Shoutout to OSA Vocal Rush for their beautiful performance at the AME Institute CTE pop-up  conference in SF.

 

The students opened up the event with three songs performed and got to experience the world class Dolby cinema sound playback. The conference featured other CTE (CareerTechnical Education) members from schools around the Bay Area.

 

The event also featured vendors from ACT theatre, KQED, YeahArts, and Women's Audio Mission.

Thank you for representing our school, Vocal Rush!

 

 

 Big shoutout to Talia Winningham as their dedicated faculty leader.

 

 

 

Please join us in supporting Instrumental Music student, Ayo Brame, at his Yoshi's Oakland show on May 2nd.

Ayo is a 16 year old tenor saxophonist and is our first current OSA student to headline a show at Yoshis! We are so proud of his drive and dedication to his craft and celebrate his commitment to jazz. Ayo is also the recipient of the 2024 San Jose Jazz Aid fund and will be performing at the San Jose Jazz Breakroom in May.

Ayo is trained by jazz great Richard Howell by way of Oaktown Jazz Workshops. He considers himself a purist when it comes to jazz as he works to channel the late greats such as John Coltrane and Wayne Shorter. Embraced by the jazz community, Ayo has been very lucky in acquiring additional mentors that he has played with with such as Kev Choice, Howard Wiley, Terrace Martinn, Keyon Harrold, Stacy Dillard, Marcus Shelby and Eric Wyatt.

 

This year Ayo is touring throughout the United States, Brazil and Cuba. In addition to the tenor saxophone, he also plays the soprano & alto saxophones, clarinet, EWI, bass guitar and drums. Ayo composes and arranges music and is currently recording his debut album entitle "Oakland in My Soul!" He plans to study music in New York after high school graduation.

Congrats to 12th grade Instrumental Music student Teo Quale and the bluegrass band, Crying Uncle!

Teo and his brother Miles (who graduated from OSA in 2022) founded the band together in 2016 and it initially started as a duo. In 2017 they expand into a four person group and are joined by two other outstanding musicians, Andrew Osborn and Ian Ly.

Crying Uncle is set to have their debut show at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee on February 9th. That show will be followed by a Japan and Korea tour in March 2024.

 

The band has played at venues such as IBMA’s World of Bluegrass Festival, CBA’s Father's Day Bluegrass Festival, Strawberry Music Festival, SF’s Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, Delfest, and Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival.

Internationally, the band toured in Japan in 2023 and in 2022, they headlined at Bluegrass in La Roche, France. In 2019, they toured throughout Finland, culminating at Kaustinen Folk Music Festival. In 2018, the band was featured on a TEDTalk by Nashville-based singer/songwriter Phoebe Hunt. Miles was also a proud recipient of the Whippoorwill Arts Fellowship in 2022.

We are so proud of you Teo and Miles!

Congrats to 10th grade Visual Art students Kiara Hunter, Cora Vera Keith, and Carmen Lieu! These three students were chosen as the 10th grade winners for the 2024 Limited Edition Oakland Library Card Design contest.

These cards were specially created to celebrate African Americans and their significant contributions to the arts in Oakland. There were over 100 designs submitted and 39 chosen as finalists. The winning designs capture the essence of Black artistry, culture, and history, reflecting the vibrant spirit of Oakland.

The limited-edition library cards featuring these winning designs will officially launch during Black History Month in 2024 and will be available at all Oakland Public Library branches. A reception and exhibit to honor the nine winners is also being planned for Black History Month.