Have you subscribed yet to our new arts and culture newsletter, The Scene, yet? Each week we round up the best of local events and send it to your inbox on Thursday morning.
Around Berkeley
➤ Downtown Berkeley will hold its first Annual Taste of Downtown Berkeley Sunday June 11, 2-6 p.m.. Stroll and enjoy gourmet bites and drinks from local chefs at many downtown restaurants, including Almare Gelato, Angeline’s Louisiana Kitchen, East Bay Spice Company, Fish & Bird, Gather, Heroic Italian, MIXT, Pizzeria Da Laura, Revival Bar & Kitchen, ZINO and more. Tickets are $60 or 2 for $100.
➤ BAMPFA’s newest collection show, What Has Been and What Could Be, showcasing everything from 17th century Japanese scrolls and mid-century abstract painting, feminist art, quilts and conceptual art, opened on June 7 and will be on display until next summer. General admission: $14
➤ Philosopher Richard Mohr discusses his new book The Splendid Disarray of Beauty. Thursday, June 8, 7:30 p.m. Hillside Club. $10-$20
➤ Serving up heaping helpings of grease, Steve Lucky’s Hammond Cheese Combo plays a heat-stopping book of juke joint numbers, often featuring the expert guitar work and forthright vocals of Miss Carmen Getit. Friday, June 9, 7-10 p.m. Jupiter. FREE
➤ The Monkey House presents a singer/songwriter double bill pairing blues-steeped Kim Lembo and Voice of Change founder Susan Sterling. Friday, June 9, 7:30 p.m. The Monkey House. Sliding scale, $10-$40
➤ With her extensive repertoire of pre-World War II Parisian café music, French-born button accordionist Odile Lavault’s Baguette Quartette offers a transporting experience unlike any other ensemble around, expertly delivered with violinist Rachel Durling, guitarist John Schott, and bassist Rich Trevor. Friday, June 9, 8-10 p.m. The Back Room. $20-$25
➤ The Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra will give three performances of Felix Mendelssohn’s Elijah at UC Berkeley’s Hertz Hall. Friday-Sunday, June 9-11. FREE
➤ The city of Berkeley is hosting a 3-on-3 Youth Basketball Tournament. Saturday, June 10, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. San Pablo Park. FREE (pre-register)
➤ Summer Science Fundays are back at the Lawrence Hall of Science and will run through August. The first event, Fun with the Sun, will teach you about solar eclipses and how to look for sunspots and takes place inside the hall’s new outdoor nature lab. Saturday, June 10, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. FREE (with museum admission)
➤ Attend the opening reception of Excursions at the Berkeley Art Center. The exhibition, on view until June 29, brings together more than 20 Bay Area artists and features a diverse range of mediums including painting, sculpture, installation and video. Saturday, June 10, 2-5 p.m. FREE
➤ KQED’s Bay Curious podcast host Olivia Allen-Price discusses her new book Bay Curious: Exploring the Hidden True Stories of the San Francisco Bay Area. Saturday, June 10, 2 p.m. North Branch Berkeley Public Library. FREE
➤ Catch the final two showings of Inferno Theatre’s production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest at John Hinkel Park. Saturday-Sunday, June 10-11, 4 p.m. FREE
➤ Turning solo recitals into lush and teeming adventures, cellist, composer and looping maestro Zoë Keating returns to the Bay Area for a two-night run at the Freight. Saturday-Sunday, June 10-11, 8 p.m. & 7 p.m. Freight & Salvage. $35-$54.
➤ Celebrate Pride at the Jewish Community Center East Bay’s family Pride fest, which features a carnival, dance party, and drag story time featuring local drag queen Kylie Minono. Sunday, June 11, 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. 1414 Walnut St. FREE (RSVP)
➤ Sample Downtown Berkeley’s vibrant culinary scene at the Taste of Berkeley, which features bites from favorite restaurants including Fish & Bird, Pizzeria Da Laura, Angeline’s Louisiana Kitchen and more. Proceeds go to the Berkeley Rotary Club. Sunday, June 11, 2-6 p.m. $60-$100
➤There is no shortage of opportunities to sample wine in Berkeley, but there’s nothing quite like Ashkenaz’s Wine Around the World Series, a globe-hopping program that pairs wine, music and dance. This sojourn investigates Greece, with a musical performance by the quartet Agapi Mou and wine by On Piedmont. Tuesday, June 13, 7 p.m. Ashkenaz. $50-$60
➤ La Peña Cultural Center is hosting a Baila community dance party with live music by La Mixta Criolla. Friday, June 16, 7:30 p.m.-1 a.m. $20-$30
➤ Shotgun Players’ Yerma, a lyrical play set in ‘30s Southern California that explores infertility and feminism, will run through June 18. $8-$40
➤ Berkeley Rep’s bloody, beautiful new play, Let the Right One In, joins the vampire media frenzy. Through June 25. $43-$119
Beyond Berkeley
➤ The second annual Berkeley Art, Finance, and Law Symposium, presented by the Berkeley Center for Law and Business, will be held at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Speakers include OpenAI deputy general counsel Che Chang, the philosopher Alva Noë, and law professors Pamela Samuelson and Peter Menell, who will speak on IP and copyright issues, and others. Thursday, June 8, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. $100 (Scholarships available)
➤ Purnamasari and Clyde Leland are among the Berkeley-based artists featured at the SF International Arts Festival, which begins today. June 8-18. San Francisco. Individual tickets start at $20, festival passes start at $60
➤ Go on a virtual journey through five countries in Africa at Into the ARchives: An Augmented Reality Experience in Oakland, featuring the work of Oaklandside photojournalist Amir Aziz. Friday, June 9, 7 p.m. 306 13th St., Oakland. FREE (RSVP)
➤ Learn about Oakland geology on a 3.6-mile walk with geologist Andrew Alden at Lake Merritt in Oakland. Saturday, June 10, 2 p.m. 699 Bellevue Ave., Oakland. $25
➤ The second annual ‘Many Nations One Land’ American Indian music and cultural arts festival will include cultural demonstrations, including corn husk doll-making and bead-making, food vendors, and much more. Learn about Oakland’s Native community at this family friendly festival. Saturday, June 10, 12-5 p.m. La Escuelita Elementary.FREE
➤ Berkeley-based performers Erica and Friends will perform traditional and modern folk music of the British Isles and Ireland at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Albany under the auspices of Calliope East Bay Music & Arts. Sunday, June 11, 4 p.m. $15-$25
The Oaklandside’s Arts and Community reporter Azucena Rasilla contributed reporting to this story.
