Read about the OYC Board of Directors >>
As an organization development consultant, Eileen Hansen comes to OYC with a long history of working with nonprofits in the Bay Area. Her specialty is in working as an Interim Executive Director with organizations that are in periods of transition and growth. She is using her skills and experience to assist OYC in strengthening its sustainability as an organization; to raise new funds and recruit new supporters in the community; and ultimately recruit a new Executive Director.
La Nell Martin is a native of Oakland, graduate of Holy Names High School, and alumna of the Oakland Youth Chorus (1986-1989). She has earned her B.A. degree at Holy Names College as well.
La Nell began conducting OYC's Middle School Magic Chorus in 2004 and Concert Chorus in 2006. In the 2007-2008 season La Nell led an extraordinary tour for each of the OYC chorus ensemble's which were awarded with various honors at the Heritage Music Festival in Las Vegas and the Muisc in the Parks Festival in the SF Bay Area. In addition, the soloist La Nell chose for the season won the Best Soloist Overall two years in a row.
La Nell is eager to get the word out about OYC and is actively recruiting for future seasons. She believes that children can benefit from learning how to appreciate and perform all styles of music.
Angela Dant started with the Oakland Youth Chorus in 1998 working seasonally as Box Office Manager and has worn many hats over the years including bookkeeping assistant, Concert Production Manager, Office Manager, Managing Director, and is now the Program and Marketing Director. Angela loves the organization and is thrilled that her youngest is now singing in OYC's All-City Miracle Chorus. Angela is a theatre artist, who trained at Cal State Fresno and Cal State Hayward (now CSU East Bay). She co-founded Virago Theatre Company in Alameda in 2005. Angela is an actor, director, producer for Virago productions and a teacher for Virago after-school and summer youth programs. She teaches acting, improvisation, physical theatre and musical theatre.
Holly Burnett is a native of St. Louis, MO and has lived in the Bay Area for three years. She graduated from Union University (Jackson, TN) in 2005 with a B.M. in Music Education. Holly is a Miracle Chorus teacher at Lighthouse Community Charter Academy and at New Highland Academy for her second year. She also teaches elementary music in San Francisco for Music in Schools Today (MuST). Holly is an active member of the East Bay alumnae chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota, a professional music fraternity that promotes and supports music education and organizations in the community. In her free time she enjoys playing the flute, guitar, and piano.
Rhonda Crane, or "Miss Rhonda" as her students call her, was born in Brooklyn, NY, and raised in San Francisco. She began playing the piano at 8, the viola at 12, and sang every chance she got in church and school choirs. She has played in orchestras, bands, sang in operas and with Street Sounds, and is currently a member of CHELLE! and Friends Ensemble.
Miracle Chorus teacher and OYC alumnus Bryan Dyer (‘81- ‘89)’s musical career started as a child in the church and through the public school system, where he learned to sing as well as play trumpet, piano, baritone horn, percussion, and piano. He is a member of the a capella quintet Street Sounds, a group whose performance is a tapestry of blues, jazz, African chants, rap, R&B, doo-wop, and civil/human rights songs. Currently, he also performs with the a capella group, SoVoSo, directs his church choir, and works as a singer, producer, and instrumentalist.
Michelle Jacques is the Artistic Director/founder of the CHELLE! and Friends, and WOW (Women of the World) ensembles. Michelle performs educational programs for the San Francisco Symphony’s Adventures in Music program.
Michelle is the founder and director of the ALA Children's Chorus and World Music Chorus in Alameda, is an elementary school conductor for Oakland Youth Chorus in the Oakland Unified School district, LEAP…Imagination in Learning in the San Francisco school district and Young Performers International.
Michelle is also a founding member of the Street Sounds a cappella quintet. Michelle has toured throughout the United States and Europe performing with and alongside many well known artists including: Manhattan Transfer, Wynton Marsalis, Linda Hopkins, Ladysmith Black Mambaza, Pete Seeger, Al Greene, and The Persuasions. Michelle also performed in Geneva, Switzerland, for the United Nations World Conference of Human Rights, Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir, the Montreux Jazz Festival, The Gurten Music Festival, and The Berne Jazz Festival.
Michelle's credits include: recipient of the City Of Oakland, Individual Artist grant for 2008-2009, winner of the 1992, Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards (CARA) for Best Folk/Progressive Song, "Home Africa".
Angela Kempe has a bachelors degree in Songwriting from the prestigious Berklee College of Music and a masters degree in Vocal Performance from California State University, East Bay. She has been teaching private lessons in voice and piano for over ten years and has seen many of her students move on to become professional musicians. This year, she won a place as suggested artist in the Song of the Year Competition for her contemporary style song entitled “Waiting all my Life.”
D'Shawn Hunter graduated from Oakland Technical High School at the age of 16. He is currently studying at Cal Berkeley as a Bio-Sciences Major and he plans to attend medical school at Stanford University. As a member of the OYC from 1997-2003, Mr. Hunter has a great ear for music, as well as a love for the art itself. He performed with the OYC at Oakland's Paramount Theatre and numerous other Bay Area venues and has performed internationally with other choral groups Mr. Hunter has tremendous experience working with youth in several different structures, and truly has a love for OYC.
Tina Harrington has worked with the OYC since 1989 as Alumni Conductor, Assistant conductor, and vocal coach. Her experience as an alumna from 1977 to 1981 enables her to uniquely relate to the students, and her current work brings back warm memories of friendships and experience which focused her own professional pursuits. Ms. Harrington is also Artistic Director of the Distaff Singers (an Oakland-based women's community chorus, now celebrating its 63rd year). In addition, she is Choral Director for the College Preparatory High School, and assistant conductor and a member of the San Francisco Choral Artists, and has lent her vocal coaching expertise to numerous local groups and musical productions.