The 18th edition of San Francisco Music Day on Oct. 19 will be spectacular — and different.
InterMusic SF Executive Director Crystal Pascucci-Clifford boasts about what the festival offers but she is up front about an important change:
“It’s a family-friendly festival featuring more than 85 local artists in 20 ensembles, performing everything from classical and jazz to hip-hop and global traditions,” she said.
“For the first time, the festival will be ticketed [$10-$20], but discounts and a no-one-turned-away policy keep it accessible for all.”
Ever since its creation in 2008 by InterMusic SF, Music Day has been welcoming the community for a day of free entertainment, so the reluctant introduction of ticketing is significant. The reason?
“Arts funding across the country is in crisis,” said Pascucci-Clifford. “For nearly two decades, InterMusic SF has maintained SF Music Day as a free festival, through the generosity of government and foundation support. But that landscape is changing rapidly. In 2025–26, we expect to lose one-sixth of our total annual budget.”
This year, the day-long festival honors cellist Sandy Wilson, one of the co-founders of the now-retired Alexander String Quartet. Wilson is a long-time supporter of InterMusic and, in the words of the organization’s announcement, “his influence runs deeply rooted in the community we serve. His artistry and vision continue to inspire the spirit of creativity and community that defines SF Music Day.”
As before, SF Music Day features “blues, chamber, and folk music, classical, early, experimental, jazz, new, tango, world music — and everything in between.”
The events, from noon to 6 p.m., take place in the SF War Memorial Veterans Building (401 Van Ness) and its Herbst Theater, Green Room, and Taube Atrium performance spaces. Those three venues have festival announcers — RyanNicole Austin, Barbara Heroux, and Maggie Clennon Reberg — to introduce the artists and the works they perform.
Here are some highlights of the Music Day:
– Benicia Chamber Players, 12:30 p.m.
– Soprano Esther Rayo and pianist Peter Grünberg, 1:15 p.m.
– Pedro José Pastrana Trio, 1:15 p.m.
– Vân-Ánh Vanessa Võ and the Blood Moon Orchestra, 2:15 p.m.
– Berkeley Choro Ensemble, 3:15 p.m.
– North Indian/Hindustani classical music: Kala Ramnath, violin, and Abhijit Banerjee, tabla, 4 p.m.
– Pianist Elizabeth Schumann, 4 p.m.
– Ensemble San Francisco, 5 p.m.
In addition to performances in the three main venues, at the entrance to the Veterans Building, the Jazz in the Neighborhood (JitN) JazzMobile House Band will host an all-day jam session as well as a “send-off celebration” at 6 p.m. to mark the conclusion of the festival.
Performances will be livestreamed free at sfmusicday.com.
