On the night of December 2, 2016, 36 people attending an underground concert tragically died in the Ghost Ship warehouse fire in Oakland, California. Soaring rents and costs had displaced San Francisco Bay Area artists and musicians and forced them to live, work, and hold events and performances in deathtraps like the Ghost Ship.

The Ghost Ship fire in Oakland highlights the tragic human price that rising rents and housing costs, and increasingly scarce safe spaces can extract. Artists driven to create and drawn to a community of like-minded individuals should not be expected to pay an unthinkable price, nor should those who love them.

As we approach the 10-year anniversary of the Ghost Ship fire, Vital Arts invites you to gather at Grace Cathedral on December 4 at 7pm to remember the 36 lives lost, honor those forever changed by the tragedy, and support the artistic community that continues to carry their legacy forward.

At the heart of the evening is the world premiere of Symphony No. 1 … and no one died, thus we began to see in the dark, composed by Two-Spirit Mestiza musician Alexandrea Archuleta, a survivor of the fire and an artist who was scheduled to perform at Ghost Ship the night of the tragedy.

Commissioned by Vital Arts, the symphony grew from Archuleta’s experience of grief, survival, and transformation. Bay Area musicians will come together to perform the work in remembrance of those who died and in recognition of an event that profoundly changed the Bay Area artistic community.

Bay Area artists Lunaxix and Zachary James Watkins will be opening the evening with original work. Prior to the performances, community members will also be invited to contribute to an altar that will be open to the public starting on December 2, the official anniversary of the Ghost Ship fire.

This evening is both a memorial and an investment in the future of artists in the Bay Area. Proceeds will support Vital Arts in continuing its work to sustain artists, build community, and protect space for creative expression in the years ahead.

Tickets for the premiere are now on sale. If you are able, we invite you to consider making an additional donation or becoming an event sponsor.