Notes & Words

03/06/2026

Music. Storytelling. Science. One night only.

On May 2, Notes & Words returns to the Fox Theater Join us for an unforgettable night benefiting UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals.

Taking the stage:

🎵 The Coverups | Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong brings his high-energy classic rock tribute band to close out the night.

🎻 Black Violin | GRAMMY-nominated duo blending classical strings and hip-hop beats.
📖 Emily Rapp Black | New York Times bestselling author on creativity and resilience.

🧪 Dr. Charles Limb | Renowned UCSF neuroscientist reveals what happens in the brain when we lose ourselves in music.

🎤 August Lee Stevens | Oakland’s own singer-songwriter blends folk and indie rock into performances full of unexpected turns.

VIP tickets are on sale now!

👉Reserve your seat: https://www.notesandwords.org/

11/06/2025

Save the date for Notes & Words 2026! Join us on Saturday, May 2, 2026 at the Fox Theater in Oakland. With readings from best-selling authors and musical sets from talented acts, this will be a night of smart, satisfying entertainment that you won't want to miss. All proceeds benefit UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals.

04/19/2025

We can’t believe it’s been almost two weeks since Notes & Words 2025! Thank you to all who joined us at the The Masonic for this one-of-a-kind evening in support of our patients and their families.

From a spectacular lineup of musicians and authors, to our inspiring patients who shared their stories, this year’s Notes & Words was one for the books! 📚🎸🎉

And none of this would be possible without our incredible community of supporters - a huge thank you to our sponsors and everyone who was in the audience. Your generosity ensures that all Bay Area kids continue to have equal access to world-class health care.

Visit https://www.notesandwords.org/2025-photos to relive the magic!

03/12/2025

If you've been in the audience you know: Notes & Words is a one-of-a-kind evening of incredible music and inspired storytelling benefitting UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals. We're thrilled to showcase this special event in San Francisco for the first time - and to invite you to be a part of our Notes & Words tradition!

Don’t miss GRAMMY Award-winning guitar virtuoso Gary Clark Jr., internationally bestselling author of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin, and other dazzling performers at Notes & Words on Saturday, April 5 at the SF Masonic.

https://www.notesandwords.org/

A one-night-only evening of live music and storytelling to benefit UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals.

03/06/2025

We can't wait for Cat Bohannon, scientist and author of Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution to take The Masonic stage at Notes & Words this year!

Cat has a Ph.D. from Columbia University in the evolution of narrative and cognition, and her research explores explores how women’s biology has shaped human history and culture, and her essays and poems have appeared in numerous publications including Scientific American, Mind, Science Magazine, The Best American Nonrequired Reading, and The Georgia Review.

Don't miss your chance to see this incredible author - learn more and get your tickets at notesandwords.org.

02/26/2025

We’re so thrilled that New York Times and internationally best-selling author Gabrielle Zevin will be taking the stage at this year's Notes & Words!

Zevin is author of several critically acclaimed novels, including The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, which is now a motion picture, and Young Jane Young. Her most recent novel is Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, one of the best books of the year, according to the New York Times, the Washington Post, Time, Entertainment Weekly, the Atlantic, Oprah Daily, Slate, NPR, the Hollywood Reporter, and many other outlets.

Don’t miss your chance to see this incredible author on April 5 at the SF Masonic – visit notesandwords.org to get your tickets!

02/19/2025

We can’t wait for this three-time GRAMMY-nominated singer songwriter to rock the Notes & Words 2025 stage! Grace Potter burst onto the music scene in the early 2000s and has since released seven acclaimed albums, shared the stage with the likes of The Rolling Stones, Robert Plant, and the Allman Brothers Band, and played nearly every major music festival. Her latest work, “Mother Road,” is her most magnificently unfettered collection of songs to date and was composed over a two-year span driving back and forth on road trips across America.

Don’t miss this electric rock ’n’ roll performer on April 5 at The Masonic. Tickets available at

A one-night-only evening of live music and storytelling to benefit UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals.

02/11/2025

Tickets are on sale now for the annual Notes & Words benefit, where the incredible four-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and guitarist, Gary Clark Jr. will take the stage at the SF Masonic!

Clark’s domestic tours are instant sell-outs and his international profile has found him topping bills at legendary festivals and venues around the world. From collaborations with legendary artists including Stevie Wonder, Alicia Keys, Foo Fighters, and Nas, to Clark’s recent and most compelling body of work to date, titled JPEG RAW, you don’t want to miss this rock, blues, and soul fusion sensation.

Tickets available at

A one-night-only evening of live music and storytelling to benefit UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals.

01/31/2025

Join us at The Masonic on April 5, 2025, for a magical evening of outstanding musical performance and powerful storytelling!

Enjoy an incredible lineup with Grammy Award-winning blues virtuoso, Gary Clark Jrr.; singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Grace Potter; and supercharged Oakland band of siblings MeloDious.

Be inspired by internationally bestselling author of Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin; and celebrated scholar, writer, and researcher Cat Bohannon.

Visit notesandwords.org for sponsorship opportunities – tickets available on February 11.

A one-night-only evening of live music and storytelling to benefit UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals.

10/28/2024

Save the date for Notes & Words 2025! Join us on Saturday, April 5 at the Masonic in San Francisco. With readings from best-selling authors and musical sets from talented acts, this will be a night of smart, satisfying entertainment that you won't want to miss. All proceeds benefit UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals.

05/17/2024

From Dan Wilson's incredible catalog of songs and the special stories behind his songwriting, to the powerful prose of Nicholas Kristof and C Pam Zhang, to The Curtis Family Cnotes' unforgettable jams, and the always-inspiring teens from the Oakland School for the Arts - the 15th Annual Notes & Words was one for the books! 💜🎸📚

This year we raised over $1.15 million to help advance children’s health. Thanks to the generosity of supporters like you, our young patients at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals can continue to count on us for the specialized care they need and deserve. We are so grateful to have you standing with us in our mission to always put kids first.