Joan Jeanrenaud

The cellist and composer Joan Jeanrenaud lives in Bernal Heights and this Saturday past she performed a solo concert of her work at our beloved local branch of the SF Public Library. The library is a WPA building which was recently painstakingly renovated. The concert was a fundraiser to help pay for new murals on the exterior which will replace murals from the 1980s that are faded and damaged. Since childhood the bureau chief has loved public libraries and what can be better than hearing wonderful music played in a favorite environment.

Ms Jeanrenaud first played selections from her latest CD on which PC Muñoz contributed a percussion track. Since he wasn't there she played his part from her iPad. For her older pieces, she used a loop machine. She laid down backing tracks and then played over them. A lot of the music had a North African or Spanish feel to it, although my favorite piece, "Waiting", evoked Romanticism. There was loud applause at the end of the show.

The Honorable Ed Lee, our interim major, showed up and made a short speech. Two days later he announced he was running for the full term in the next election. The former porn star and current performance artist, Annie Sprinkle, was in the audience. She is also a Bernal Heights resident. I was filled with neighborhood pride.