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.

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 its efforts to ensure the future of symphonic music, the OEBS formed a multi-year partnership with The James Irvine Foundation in 1998, which continues to this date, to initiate the Irvine Commissioning Project - a commissioning and performance program for new symphonic works by living American composers.

A major accomplishment was the implementation of the MUSE Program (MUSic for Excellence) in 1998-99. MUSE continues to serve 18 schools in the Oakland Unified School District. Schools involved include 10 elementary schools, 5 middle and 3 high schools. Over 1,125 students are served by the core MUSE school program.

Oakland East Bay Symphony initiated a new series in 2006-2007 of concert hall stagings of significant works from the American lyric and musical theatre. The series, entitled American Masterworks, was inaugurated in May 2007 with a preview and sold-out performances of George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess. The series continued with huge success with two performance of Follies in Concert on May 16 and 18, 2008.

In 2007-2008, the Symphony continued participation in Magnum Opus - a collaboration of three founding orchestras - Oakland East Bay Symphony, Marin Symphony and Santa Rosa Symphony - to jointly commission, premiere and give repeat performances of nine new works over five years.

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. Maestro 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.

Michael Morgan, a nationally known arts educator and advocate, visits over 50 elementary, middle and high schools, reaching over 3,100 children each year; orchestra musicians also visit the schools, offering lecture, demonstrations, workshops and performances.

To help develop the arts, OEBS fosters collaborations with local arts organizations from children's choruses to jazz ensembles to the Oakland Ballet Company. OEBS showcases new American works in performance and encourages young artists.

Today, OEBS can truly be considered a community-based organization, which serves the multi-cultural diversity of the surrounding community. More than 70,000 people attend the Symphony's performances at the Paramount Theatre and at other community sites each year.