Événement

Garden of Memory at Chapel of the Chimes

At this popular solstice concert, the program features simultaneous performances in different parts of the building by Bay Area composers, musicians, and other performers presenting a variety of acoustic and electronic music, installations, and interactive events; the audience is free to move throughout the building during the performances.
The artists, many of whom are well-known to Bay Area audiences, to be featured at this event. Confirmed performers include Kitka, Real Vocal String Quartet, the William Winant Percussion Group, Sharmi Basu, Orchestra Nostalgico, ROVA Saxophone Quartet, Majel Connery, Paul Dresher and Joel Davel, Pamela Z, Amy X Neuburg, Maggi Payne, the Living Earth Show, Sarah Cahill, Kate Stenberg, Dan Plonsey, Soriah,Beth Custer, Stephen Kent, Dylan Mattingly, Wendy Reid, John Benson, the Cardew Choir, Krys Bobrowski and Karen Stackpole, and many many others. See the website www.gardenofmemory.com for the up to date list of performers. A map and some of the schedules are posted there, as well. A sunset bell-ringing ceremony is led by Brenda Hutchinson for her Daily Bell Project.

Event goers are invited to wander the multilevel building which is built onto a hillside between Piedmont Avenue and Howe Street as the performers play simultaneously. Getting lost is part of the experience as guests climb up and down the three floors through a maze of gardens, cloisters, alcoves, stairwells, fountains and other architectural elements, which rise into vaulted ceilings. Seamless in feel, there are three separate design sections created by four architects; Cunningham & Politeo 1909, Julia Morgan 1926-1951 (consulting until her retirement 1951), Aaron Green 1956-1986 and JST Architects 1986-1998. In the older section the complexity of chapels, columbaria, and mausoleum areas are adorned with murals, paintings, sculpture, mosaics, California tile and 16th century antiquities. All architectural and garden areas have excellent acoustics and are illuminated by gentle natural light, often through beautiful arrangements of stained glass.
Garden of Memory offers a unique and personal musical experience to every listener as he or she roves freely through this Oakland Historic Landmark building. Drawing crowds of over two thousand people each year (including a large number of children), Garden of Memory has become a favorite summer solstice celebration for Bay Area audiences.
Our co-sponsor, Chapel of the Chimes, is the largest above-ground cemetery (mausoleum which is an inside cemetery) west of the Mississippi. Chimes started out as a street car station that was transformed into the California Memorial Crematorium and Columbarium in 1909. The property was expanded and transformed initially by Julia Morgan and later by Aaron Green, a protégé of Frank Lloyd Wright. The Oakland Historical Landmark today continues to provide complete end-of-life services, part of a family of four premier Bay Area cemeteries, columbariums, crematories, mausoleums and funeral homes. From traditional to personalized, Chapel of the Chimes assists the diverse families of Northern California to fully memorialize and celebrate a life lived.

Parking is limited. Please carpool, use public transportation, or bike, if at all possible. The nearby cemetery has requested that people do not park there during the event. If you do drive, there is usually parking available on Pleasant Valley Rd. AC Transit's Bus Line #12 stops within 2 blocks and serves both the Ashby and the 19th St. BART stations, as well as AMTRAK, if you're coming from afar, and runs every 20 minutes. Bicycles are best locked on the fencing of the parking lot across the street from the main entrance.

The Chapel of the Chimes is only partially handicap accessible. There is access to the bottom, and to the top floor (where there will be performers), but not in between, and there is no elevator from the top to the bottom - one must exit and go up the street.

D'maize will be serving pupusas and other El Salvadorean bites out at the front entrance. However, no food or drink is allowed inside, except for water bottles - which are recommended, as it can get very hot inside and water fountains are few and far between. There are flower stations where water bottles can be refilled.

A map with the performers is available on the website www.gardenofmemory.com