History - Oakland East Bay Symphony

<BODY BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" BACKGROUND="../images/backgrounds/p12c04.gif"> <TABLE CELLSPACING="0" CELLPADDING="5" WIDTH="534" STYLE="border-collapse: collapse" BGCOLOR="#FFFFDD"> <TR VALIGN="TOP"> <TD ALIGN="LEFT" VALIGN="TOP" WIDTH="385"> <FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE="+2" COLOR="#FF0000">History</FONT> <P><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Arial">Oakland East Bay Symphony (OEBS) was founded in July 1988, when musicians from the former Oakland Symphony and the Oakland Symphony League joined together to form a new orchestra. In September, 1990, Michael Morgan was named OEBS Music Director and began guiding the Symphony in the musical and philosophical direction it pursues today. </FONT></P><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Arial"> </FONT> <P><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Arial"><FONT FACE="Arial,Helvetica">In the Symphony's early years, concerts were performed at the Calvin Simmons Theatre, but they were moved to the much larger space of the Paramount Theatre during the 1995-96 season. Performances have enjoyed growing attendance and critical acclaim ever since. In addition to its subscription series in Oakland, OEBS performs a regular concert series in Richmond. In November 1999, the first live telecast of an OEBS concert was done on BayTV. </FONT> </FONT></P><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Arial"> </FONT> <P><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Arial"><FONT FACE="Arial,Helvetica">Under Maestro Morgan's direction, the Symphony has become a leader in music education for young people, bringing orchestral music into schools throughout Oakland and the East Bay. Morgan established and expanded the Young People's Concerts, the Ensembles-in-the-Schools program, the Side-By-Side Concert, and the Young Artist Competition. Morgan, a nationally known arts educator and advocate, visits approximately 50 elementary, middle and high schools, reaching over 3,300 children each year; orchestra musicians also visit the schools, offering lecture/demonstrations, workshops and performances. A major accomplishment was the implementation of the MUSE Program (MUSic for Excellence) in 1998-99, which provides comprehensive music education in grades K-12 and serves 3,200 students in eighteen Oakland public schools. </FONT> </FONT></P><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Arial"> </FONT> <P><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Arial"><FONT FACE="Arial,Helvetica">The Symphony is an important positive force in bringing together the talents and resources of diverse arts groups from the community. Whenever possible, OEBS collaborates with local ballet, opera, choral and theatrical groups and performs at community events. In June 2001, OEBS presented a special concert entitled "A Tribute to Gordon Parks" in collaboration with the Oakland Museum of California on the eve of the opening of a national touring exhibit of Mr. Parks' work. In July of 2002, the Symphony collaborated with Jack London Square for a free Fourth of July Pops Concert, performed with fireworks. </FONT> </FONT></P><FONT SIZE="-1" FACE="Arial"> </FONT> <P><FONT FACE="Arial" SIZE="-1">To help ensure the future of symphonic music, OEBS frequently commissions and performs works by contemporary American composers; five commissions are planned for the 2002-2003 season, including a cello concerto by Jake Heggie - acclaimed composer of the opera Dead Man Walking - and an orchestral piece by Afro-Cuban pianist/composer Omar Sosa.<BR><BR>Today, OEBS can truly be considered a community-based organization, which serves the multi-cultural diversity of the surrounding community. More than 60,000 people attend the Symphony's performances at the Paramount Theatre, at churches and senior centers, and at other community sites each year.</FONT></P></TD> <TD ALIGN="CENTER" VALIGN="TOP" WIDTH="129"><IMG SRC="../image/boywmn.gif" ALT="Young Musician" ALIGN="TOP" WIDTH="157" HEIGHT="110" BORDER="0"></TD> </TR> </TABLE> </BODY>