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Chiara Izzi
It’s an “Italian Jazz Affair” this weekend at Meyhouse Palo Alto with chanteuse and songwriter Chiara Izzi. Now based in New York, Izzi, who hails from Italy, brings a wide range to originals, jazz favorites, standards and showtunes, with Brazilian and pop influences. Izzi sings in Italian, Spanish and English, and sounds equally at home nimbly scatting as she does bringing plaintive and soulful interpretations to more downbeat tunes. She made her international breakthrough at the 2011 Montreux Jazz Festival, where she was awarded first prize, according to her bio. Her most recent album, “Live in Bremen,” with pianist Andrea Rea, was released in 2022 and features seven dreamy, heartfelt tracks.
June 20-21, 6:30 and 8:30 p.m., at Meyhouse Palo Alto, 640 Emerson St., Palo Alto; $65; meyhousejazz.com.
Lisa Mezzacappa 5(ish)
Composer, bassist, bandleader and producer Lisa Mezzacappa creates inventive music from a range of unique sources. From scientific processes to noir fiction, from dance to author Italo Calvino’s space-themed short stories, Mezzacappa has breathed musical life into some unexpected subjects through inspired artistic collaborations. Over the last five years, she released a podcast opera, “The Electronic Lover,” with writer and performer Beth Lisick and numerous other collaborators. For 2025, her record label, Queenbee, has launched a project to release 12 albums by Bay Area artists in 12 months. Earthwise Productions brings Mezzacappa to town as part of an improvising ensemble dubbed 5(ish) to perform new music that delves into the wide-ranging concept of worldbuilding, taking cues from everything from Dungeons & Dragons gameplay to the works of science fiction and fantasy authors such as Ursula K. LeGuin, David Mitchell, and Samuel R. Delany. Mezzacappa will play acoustic bass in the 5(ish) ensemble, which also features Aaron Bennett, tenor saxophone; Kyle Bruckmann, oboes/electronics; Mark Clifford, vibraphone; Brett Carson, piano; and Jordan Glenn, drums.
June 20, 8 p.m., at Lucie Stern Community Center, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto; $23.18; eventbrite.com.
TechFest
This day of family-friendly activities explores the intersection of technology and creativity through hands-on activities such as making tech-inspired art to take home and special themed scavenger hunt through the museum. Visitors can also meet a digital artist and learn how they create their work, hear storytime from the Palo Alto Library and catch performances.
June 21, 10 a.m., at the Computer History Museum, 1401 N. Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View; $6.50-$19.50 (includes museum admission); computerhistory.org/events/techfest-6/.
Concerts at Qualia gallery
Visitors to Qualia Contemporary Art this month can not only take in two art exhibitions, but also enjoy concerts — and perhaps learn something about music, too. Composer and pianist Victor Xie will perform two works by Mozart, the composer’s Rondo in A minor and Sonata in B-flat major. Xie will also present a talk that explores aspects of the classical era through Mozart’s works. The event is the second in a series of music appreciation concerts at Qualia that highlight different eras of music. Coming up next week are performances highlighting French 20th-century compositions on June 25 and the romantic era on June 28. While at the gallery, guests can view a solo exhibition of conceptual works in ink by Zhang Yu and the group show “Reframing the Margins: Contemporary Works from AAPI Artists.”
June 21, 2 p.m., at Qualia Contemporary Art, 229 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto; $25 general admission; ages 6-12 admitted free; eventbrite.com.
‘Finding Ubuntu’
To mark World Refugee Day, Palo Alto’s Rinconada Library hosts a screening of the documentary “Finding Ubuntu” by Splicer Films. The film shares the story of Maick Mutej, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo who becomes a human rights advocate in Malawi while experiencing many of the major challenges refugees often face, including food insecurity and a lack of jobs and schools. Mutej goes on to found Ubuntu Nation, a project to support marginalized communities through education, healthcare, food and housing.
June 21, 3-6 p.m., at the Rinconada Library, 1213 Newell Road, Palo Alto; paloalto.bibliocommons.com.
Classical on the Square
Saddle up for a free evening of family-friendly classical music in the great outdoors. The Redwood Symphony, which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, returns to Redwood City’s Courthouse Square for its annual summer concert, Classical on the Square. Maestro Eric Kujawsky, who is also the group’s founder, leads the symphony in a program of classical and contemporary music that includes works by Copland, Tchaikovsky, Shostakovich and Gershwin, with some of the evening’s music boasting a cowboy theme.
June 21, 7 p.m., at Courthouse Square, 2200 Broadway, Redwood City; free; redwoodcity.org.
George Brooks and Mahesh Kale
Ahead of its official opening weekend June 27-29, the Stanford Jazz Festival has a special early kickoff with a favorite pairing: Vocalist Mahesh Kale and tenor saxophonist George Brooks make a return trip for their “Indian Jazz Journey,” a well-received annual fixture on the festival’s schedule. The duo bring together two musical styles that incorporate improvisation.
June 22, 4 p.m., at Dinkelspiel Auditorium, Stanford; sold out at press time; stanfordjazz.org.
