December 16, 2022
December 16, 2022

Ashkenaz Music and Dance Center

Ashkenaz Music & Dance Community Center, or just “Ashkenaz,” is a 50-year-old music venue and dance hall in the heart of West Berkeley. The venue holds decades of stories of community members — composed of dancers, musicians, audience members, volunteers, and staff, both past and present — who have found themselves drawn to this unique building and the music that lives within.

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June 29, 2022

New York Yacht Club

The New York Yacht Club established a set of objectives for the new clubhouse and sent it to more than a dozen architects with invitations to compete for the commission.

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April 16, 2022

Treasure Island Museum

The Treasure Island Museum, founded by the Navy in 1975, occupied the lobby of one of the original airport buildings constructed in 1937-38. This Streamline Moderne “Administration Building” (Building One) has served through the years as the administrative center for the Golden Gate International Exposition (GGIE), a terminal and ticketing office for Pan American Airways, and headquarters for the Twelfth Naval District. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.


The Navy/Marine Corps Museum (the “Navy museum”) opened to the public on October 3, 1975 with exhibits representing the Navy and Marine Corps in the early 1800’s to the present. Over time, the museum’s collecting and exhibiting areas evolved to include the U.S. Coast Guard as well as non-military themes: the GGIE, the Bay Bridge, Yerba Buena Island, and related subjects. As its scope expanded, the name of the museum was changed to the Treasure Island Museum.


A mural high on the museum’s back wall, designed by photo-realist Lowell Nesbitt, measuring 251 feet long and 26 feet high and commissioned for the opening of the museum, represents scenes in the history of the Navy and Marine Corps in the Pacific since 1813. Six original GGIE sculptures representing the fair’s optimistic “Pacific” theme flank Building One’s central entrance. The mural and statues remain in place today.


The current Treasure Island Museum began in 1976 as a “friend of the museum” nonprofit under the name “Navy/Marine Corps Museum Association”, It raised funds to support museum activities, including the purchase of the original jeweled gold key created for the GGIE’s opening ceremonies, the restoration of the six “Pacific Unity” sculptures currently located at the front of Building One, and the re-creation of the GGIE’s original exterior illumination of the building.


The Navy museum went out of existence in 1997 as part of the base closure of Naval Station Treasure Island. The collection was placed in storage. In 2011, most of it was transferred to the Treasure Island Development Authority (TIDA), the agency of the City of San Francisco tasked with governance of Treasure Island. The collection is available to the Treasure Island Museum for exhibition and research purposes.


The nonprofit association remained in existence. In 2008 it began operating a new Treasure Island Museum in Building One, in space provided by TIDA.  In 2018 it adopted the corporate name Treasure Island Museum.


Currently the museum is focused on funding, designing and building a 3500 – 4000 square foot museum in space committed by TIDA on the ground floor of Building One.  In the meantime, it plans and mount exhibits, manages a growing collection, and organizes lectures, events, and tours.   Official Website


The Piano Connection

In descending chronological order

Description Generation Date Place People
World Premiere of “Break Free on Wings of Music” for cello/piano 1st Gen Steinway 338662 April 16, 2022 Treasure Island Museum Jonah Kim and Kendall Ross Bean
World Premiere of “Break Free on Wings of Music” for 1939 Big Band 1st Gen Steinway 338662 April 16, 2022 Treasure Island Museum Joe Escobar and MoodSwing Orchestra
World Premiere of “Break Free on Wings of Music” ballet film 2nd Gen Steinway 161912 April 16, 2022 Treasure Island Museum Tiit Helimets, Julia Rowe, Jonah Kim, Kendall Ross Bean
Art Unveiling “Complementary Skills” Art on Piano 1st Gen Steinway 338662 April 16, 2022 Treasure Island Museum Artist: Seiko Tachibana.  Pianist: Kendall Ross Bean
USPS Building Bridges Special Postal Cancellation for Treasure Island Worlds Fair Anniversary Celebration 1939-2021 n/a Feb 18, 2021 Outside Treasure Island Museum during Pandemic Postmaster: Abranham Cooper, Consul General of Peru: Hernando Torres-Fernandes, TIM Pres: Mike Hennahane,Art Director: Karen E. Lile
Break Free on Wings of Music” composed on Steinway 161912 1st Gen Dec 20, 2020 Piano Finders East Kendall Ross Bean

 

1st Generation refers to how close the Relationship is to a piano.

 

 

February 15, 2022

Vallejo Symphony

VALLEJO SYMPHONY was founded on the shared belief that music is a powerful force for bringing a community together and that live music is an essential part of a richly lived life. Founded in 1931 by a group of community leaders seeking to revitalize their city during the Great Depression, the Symphony has remained a cornerstone of Vallejo’s cultural life in the decades since.
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April 19, 2019

Pier 39 Port of San Francisco

History of PIER 39

August 1977 – PIER 39 breaks ground. Authentic 1910 wood from Piers 34 and 3 are used to erect the new structure.

October 1978 – PIER 39 opens on schedule to fanfare in San Francisco. Originally, PIER 39 had 50 stores, 23 restaurants, a diving pool and street performers.

May 1979 – Blue & Gold Fleet launches its first Bay Cruise.

August 1981 – Moor + South acquires property, forming the PIER 39 Limited Partnership.

May 1983 – Diving pool at Bay End of The PIER replaced with Venetian Carousel from inside Palace of Fun Arts.

January 1989 – PIER 39 is named the third most-visited attraction in the country by USA Today.

January 1990 – California sea lions begin arriving in droves on PIER 39’s K Dock, creating a local and international sensation. To date, the population has grown as high as 1,701.

April 1996 – Underwater World (now Aquarium of the Bay) opens to the public.

October 1996 – Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant & Market opens at PIER 39.

July 1998 – PIER 39 is named “Best Place to People Watch (San Francisco)” and “Best Video Games Arcade” as voted by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Readers’ Choice competition.

July 1999 – PIER 39 is named “Best Place to People Watch (San Francisco)” as voted by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Readers’ Choice competition.

May 2002 – Riptide Arcade family entertainment center (now Players Sports Grill & Arcade) opens with more than 100 video games, virtual reality units, novelty and prize-redemption games.

August 2002 – Hard Rock Cafe opens.

October 2003 – PIER 39 celebrates its 25th Anniversary on San Francisco’s historic waterfront.

December 2008 – Arrival of the new, two-story San Francisco Carousel. The Carousel was hand-crafted in Italy and featured paintings of famous San Francisco landmarks.

May 2009 – Blue & Gold Fleet officially debuts RocketBoat, the high-speed thrill ride on San Francisco Bay.

July 2009 – Riptide Arcade is remodeled into an arcade and restaurant, and renamed Players Sports Grill & Arcade.

November 2009 – A record 1,701 Sea Lions haul out on PIER 39’s K-Dock. Six new floats are added to accommodate the sudden influx of these marine mammals. San Francisco Whale Tours also joins the PIER 39 Marina.

January 2010 – Aquarium of the Bay obtains non-profit status after it is acquired by The Bay Institute.

May 2011 – PIER 39 is ranked most-visited attraction in San Francisco by San Francisco Travel Association’s 2010 Visitor Profile Study.

October 2012 – 7D Experience – a simulated roller coaster and laser blaster attraction – opens their doors at PIER 39.

June 2013 – Musical Stairs by Remo Saraceni, creator of the famous piano from the Tom Hanks movie Big, are installed at PIER 39.

October 2013 – PIER 39 celebrates its 35th Anniversary on San Francisco’s historic waterfront.

January 2014 – The Sea Lion Center, owned and operated by Aquarium of the Bay, opens at PIER 39. The Sea Lion Center is a free, interpretative learning center focusing on the California sea lion.

July 2014 – PIER 39 unveils Open Heart—part of San Francisco General Hospital Foundation’s 2014 “Hearts in San Francisco” collection—at the Bay End of The PIER.

January 2015 – PIER 39 celebrates the 25th Anniversary of the sea lions’ arrival to PIER 39.

April 2015 – PIER 39 once again ranked most-visited attraction in San Francisco by San Francisco Travel Association’s 2014 Visitor Profile Study.

October 2017 – PIER 39 celebrates its 39th Anniversary on the San Francisco Waterfront.

March 2018 – PIER 39 once again ranked most-visited attraction in San Francisco by San Francisco Travel Association’s 2017 Visitor Profile Study.

June 2018 – The “Skip The Straw” Campaign launches at all restaurants and eateries on PIER 39.

July 2018 – PIER 39 partners with Alipay to create a seamless payment experience for Chinese visitors on The PIER.

September 2018 – PIER 39 named a Legacy Business by the City of San Francisco.

January 2019 – The Flyer – San Francisco, an immersive flying theater attraction, opens at PIER 39.

January 2020 – PIER 39 celebrates the 30th Anniversary of the sea lions’ arrival to PIER 39.

February 2020 – PIER 39 once again was named the most-visited attraction in San Francisco by San Francisco Travel Association’s 2019 Visitor Profile Study.

The Piano Connection

In descending chronological order

Description Generation Date Place People
“Handful of Keys” from KCSM Two Weeks Inside Album 2nd Gen to Steinway 338662, Yamaha 1643700, Yamaha 2970196 April 23 2019 Sail Sport Talk at Sports Byline in SF Pianist/Rebuilder: Kendall Ross Bean Producer: Karen Earle Lile
USPS Building Bridges Special Postal Cancellation 30th Birthday of Lady Washington Journey from Pier 39 to Aberdeen 2nd Gen to Steinway 338662, Yamaha 1643700, Yamaha 2970196 April 21 2019 Sail Sport Talk at Sports Byline Postmaster: Abraham Cooper. Co-Hosts Karen Earle Lile and Rick Tittle, PICYA Commodore Winston Bumpus
USPS Building Bridges Special Postal Cancellation 30th Birthday of Lady Washington Journey from Pier 39 to Aberdeen 3rd Gen to Steinway 338662, Yamaha 1643700, Yamaha 2970196 April 19, 2019 Pier 39, Bay side of Pier Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain Tall Ship Battle at End of Pier

Generation refers to how close the Relationship is to a piano.

October 5, 2018

Fantasy Studios, 10th and Parker, Berkeley, CA

Fantasy Records and its subsidiary, Galaxy, were established in San Francisco, California, in 1949 by Max and Sol Weiss. The first artist on the label was Dave Brubeck.[2] With help from profits earned from his records the label went on to record Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Cal Tjader and Vince Guaraldi.[3] In addition to musical acts, the label recorded beat poets Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Allen Ginsberg and comic Lenny Bruce. (more…)

August 18, 2017

Lesher Regional Center for the Arts

The Lesher Center for the Arts, located in Walnut Creek, CA, is the premier destination for an exceptional arts and entertainment experience. First opened in October 1990, the Center now presents more than 900 productions and events each year. More than 350,000 patrons walk through the Center’s front doors each year. The Center is owned and operated by the City of Walnut Creek. (more…)

August 2, 2013

San Francisco Symphony

The San Francisco Symphony sets the highest possible standard for excellence in musical performance at home and around the world; enriches, serves, and shapes cultural life throughout the spectrum of Bay Area communities; maintains financial stability; and gains public recognition as a means of ensuring its ability to fulfill its mission. (more…)

August 2, 2013

Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall

The Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall is the permanent home of the San Francisco Symphony and has 2,743 seats. Part of the San Francisco War Memorial and Performing Arts Center and built in 1980, you can enjoy an all year round schedule of classical concerts and other events. (more…)