Oakland Youth Chorus

Founded in 1974, the Oakland Youth Chorus serves 600 youth at fourteen school and community sites in the cities of Oakland and Alameda. Programs provide youth aged five to twenty-one with year-round vocal music instruction, two annual concerts, and opportunities to tour and perform in regional choral music competitions. Following significant cuts by the City of Oakland in 2010, the chorus consolidated its programs, moderately increased enrollment fees, and hired an executive director in 2012 to implement a new business plan. Renewed support for the chorus would enable it to maintain the number of schools and students that are involved, grow its earned income, and support its efforts to better evaluate student learning.