This summer, on the longest day of the year, you can check out new music from artists around the Oakland area as you roam the halls of the gothic-inspired columbarium at Chapel of the Chimes. This year’s Garden of Memory event will mark the 15th anniversary of the summer solstice concert. New Music Bay Area and Lifemark Group Arts have joined together to present over 30 bands and performers from the Bay Area.

Origins

The idea for the concert came about when Sarah Cahill, a musician and critic, came across Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland while doing research for an article. Impressed by our building’s architecture and design and inspired by its acoustically separate alcoves, Cahill approached our columbarium’s owners with an idea for a concert. Intrigued by the opportunity to showcase our beautiful facilities while supporting local artists, we said yes.

Facility

Each band plays in its own separate area, and guests are encouraged to walk through and listen to as many acts as possible. However, you might find your attention being drawn away by the building itself. Illuminated by soft natural light, Chapel of the Chimes offers a maze of internal gardens, cloisters, alcoves, stairwells, statues, mosaics, and fountains to stimulate your eyes while you listen to musicians from throughout the Bay Area.

New Music

Each year, dozens of performers, ranging from big names to lesser-known acts, come together to offer a variety of sounds. The concert features percussionists, art-rock bands, harpists, electric pianists, trombonists, and many others, including musicians wielding an assortment of eclectic, self-designed instruments.

The summer solstice concert has been a continued success for over a decade. For more information on the concert or Chapel of the Chimes   funeral and cremation services in Oakland, call us at (510) 654-0123.

Through the years, Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland has helped thousands of families honor the life of a loved one. We also are proud to be an active member of our community. Learn more about our funeral home with the information below.

• The Chapel of The Chimes in Oakland is proud to host local concerts. Learn more about our featured jazz artist John Santos at his website.

• The late owner of the Oakland Raiders, Al Davis , was laid to rest on our chapel grounds in 2011. Learn about his amazing life and career in professional football by visiting Raiders.com.

• Learn about the stages of grief and what to expect if you’ve just lost a loved one in this article from LiveStrong.com.

• Navigating the funeral process can be difficult, especially considering the ever-present emotions of grief. For help, click on this link to BBB.org.

• Learn about the cremation process if you’re looking into end-of-life options. HowStuffWorks.com explains the process.

Chapel of The Chimes in Oakland has a respectful staff that can help you through the steps of the funeral process. Give us a call at (510) 992-6709 for more information.

Through the years, Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland has helped thousands of families honor the life of a loved one. We also are proud to be an active member of our community. Learn more about our funeral home with the information below. 

· The Chapel of The Chimes in Oakland is proud to host local concerts. Learn more about our featured jazz artist John Santos at his website.

· The late owner of the Oakland Raiders, Al Davis , was laid to rest on our chapel grounds in 2011. Learn about his amazing life and career in professional football by visiting Raiders.com.

· Learn about the stages of grief and what to expect if you’ve just lost a loved one in this article from LiveStrong.com.

·  Navigating the funeral process can be difficult, especially considering the ever-present emotions of grief. For help, click on this link to BBB.org.

· Learn about the cremation process if you’re looking into end-of-life options. HowStuffWorks.com explains the process.

Chapel of The Chimes in Oakland has a respectful staff that can help you through the steps of the funeral process. Give us a call at (510) 992-6709 for more information.

Thank you to everyone who made our Memorial Day celebration a huge success this year!

Everyone had a wonderful time and we look forward to celebrating again next year!

At this popular solstice concert, the program features simultaneous performances in different parts of the building by Bay Area composers, musicians, and other performers presenting a variety of acoustic and electronic music, installations, and interactive events; the audience is free to move throughout the building during the performances.

The artists, many of whom are well-known to Bay Area audiences, to be featured at this event include Kitka, Paul Dresher and Joel Davel, Amy X Neuburg, Ellen Fullman, the Wild Rumpus New Music Collective, Orchestra Nostalgico, pianists Sarah Cahill and Regina Schaffer, Dan Plonsey’s Daniel Popsicle, the Del Sol Quartet, Dylan Mattingly, Beth Custer, Luciano Chessa, and many others.

Guests are invited to walk through the multilevel maze of internal gardens, cloisters, alcoves, stairwells, fountains and other architectural elements, which rise into vaulted ceilings. The facility’s numerous chapels, columbaria, and mausoleum areas are adorned with antiquities that date back to the 16th century. All architectural and garden areas have excellent acoustics and are illuminated by gentle natural light, often through beautiful arrangements of stained glass.

Garden of Memory offers a unique and personal musical experience to every listener as he or she wanders freely through this multilevel maze of interior gardens, alcoves, pools, and antechambers ingeniously designed by Julia Morgan. Drawing crowds of over a thousand people each year (including a large number of children), Garden of Memory has become a favorite summer solstice celebration for Bay Area audiences. Chapel of the Chimes, the largest above-ground cemetery west of the Mississippi, started out as a street car station and became the California Memorial Crematorium and Columbarium in 1909. The property was expanded and transformed by Julia Morgan and later, Aaron Green a protg of Frank Lloyd Wright. The lobby and hallways feature artwork by Diego Rivera, a marble table top from the Medici family crest and a page from the Gutenberg Bible.

Click HERE to purchase your tickets! The concert will be Thursday, June 21, 2012 from 5-9pm.

Join others in celebrating jazz music and local artists at Chapel of the Chimes’ Jazz at the Chimes concerts. Our last two concerts sold out, entertaining 400 people with the best jazz musicians in the Bay Area. Now it’s your turn! Read below to learn more about our most recent event with The John Santos Latin Jazz Sextet that took place on May 20, 2012.

• Great Talent

John Santos is San Francisco native with strong roots in the musical traditions of Puerto Rico and American jazz. John grew up in the fertile musical environment of the Bay Area, where he perfected his craft. Over the past 35 years, his talent as a percussionist and music producer has been recognized in the industry with five Grammy nominations. Santos has worked with some of the best, including Dizzy Gillespie, the late Tito Puente, Max Roach, and Carlos Santana.  

San Francisco jazz quartet Le Jazz Hot performed to a sold-out crowd at the last Jazz at the Chimes concert. Crowds came to see these accomplished and versatile musicians celebrate the music of Djando Reinhardt.

• Fun for the Family

On Sunday, May 20 at 2 p.m., John Santos performed at our third Jazz at the Chimes concert. Jazz at the Chimes is a great opportunity to pull the kids away from the computer and get out for some quality family time. We encourage everyone to bring your whole family to our beautiful grounds to experience some great music, a beautiful atmosphere, and a piece of history at the next Jazz at the Chimes Event.

Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland is proud to partner with the community in hosting leadership conferences, musical performances , and end-of-life services. We are a historical site and one of the top cremation service providers in Northern California. Call us at (510) 992-6709 for more information about the next Jazz at the Chimes event happening on July 15, 2012.