The Gospel Academy Award-winning Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, under the direction of Terrance Kelly, is a multiracial, interfaith group of 55 vocalists united in their love of gospel music with its message of hope, joy, unity and justice.

Their exquisite vocal harmonies and stirring gospel repertoire have led to performances with gospel recording stars Tramaine Hawkins, Take 6, The Clark Sisters, Walter Hawkins, Timothy Wright, The Dixie Hummingbirds, Clarence Fountain and The Five Blind Boys of Alabama, and with jazz and pop recording artists Linda Ronstadt, Peter Gabriel, Pharaoh Sanders, Stan Getz, John Denver, Marlena Shaw and Jeffrey Osborne. The Choir headlined the 40th Annual Atlanta Arts Festival and delivered memorable performances at the New Orleans, Monterey, Russian River and San Francisco Jazz Festivals, the Oakland Coliseum Concert for Nelson Mandela and the 1994 Grace Cathedral sermon by South Africa's Bishop Tutu. OIGC has toured Australia, Israel, Canada and travelled throughout the US.

Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir's Web Site

Rhiannon and Terrance Kelly 

Rhiannon is a vibrant, singer, composer and master teacher who has been bringing her potent blend of world music, jazz, improvisation and storytelling to audiences for over three decades. In 1976 Rhiannon co-founded the groundbreaking all-woman jazz quintet, Alive! This pioneering group toured internationally for 10 years and released three CD's. She is a founding member of the innovative a cappella ensembles Voicestra and SoVoSo'.

In addition to her ongoing solo performing and recording career, and her current ensemble project, Bowl Full of Sound, Rhiannon enjoys a longtime musical collaboration with vocal improvisation master Bobby McFerrin. From 1986-1992 she was a member of his 12 voice orchestra, Voicestra. In 1993-94, Bobby formed the improvisational quartet, Hard Choral, featuring Rhiannon. In 1997 she recorded "Circlesongs" with Bobby, and has been a featured soloist on his U.S. and European Voicestra tours since 1997. She makes her home in No. CA.

Rhiannon's love of music, theater and the unexpected has resulted in collaborations with poets, storytellers, performance artists, ritualists, visual artists and dancers around the world. These include composing and performing a solo a cappella score for SF's acclaimed dance company ODC and choreographer, Brenda Way; a commission score for Maya Angelou's historic inaugural poem "On the Pulse of the Morning," and ongoing teaching and performance with Ruth Zaporah, distinguished founder of Action Theater. She has been on the cutting edge of vocal improvisation and performance art for decades and has appeared at Monterey, Montreaux and SF Jazz Festivals, the Vancouver International Folk Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, and many others.

Rhiannon's Web Site

Terrance Kelly was born in Oakland in 1962. His late father was the esteemed jazz and gospel pianist, Ed Kelly. His mother, the late Faye Kelly, was a gospel choir directress and pianist. Kelly has garnered extensive musical credentials in both gospel and jazz music. His credits include choral arrangements on albums by Linda Ronstadt and the Kronos Quartet, and gospel arrangements of popular music for TV and soundtracks. He wrote or arranged much of the music for all three albums performed by the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir (OIGC). His professional awards include an Emmy Award in 1995 for his choral arrangement of the OIGC's KGO-TV public service announcement, and the Gospel Music Academy Award for Best Director (twice) and a a "Local Heroes" Award from KQED-TV for this directorship of the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Youth Choir (since 1986). He currently serves as Artistic Director, directing both the adult & youth choirs. He is Minister of Magnification at Imani Community Church and Professor of Music at Foothill College. Mr. Kelly has been a favorite teacher at Rhythmic Concept's annual Jazz Camp since 1982. He also travels to Vancouver, Canada and throughout Northern CA to teach gospel music workshops

Oakland Children's Community Choir is a music education project designed and produced by RCI specifically for Oakland elementary schools with little or no access to the arts. Over 150 children from Garfield, Glenview and Cleveland elementary schools were exposed to high quality music education under the Musical Direction of Melanie DeMore and pianist Ben Heveroh. These schools were selected because of the diversity of the population and the lack of funding for cultural programming. This project provides a number of important services for underserved children: access to music education, exposure to the teachings of Dr. King, and an unusual and exciting opportunity to gain experience performing with professional artists and civic leaders.

Oaktown Jazz Workshop is a multifaceted presentation, and preservation organization dedicated to celebrating the artistic and cultural significance of America's Classical Music - Jazz. Under the musical direction of Khalil Shaheed, OJW was formed in 1994 and celebrates jazz music as an American indigenous art form of profound artistic & cultural significance. The purpose of OJW is to promote, preserve, and present this music so that all youth, and especially African American youth, develop a sense of ownership and pride in jazz music as a uniquely American cultural tradition. OJW creates a safe, structured environment in which young people with different levels of musical experience are able to come and be a part of a creative jazz ensemble under the guidance of professional master musicians.

Oaktown Jazz Workshop's Web Site

Ray Taliaferro is currently an on-air personality for KGO NEWSTALK AM 810. He hosts a Mon. - Fri. phone-in radio talk show that airs between 1 to 5 am The program is known as the "Early Show" and primarily consists of lively (and sometimes confrontational) discussion of contemporary issues in American politics, culture, and current events. Ray has been in broadcasting for over 30 years. He started in talk radio in 1967 at SF's KNEW (AM). He then got into TV, hosting a show on KHJ-TV (KCAL-TV) before accepting a news anchor position at SF's KRON-TV. Taliaferro joined KGO Radio in 1977, co-hosting KGO-TV's AM Weekend program. Taliaferro was the first African American talk show host on a major market radio station in the country. He helped found the National Association of Black Journalists in 1975, and was honored by the SF Black Chamber of Commerce in '94 with the Black Chamber Life Award, as a "forerunner in broadcasting."