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KQED Radio's "To Do List."
Fri, Jan 27, 2012 -- 8:33 AM
Host: Cy Musiker
OPC's “Danzas and Arias,” is mentioned
at 5:05. |
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By San Francisco Classical Voice
The Oakland Public Conservatory of Music presents “Danzas and Arias,”
a free concert of multicultural orchestral music performed by the OPC
Symphony Orchestra. The concert will also feature arias from selected
operas performed by Bay Area vocal artists, Michelle Jacques, Brenda
Usher-Carpino, and Gustavo Hernandez.
Sunday, Jan 29 4:00p to 5:45p
Free Admission
“Danzas and Arias” features compositions by Samuel Coleridge
Taylor, Arturo Márquez, Manuel de Falla, C. W. von Gluck, and Georges
Bizet. Michelle Jacques performs the “Habanera” from Bizet’s opera,
Carmen; Brenda Usher-Carpino performs “Divinités du Styx” from Gluck’s
opera, Alceste; Gustavo Hernandez performs "On away! Awake, beloved!"
from Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s cantata, Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast. The
orchestra will perform Coleridge-Taylor’s, Danse Negre from African
Suite, inspired by a Paul Lawrence Dunbar poem; and Márquez’s Danzón
No. 2, which Márquez dedicated to his daughter, Lily, and was first
performed in 1994 in Mexico City. Also included on the program are two
fiery flamenco dances, the Farruca and the Fandango, from Manuel de
Falla’s opera, El Sombrero de Tres Picos (The Three-Cornered Hat).
The OPC Symphony Orchestra is dedicated to performing orchestral
works of African American and other under-heard composers. It provides
opportunities for musicians to explore, engage, and experience these
compositions, while nurturing an appreciation for the cultural
significance of these works and their performance in the community.
Maestra Sandra I. Noriega (aka Sandy Mabee) is the first woman to
graduate with a Bachelor of Music degree in Percussion Performance from
the San Francisco Conservatory. As well, she is the first woman to earn a
Master of Arts degree in Percussion Performance from California State
University East Bay in Hayward. In 2008, Ms. Noriega completed an
intensive Post-Master’s Program, earning a Professional Performer’s
Certificate in Instrumental Conducting at California State University,
Sacramento. Also in 2008, she created the Oakland Public
Conservatory’s first adult symphony orchestra. In 2010, Ms. Noriega
became a charter member of Classical Musicians with Disabilities, and
was invited to conduct several works for the inaugural concert of "The D
Major International Music Festival", in Kiev, Ukraine in the Fall of
2011.
Please support the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music and its Bay
Area Musical Artists by joining us for this exciting Concert! |
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By SF Gate  Sunday, Jan 29 4:00p to 5:45p
Free Admission
This free concert of multicultural orchestral
music is performed by the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music Symphony Orchestra. The concert also features arias from selected operas
(Carmen, Alceste, Marriage of Figaro, etc.) performed by Bay Area vocal
artists. Renowned local pianist Victoria Theodore, keyboardist and
background singer for legendary genius and icon, Stevie Wonder, joins
the orchestra for this performance. Maestra Sandra I. Noriega
conducts. |
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The Pioneer Online
By
Dinah deSpenza
July 21, 2011
Guy de Chalus, banjo teacher at the Oakland Public Conservatory of
Music’s (OPC) summer camp, brings storytelling to instill the value of
the instrument for cultural preservation and education.
One of 50 known people studying the history of the banjo in the
United States, de Chalus embraces its African origins and the old time
style of playing.
“As far as I know, there are perhaps one or two others on the west
coast that play old time style banjo besides me,” said de Chalus. “I
haven’t seen them in these parts, I’m it.”
He purchased his first banjo for $50 from a man trying to get rid of
it because he was moving out of town. Read more
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By California
Music Industry Summit
January 18,
2011
The Oakland Public
Conservatory of Music is the first and only public
conservatory of music in the United States. The Conservatory offers a
range of classes in theory, instrumentation, and voice geared toward the
preservation of music in all forms.
The Oakland Public Conservatory of Music is headed by Dean Angela
Wellman, an award-winning educator and trombonist, who returned to the
Bay Area, and served as the Education Director for the Oakland Youth
Chorus where she developed award-winning community music education
programs. Wellman performs and teaches throughout the United States. Read more
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By Debi Mason
August 01, 2010
On Friday, the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music presented musical
pioneer Elayne Jones with the first National Treasure Award during an
evening of music and entertainment at the Piedmont Piano Company.
A
hugely respected musician and Julliard graduate, Jones is recognized
for her tireless efforts toward breaking the color barrier for numerous
classical musicians around the world since the 1950s.
Jones'
talent as a timpanist and percussionist drew national attention
in 1949 when she became the first African American to play with the New
York City Opera and Ballet. Read more
(Photo: One of the musicians who performed at Oakland Conservatory event
on Friday.)
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By AfriClassical
February 21, 2010
Oakland Public Conservatory of Music
Symphony Orchestra
Sandra I Noriega - Artistic Director
Saturday, February 27, 2010 - 3:30 PM
Concert Hosted by
The American Legion East Oakland – Post 471
Oakland Veterans Memorial Building
200 Grand Avenue at Harrison St., Oakland, 94610
This free concert is dedicated to the Symphonic Works of
African-American Composers
(Photo of Quincy Hilliard) |
By Bread for the Journey of Oakland
September 29, 2008
 Jazz: The Next Generation Music Project is the brainchild of
14-year old Ayinde Webb, a tremendously enthusiastic young man inspired
by the music classes he is taking at the Oakland Public Conservatory of
Music (OPC). At the encouragement of mentors at the Conservatory and
local jazz artists in the community, Ayinde plans to build a music
program for youth. Jazz musician mentors will provide music lessons to a
group of 10 youth from under-resourced environments. In addition, the
youth will support one another as peer role models. The goals of
Ayinde’s new program include music appreciation and lessons in jazz,
blues, and gospel; Friday night jam sessions for youth and mentors; and a
venue to showcase developing talent.
Bread for the Journey of Oakland was honored to provide $1000 to Jazz:
The Next Generation Music Project as seed money to get this
program off the ground. When asked to share his story, Ayinde said: “I
feel that being a part of OPC’s events help keep me and other young
people out of trouble. Everyone who visits OPC falls in love with it as
soon as they walk in the door. It feels just like home, and I am glad
that there are places like this out there where the youth of the
community can hone their musical talents.” Read More
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RENEE MONTAGNE, host:
Now a moment to remember a Fourth of July event from many years ago, not 1776 but 1852.
Unidentified Man: Fellow citizens, above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wails of millions.
MONTAGNE:
Those are the words of abolitionist Frederick Douglass. Words he spoke
on Independence Day in 1852, reminding Americans that while they
celebrated their freedom, others were enslaved.
Unidentified Man: To forget them and to chime in with the popular theme would be treason most scandalous and shocking.
MONTAGNE:
The words of abolitionist Frederick Douglass on an Independence Day.
The actors we heard were James Brook and Michael Lang, reading at the
Oakland Public Conservatory of Music here in California. Copyright © 2008 National Public Radio®. All rights reserved. No quotes from the materials contained herein may be used in any media
without attribution to National Public Radio. This transcript is
provided for personal, noncommercial use only, pursuant to our Terms of
Use. Any other use requires NPR's prior permission. Visit our
permissions page for further information. |
By Larry Kelp
January 2008
Angela Wellman doesn’t practice trombone as much as she’d like these
days. Her role as founder and dean of the Oakland Public Conservatory of
Music eats up her time. Founded with the intention to “open the world
of music to all through access to quality instruction in a nurturing
environment” and “provide economical study in a variety of musical
arts,” OPCM ( www.opcmusic.org)
offers an array of classes for all ages, from beginning guitar for kids
to Zimbabwean marimba and Irish song. The faculty includes such
esteemed Bay Area musicians as Bill Bell (piano), India Cooke (violin),
Babatunde Lea (drums, percussion), Avotcja (spoken word) and Ron
Stallings (saxophone).
Wellman grew up in a family of musicians
in Kansas City, Mo., and has been playing trombone ever since. When her
uncle died, she inherited his collection of his good friend Count
Basie’s band charts and makes use of them today in her 17-piece Count
Basie Tribute Orchestara. But OPCM “isn’t about jazz,” Wellman says.
“It’s about music, from Mozart to Basie to Irish folk music. I hope to
someday have a place where we can rewrite American music history. Blues,
jazz, R&B, even reggae, they’re all part of American music now, and
they wouldn’t exist without the African experience here. Most
conservatories don’t just leave out the African-American side; they are
Eurocentric and leave out the American side.”
OPCM began to take
shape in 2004 when Wellman met Regina Schaeffer, who shared the dream
and had access to seed money. They found an ample, 4,400-square-foot
space with soaring 30-foot ceilings at 1616 Franklin St., and opened the
school in October 2005, initially offering private instruction, and
adding community classes in January 2006.
Wellman is already
looking beyond OPCM to starting a sister school in Kansas City, and then
others. “It’s what the creator intended for me to do with my life,” she
says. “As I look back now that I’m 51, I see everything I’ve done is
toward this public music conservatory movement.”
Photo L.A.
vocalist Dwight Trible performs in the conservatory's Ed Kelly Hall
with the Muziki Roberson Quartet. Dave Ellis pictured on Saxophone.
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NEWS FROM: Cultural Arts & Marketing Department – City of Oakland
April 10, 2007
 Downtown Oakland’s burgeoning arts and entertainment
scene is getting a major boost from new performance venues and unique
arts education facilities popping up in and around the Uptown district.
One of the key players in downtown’s resurgence is the Oakland Public
Conservatory of Music currently being showcased as the “Featured Venue”
on www.MeetDowntownOak.com, the City of Oakland ‘s online guide to all that is hip in the heart of
Oakland. Read More
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By Jesse "Chuy" Varela
May 10, 2006
Glen Pearson is a world-class pianist from the East Bay who
has played with jazz luminaries like James Moody, Mary Stallings, and
Robert Stewart. Last year he took over the reins as jazz professor at
the College of Alameda. Now partnered with the Oakland Public
Conservatory of Music, Pearson presents free Sunday afternoon concerts
and jam sessions this summer with the College of Alameda Big Band. This Sunday they perform a Mother's Day concert at the conservatory's.... | |
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Oakland Public Conservatory of Music - 1616 Franklin Street - Oakland, CA 94602 - (510) 836-4649
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