Join the entire San Francisco community in celebrating the music, literature, and drama of the 1915 World’s Fair!

A Musical Tribute Celebrating the Centennial of the Panama-Pacific International Exhibition

Schedule of Events:
5:00 pm world premiere of the film “When the World Came to San Francisco” by R. Christian Anderson
7:15 pm book talk on “The Jewel City” by author Laura Ackley
8:00 pm The Panama-Pacific Centennial Concert

Under the direction of Artistic Directors William Sauerland and Pete Nowlen, the historic Palace of Fine Arts – built specially for performances at the 1915 World’s Fair – will come alive with the music and arts that marked San Francisco as a culture capital of the world.

About the Events:

5:00 pm “When the World Came to San Francisco” by R. Christian Anderson
World premiere of the documentary-drama celebrating the 100th anniversary of the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. The film pays tribute to thousands of artists, architects, designers, performers and attendees worked together to celebrate the city’s return as a great seaport and business center. It is a celebration of a city and its people as told through the eyes of one remarkable woman. Writer/Director R. Christian Anderson believes this production will bring the audience closer to the fair than anything previously because the story of the fair is conveyed to the audience in a dramatic narrative style, not strictly as a”dry” documentary. More information: http://www.rchristiananderson.org/sanfrancisco/

7:15 pm “The Jewel City” by Laura Ackley
This lavishly illustrated volume is as much a triumph as the fair itself. San Francisco’s Jewel City takes readers on an in-depth tour of the PPIE, revealing the dramas of constructing the fair and the displays of culture and industry that awaited within the exposition walls: electrical home appliances, rides in a homemade airplane, a world tour of twenty-one international pavilions, luminous radium crystals, and, of course, a model of the world-changing Panama Canal. Along the way, we meet famous (and infamous) visitors, such as Theodore Roosevelt, Helen Keller, Thomas Edison, and Buffalo Bill Cody. Historian Laura Ackley’s compelling text is unparalleled in its breadth of scope and richness of detail, providing social and political context for the fair and offering insight into its legacy today. More information: http://www.sf1915.com/book.htm

8:00 pm The Panama-Pacific Centennial Concert
The Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco (LGCSF) and San Francisco Lesbian/Gay Freedom Band (SFLGFB) co-produce The Pan-Pacific Centennial Concert at the historic Palace of Fine Arts. This concert features works written exclusively for and about the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (PPIE) in celebration of the centennial anniversary of the 1915 Worlds Fair. As the main event of the evening, the concert features works such as Amy Beach’s “Panama Hymn”, Camille Saint-Saens’ “Hail California”, Victor Herbert’s operetta choruses, P.I. Jacoby’s “1915 San Francisco”, John Philip Sousa’s “Pathfinder of Panama March”, M.L. Lake’s “A Day at the Pan Pacific Exposition” and a commission by composer John Hirten for this fabulous celebration – plus many more pieces. All pieces are intrinsically linked to the 1915 Worlds Fair. Guest performing groups include Camerata California, Chabot College, Bay Area Rainbow Symphony, Oakland East Bay Men’s Chorus, and more.