Faculty Spotlight
August Faculty Spotlights: Emily Tian, Jean Francois Revon, Jordan Karnes, and Kumar Butler
emily tian, instrumental music chair
emily tian, instrumental music chair![]()
emily tian, instrumental music chair
We have so much gratitude for our Instrumental Music Department chair, Emily Tian.
Emily was raised in a musical family, and beginning at the age of six, she received awards for piano, vocals, and dancing. At age 12, The Affiliated High School of Gui Zhou Music & Arts in China made an early admission for Emily’s professional piano study. Later on, she went on to Gui Zhou University, where she received her bachelor’s degree in 2005. She received the “Best Musician Award” every year at both high school and university. Recognizing her talent, the Gui Zhou Province Symphony invited her to be a lifetime piano soloist. Emily did advanced study at Stuttgart Music Conservatory under the direction of Ms. Huang Wan Ying. The following year she entered the music performance program at California State East Bay University, where she completed her master’s degree and became employed as a vocal/instrumental coach.
Emily became a regular performer for contemporary music organizations such as Composers' Inc, Contemporary Music Festival, etc. She regularly collaborates with emerging and established composers and musicians such as Jack Van Geem, Leslie La Barre, Nick Vasalo, Robert Greenberg, Quinn Mason, and Anne Rainwater etc. She was also the pianist and music director for Savage Jazz Dance Company's “Sketches of Oakland” dance and contemporary music concert. And together with Anne Rainwater, they are the “Arc Duet” who put on diverse program piano concerts every year.
We value and appreciate all you do for our school, Emily!
Jean Francois Revon, Production design chair
Jean Francois Revon, Production design chair![]()
Jean Francois Revon, Production design chair
It is our joy to honor our wonderful Production Design Pathway chair, Jean Francois Revon. Mr. Revon has created a world-class PD department at our school and opened the doors for so many students to have high-quality, hands-on professional training in the industry.
Mr. Revon started teaching in 1997 and became the chair of Production Design in 2008. He is a CTE (Career Technical Education) certified teacher and in high demand as a technical director throughout the Bay Area.
Mr. Revon is a native of Paris, where he received a degree in scenic design from the École Supérieur des Arts et Techniques. He started his career at West Bay Opera as their resident Technical Director for 22 years and designed sets for 38 of their productions. Mr. Revon has also been the resident Set Designer and Technical Director for Livermore Valley Opera since 2012. In 1997 he founded “Stage Time”, a design and building scene shop company
Mr. Revon started teaching in 1997 and became the chair of Production Design in 2008. He is a CTE (Career Technical Education) certified teacher and in high demand as a technical director throughout the Bay Area.
Mr. Revon is a native of Paris, where he received a degree in scenic design from the École Supérieur des Arts et Techniques. He started his career at West Bay Opera as their resident Technical Director for 22 years and designed sets for 38 of their productions. Mr. Revon has also been the resident Set Designer and Technical Director for Livermore Valley Opera since 2012. In 1997 he founded “Stage Time”, a design and building scene shop company
employing over 30 workers and creating full musical sets every month. Mr. Revon’s set design world premieres include: The Tale of the Nutcracker for Opera San José in 1999, Machine (Fire Opera) for The Crucible in 2012, Tawawa for Townsend Opera in 2001, School of Rock for the Curran Theatre - designed by Mr. Revon and students of OSA in 2015.
Throughout his career, Mr. Revon has created scenic designs for over 350 productions since 1989! We are so honored to have him on our faculty at OSA and are so grateful for his expertise!
jordan karnes, literary arts chair
jordan karnes, literary arts chair![]()
jordan karnes, literary arts chair
It’s our joy to spotlight our Literary Arts Chair, Jordan Karnes!
Jordan Karnes is a writer, poet, and teacher who chairs the Literary Arts department at Oakland School for the Arts, where they've taught for 9 years. Jordan runs the Sr Books program for Lit Arts, as well as the OSA Telegraph for middle school, and the Poetry and Creative-Nonfiction workshops for high school. Prior to joining OSA, Jordan received their MFA in Creative Writing at CCA, going on to work for McSweeney's Publishing in San Francisco.
Jordan is the author of two collections, "It Hasn’t Stopped Being California Here" and "More Silver Than Gold". In addition, they used to write a column on sports and gender for New Life Quarterly called "World's Greatest," and has written for The Believer, and was a contributor for The Cut podcast.
Jordan Karnes is a writer, poet, and teacher who chairs the Literary Arts department at Oakland School for the Arts, where they've taught for 9 years. Jordan runs the Sr Books program for Lit Arts, as well as the OSA Telegraph for middle school, and the Poetry and Creative-Nonfiction workshops for high school. Prior to joining OSA, Jordan received their MFA in Creative Writing at CCA, going on to work for McSweeney's Publishing in San Francisco.
Jordan is the author of two collections, "It Hasn’t Stopped Being California Here" and "More Silver Than Gold". In addition, they used to write a column on sports and gender for New Life Quarterly called "World's Greatest," and has written for The Believer, and was a contributor for The Cut podcast.
Through Jordan’s leadership, vision, and passion for teaching, they have created a wonderful environment for our Literary Arts students and faculty to thrive. We are so grateful for you, Jordan!
kumar butler, audio production and engineering chair
kumar butler, audio production and engineering chair![]()
kumar butler, audio production and engineering chair
It’s our joy to highlight our Audio Production and Engineering Chair, Kumar Butler! Kumar is a senior-level sound engineer and music producer who brings 15+ years of progressive experience in multiple areas of sound and audio production to our school.
Most recently, Kumar led his students in a presentation at Audium Theater in SF, where they were able to create and showcase their original work in a custom-built facility designed specifically for the creation and performance of spatial sound art.
Kumar has been a member of the band The Seshen for the past 11 years, sampling original sounds that are reproduced live for their shows. He also has taken on freelance work editing/mixing live performances by Green Day, for drummer Thomas Pridgen, and for various podcasts throughout the Bay Area.
Most recently, Kumar led his students in a presentation at Audium Theater in SF, where they were able to create and showcase their original work in a custom-built facility designed specifically for the creation and performance of spatial sound art.
Kumar has been a member of the band The Seshen for the past 11 years, sampling original sounds that are reproduced live for their shows. He also has taken on freelance work editing/mixing live performances by Green Day, for drummer Thomas Pridgen, and for various podcasts throughout the Bay Area.
Kumar, we are so grateful for your presence at OSA!
