Event

Festival of the Mandolins

On April 28th the Croatian American Cultural Center hosts the San Francisco Festival of the Mandolins. For the past 19 years there has been a sit down concert in the afternoon, workshops at noon, good food & drink, and plenty of chances to listen to the best, and most diverse mandolin music in the world. The 1PM concert, will be preceded by the Bring Your Own Mandolin Orchestra at noon. And ethnic food by Chef Hristo Kolev will be served up for your enjoyment

We are planning a special festival this year, a tribute to San Francisco's special history of Italian mandolin masters such as Rudy Cipolla, Tony Flores, Riccardo Tunzi, Gino Pellegrini, Matteo Casserino, Pete Tarzia, and Frank and Lawrence Andrini, all of whom have passed.

The festival will present the next generation followers of those masters, including Aurora Mandolin Orchestra, Gus Garelick with Mazurka Madness, Irene Herrmann, Phil Lawrence, Billy Packard, Duo Pizzicato, Emily & Paul Rangell, Kathy Sherak, and students from La Scuola International School

The festival will honor the rich tradition of Italian music in San Francisco and those who played it, with performances and stories from those who learned the music from that generation.