The City of Hayward, in partnership with community organizations, is bringing singing and instrumental music to B Street in the late afternoon and early evening each Saturday in December as we count down to the start of the winter holiday season.

Through Together for Hayward Sounds of the Season, an initiative of the City of Hayward Economic Development Division, volunteer musical groups will perform on public right of way at Cinema Plaza at 1069 B Street or the plaza near the Music Depot shop at 944 B Street.

The music is a new component of the City’s Together for Hayward program to support small, independent business owners as they recover from COVID-19 pandemic disruptions—and is intended to encourage community members to come to downtown Hayward to shop and dine on Saturdays this December.

Among volunteer groups performing as part of the Sounds of the Season series are:

-Portuguese Band of San Leandro. Founded in 1980 by amateur musicians who wanted to enrich their community through music, this group is committed to impacting lives through music education and mentorship opportunities.  They believe in supporting musicians of all walks and stages of life. They believe love for music bonds us all and they want to share it.

-Horizons Ensemble – A part of the East Bay Youth Orchestra. This student-led chamber group, featuring some of the best musicians in EBYO, rehearses and performs community service outreach concerts and events.  The Horizons Ensemble typically performs in Art IS Education-supported programs in libraries, nursing homes, and civic events around the East Bay.

-East Bay Brass Quintet.  Formed during the pandemic, the East Bay Brass Quintet would rehearse, socially distanced, outside in a park. The group is a traditional brass quintet with two trumpets (Fazio Carlo and Alan Osofsky), a French horn (Elise Jackson), trombone (Ben Sira) and tuba (Thomas Sorenson).

-Starr King Choir. TheStarr King Unitarian Universalist Church of Hayward prides itself as a group that “welcomes you – your whole self – and people of all abilities, ages, races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, and creeds.”

-East Bay Symphonic Band. The East Bay symphonic Band is comprised of musicians from pre-teens to members in their eighties.  Member occupations include students, military personnel, scientists, retirees, teachers, engineers, truck drivers and airline pilots.The band has been playing since 1982.

See below for a schedule of performance dates, times and locations.

The City’s Economic Development Division conducted a call for volunteer musical performers from Hayward and throughout the Bay Area for this opportunity to activate the downtown district during the holiday shopping season. If you or your group would like to participate, please contact [email protected].