The ukulele is truly the people’s instrument, and SF Uke Jam is the Bay Area’s leading force bringing fans of the diminutive 4-string uke together.

In a world dominated by electronic devices, it’s easy to lose a sense of wonder. Illusionist, magician and consummate entertainer Calvin Kai Ku reconnects audiences with youthful amazement via enchanting magic and abundant laughter.

Indian-American percussionist and composer Rohan Krishnamurthy has staked out fertile soil where ancient Carnatic musical forms flow into the improvisational fields of jazz.

Wednesdays at Noon. Free RSVP encouraged, drop-ins are welcome.

A mesmerizing vocalist, Christelle Durandy has forged an Afro-Caribbean repertoire as intricate and multifarious as her own identity.

Wednesdays at Noon. Free RSVP encouraged, drop-ins are welcome.

A beloved Father’s Day tradition celebrating the creativity of North America’s indigenous peoples, the 26th annual Native Contemporary Arts Festival showcases a diverse array of Native music, dance, spoken word, visual artists, vendors and crafts. The program is curated by Janeen Antoine (Sicangu Lakota), American Indian Contemporary Arts’ founder and producer of the weekly KPFA 94.1 broadcast Bay Native Circle.

Decked out in bespoke tuxedos to perform an elegant fusion of state-of-the-art jazz and classical music in the world’s most august concert halls, the Modern Jazz Quartet set an unimpeachable musical and sartorial standard for 45 years (1952-1997). Led by Portland, Oregon piano master Darrell Grant, MJ New is a virtuoso quartet inspired by the MJQ’s chamber jazz aesthetic.

Wednesdays at Noon. Free RSVP encouraged, drop-ins are welcome.

Sharing works that delight, provoke, inspire and rouse, the monthly Poetic Tuesdays series runs from May to October, turning lunchtime into an oasis of creative expression.

Marking the 30th anniversary of South Africa’s first free, post-apartheid election, this double bill presents the perfect artists to celebrate the momentous occasion. 

Created and led by percussionist Aaron Kierbel, RhythmALLogy is an innovative interactive children’s program that involves movement, body percussion and group drumming.

Wednesdays at Noon. Free RSVP encouraged, drop-ins are welcome.

A riveting artist in the midst of reinventing herself, Eritrean singer-songwriter ASTU left her life as a minister and found her calling in sensuous music.

Sharing works that delight, provoke, inspire and rouse, the monthly Poetic Tuesdays series runs from May to October, turning lunchtime into an oasis of creative expression.

The annual Jenny Lind Concert is a beloved and long-running Yerba Buena Gardens Festival tradition that showcases the most extraordinary young sopranos from Sweden.

More than a dance and music ensemble, La Mezcla is a polyrhythmic creative force rooted in Chicana, Latina and Indigenous traditions.

The dynamic Mexican-born conga player Javier Cabanillas has come a long way since he started performing in Tijuana’s pop-up flea markets. In 2013, the Bay Area resident walked the red carpet in Los Angeles and took home a Grammy Award for his work with Oakland-based Pacific Mambo Orchestra.

Bongo Sidibe moved from the West African nation of Guinea to San Francisco in 2008 and wasted no time putting his deep trove of rhythmic knowledge into action. 

Sharing works that delight, provoke, inspire and rouse, the twice monthly Poetic Tuesdays series runs from May through August, turning lunchtime into an oasis of creative expression. 

Rooted in the hard-scrabble soil of Andalusia, the art form grew out of the medieval convergence of Gitano, Jewish, Spanish and Moorish culture. 

When it’s time to get a party started, Howard Wiley gets the call. The Oakland saxophonist has been a mainstay on the Bay Area music scene since he was a teenager, and in his early 40s he’s taken up the mantle of his mentors, playing soul-steeped jazz palpably connected to its social music roots.

In the world of puppetry Ramon Abad has carved out a singular niche, creating productions steeped in Filipino-American culture that entertain audiences of all types and ages.