Flower Piano
San Francisco Botanical Garden and Sunset Piano are excited to present one of the most unique, creative, and innovative events in the Bay Area
September 16-20, 2022
Special Opening Event Wednesday, September 14 – Fall and Fly
In the final days of summer and for the seventh time since 2015, Flower Piano will once again transform San Francisco Botanical Garden into the city’s own alfresco concert hall where everyone is invited to play and listen.
“Flower Piano is located at that magical intersection of music and nature,” says Dean Mermell, co-founder, together with Mauro ffortissimo, of event partner Sunset Piano. “It’s a uniquely safe outdoor space where we can be our best as humans, enjoying the Bay Area’s finest musicians in the city’s most beautiful setting.”
Participants are invited to explore the Garden’s global living plant collections as they seek out the 12 pianos spread out across the 55-acre living museum. At each of the pianos, there will be scheduled professional performances, open play time for participants, and community partner performances – reflecting a range of genres, ages, and cultures. The experience brings joy, hope, awe, and a deep sense of community. Participants are inspired to become Garden members and enjoy other Garden programs throughout the year.
“We are excited to work with our partners at the Recreation and Park Department, Sunset Piano, and all the musicians and community organizations that bring Flower Piano to life and I am grateful to our sponsors and staff that make this special event happen,” says Stephanie Linder, CEO of the Gardens of Golden Gate Park.
New this year is a very special opening event, Fall and Fly, on Wednesday September 14 from 5– 6:30pm, where a groundbreaking commissioned work created for 12 grand pianos will be performed on the Garden’s Great Meadow. San Francisco-based composer Benjamin Gribble has written Fall and Fly, an experimental work in three movements, exploring the textures of a 12-piano choir. Stanford Symphony director Paul Phillips will personally conduct this one-of-a-kind performance. Special guest speakers, writers, and poets will contextualize the evening with themes of renewal and regrowth.
Flower Piano is a musical event and attraction that provides open access to music and pianos within the beautiful, outdoor environment of San Francisco Botanical Garden. Free for all San Franciscans, for families receiving SNAP or CalFresh benefits, and for everyone else following $3-$25 general admission, Flower Piano is accessible and encouraged for all.
“Music in Golden Gate Park is a storied San Francisco tradition and Flower Piano has carved out its place as one of the most beautiful, creative and beloved events. The combination of music, nature and human connection is truly special, and I am so grateful we can provide it for our community,” says Phil Ginsburg, General Manager, San Francisco Recreation and Park Department.
Lead sponsors for Flower Piano 2022 include Delle Maxwell and Patrick Hanrahan, Silicon Valley Bank, The John and Marcia Goldman Foundation, Ronald Whittier Family Foundation, Sarah and Stuart Ryan, Outside Lands Works, Fiorella, and Almonte Spa.
Media sponsors include FunCheap SF, KQED, San Francisco Chronicle, and San Francisco Magazine.
WHAT:
Flower Piano
Special Flower Piano Opening Event: Fall and Fly
WHEN:
Friday, September 16 – Tuesday, September 20
Special Opening Event: Fall and Fly: Wednesday, September 14
TIME:
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM PDT
Special Opening Event: Fall and Fly: 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM PDT
WHERE:
San Francisco Botanical Garden
Golden Gate Park
1199 9th Avenue, SF, CA 94122
SPONSORSHIP:
Sponsorship levels $2,500-$100,000
Contact Director of Philanthropy Brooke Bedingfield at 415-661-1316 ext. 305 or bbedingfield@sfbg.org for more info
TICKETS:
Flower Piano is free with general admission to the Botanical Garden
General Admission: Free-$25 Gardens of Golden Gate Park passes – sfbg.org/visit for current details
Fall and Fly is $40 general, $25 for Gardens of Golden Gate Park Members
INFO:
Complete program and ticket links can be found at sfbg.org/flowerpiano
Categories: Press Release
Richmond Review/Sunset Beacon 
Flower Stomp Piano has always been inappropriate for the Arboretum.
A lot of vegetation has been removed to accommodate this albatross and ugly yellow nylon cords fence off the plants from the people.
That alone shows how inappropriate it is!
Then there are the ridiculously high charges — which benefit a soulless corporate nonprofit.
It is outrageous that anyone has to pay to enter public space, let alone that we have to pay for our guests, and the entry fees are jacked up on weekends.
If you do go, be sure to note all the trees cut down by the main meadow as well as the horrendous new “nursery” complex which was put in without any community input whatsoever.
The devastation has been horrendous, and the new fence will ruin the ambiance of the small redwood grove.
What they have done with the pastoral Demonstration Garden — turning it into a concrete-covered corporate event space.
All of these — including the new $1.1-million fence — were done with taxpayer subsidies.
Neither Ginsburg nor the San Francisco Botanical Garden Society have ever held a public meeting. All we can do is sit back and watch as the San Francisco Botanical Garden Society runs the 55 acres into the ground!
A huge shame!
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