Dear Friend of Oaktown Jazz Workshops,

Oaktown Jazz Workshops (OJW) is truly a community-based organization and it is thanks to your support that we have been able to consistently offer high quality jazz education to the youth of Oakland for over two decades.

This year has been full of music and growth for both our young musicians and our organization. We have added a new instrumental class, Intro to Jazz Improvisation, to support our youngest musicians, our Jazz in the Schools program reached over 500 students through assemblies and instrumental training sectionals, and KCSM Jazz 91 Radio featured both live and studio recordings of our Youth Performance Ensemble.

Our ongoing partnership with The Port of Oakland enables us to bring together youth from all of Oakland’s neighborhoods at our centrally located space in Jack London Square where they find a safe and supportive environment to develop their skills. Additionally, our Jazz Encounters program continues to bring students clinics from today’s most engaging jazz musicians, including trumpeter Sean Jones, percussionist John Santos, and other celebrated artists.

It was the foresight of OJW’s Founding Director, Khalil Shaheed, to identify an easily accessible space for our year-round jazz workshops. Shaheed’s greater goal, however, was to establish a performance space that would bring communities and generations together around live concerts. This September, through our completion of the permitting process for public assemblies, Mr. Shaheed’s vision was realized!

Since then, we have produced concerts and workshops by the Lionel Hampton Big Band featuring Jason Marsalis, Richard Howell & Sudden Changes, the Grassroots Ensemble and the Ways & Means Committee. And that’s just the beginning, as we look forward to presenting a 2016 calendar full of family-friendly jazz concerts.

It has always been through the generosity of friends like you that we remain a healthy and vibrant organization.  Three years ago we launched the Khalil Shaheed Scholarship Fund to cover the cost of our workshops for young musicians who could not otherwise afford tuition.  We now ask for your contribution, in whatever amount you can manage, to encourage our children’s creativity, elevate music education and appreciation, and enrich our diverse community.

Sincerely,

Ravi Abcarian
Executive Director

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