Second season features new containers and expanded performance schedule
RADIUM Runway, which is now ringed by eight shipping containers modified for performance, is ready for its second season of live performances at Alameda Point, starting August 26. The 2023 schedule more than doubles what was offered in the initial 2022 season—and the new layout provides a sense of enclosure and intimacy while still allowing for gorgeous views, including San Francisco’s dramatic skyline.
This second series of events at the former Alameda Naval Air station supports RADIUM’s ambitious quest to build a 500-seat theater and arts center at the site. Planning and permitting for the proposed arts center has markedly advanced over the last year, according to RADIUM Presents founder Christopher Seiwald.
“We’ve made huge strides since the first RADIUM Runway in 2022,” Seiwald says. “Besides more than doubling the size of the performance schedule, we are also making some exciting steps towards the end goal—a new performing arts center for Alameda. And this new temporary albeit sturdy home is an important bridge in getting there. It gives both artists and audiences a sense of what Alameda has in store as an arts destination.”
The ultimate aim is for RADIUM to be home to live and broadcast performances from internationally-acclaimed guest performers, as well as new work from East Bay artists. The center would also be a space for creation and learning for students of music, dance, opera, theater, literary, and visual arts.
The 2023 schedule includes both free and ticketed events. Online registration for the free events is strongly encouraged, either at RADIUM Presents or the Eventbrite links shown for individual performances, below.
RADIUM Runway 2023 Schedule
August 26: Grand Opening
The grand opening will be broken into two parts. From noon to 3 p.m., the space will feature a DJ and food trucks for a free family-friendly afternoon. Rogue Rhythms will perform at nearby Seaplane Lagoon. Then, at 5:30 p.m. Javier Navarrette & His Socially Distant Friends take the stage for a three-hour concert. Bandleader Navarrette’s talents as a master percussionist and purveyor of some of the Bay Area’s finest salsa never fails to get audiences on their feet. Admission is FREE, but limited, so it’s suggested you RSVP in advance.
September 28: Elena Pinderhughes + The Young Musicians Choral Orchestra
Award-winning flutist and composer Elena Pinderhughes seamlessly blends jazz, hip-hop and R&B influences. Known for her collaborations with Herbie Hancock, Common, Esperanza Spaulding, and Josh Groban, she has appeared at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, the White House, and Coachella. Showtime: 7 p.m. Admission: $20, purchase tickets online at Eventbrite.
September 29: John Brothers Piano Company
Self-described as a “punk band with jazz instruments and classical inclinations,” John Brothers Piano Company began with a pair of Cal Berkeley students who shared a love of early jazz and barroom blues. At one point in their career you could find the rambunctious duo dragging their Wurlitzer spinet around in order to busk on street corners in San Francisco and the East Bay. Now a quartet, their unflagging improvisational energy is the hallmark of a band that is proud to have built its fan base the old fashioned way—one show at a time. Showtime: 7 p.m. Admission: $20, purchase tickets online at Eventbrite.
September 30: Golden Hour Youth Music Festival
Celebrate the best of Alameda’s emerging new artists with this selection of very talented groups from high schools across the island. The event will kick off with a performance by Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir Youth Program Ensembles: OYC Chamber Singers and Oakland Interfaith Youth Choir. Showtime: 3 p.m. Admission: FREE, RSVP at Eventbrite.
October 12: Runway Story Jam
This custom edition of the Alameda Story Slam will be curated by JP Frary, known for six wins of the Moth’s Story Slams and his prowess as an emcee. Hear some of the best storytellers in the Bay Area tell true personal stories—both serious and funny—with the theme of “Making From Scratch.” Showtime: 7 p.m. Admission: $15, purchase tickets online at Eventbrite.
October 13: Ensemble Mik Nawooj
Ensemble Mik Nawooj (EMN) bring their sonically lush Hip Hop Orchestra Experience to the RADIUM Runway with the debut of their largest orchestral set up ever—25 pieces including strings, woodwinds, French horns, and more. This performance of original compositions will offer a compelling mix of Mozart, Bach, and Beethoven, deconstructed with funky rhythms and rapid-fire rhymes. Seeing and hearing Hip Hop performed live by a full orchestra—at a time when Hip Hop celebrates 50 years of commanding the public consciousness—promises to be an unforgettable evening. Showtime: 7 p.m. Admission: $30, purchase tickets online at Eventbrite.
Sunday October 15: A Dance Battle Extraordinaire
Oakland’s legendary turf dance culture comes to Alameda point for an afternoon of high-powered athletic competition from TURFInc. Showtime: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission: FREE, RSVP Link: Eventbrite.
