Oakland Jazz Choir

The Oakland Jazz Choir, a unique, dynamic, multi-cultural ensemble, is dedicated to the education, preservation and perpetuation of vocal jazz, and is committed to bringing together professional and community members alike.

The Oakland Jazz Choir (OJC) is a dynamic, talented, and dedicated group of 13 singers from diverse community backgrounds whose voices unite together in a new genre of vocal jazz. Because of the proficiency of its singers and the unique repertoire, OJC delivers an innovative sound with exquisite harmonies and rhythms distinct to jazz. This distinctive fusion of voices shares a common love of jazz, promoting this true American art form in new ways, while respecting its cultural roots. OJC is one of the only community choirs in the country singing choral jazz.

Over the past 19 years, OJC (www.oaklandjazzchoir.com) has performed with such notables as: singers Madeline Eastman and Faye Carol, percussionist, rhythm dancer Keith Terry and percussionist, composer John Santos. They’ve gigged at such venues as: Yoshi’s in Oakland, both the San Francisco and San Jose Jazz Festivals, the Bach Dancing and Dynamite Society, the Jazzschool in Berkeley, the Valhalla Boathouse Theatre at Lake Tahoe, the Grass Valley Center for the Arts, and auditioned and won a coveted spot to perform in the prestigious International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE).

OJC’s favorite yet least visible activity is the unique Jazz in the Schools outreach program. This unique and interactive “What is Jazz?” workshop is presented to the Oakland Public Schools during Black History Month and Jazz Appreciation Month. In 2009, OJC presented the workshop to Hillcrest Elementary School and Sankofa Academy, and in 2011 to the KIPP Charter School in Oakland. Their passionate hope is that by continuing this musical outreach, a seed may be planted and nurtured into a future interest in jazz.