If you're out and about at lunchtime and stumble upon what appears to be an impromptu concert in an unlikely spot, you can thank People in Plazas.
From July through October, the nonprofit group brings dozens of free outdoor concerts to public spaces— mostly around the FiDi and SoMa, but as far afield as Civic Center and the Castro. The lunchtime shows are definitely planned and professional; they're not your garden-variety street performers. Most are held from noon–1pm, though a few are from 12:30–1:30pm.
"I've had workers say, 'This helps me get through my day at work,'" said Lynn Valente, executive director of People in Plazas. "I have people who run daycares and bring the kids. A professor brought his history of jazz class to hear gypsy jazz from the 1930s. Seniors come. They’ve been coming for years. I have people I know; we say 'Hello' every year. And then I have new people who come up to me and say, 'I’ve never heard of this before.' I say, 'I’ve been doing this for 23 years.'”
People in Plazas began in the early 1980s as a program of the Market Street Association, a group of business owners advocating for Market Street. "It was just musicians passing the hat in Hallidie Plaza," Valente said. She joined the association in 1991, and began running the program in 1992; it became a 501(c)(3) in 1999.
After Valente resigned from the association in the mid-2000s to consult, she became the executive director of People in Plazas, which is now a standalone organization. Its mission, she said, is to activate public spaces and create a neighborhood feel. That's not always easy in the busy FiDi, but music helps set the right tone: last week alone, locals were kicking up their heels to the sounds of Le Jazz Hot in Transamerica Redwood Park, and hula-hooping to surf music at 101 California St.
From July 8th through October 28th, People in Plazas will host about 130 concerts. On many days, it sponsors two, three or four acts simultaneously. This coming Friday, August 7th, for example, bands will perform at 101 California St., 303 Second St., Crocker Galleria and Transamerica Redwood Park.
Other People in Plazas locations in the FiDi and SoMa include 2 Embarcadero Center, 50 Fremont St., 333 Market St., 425 Market St., 555 Mission St., 560 Mission St., Embarcadero Square (part of Sydney Walton Square near Pacific Avenue between Front and Davis streets), Mechanics Monument Plaza (on Market near Battery streets), Mint Plaza (near Fifth and Mission streets) and the Rincon Center (near Howard and Spear streets). Valente also books acts at the Joseph L. Alioto Performing Arts Piazza in Civic Center and Jane Warner Plaza in the Castro.
Building owners and management cover the bulk of the cost; the nonprofit also gets a small amount from San Francisco Grants for the Arts. Every band is paid $100 per musician, and since most groups have multiple members, booking more than a hundred gigs actually translates to several hundred paying jobs for musicians, Valente noted. Each concert costs about $1,000 all told, including non-artist expenses like staff, insurance and sometimes a sound system.
Valente hires between 60 and 70 bands each season, and is always adding new ones to her roster. Styles include Afro-Cuban, Bengali jazz, blues, classical, retro pop, R&B, salsa, Western swing and zydeco, to name a few. "Most of the time, somebody will contact us, or I run into somebody somewhere and they call me," Valente said. "A lot of people we hire come back year after year after year, and people want them to come back." To see the full schedule of concerts for the rest of the summer, visit People in Plazas' website.
