayo’s Huapango, with folk rhythms from Veracruz, Arturo Márquez’s Danzón No. 2 and Three Latin American Dances by Gabriela Lena Frank, a San Francisco native.

Brass Masterclass 
Sept 6, 6:30pm | First Presbyterian Church, Palo Alto | gsyomusic.org
Brass Over Bridges, a brass quintet, will perform and lead a masterclass with Golden State Youth Orchestra brass musicians. Following the free performances, there will be a short Q&A session.

Baroque Concert
Sept 13, 7:30pm | First Lutheran Church, 600 Homer Ave, Palo Alto | paphil.org
Palo Alto Philharmonic kicks off its nine-concert 2025-2026 season with an evening of select soloists and small ensembles performing an array of music from the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries.

Così Fan Tutte
Sept 14-28 | California Theatre, 345 S 1st St, San Jose | operasj.org
Opera San José starts its season with a light touch: Mozart’s Così Fan Tutte, which the company describes as an 18th-century reality show—Temptation Island meets powdered wigs—with two young couples entangled in a scheming philosopher’s loyalty test.

MACLA Presents: Inebria me
Sept 25-27 | MACLA, 510 S 1st St San Jose | maclaarte.org
Movimiento de Arte y Cultural Latino Americana presents an experimental opera by Los Angeles-based composer, musician and performance artist San Cha. The work, Inebria me, blends ranchera, cumbia, mariachi, punk, classic and electro music. 

Virtuosi!
Sept 27, 7:30pm | Cañada College Main Theater, 4200 Farm Hill Blvd, Redwood City | redwoodsymphony.org
Redwood Symphony begins its fifth decade by celebrating the 100th birthday of composer Kirke Mechem with a performance of The Jayhawk overture. The orchestra also performs Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra and Prokofiev’s Second Piano Concerto, with Daniel Glover as soloist. The evening begins with a 6:45pm pre-concert talk.

Aristo Sham
Sept 28, 2:30pm | Visual and Performing Arts Center, 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino | steinwaysociety.com
He has played for the king of England and the queen of Belgium, and collaborated with the London Symphony and the Hong Kong Philharmonic. Now the Steinway Society presents the 2025 Cliburn Gold Medalist in concert, with options to attend in person or listen online.

Masquerade
Oct 4, 7:30pm & Oct 5, 2:30pm | California Theatre, 345 S 1st St, San Jose | symphonysanjose.org
Symphony San Jose kicks off its 2025-26 season: seven pairs of concerts, plus two holiday shows. The first program, conducted by Nathan Aspinall, features Anna Clyne’s Masquerade; Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, with pianist Jon Nakamatsu in the spotlight; and Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique. Guests at the opening-night show can upgrade and attend Masquerade Fantastique prior to the concert, with a pre-concert reception, refreshments in the Baton Society Lounge during intermission, and a dessert reception after the show.

Peninsula Symphony Season Opener
Oct 4, 7:30pm | Heritage Theatre, Campbell
Oct 5, 2:30pm | Performing Arts Center, San Mateo | peninsulasymphony.org
Peninsula Symphony opens its 77th season with guest conductor Lara Webber and guest soloist Demarre McGill, who will perform Charles Tomlinson Griffes’s Poem and Jacques Ibert’s Flute Concerto. The program also includes works by Carlos Simon, Prokofiev and Tchaikovsky.

Michelle Cann
Oct 8, 7:30pm | Bing Concert Hall, Stanford University | live.stanford.edu
A Grammy winner for her recordings of Florence Price compositions, pianist Michelle Cann will perform Price’s Sonata in E minor as well as works by Ravel, Mendelssohn, Margaret Bonds and John Sylvanus Thompson.

Brahms First Symphony
Oct 18, 7:30pm | Cubberley Theatre, 4120 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto | paphil.org
In addition to Brahms’ opus—which took the composer 21 years to finish—Palo Alto Philharmonic will perform Augusta Read Thomas’ Of Paradise and Light and Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Suite for Viola and Small Orchestra, with violist Jenny Douglass.

Dances and Dreams
Oct 18, 7:30pm | Visual and Performing Arts Center, 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino | steinwaysociety.com
Concert pianist Pavel Kolesnikov returns to the Steinway Society stage to perform a program of works by Chopin, Rameau and Duphly.

Fury and Heartbreak
Oct 19, 2:30pm | MainStage, Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St, Mountain View | mvcpa.com
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale welcome soprano Maya Kherani, who will sing cantatas by Handel and Marcello, accompanied by furious and tender music for strings. The program, which also includes works by Galuppi, Durante and Vivaldi, will be conducted by Václav Luks.

The Many Colors of Her
Oct 19, 7pm | St. Francis Episcopal Church, 1205 Pine Ave, San Jose | sjco.org
A premiere by San Jose Chamber Orchestra’s very own Emily Onderdonk, conducted by Barbara Day Turner. 

Santiago Cañón Valencia
Oct 22, 7:30pm | Bing Concert Hall, Stanford University | live.stanford.edu
Colombian cellist Santiago Cañón-Valencia makes his Bay Area debut, performing French sonatas and unusual transcriptions, capped by Stravinsky’s Suite Italienne, from the ballet Pulcinella.

Symphonic Spooktacular
Oct 25, 7:30pm; Oct 26, 2:30pm | California Theatre, 345 S 1st St, San Jose | symphonysanjose.org
Peter Jaffe conducts Symphony San Jose’s annual Halloween “spooktacle.” Titled Bewitching Broadway, the program includes selections from Stephen Schwartz’s Wicked, Frank Wildhorn’s Jekyll & Hyde, Kurt Weill’s Threepenny Opera, Alan Menken’s Little Shop of Horrors and Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods and Sweeney Todd.

From Formosa to Vienna
Oct 25, 7:30pm | De Anza Visual & Performing Arts Center, 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino | novavista.org
Nova Vista Symphony presents the Bay Area premiere of Tyzen Hsiao’s Violin Concerto in D, with an assist from soloist Richard Lin. Also on the program: Mozart’s Overture to Marriage of Figaro and Mahler’s Symphony No. 1.

Hayato Sumino
Oct 26, 2:30pm | Bing Concert Hall, Stanford University | live.stanford.edu
A pianist who got his start on YouTube, Hayato Sumino has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and toured worldwide. For this recital he’ll tackle Chopin, Debussy, Gershwin, Hans Zimmer and his own work, plus a finale: playing Ravel’s Boléro on two pianos at the same time.

Scary Music!
Oct 26, 3pm | Cañada College Main Theater, 4200 Farm Hill Blvd, Redwood City | redwoodsymphony.org
Tunes by Danny Elfman and John Williams plus Stephen Schwartz’s Suite from Wicked and Paul Dukas’ The Sorcerer’s Apprentice will please kids and adults. The concert begins with a tour of the orchestra and concludes with a group conducting lesson.

Fall Chamber Concert
Nov 8, 7:30pm | First Lutheran Church, 600 Homer Ave, Palo Alto | paphil.org
Palo Alto Philharmonic musicians spend the evening with their friends in wind, string and brass ensembles.

Vienna Boys Choir
Nov 12, 7:30pm | Bing Concert Hall, Stanford University | live.stanford.edu
The famed vocal group has toured the globe for six centuries, presenting a repertoire that includes everything from medieval to contemporary to experimental music. The focus this evening: Johann Strauss Waltzes and Polkas.

Romantic Reveries
Nov 15, 7:30pm | Visual and Performing Arts Center, 21250 Stevens Creek Blvd, Cupertino | steinwaysociety.com
In his debut with the Bay Area’s Steinway Society, pianist Eric Lu performs works by Schumann, Schubert and Chopin.

Persian Delights
Nov 16, 7pm | St. Francis Episcopal Church, 1205 Pine Ave, San Jose | sjco.org
Under the baton of Barbara Day Turner, San Jose Chamber Orchestra presents an evening of “Persian delights” featuring composer/pianist Faranak Shahroozi.

Madama Butterfly
Nov 16-30 | California Theatre, 345 S First St, San Jose | operasj.org
Puccini’s opera classic reveals the story of young Japanese woman Cio-Cio-San, who sacrifices everything for a faithless American naval officer. César Delgado plays the officer; Emily Michiko Jensen is Cio-Cio-San.

40th Anniversary with Mason Bates
Nov 22, 7:30pm | Cañada College Main Theater, 4200 Farm Hill Blvd, Redwood City | redwoodsymphony.org
Redwood Symphony founding music director Eric Kujawsky leads a program of his personal favorites to mark four decades of music. The program opens with Emmanuel Chabrier’s España, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto and one of Kujawsky’s favorite pieces, Alternative Energy by Mason Bates, who will appear as a guest soloist. The evening begins with a 6:45pm pre-concert talk.

Celebrating Cecilia
Nov 22, 7:30pm | Campbell United Methodist Church, 1675 Winchester Blvd, Campbell
Nov 23, 4:30pm | First Congregational Church of Palo Alto, 1985 Louis Rd, Palo Alto | baychoralguild.org
Bay Choral Guild opens its 47th season with a program honoring the patron saint of musicians with works including Britten’s Hymn for St. Cecilia, Handel’s Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day, and Jacob de Haan’s Missa Santa Cecilia.

Peninsula Symphony Stanford Concerts
Nov 22, 7:30pm & Nov 23, 2:30pm | Bing Concert Hall, Stanford University | peninsulasymphony.org
Mitchell Sardou Klein leads the Peninsula Symphony through its annual collaboration with the Stanford Symphonic Chorus, under the direction of Stephen M. Sano. Two contemporary works by Dan Forrest and Jessie Montgomery complement Richard Strauss’ tone poem Death and Transfiguration.

Holiday Spectacular
Dec 6, 2:30 & 7:30pm; Dec 7, 2:30pm | California Theatre, 345 S 1st St, San Jose | symphonysanjose.org
Conductor Elena Sharkova takes Symphony San Jose through a program of seasonal music numbers that will include performers from Symphony San Jose Chorale, Cantabile Youth Singers and New Ballet.

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale
Dec 7, 2:30pm | Bing Concert Hall, Stanford University | live.stanford.edu
The orchestra and chorale pair 18th-century classics by Vivaldi and Corelli with a world premiere by British composer Roderick Williams and a U.S. premiere by Caroline Shaw.

A Chanticleer Christmas
Dec 11, 7pm | Memorial Church, Stanford University | live.stanford.edu
The San Francisco men’s vocal ensemble takes advantage of the church’s sublime acoustics with a new Christmas program each year.

Holiday Concert
Dec 13, 7:30pm | Church of the Ascension, 12033 Miller Ave, Saratoga | novavista.org
Nova Vista Symphony presents holiday favorites plus a Sound of Music medley, Humperdinck’s Overture to Hansel and Gretel and Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kijé Suite.

Stravinsky Pulcinella
Dec 13, 7:30pm | Cubberley Theatre, 4120 Middlefield Rd, Palo Alto | paphil.org
Palo Alto Philharmonic’s fourth concert of the season features contemporary composer Reena Esmail’s Avartan, Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, featuring soloist Geoffrey Burr, and the suite from Stravinsky’s Pulcinella ballet. The pre-concert talk begins at 7pm.

Winter’s Gifts
Dec 21, 7:30pm | Mission Santa Clara, Santa Clara University | sjco.org
San Jose Chamber Orchestra and the Choral Project join forces for the annual Winter’s Gifts holiday concert, under the direction of conductors Daniel Hughes and Barbara Day Turner.

Dance

Extremely Close
Sept 12, 7:30pm; Sept 13, 2 & 7:30pm; Sept 14, 2pm | MainStage, Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St, Mountain View | mvcpa.com
Smuin Contemporary Ballet presents three company premieres by award-winning choreographers: Extremely Close, by Alejandro Cerrudo; Partita, by Justin Peck; and A Long Night, by Amy Seiwert.

A Taste of Ireland
Sept 25 | Fox Theatre, 2215 Broadway, Redwood City | ATasteofIrelandShow.com
The “Irish music and dance sensation” comes to California on its 2025 world tour, featuring a cast of acclaimed Irish dancers and musicians, with a vocalist there to sing reimagined classics such as “Danny Boy” and “Wild Rover.”

Spellbound
Oct 10-11, 8pm | California Theatre, 345 S First St, San Jose | sjDANCEco
sjDANCEco joins forces with the San José Chamber Orchestra to present its 23rd season, celebrating new works by company choreographers Maria Basile and Nhan Ho, guest choreographers Hsiang-Hsiu Lin, Fred Mathews, and Colin Connor. “Spellbound invites you on an unforgettable inner journey—one that will leave you captivated, fulfilled, and deeply moved,” says Maria Basile, artistic director.

Halloween Gala & Dance Party
Oct 25, 7-10pm | Hammer Theatre Center, 101 Paseo De San Antonio, San Jose | newballet.com
A family-friendly rooftop party with costume contest, a sneak peek at the season’s highlights—featuring live performance excerpts by company dancers—and the opportunity to support New Ballet—it’s all part of the company’s most important fundraiser of the year.

Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet
Nov 9, 3pm | Center for the Performing Arts, 255 Almaden Blvd., San Jose | sanjosetheaters.org
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, with the first Nutcracker arriving on the scene. Talmi Entertainment, now on its 33rd tour, brings its version of this seasonal treat to more than 100 cities every year.

The Great Gatsby
Nov 22, 7pm | Center for the Performing Arts, 255 Almaden Blvd, San Jose | sanjosetheaters.org
Choreographer Ilya Zhivoy and composer Anna Drubich focus on the central love story in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, producing a ballet with a score that echoes the sounds of the Jazz Age. World Ballet Company is touring the production nationwide.

Swan Lake
Dec 4, 7pm | Center for the Performing Arts, 255 Almaden Blvd, San Jose | sanjosetheaters.org
Classical Arts Entertainment presents a touring production of Tchaikovsky’s ballet with professional dancers from around the world.

Dökk by fuse*
Dec 5, 7:30pm | Memorial Auditorium, 551 Jane Stanford Way, Stanford | live.stanford.edu
Presented by Stanford Live, Dökk is a journey through the subconscious mind, as it constantly seeks a balance between light and darkness. Experience a live media performance that deeply connects a performer with an incredible digital landscape.

The Christmas Ballet
Dec 11-13, 7:30pm & Dec 13-14, 2pm | MainStage, Center for the Performing Arts, 500 Castro St, Mountain View | mvcpa.com
Smuin Contemporary Ballet brings back its seasonal ballet, which, as always, features new additions to keep it evergreen.

The Original San Jose Nutcracker
Dec 12-14 | Center for Performing Arts, San Jose | sjdt.org
San Jose Dance Theatre is back for the holidays, with six full-length productions of The Original San Jose Nutcracker and one presentation of Once Upon a Nutcracker at 10:30am on Dec 12.

The San Jose Nutcracker
Dec 13-23 | California Theatre, 345 S. First St, San Jose | newballet.com
Presented with Symphony San Jose in the California Theatre, this joyful holiday production transports the familiar story to turn-of-the-century San Jose. An added bonus: Symphony San Jose will accompany all performances.

My Very First Nutcracker
Dec 14, 15 & 22, 11am | California Theatre, 345 S 1st St, San Jose | newballet.com
A one-act presentation aimed at families with young children, this shortened ballet centers on the festive party scene. Performed with live accompaniment by Symphony San Jose, conducted by Thomas Shoebotham.

Museum and Gallery Shows

Stand Up! Closing Party
Aug 23, 4-6pm | Works/San Jose, 38 S 2nd St, San Jose | workssanjose.org
WORKS/San Jose’s member exhibition ends with a party and the annual member meeting, with brief “state of Works” remarks at 5pm.

Expanding the Field and Echoes in Color
Aug 30, 2025-Jan 11, 2026 | Triton Museum, 1505 Warburton Ave, Santa Clara | tritonmuseum.org
Triton Museum of Art presents two shows related to print media, opening simultaneously. Expanding the Field; New Ideas in and Beyond Print will feature work by the California Society of Printmakers in an exhibition juried by internationally recognized Canadian multidisciplinary artist Monique Martin. For this exhibition, artists were invited to submit work that incorporates any form of hand-pulled printmaking. Echoes in Color showcases work by Qiuwen Li, a Bay Area-based artist from China whose work focuses on reimagining language through color and typography. Li’s work opens up a dialogue about pouring meaning into different forms of communication and expression through creative ways of understanding language.

Half Dome and Elsewhere
Sept 2-28 | Gallery 9, 143 Main St, Los Altos | gallery9losaltos.com
A solo exhibit of mixed-media paintings by Menlo Park artist Daniel Meehan, inspired by Yosemite’s Half Dome and other geological formations. Opening reception: Sept 5, 5-8pm.

Below the Surface
Sept 3-28 | Whitney Modern Art Gallery, 24 N Santa Cruz Ave, Los Gatos
Subtitled “life philosophy made visible,” Sieglinde Van Damme’s exhibit is not a traditional art show; it is designed as an immersive, reflective experience. Visitors will encounter a philosophy wall, a mirror installation, and sealed collector letters accompanying each of the 30+ paintings. Opening reception: Sept 7, 2-4pm (RSVP at bit.ly/Sep7opening.)

Climate Interrelations Imaginative
Sept 5-Oct 18 | Works/San Jose, 38 S 2nd St, San Jose | workssanjose.org
Curator Valentino Loyola brings together a mix of “data-based artistic explorations.” Opening reception Sept 5, 5-9pm.

In Search of Our Mother’s Garden
Sept 5-Oct 3 | Art Ark Gallery, 1035 S 6th St, San Jose | artarkgallery.com
Artist Hargun Mahal Mann explores themes of womanhood, sisterhood, migration and the meaning of home. Opening reception during First Friday Artwalk: Sept 5, 5-9pm, with an artist talk at 6pm.

Climate Interrelations Imaginative
Sept 5, 5-9pm | Works/San Jose, 38 S 2nd St, San Jose | workssanjose.org
The new exhibit at Works kicks off with an opening reception during the First Friday art walk. The show runs through Oct 18.

60th Anniversary Community Day
Sept 7, 11am-6pm | NUMU, 106 E Main St, Los Gatos | numulosgatos.org
Celebrate the 60th anniversary of New Museum Los Gatos with a free community day of art activities, tours, costume contests, live music by Hootenanny and more. Guests are encouraged to dress in ’60s garb. Free admission to NUMU’s current shows, which include Snapshots of Pride: Photographer Ted Sahl’s Chronicle of the South Bay LGBTQ+ Community, and Greater Bay Area Open, presented by the Los Gatos Art Association.

Pushing Boundaries: Ceramic Artists and Identity
Sept 13-Dec 7 | 1313 Newell Rd, Palo Alto | paloalto.gov
The new show presents work by contemporary California-based artists who engage with clay as a medium to explore themes of identity and materiality. Some artists work primarily with clay; others incorporate it as a symbolic reference. Opening reception Sept 19, 6-8pm, featuring art activities, a cash bar and performances from Mosaic America.

Edmonia Lewis: Indelible Impressions
Sept 17, 2025-Jan 4, 2026 | 328 Lomita Dr, Stanford | museum.stanford.edu
Three marble sculptures carved by 19th century American sculptor Edmonia Lewis (1844-1907) will be on display in a museum for the first time in three decades.

Shahzia Sikander: Collective Behavior
Sept 17, 2025-Jan 25, 2026 | 328 Lomita Dr, Stanford | museum.stanford.edu
A career-spanning exhibition of New York-based artist Shahzia Sikander (born 1969, Lahore, Pakistan), who has been reframing South Asian visual histories through a contemporary feminist perspective for more than three decades.

Data Trust
Sept 19, 2025-Mar 22, 2025 | ICA San José, 560 S 1st St, San Jose | icasanjose.org
Artificial intelligence is everywhere, seemingly, and the Institute of Contemporary Art San Jose tackles it head on with a new exhibit by Stephanie Dinkins that is part of the Hewlett 50 Arts Commissions, which support the creation of 50 new works in partnership with Bay Area nonprofit organizations. Data Trust presents a participatory, AI-based, immersive experience that looks at the human experience—land, memory, storytelling and our shared futures—and how it intersects with emergent technologies.

Jessica Monette: Root Me in the Soil
Sept 23, 2025-June 13, 2026 | de Saisset Museum, Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara | scu.edu/desaisset
Jessica Monette’s installation, the second Project Room exhibition at the de Saisset, will explore familial memory, presence and absence, and place. Reception scheduled for the evening of Oct 2.

Monica Rodriguez: Californiana
Sept 23-Dec 19 | de Saisset Museum, Santa Clara University, 500 El Camino Real, Santa Clara | scu.edu/desaisset
Installation artist Monica Rodriquez has been examining the colonization of present-day California (1542-1846), and her current project at de Saisset explores the period of missionization, in which Native Californians were forced to live and work as agricultural and utilitarian workers within mission complexes. The exhibit is site-specific, given that the de Saisset Museum stands on the ancestral lands of the Ohlone people and is on the site of the former Mission Santa Clara de Asís, established by Franciscan padres in 1777. The installation includes twenty-one bells, to represent the mission era, repurposed as pots to sprout native plants. In addition, the exhibit includes artifacts from the university’s archives aimed at re-examining the collection’s content.

Quilt National 2025
Sept 29, 2025-Jan 2, 2026 | 520 S 1st St, San Jose | sj-mqt.org
The San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles features selections from Quilt National, a juried biennial exhibition of contemporary quilt art, first held in 1979.

Maria Pazos
Sept 30-Nov 2 | Gallery 9, 143 Main St, Los Altos | gallery9losaltos.com
Solo exhibit of paintings. Opening reception: Oct 3, 5-8pm.

Heart’s Delight: Stories of San Jose
Oct 3-Dec 13 | Chopsticks Alley Art, 38 S. 2nd St, San Jose | chopsticksalleyart.org
A celebration of heritage, community, and connection, the exhibition opens with a free reception during First Friday Artwalk on Oct 3, 5-9pm. The work represents three projects: Collective Journeys, which shows work that artists created using sơn mài, an ancient Vietnamese lacquer painting technique; San José Marquee, with local artists transforming digital billboards; and In the Spirit of San José, works created by participants of all ages, inspired by the spirit of those who live and work in the city.

Cunning Folk: Witchcraft, Magic, and Occult Knowledge
Oct 15, 2025-February 22, 2026 | 328 Lomita Dr, Stanford | museum.stanford.edu
A curated collection of work that considers magical practice, practitioners and their persecution in early modern European artwork and material culture (c.1500-1750).

Code:ART 2025
Oct 16-18 6-10pm | Multiple locations | paloalto.gov
Code:ART is a free, interactive media art festival that transforms downtown Palo Alto into a hub of light, sound and imagination. Presented by the City of Palo Alto Public Art Program, the festival launches with five site-specific installations: a centerpiece at Lytton Plaza; four hands-on art experiences where visitors can meet the artists; and projection artworks by Jeff Dobrow, Yann Nguema and Alessio Cassaro on the Palo Alto City Hall façade. The City Hall projections will be on view nightly through Oct 25. 

Encounters: The Photography of r.r. jones
Oct 17, 2025-Feb 15, 2026, NUMU, 106 E Main St, Los Gatos | numulosgatos.org
The fine arts photographer captures images that include portraits from spiritual journeys to Bali, Southeast Asia, and Mexico, where he encountered and connected with spiritual leaders and everyday people.

ektor garcia: loose ends
Oct 17, 2025-June 7, 2026 | 110 S Market St, San Jose | sjmusart.org
Occupying the Davies Gallery at San Jose Museum of Art, ektor garcia’s installation will mix existing and new sculptures into a new installation. The exhibition marks the artist’s homecoming to the ​B​ay Area. The opening celebration takes place Oct 17; members are invited at 6pm; the general public can join from 7 to 9pm. Admission to the museum is free on First Fridays.

Stitches & Wiggles
Oct 24, 2025-Mar 8, 2026 | NUMU, 106 E Main St, Los Gatos | numulosgatos.org
Work by Jody Alexander and Thomas Campbell invites us to participate in an object-based dialogue, gathering materials to reuse, repurpose, repair, mend, patch, or stitch together to make compelling artworks that use the language of our time.

Edge of Softness
Nov 1, Dec 7 | Works/San Jose, 38 S 2nd St, San Jose | workssanjose.org
Community curators Cynthia Yadira Gonzalez and Alyssarhaye Graciano select works that evince “seriously cutting edge cushiness.” Opening reception Nov 1, 5-9pm.

Joyce Savre
Nov 4-30 | Gallery 9, 143 Main St, Los Altos | gallery9losaltos.com
Solo exhibit of paintings. Opening reception: Nov 7, 5-8pm.

Peace, Love + Art Benefit Auction Bash
Nov 15, 6-10pm | La Rinconada Country Club, 14595 Clearview Dr, Los Gatos | numulosgatos.org
The evening features a live art auction, dinner, an awards celebration, dancing and fun. The theme is groovy ’60s as NUMU celebrates its 60th anniversary. Tickets: $250.

Free Concerts

Roots Reggae Bash
Aug 24, 3:30-7pm | St James Park, San Jose | levittsanjose.org
Co-presented by Cukui and Levitt San Jose, this free concert features Groundation and Kruel Summer.

Music on the Square
Aug 22 & 29, 6-8pm | Courtyard Square, 2200 Broadway, Redwood City. redwoodcity.org
Ticket to Ride plays Aug 22 and Pride & Joy takes the stage Aug 29. Bring a lawn chair or a blanket. Free.

Campbell Summer Concert Series
Aug 22 & 28, 6:30-8pm | Orchard City Green, Civic Center Drive and N. Central Avenue, Campbell | campbellca.gov
Maneck plays Aug 22, and the Houserockers follow on Aug 28. Free. There are several parking garages within walking distance of the Orchard City Green, including the 2nd Street Parking Garage.

Music in the Square Summer Series
Aug 22 & 29, 6-8pm | 4055 Evergreen Village Square, San Jose | instagram.com/evergreenvillagesquare
Latin-flavored band Saborsito plays Aug 21, and Cadillac Jack picks up the beat on Aug 29. Free.

Pub in the Park
Sept 2, 11am-4pm | Red Morton Park, 1120 Roosevelt Ave, Redwood City | redwoodcity.org
Savannah Blu performs. Free. 

The Haberdasher Shows
Sep 4, 6-10pm. Haberdasher, 43 W San Salvador St, San Jose. haberdashersj.com
A music residency, pop-up photo exhibits and drink specials on the first Thursday of the month. 21 and over. Free.

Bululu
Sept 6, 3:30-7:30pm | St. James Park, N 2nd St &, E St James St, San Jose | maclaarte.org/events
MACLA teams up with Levitt Pavilion San Jose to present an afternoon of music performed by Bululú with Flaco El Jandro y Sus Perros Callejeros and El Pecado de Juana.

Comedy

Jimmy O. Yang: Big & Tall Tour | Sept 13, 8 & 10pm | San Jose Civic, 135 W San Carlos St, San Jose

John Cleese | Sept 14, 7:30pm | San Jose Civic, 135 W San Carlos St, San Jose

Sarang Sathaye Live | Sept 19, 7:30pm | Montgomery Theater, 271 S Market St, San Jose

Kevin Hart: Acting My Age | Oct 3, 8pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

Sandra Bernhard: Shapes & Forms | Oct 4, 7 & 9pm | Memorial Auditorium, Stanford University

John Mulaney: Mr. Whatever | Oct 10, 8pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

George Lopez | Oct 25, 8pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

Hairy Situation: A New Comedy Show by ALOK | Oct 25, 7:30pm | Bing Concert Hall, Stanford University

Golden Girls: The Laughs Continue | Oct 30, 7pm | Center for the Performing Arts, 255 Almaden Blvd, San Jose

An Evening With David Sedaris | Nov 8, 8pm | Center for the Performing Arts, 255 Almaden Blvd, San Jose

Nurse Blake—But Did You Die? Comedy Tour | Nov 10, 8pm | Center for the Performing Arts, 255 Almaden Blvd, San Jose

Fortune Feimster: Takin’ Care of Biscuits Tour | Nov 22, 7pm | San Jose Civic, 135 West San Carlos St, San Jose

Iliza Shlesinger | Dec 12, 7pm | San Jose Civic, 135 W San Carlos St, San Jose

Naomi Ekperigin | Dec 13, 7 & 9pm | The Studio, Stanford University

Hasan Minhaj and Ronny Chieng | Dec 18, 7 & 9:30pm | San Jose Civic, 135 W San Carlos St, San Jose

Literature

Trans Narratives of America
Sept 9, 6pm | Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park | keplers.org
Authors Carolina De Robertis (So Many Stars: An Oral History of Trans, Nonbinary, Genderqueer, and Two-Spirit People of Color) and Nico Lang (American Teenager: How Trans Kids Are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era) talk about how to preserve and honor the lives and voices of trans people. Moderated by Britta Stromeyer.

Randi Weingarten
Oct 3, 7pm | Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park | keplers.org
Randi Weingarten, author of Why Fascists Fear Teachers, explains what teachers do and why those who are afraid of freedom and opportunity try to stop them—and why all Americans should care about attacks on schools and teachers.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee
Oct 8, 7pm | Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park | keplers.org
In conversation with author Thomas L. Friedman, Sir Tim Berners-Lee—the inventor who distributed his creation, the World Wide Web, for no commercial reward—explores the web’s promise and how it can be redeemed for the future.

Daria Mochly-Rosen and Emanuel Rosen
Oct 17, 6pm | Kepler’s Books, 1010 El Camino Real, Menlo Park | keplers.org
Life Machines, a groundbreaking book by a Stanford University School of Medicine scientist and her husband, a bestselling author, provides a comprehensive yet easy-to-understand look at mitochondria and their role in human health. The Rosens outline lifestyle changes that will benefit these crucial parts of the human body.

Festival of Justice & Strength
Aug 26, 28 & 30; Sept 6 | Feldman’s Books, 1075 Curtis St, Menlo Park | eventbrite.com
A 4-part symposium celebrates justice and strength in our modern lives. Each evening will bring together voices from literature, music, and poetry. Aug 26, 6-9pm: Film night and discussion of I Am Not Your Negro, the documentary on the life and legacy of James Baldwin; Aug 28, 6-10pm: Live music by Ohmali and a community dance party; Aug 30, 6-8pm: West African highlife music with Soji Odukogbe and his band and Luisah “Yeye” Tish sharing reflections on justice and strength; and Sept 6, 6-8pm—Antonio López, Poet Laureate of San Mateo County, will present alongside local poets Brian Shepperd, Dwight Jones, and Trey Baker, joined by beloved local classical guitarist Abshir Miller, a longtime friend of the shop. Together, they will explore the theme of justice through verse and music, offering powerful and diverse perspectives on our shared humanity. 

Pop, Rock, Jazz & More

Air Supply | Aug 22, 7:30pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

Dave Matthews Band | Aug 23, 7:30pm | Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View

Gipsy Kings Featuring Nicolas Reyes | Aug 24, 7:30pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

Jesse & Joy—El Despecho Tour | Aug 24, 8pm | San Jose Civic, 135 W San Carlos St, San Jose

Tribal Seeds & The Movement | Aug 27, 7pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

ZZ Top | Aug 28, 7:30pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

Burton Cummings of the Guess Who | Aug 29, 7:30pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

The Offspring, Jimmy Eat World, New Found Glory | Aug 30, 7pm | Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View

Lost ’80s Live | Aug 30, 6pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox | Sep 3, 7:30pm. Mountain Winery, Saratoga.

Tennis | Sept 4, 7:30pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

Ana Gabriel | Sept 4, 8pm | SAP Center, San Jose

Josh Tatofi | Sept 4, 6pm | Center for the Performing Arts, San Jose

An Evening With Chicago | Sept 6-7, 7:30pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

Tomorrow X Together World Tour | Sept 9, 7:30pm | SAP Center, San Jose

Jackson Browne | Sept 9-10, 7:30pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

Molotov | Sept 11, 8pm | Civic Auditorium, San Jose

Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts—Love Earth | Sept 12, 7:30pm | Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View

Palomazo Norteño | Sept 12, 8pm | SAP Center, San Jose

David Lee Roth | Sept 12, 7:30pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

Three Dog Night & Little River Band | Sept 13, 7pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

Linkin Park: From Zero World Tour | Sept 15, 8pm | SAP Center, San Jose

38 Special | Sept 16, 7:30pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

Marisela | Sept 18, 8:30pm | Civic Auditorium, San Jose

Hermanos Gutiérrez | Sept 19, 7:30pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

The Concert: A Tribute to ABBA | Sept 20, 7:30pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

Los Tucanes | Sept 20, 8pm | SAP Center, San Jose

Natalia Lafourcade | Sept 20-21, 8pm | Civic Auditorium, San Jose

Band of Horses + Iron & Wine | Sept 22, 7:30pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

KANGDANIEL—Act: New Episode | Sept 22, 7pm | Montgomery Theater, 271 S Market St, San Jose

UB40, English Beat | Sept 24, 7:30pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

Eladio Carrión | Sept 24, 8pm | San Jose Civic, 135 W San Carlos St, San Jose

Clave Especial | Sept 25, 8pm | San Jose Civic, 135 W San Carlos St, San Jose

Midland | Sept 25, 7:30pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

Marcos Varela Trio ft Liberty Elman and Mark Ferber | Sept 26, 8pm | SJZ Break Room, San Jose

Common Kings | Sept 26-27, 7:30pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

Jorge Luis Pacheco | Sept 27, 7pm | SJZ Break Room, 310 S 1st St, San Jose

Kali Uchis | Sept 27, 8pm | SAP Center, San Jose

Loud Luxury—Five Star Dive Bar Tour | Sept 27, 7pm | San Jose Civic, 135 W San Carlos St, San Jose

Thomas Rhett: Better In Boots Tour | Sept 27, 7:30pm | Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View

America | Sep 28, 7:30pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

Alicia Villarreal—Donde Todo Empezó 2.0 | Sept 28, 8pm | San Jose Civic, 135 W San Carlos St, San Jose

Lucía | Oct 3, 7pm | The Studio, Stanford University

Óscar Maydon—Rico o Muerto Tour | Oct 3, 8pm | San Jose Civic, 135 W San Carlos St, San Jose

Paul Cornish | Oct 3, 9pm | SJZ Break Room, 310 S 1st St, San Jose

Anthony Fung | Oct 4, 8pm | SJZ Break Room, 310 S 1st St, San Jose

STAYC—2025 Tour | Oct 5, 8pm | San Jose Civic, 135 W San Carlos St, San Jose

Rosanne Cash with John Leventhal | Oct 5, 4pm | Bing Concert Hall, Stanford University

Marshall Tucker Band with Jackie Green | Oct 9, 7:30pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

Luis R. Conriquez | Oct 10, 8pm | SAP Center, San Jose

Ashni & Ambrose Getz | Oct 10, 8pm | SJZ Break Room, 310 S 1st St, San Jose

Legendary Wailers w/Julian Junior Marvin | Oct 11 | Heritage Theatre, Campbell

Los Ángeles Azules | Oct 11, 7:30pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

SLUGish Ensemble | Oct 11, 8pm | SJZ Break Room, 310 S 1st St, San Jose

Artemis: ARBORESQUE | Oct 12, 4pm | Bing Concert Hall, Stanford University

Ziggy Marley & Burning Spear: Do the Reggae Tour | Oct 17, 7:30pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

Becca Stevens | Oct 17, 8pm | SJZ Break Room, 310 S 1st St, San Jose

Billy Bob Thornton & The Boxmasters, Fran Moran & The Nervous Wrecks | Oct 18, 7:30pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

Dmitri Matheny Group | Oct 18, 8pm | SJZ Break Room, 310 S 1st St, San Jose

Daryl Hall with special guest Glen Tilbrook | Oct 22, 7:30pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

Garbage, Starcrawler | Oct 23, 7:30pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

Katalyst | Oct 24, 8pm | SJZ Break Room, 310 S 1st St, San Jose

Boz Scaggs | Oct 28, 7:30pm | Mountain Winery, Saratoga

Leonid & Friends—A Tribute to the Music of Chicago: 2025 or 6 to 4 Tour | Oct 29, 7:30pm | California Theatre, 345 S 1st St, San Jose

Veotis | Nov 1, 8pm | SJZ Break Room, 310 S 1st St, San Jose

Mariza | Nov 5, 7:30pm | Bing Concert Hall, Stanford University

Christian Nodal | Nov 9, 8pm | SAP Center, San Jose

An Evening with Judy Collins and special guest Tom Rush | Nov 13, 7:30pm | Center for the Performing Arts, 255 Almaden Blvd, San Jose

Alex Hahn | Nov 15, 8pm | SJZ Break Room, 310 S 1st St, San Jose

Brandon Lake with Franni Cash | Nov 16, 8pm | SAP Center, San Jose

Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience | Nov 19, 7:30pm | Bing Concert Hall, Stanford University

Bryan Adams with Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo | Nov 19, 8pm | SAP Center, San Jose

Ramon Ayala | Nov 21, 8:30pm | SAP Center, San Jose

Kristen Strom Quartet | Nov. 21, 8pm | SJZ Break Room, 310 S 1st St, San Jose

Stella Heath | Nov. 22, 8pm | SJZ Break Room, 310 S 1st St, San Jose

FLOW: Naruto The Rock World Tour | Dec 5, 9pm | San Jose Civic, 135 W San Carlos St, San Jose

Mana: Vivir Sin Aire Tour | Dec 5-6, 7pm | SAP Center, San Jose

Ben Jones and Laurence Hobgood | Dec. 6, 8pm | SJZ Break Room, 310 S 1st St, San Jose

Pink Martini’s Holiday Spectacular | Dec 10, 7:30pm | Bing Concert Hall, Stanford University

Jazz Mafia: Holiday Heist | Dec 14, 4 & 7pm | The Studio, Stanford University