A Sweet Spot in San Francisco: A Q&A with Stern Grove Festival's Executive Director Steven Haines

As summer festival season continues, DubMC interviewed Steven Haines, executive director of Stern Grove Festival (San Francisco, CA), about what makes the festival and site one of San Francisco's best kept secrets.

1. What makes Stern Grove physically unique from other venues?

The venue is one of the most amazing things about Stern Grove Festival. The concert meadow is in a 33-acre park in San Francisco, hundreds of feet below street level. It’s in the heart of the city, but feels miles away.  It’s this beautiful storybook kind of space with birds and dragonflies and eucalyptus and redwood trees; there’s nothing quite like it that I’ve ever seen.

2. Describe the typical experience for the audience member of a Stern Grove concert.

Every show is a little different, but audiences always arrive early to claim their spot in the concert meadow; our crew setting up in the morning sees folks there as early as 6 a.m.! Once you’ve got your spot in the meadow, you spend the day relaxing, eating, drinking, hanging out with other people…mostly just enjoying the fresh air and scenery with friends and family. When the show starts, the place comes to life…everyone dancing and singing along. It’s hard to describe, but people always say there’s a special vibe at Stern Grove Festival.

3. I hear there is an interesting story about how the stage location was chosen. Tell us about that.

The woman who founded Stern Grove Festival, Rosalie Meyer Stern, brought her friend, who was an opera singer, to help her figure out the best location for the stage. The two walked through the Grove singing, until they found the amphitheater’s “sweet spot.” Even after we had an acoustical engineer out there when the venue was renovated in 2005, the stage remains in that same location to this day.  She was right…it was the best spot.

4. In what ways is Stern Grove similar to and different from other festivals?

Aside from the fact that Stern Grove Festival is admission free, what really makes us special is our history. The Festival has been around for over seven decades…we’re one of the longest running admission-free festivals in the country. And, of course, the park is a one-of-a-kind place; a lot of artists have commented on the beauty of the venue; they’re always amazed by the intimacy of the space and how connected they feel to the audience, in spite of the fact that they’re performing in front of thousands of people. Being free and outdoors, Stern Grove Festival has a special kind of accessibility; people mix and mingle, which creates a different experience for the audience and the artists.

5. What are the highlights of this summer’s schedule at Stern Grove Festival?

This summer, aside from the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera and San Francisco Ballet, I’m really looking forward to Maceo Parker, Angélique Kidjo, Caravan Palace, and our season finale with They Might Be Giants. But, really, I look forward to every Sunday at Stern Grove Festival!

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