Saturday, September 12
Sat 9/12 2:00 PM Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive [2155 Center St.
Berkeley]In 2011 composer and musician
Theresa Wong created the song cycle The Unlearning, a reflection on Francisco Goya’s 1810 series of etchings Los desastres de la guerra (The Disasters of War) and their resonance with our contemporary world. Written for cello, violin, and two voices, the piece will be performed by Wong in duo with violinist and vocalist Carla Kihlstedt. More info at: https://bampfa.org/event/unlearning
More... Sat 9/12 6:00 PM Fattoria e Mare [315 Main St
Half Moon Bay, CA]Enjoy delicious Italian food while chatting with friends as Charged Particles creates a jazzy ambiance. Reviewers have called them “a tight and enormously talented trio.” (Jazz Times Magazine), “definitely dazzling.” (Jazz and Blues Report), and playing “jazz that showcases the trio’s individual technical mastery.” (Jazz News Magazine) According to the LA Times, the band’s performances feature “tight interplay and personal flair.”
More... Sat 9/12 7:00 PM RootStock Arts Center [5741 Telegraph Ave
Oakland]The Supplicants - R Howell, D Boyce, S Gupta & D Ewell
More... Sat 9/12 7:00 PM Community of Christ Church SJ [990 Meridian Avenue, San Jose, California 95126]Streaming and in-personSouth Bay Sonic Circuits is a community music series for modular synthesizer musicians, electronic musicians, visual artists, and experimental musicians. September line-up featuring TBA (sign-up today).
More... Sat 9/12 8:00 PM The Jazzschool [2087 Addison Street
Berkeley]A double bill showcasing the two beloved Jazzschool instructors—and dynamite saxophonists—leading their own quartets, featuring original music and jazz classics.
Bob Kenmotsu Quartet
Bob Kenmotsu, tenor saxophone
Ben Stolorow, piano
Ollie Dudek, bass
Ron Marabuto, drums
James Mahone Quartet
James Mahone, tenor saxophone
Remee Ashley, trombone
Brian Juarez, bass
Malachi Whitson, drums
More... Sat 9/12 8:30 PM The Lab [2948 16th St
SF]Michelle Lou / Stefan Maier + 100,000,000 Unread Messages
Michelle Lou and Stefan Maier, longtime friends working the field of electroacoustic performance and composition, perform a multichannel duo project at The Lab.
Approximately 100,000,000 Unread Messages is the duo of Connor Tomaka and Isabelle Waldner Kalb, investigating the tactility at the edges of electroacoustic instrumentation through compositions for guitar and computer.
More... Sunday, September 13
Sun 9/13 4:00 PM Old First Concerts [1751 Sacramento St.
SF]Streaming and in-person:
Click for stream Click to make donation Kevin Lee Sun performs a concert at Old First Presbyterian in SF. His program LOOK TO THIS DAY presents music by two living composers—Hyo-shin Na and Daniel De Togni—centered around the difficulty, ephemerality, and cherishment of life. Sun performs two solo piano works by Na. Then he's joined by composer De Togni on shakuhachi for his own "Death Poems," and soprano Wallis Lucas joins for De Togni’s "Songs of Becoming," both West Coast Premieres.
More... Sun 9/13 7:30 PM West Oakland Sound Series [2201 Poplar Street
Dresher Ensemble Studio
Oakland]"Random Ruminations" is a work for a "Geryon Trio" [“Geryon” is a being with three heads, whose name derives from the ancient Greek words gê (earth) and gêryô (singing)] Drawing on themes of absurdity, chance, and fluidity, JOHANNA POETHIG'S text, image, and oracle project intersects with an aleatoric performance by
Chris Brown and
Raffi Garabedian to form a collaborative exploration of chance, divination, and spontaneous creation.
DANA REASON (piano).
Philip Gelb (shakuhachi/electronics), and
Kyle Bruckmann (oboe/electronics) premiere a new trio uniting three veterans of the international improvised music scene.
More... Wednesday, September 16
Wed 9/16 12:30 PM The Jazzschool [2087 Addison Street
Berkeley]Join us for casual daytime talks and listening sessions with leading lights of the Bay Area jazz community. Bring your own lunch or order ahead from the JazzCaffè. Wednesdays at lunchtime! Free, drop-ins welcome.
More... Thursday, September 17
Thu 9/17 7:30 PM Temescal Arts Center [511 48th Street
Oakland, California]The return of the Return the Gift curated series (Series 3) continues with the third installment of four great shows, with three great performing artists featuring
Fred Frith/
Karen Stackpole Duo, Joseph Dee Bradshaw, and NGN.
Doors: 7:30/ Show: 8:00 PM
Donation: $10-25
More... Thu 9/17 7:30 PM Wyldflowr Arts [809 37th St
Oakland]IMPROMPTU - Live Improvisation with Melon Collective
Come join an evening of collective improvisation! Catch a live set from Melons, followed by some meloniuously facilitated group improvisation. Who knows what to expect? Musicians, sound creatives and audience members are welcome to participate.
More... Friday, September 18
Fri 9/18 7:00 PM Wyldflowr Arts [809 37th St
Oakland]Edgetone Records celebrates 35 years on planet Earth with a series of showcase performances.
Brett Carson’s Quattuor Elephantis, duoB, Matt Davignon More... Fri 9/18 8:00 PM Mitchell Park Community Center [3700 Middlefield Rd
Palo Alto]Earthwise welcomes
Myra Melford Splash Trio
Earthwise welcomes pianist
Myra Melford's Splash trio featuring Michael Formanek bass and Ches Smith drums and vibraphone. Opening the show is the duo of Tammy L. Hall piano and Leberta Lorál voice.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/earthwise-welcomes-myra-melford-splash-trio-tickets-1989268334137
More... Saturday, September 19
Sat 9/19 12:00 PM Center for New Music [55 Taylor St
SF]G|O|D|W|A|F|F|L|E||N|O|I|S|E||P|A|N|C|A|K|E|S
Dimmer (Hammer/Dimuzio)
Medicine Cabinet (Tracy)
Connor Tomaka
Impact Design
Mabbie Bug & Company (Luca)
26 yrs of no fuss 2 hr shows, gourmet pancakes free with entrance fee.
More... Sat 9/19 4:00 PM Building 34 [1024 Nimitz Avenue
Vallejo, CA, 94592]Re:Sound VIBRATION
Join us on Mare Island in Building 34 for an afternoon of sound, vision, and space.
Come early to explore the built and natural world that surrounds our site.
Kamran Shafii (Persian: کامران شفیعی)
Jamael Smith and
Zachary James WatkinsDoors are at 3:30 and show starts at 4:00 pm
https://buytickets.at/resound
Portions of this performance may include strobing light, which may be disruptive to photo-sensitive people.
More... Sat 9/19 7:00 PM Adobe Books [3130 24th Street
San Francisco, California 94110]Department of Science and Mathematics (album release show), a mix of hip-hop and experimental sets featuring softCOUP: a.K.aye with dBug (
David Leikam), SumOfMan, BarberROME, Stigma, and The All Electric Smart Grid. All Ages!
More... Sat 9/19 8:00 PM The UC Theatre [2036 University Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704
Berkeley, CA 94704]Ravi Coltrane Comes to Berkeley
More... Sat 9/19 8:00 PM The Jazzschool [2087 Addison Street
Berkeley]Faye Carol, vocals
Joe Warner, piano
Ron Belcher, bass
Dante Roberson, drums
The Dynamic Miss Faye Carol brings her all-star trio to the Jazzschool for an evening of original songs, and deeply grooving, hard-swinging arrangements of familiar tunes spanning jazz, blues, funk, and the Great American Songbook.
More... Sat 9/19 9:00 PM Ugra Deva Loka [1035 22nd Ave.
Unit 14
Oakland, CA]Blevin Blectum- electronic musician and multimedia composer
Shin Chida (Japan)- Japanese experimental musician
Mike Meanstreetz/Adam Lion- Free improv collab set.
Malocculsion- Malocculsion, or Michael Daddona, is a sound, visual, and performance artist
Dario Puga/Brian Pederson duo- rare assault of free jazz piano and saxes.
More... Sunday, September 20
Sun 9/20 6:00 PM SFJAZZ Center [201 Franklin Street (at Fell)
SF
CA]Myra Melford Splash Trio w/ Ches Smith & Michael Formanek
Two shows: 6:00 and 7:30.
Tickets: https://www.sfjazz.org/tickets/productions/26-27/myra-melford-splash-trio/
More... Sun 9/20 7:30 PM SIMM Series @ The Musicians Union Hall [116 9th St @ Mission
SF]Edgetone Records celebrates 35 years on planet Earth with a series of showcase performances in the San Francisco Bay Area.
7:30pm
Scott Looney - hyperpiano
8:30pm
Noertker's Moxie - CD release for the Antwerp Diaries - Annelise Zamula - woodwinds; Eli Knowles - drums;
Bill Noertker - contrabass, compositions
More... Sun 9/20 7:30 PM West Oakland Sound Series [2201 Poplar Street
Dresher Ensemble Studio
Oakland]DIANE GRUBBE premieres works by
Steve Adams,
Kyle Bruckmann,
Matt Ingalls, BRENT MILLER,
Wendy Reid and MONICA SCOTT written for Robert Dick’s invention, the “Glissando Headjoint®.”
Composer/performer MARGUERITE BROWN, presents tuning to, a solo performance exploring the electric guitar as a celestial body using a curated set of planetary tuning forks, hardware, and unconventional performance techniques.
More... Sun 9/20 8:00 PM (formerly Land and Sea) [5428 San Pablo Ave, Oakland]LAFMS icon Joseph Hammer continues his whirlwind Bay Area tour, plus
Thomas Dimuzio, Petra Zélie, and Tone Shepherd
More... Wednesday, September 23
Wed 9/23 12:30 PM The Jazzschool [2087 Addison Street
Berkeley]FREE! Brown Bag Jazz Hangs: Saki Minamimoto on Kenny Wheeler
Join us for casual daytime talks and listening sessions with leading lights of the Bay Area jazz community. Bring your own lunch or order ahead from the JazzCaffè. Wednesdays at lunchtime! Free, drop-ins welcome.
More... Wed 9/23 7:30 PM CCRMA Stage [660 Lomita Dr.
Stanford]Streaming and in-person:
Click for stream Join us for an evening with composer and performer, Seth Cluett! Seth will share a new iteration of his ambisonic work 'a static slice through time' that plays with the tension between the open expansive space of 360° environmental recording and the fictional fabrication of foley sounds under extreme magnification.
More... Thursday, September 24
Thu 9/24 7:30 PM Temescal Arts Center [511 48th Street
Oakland, California]The return of the Return the Gift curated series (Series 3) continues with the third installment of four great shows, with three great performing artists featuring Chuck Johnson, Peaces, and Robert Nance.
Doors: 7:30/ Show: 8:00 PM
Donation: $10-25
More... Thu 9/24 7:30 PM Wyldflowr Arts [809 37th St
Oakland]Sand Ghost
Sand Ghost is a shapeshifting instrumental ensemble that journeys out of experimental ambient spaces into deep psychedelic grooves.
More... Thu 9/24 8:00 PM The Lab [2948 16th St, San Francisco, CA, 94103]San Francisco Electronic Music Festival launches its 25th Anniversary festival at The Lab with performances by experimental techno producer Rrose in a new piece for The Lab's multichannel sound array, collaborative electronics and violin duo IDHAZ & Emily Bouton, and Blevin Blectum (Bevin Kelley) of famed electronic music duo Blectum from Blechdom.
Doors 7:30 pm, Show 8:00 pm
Tickets $23, festival pass $60
Ticket link: https://dice.fm/bundles/san-francisco-electronic-music-festival-2026-589l
More info: https://www.sfemf.org/
More... Friday, September 25
Fri 9/25 7:00 PM Community Music Center [544 Capp Street
SF]Lewis Jordan and Music at Large produce and perform, along with devorah major, Red Fast Triple Luck, and Josiah Luis Alderete on the first of two nights of music and poetry: Persistence at the San Francisco Community Music Center on Friday, September 25th.
More... Fri 9/25 7:30 PM The Jazzschool [2087 Addison Street
Berkeley]Tony Corman's Morchestra: Big Band Brazilian Blowout!
Tim Devine, Brian Lassiter, Dave Tidball, Guido Fazio, Charlie Keagle, saxophones
Brad Catania, Walt Beveridge, Mike Beveridge, Mike Galisatus, trumpets
Derek James, Spencer Sussman, Karl Dray, Rich Lee, trombones
Laura Klein, piano
Karl Hartmann, bass
Dave Rokeach, drums
Tony Corman, guitar and arranger
More... Fri 9/25 8:00 PM The Lab [2948 16th St
SF]San Francisco Electronic Music Festival continues its 25th Anniversary festival at The Lab with performances by Italian electroacoustic composer Stefano Pilia, San Francisco experimental electronic musician Albert Yeh, and a performance by The Gleaners (
Laetitia Sonami &
Matt Robidoux) with Paul DeMarinis.
Doors 7:30 pm, Show 8:00 pm
Tickets $23, festival pass $60
Ticket link: https://dice.fm/bundles/san-francisco-electronic-music-festival-2026-589l
More info: https://www.sfemf.org/
More... Saturday, September 26
Sat 9/26 8:00 PM The Lab [2948 16th St
SF]San Francisco Electronic Music Festival concludes its 25th Anniversary festival at The Lab with a set by Philadelphia poet, visual artist, and musician Moor Mother, who fuses noise, rap, free jazz, and Afrofuturism to create a singular sound. Seth Cluett's work is patient and quiet, described as "subtle…seductive, immersive" (Artforum). Thomas Carnacki is the project of Gregory Scharpen, Cheryl Leonard & Gregory Hagan, which conjures immersive, dreamlike soundscapes using found sounds and unconventional objects.
Doors 7:30 pm, Show 8:00 pm
Tickets: $23 single night, $60 festival pass
Ticket link: https://dice.fm/bundles/san-francisco-electronic-music-festival-2026-589l
More info: https://www.sfemf.org/
More... Sunday, September 27
Sun 9/27 5:00 PM Temescal Arts Center [511 48th Street
Oakland]Gonzalez & Sakai
Record Release show for MESSAGE RECEIVED
Lenny Gonzalez: Guitar, Electronics
Paul Sakai: Drums
It's Lenny's Birthday, so stay to hang!
Doors: 5pm
Music: 6pm
Entrance By Donation
More... Sun 9/27 7:00 PM Bric-a-Brac [178 Leland Ave, San Francisco, CA]Johnny Bell (progressive banjo and acoustic drone) Live at Bric-a-Brac with
Eda Er & Tasya Abbot (immersive experimental vocals), Sadie Siskin & Isabelle Waldner Kalb (fiddle and banjo duo shred), and Joseph Bradshaw (improvised and experimental finger style guitar)
More... Friday, October 2
Fri 10/02 7:30 AM CCRMA Courtyard [660 Lomita Dr.
Stanford]Streaming and in-person:
Click for stream CCRMA celebrates the start of the 2026 season with its annual Transitions: two evenings of outdoor, under-the-stars concerts showcasing music from the CCRMA community and beyond. Feast your ears on immersive 3D sounds played on our multichannel system (24.6 speakers!) in the Courtyard outside the Knoll. Each evening’s program will be different and will feature live performances, fixed media electronic music, and audiovisual works.
More... Saturday, October 3
Sat 10/03 7:30 PM CCRMA Courtyard [660 Lomita Dr.
Stanford]Streaming and in-person:
Click for stream CCRMA celebrates the start of the 2026 season with its annual Transitions: two evenings of outdoor, under-the-stars concerts showcasing music from the CCRMA community and beyond. Feast your ears on immersive 3D sounds played on our multichannel system (24.6 speakers!) in the Courtyard outside the Knoll. Each evening’s program will be different and will feature live performances, fixed media electronic music, and audiovisual works.
More... Thursday, October 8
Thu 10/08 7:00 PM Brava Theatre [2781 24th Street
San Francisco, CA 94111]The 30th Other Minds Festival Night 1 presents Joseph Bohigian’s I Am He Whose Life and Soul Are Torment, an evening-length multimedia work about the life of the visionary Soviet-Armenian film director Sergei Parajanov (1924–1990) that combines the multilingual songs of the 18th century bard Sayat Nova in Armenian, Azeri, and Georgian with live electronic manipulation of recordings by South Caucasus folk musicians. A collaboration with vocalist and duduk player Khatchadour Khatchadourian, Ensemble Decipher, and artists Tara Baghdassarian and Karo Yagjian, the piece is written for solo voice, duduk, electronics ensemble, and video projection.
More... Friday, October 9
Fri 10/09 7:00 PM Brava Theatre [2781 24th Street
SF]On Night 2, the Swiss-born, New York-based Sylvie Courvoisier combines European chamber music and American avant-jazz in a performance for solo piano. Mahsa Vahdat performs original song settings of Persian poetry, accompanied by setar player Atabak Elyasi. Vahdat’s compositions are inspired by her life in exile, her deep belonging to her homeland of Iran, and her dedication to preserving and reviving Iranian music. Night 2 ends with Juri Seo’s Just Intonation Etudes and Wildflowers followed by the world premiere of her Bad Decision for string quartet, bass, and drumset, with Friction Quartet.
More... Saturday, October 10
Sat 10/10 7:00 PM Brava Theatre [2781 24th Street
SF]Night 3 opens with Kristin Norderval and Elizabeth Gaver, who will present a program for voice, live electronics, Hardanger fiddle, and rebec that reflects on historical and contemporary Norwegian-American exchange. The performance draws inspiration from the 200th anniversary of Norwegian immigration to the United States, incorporating historic Hardanger fiddle tunes dating back more than 250 years alongside new composed and improvised material.
Zachary James Watkins and John Diaz—known as Foreign/Domestic—present a duo of guitar/electronics and drums. The evening ends with a set of sonic liberation compositions rooted in black sound: King Britt on live electronics and visuals by Alingo Loh.
More... Thursday, October 15
Thu 10/15 7:30 PM CCRMA Stage [660 Lomita Dr.
Stanford]Streaming and in-person:
Click for stream Stefano Pilia presents solo the compositions of his latest works "Spiralis Aurea" and "Lacinia," the two double albums released by Die Schachtel and SZSugar in 2022 and 2025, in an original adaptation for electric guitar and electronics. The performance, through execution, improvisation and practices inherent to his instrumental and electroacoustic research developed over the years, recontextualizes the poetics of these two works in a broader and more visionary formal polarity: an acousmatic dramaturgy between logos and chaos: a new sonic meditation experience which intertwines "traces of sacred geometry, collective experience and elusive connections between nature and humankind". Pilia continues the exploration of the metaphysical, spiritual, and divine dimensions through number, geometry, and the creation of tonal forms and architectures with properties similar and isomorphic to those archetypal, immutable forms that represent the intersection between the abstract realm of mathematics and the real structures of the physical world: a series of "troubled" sonic meditations that encourage active listening and evoke echoes of ancient liturgical and devotional music through a refined intersection of acoustic and electroacoustic processes, drone, and chamber music.
More... Sunday, October 25
Sun 10/25 12:00 PM Herbst Theatre [401 Van Ness Ave
SF]SF Music Day
https://intermusicsf.org/sf-music-day/
At SF Music Day, audiences can explore a full day of live music across the Herbst Theatre, Green Room, and Taube Atrium Theater. The 2026 lineup reflects the depth and diversity of the Bay Area music community, spanning classical, contemporary, jazz, traditional, world, interdisciplinary, and more!
More...