Oakland Public Conservatory of Music

09/07/2026

09/06/2026

The lessons we receive through music often follow us far beyond the rehearsal room.

A teacher may help us understand rhythm, technique or harmony. They may also teach us how to listen, prepare, persevere, collaborate or believe in our own voice.

What is one lesson a music teacher gave you that you still carry today?

If you can, name and celebrate the teacher who gave it to you.

09/05/2026

Thank you, Jackie Nassy Brown. And you have done similar things in those classrooms through the years.

A profile of Angela Wellman and the school she founded, the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music.Featuring Jaz Sawyer, Ayinde Webb and music by the Upsurge J...

09/05/2026

09/04/2026

A student cannot fully participate in music education without an instrument to practice, learn and grow with.

The cost of an instrument, along with the cost of keeping it in playing condition, can become the barrier that ends a musical journey before it begins.

OPC provides instruments free of charge to students who need them because economics should never determine whose potential gets heard.

Access is not simply opening the classroom door. It means making sure students have what they need once they enter.

Enrollment for our various Youth Programs can be found on our website:
https://opcclasses.squarespace.com/youthprograms-overview

09/02/2026

Oakland Public Conservatory of Music is proud to honor Rhiannon Giddens with the National Treasure Award at our 20th Anniversary Gala.

For more than two decades, Rhiannon has helped bring greater visibility to the African Diasporic roots of the banjo and the Black musical traditions that shaped American music.

Her participation in the historic Black Banjo Gathering of 2005 helped lead to the formation of Carolina Chocolate Drops. Through her music, research and public scholarship, she continues to carry this history forward while showing that the tradition is still alive and evolving.

In June 2025, Rhiannon joined OPC as a special guest for the final presentation of the Black Banjo & Fiddle Fellowship —connecting her work to musicians and culture bearers being equipped with both repertoire and history.

Join us on October 24 as we celebrate Rhiannon Giddens and this year’s distinguished honorees.

🎟 Tickets are available:
https://givebutter.com/opc20th

08/31/2026

Ed Kelly was a pianist, organist, educator, and defining figure in Oakland’s jazz and gospel communities.

Across a performing career spanning more than 50 years, Ed shared the stage with artists including John Handy, Bobby Hutcherson, Bobby McFerrin, Ray Drummond, and Pharoah Sanders. His celebrated collaboration with Sanders, "Ed Kelly & Friend*", remains an important part of Bay Area jazz history.

Ed was also a master of the Hammond B-3 organ, performing in churches throughout the Bay Area, with the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, and at San Francisco’s B-3 Organ Summit.

Although he could have pursued greater fame through the New York and touring circuits, Ed chose to remain close to his wife and four children. His wife, Faye Kelly, was herself a pianist, choir director, and voice teacher, and music filled their Oakland home.

For more than 25 years, Ed taught at Laney College, sharing his knowledge with generations of musicians. His influence can be heard in artists including pianist and composer Michele Rosewoman, who began studying with him at Laney and later helped bring her mentor’s music to New York audiences.

Ed’s honors included The BAMMY Awards • The Bay Area Music Awards for Best Jazz Pianist, induction into the Northern California Blues Hall of Fame, and a Humanitarian Award from the Gospel Academy Awards.

His legacy lives in his recordings, his students, his family, and the Oakland musical community he helped build and sustain.

We are honored to present Edwin “Ed” Kelly with the OPC Top Honors Award at our Gala on October 24, alongside this year’s distinguished honorees. Purchase your Gala ticket today and help us carry his legacy forward.

🎟️ Get your tickets: https://givebutter.com/opc20th

08/30/2026

Fall youth classes begin the week of September 8, and enrollment is open now.

At Oakland Public Conservatory of Music, young people ages 6 through 17 can build musicianship, confidence, creativity and cultural connection through ensemble playing, instrumental instruction and private lessons.

Programs welcome students at different experience levels. Scholarships and payment plans are available, and no student is turned away for lack of funds.

Explore the fall schedule and enroll through the link:
https://opcclasses.squarespace.com/youthprograms-overview

08/28/2026

Our Story: Where It Began

Before there was an OPC 2.0 or 3.0, there was 1616 Franklin Street.

For nine years, this 4,400 square foot space was where it all started. Youth and adults, beginners and working musicians, all shared the same walls. Classes. Workshops. Masterclasses. Concerts. Jam sessions.

It was never just a school. It was a gathering place for a community learning, through music, what it means to be fully human together.

In 2014, gentrification and development pushed us out of that space. But nine years was enough time to put down roots, the kind that hold no matter how many times you have to move. A curriculum and pedagogy grew around a simple belief: music is a way to connect with our own humanity and the humanity of others.

Did you ever step foot inside OPC at 1616 Franklin? Tell us what you remember.

Join us for our 20th Anniversary Gala on October 24.

Tickets: https://givebutter.com/opc20th