December 12th, 2012
Dear Friend of Oaktown Jazz Workshops,
2012 has been an eventful year for OJW, filled with activity, growth and change, marked especially by the passing of Oaktown Jazz Workshops founder, Khalil Shaheed, in March. The Board of Directors, faculty, and I are working hard to grow his vision. We appreciate your past support and want to keep you up to date about our recent and upcoming happenings.
Oaktown Jazz Workshops’ year round, twice weekly workshops are going strong at our new location in Jack London Square. Our young musicians have performed for over 10,000 people this year at events such as Oakland’s Art & Soul Festival, The Oakland East Bay Symphony’s Independence Day Celebration, and Yoshi’s Jazz Festival. Many of OJW’s Alumni serve as guest instructors at our workshops and in June, a septet of Alumni came together to perform at our benefit concert in honor of Khalil Shaheed.
We continue to engage in collaborative community events such as our upcoming performance with The Children’s Community Choir on January 19th at The Paramount Theater for the Living Jazz annual musical tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and our work with Music in the Schools Today to bring live jazz presentations to the public schools of West Oakland. We have also formed a new partnership with Berkeley Unified School District that brings OJW instructors to middle school jazz bands to work as clinicians.
It has always been through the generosity of friends like you that we remain such a healthy and vibrant organization. At this time, we are pleased to announce that in honor of our founding director’s vision we are launching the Khalil Shaheed Scholarship Fund to cover the cost of our weekly, intensive workshops for young musicians who could not otherwise afford tuition. We now ask for your contribution in whatever amount you can manage. A donation to OJW goes directly to jazz performance education for young people who value it, taught by a small group of instructors dedicated to helping the kids develop their talents. Your support of Oaktown Jazz Workshops encourages our children’s creativity, elevates music education and appreciation, and enriches our diverse community.
Sincerely,
Ravi Abcarian
Executive Director