Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir

Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir (OIGC) is a multi-cultural, multi-racial vocal ensemble that performs repertoire from Black Spiritual and Gospel music traditions. Made up of sixty-five volunteer singers, the choir reaches more than 25,000 people each year through nearly forty performances, most of which are free of charge and target disenfranchised or institutionalized individuals, community groups and religious institutions, or benefits and fund-raisers on behalf of other nonprofit organizations. The organization also has a youth services and arts education program called the Youth Gospel Choir, composed of teens from the Oakland community. OIGC plans to continue its core artistic and educational activities, develop its individual donor program, and restructure its staffing with the planned departure of its long-time executive director in 2013.

The Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir is a multi-cultural, sixty-voice ensemble that performs a gamut of African American gospel music traditions. Reaching 25,000 people annually, the choir tours extensively locally and internationally, engaging with social service organizations and religious institutions. Through its Youth Gospel Choir, the organization provides opportunities for young people to improve their lives through the arts. With the recent hiring of a new executive director, the organization is poised for the coming grant period to take on more ambitious artistic challenges; prepare for its upcoming thirtieth anniversary, featuring a 400-voice choral work; and expand its audience in the region.