Read about the OYC Board of Directors >>
Sharon has been the executive director of OYC since 2005. Prior to joining OYC, Sharon was the Executive Director of Health Initiatives for Youth for six years. Prior to moving to the Bay Area, she lived in Western Massachusetts for 22 years, where she was the Executive Director of Girls Incorporated of Holyoke for nine years, the director of a homeless shelter, and a caseworker in a foster care program. She received a Master’s Degree in Social Work Administration from the University of Connecticut and a B.A. in Political Science from Mount Holyoke College. She is currently an active member of the First Unitarian Church of Oakland, and a frequent performer in concerts and services there. She is a fiddle player and vocalist in the local bands “Half Dozen of the Other” and “Duck River Band”. She is also a runner and a serious, but conflicted, baseball fan, being an avid A’s fan and a closet (while in California) Red Sox fan.
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.
LaNell began conducting OYC's Middle School Magic Chorus in 2004 and Concert Chorus in 2006. In the 2007-2008 season LaNell 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 LaNell chose for the season won the Best Soloist Overall two years in a row.
LaNell 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.
Jessica joined the Oakland Youth Chorus in the summer of 2006. She brings to OYC over 10 years of experience in nonprofit work having previously been the Program Director at Health Initiatives for Youth in San Francisco and at Exhale in Oakland. She is daily inspired by the musical talent surrounding her at OYC and is almost ready to finally try out her own vocal chords in her church choir. Almost. On Mondays she can be found dancing at the Starry Plough in Berkeley. The rest of the time she spends with her wife and daughter playing in the park, weeding her garden, or trying to make a dent in all that toddler laundry.
Julia Tsitsi Chigamba, dancer, singer, instrumentalist from Zimbabwe, has grown up in the rich cultural traditions of Shona music and dance. Daughter of the highly respected gwenyambira, Tute Chigamba, she is longtime member of Mhembero, the Chigamba family dance and mbira ensemble. Ms. Chigamba was one of the original members of Mhembero Dance Company, specializing in traditional dances of Zimbabwe: mbira, mhande, jerusarema, mbakumba, dinhe, chinyambera, muchongoyo, chokoto, amajukwa, and others. For the past five years Ms. Chigamba has taught traditional music and dance in Harare, Zimbabwe. She has also performed and taught widely in the United States and Canada. Ms. Chigamba is excited about sharing her knowledge of Shona music and dance, and continuing her family's work of teaching their traditions in North America. She teaches at various Oakland schools for the OYC's Music In The Schools program
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 Teacher at ASCEND School 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.
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.
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.
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 along side many well know artists including: Manhattan Transfer, Wynton Marsalis, Linda Hopkins, Ladysmith Black Mambaza, Pete Seger, 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.
Part of a lineage of musicians, Dan Faiver expanded from classical percussion into dance and traditional percussion as a way of experiencing music more fully in his body, feeling the groove, learning to express himself and improvise, and having music and dance at the heart of community and real life rituals. He has a master of music degree in percussion performance from Yale University, and has studied with such African dance and music teachers as Yosheh Amayo, Naby Bangoura, Sory Bangoura, Naby Camara, Julia Chigamba, Ronnie Daliyo, Youssouf Koumbassa, Mohamed Kouyate, Michael Markus, Alseny Soumah, and Modibo Traore. He has worked as a freelance orchestral percussionist, and as a dancer and musician with the Afo Drum and Dance Collective and the Chinyakare Ensemble. He served on faculties of the Mount Vernon Academy of Music and the Hoff-Barthelson Music School. Currently he is principal percussionist with the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music Chamber Orchestra, a teaching artist with Oakland Youth Chorus and Opera Piccola, the drum and dance element leader for the Young Men's Ultimate Weekend, and a percussion coach for the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music Youth Symphony. He also makes xylophones.
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.
Sheena JohnsonPhoto courtesy of Keira Heu-Jwyn Chang
She comes to the OYC with a solid background in non-profit administration and fundraising. She has fundraised for Critical Resistance, the Grassroots Institute for Fundraising Training, and the Center for Media Justice. She is excited to combine her fundraising experience and passion for the arts in her new position at OYC. In addition to being the new fundraising coordinator at OYC, Sheena is a dancer and choreographer. She is currently finishing up her Masters of Fine Arts in Dance & Choreography at Mills College in Oakland. If you want to know when she is performing next or have an exciting idea about how OYC can raise more funds shoot her an email: sheena@oaklandyouthchorus.org.
Robbie Belgrade, Anita Brooks, Carmen Coleman, Joni Haastrup, Lee Hetelson, Hector Lugo, Yari Mander, Javier Navarrette, Kevan Peabody, Ja Ronn Thompson, and Sarah Willner.