Oakland Symphony

The Oakland Symphony is an orchestra in Oakland, California. They play music at the Paramount Theatre in the city. The group began in 1933, so it has been a part of the local music scene for a long time.

In 1986, the orchestra had some money problems and had to stop for a while. But the musicians kept going. They came together again in 1988 with a new name, the Oakland East Bay Symphony. Many years later, in 2015, they changed their name back to the Oakland Symphony and kept making music for the community.

History

1933-1986

In 1933, the Oakland Symphony Orchestra began with Orley See as its first music director. They had concerts in the Oakland YMCA lobby. See led until 1957, then Piero Bellugi took over until 1959.

Gerhard Samuel became music director in 1959. The orchestra grew, adding more concerts and starting the Oakland Symphony Youth Orchestra in 1964 with 75 students. They played in schools, made recordings, and traveled internationally.

In 1972, the orchestra moved into the Paramount Theatre after fixing it up. But it was too expensive to keep, so they gave it to the city in 1975.

Harold Farberman led from 1971 to 1979, adding more concerts and starting programs for young people. Calvin Simmons, the first African-American music director, followed until 1982.

By 1986, money problems got worse. The orchestra tried adding more shows but still struggled. In August 1986, they had to close because of money issues.

1988–2015

After closing, the youth orchestra and chorus kept going. In 1988, some musicians started a new group called the Oakland East Bay Symphony with Michael Morgan as music director.

2015–present

In 2015, the group returned to its old name, the Oakland Symphony. Michael Morgan led until his death in 2021. In 2022, Kedrick Armstrong began guest conducting and became the new music director in April 2024.

Music directors

The Oakland Symphony has had many music directors. Some of them are Orley See, Piero Bellugi, Gerhard Samuel, Harold Farberman, Calvin Simmons, Richard Buckley, Michael Morgan, and Kedrick Armstrong. Each director led the orchestra at different times, adding their own style and ideas to the music.

Awards

The Oakland Symphony got special awards in 1977, 1978, and 1982. The awards were for creative and exciting shows. The group giving the awards was called ASCAP.