The senseless killing of 21 year old Victor McElhaney has shocked and saddened our musical community. Victor was a remarkable musician, student, and role model for many young people. He was recently shot and killed in an attempted robbery near University of Southern California where he was enrolled in the jazz studies program.

A native of Oakland, CA, Victor’s musical ability was nurtured by his parents, Clarence McElhaney and Lynette Gibson McElhaney, at an early age. He grew up in the East Bay’s vibrant musical community studying drumming with instructors Tacuma King and E.W. Wainwright as well as participating in programs at The Oakland Public Conservatory and The East Bay Center for Performing Arts.

When I was the Artistic Director of the Richmond Jazz Collective at The East Bay Center for Performing Arts I had the pleasure of teaching Victor as a part of our performance group. Last summer I was proud to work with him on a professional gig. During our ride home from the performance, Victor, Band Leader Geechi Taylor, and I talked about the recent release of Oakland-themed movies. Victor was very excited about the international recognition Oakland was receiving in film and stated that he was confident that soon Oakland would be recognized for its innovative, vibrant, and beautiful music scene. Let’s all continue to work together as a community to prove Victor McElhaney right.

Sincerely,

Ravi Abcarian
Executive Director

Dear Friend of Oaktown Jazz Workshops,

It is thanks to you that we enter 2019 with the momentum of a successful year and over two decades of providing year-round music education and presentations for young people.

This year Oaktown Jazz Workshops’ young musicians attended 140 ensemble workshops and performed at dozens of community events across the San Francisco Bay Area. Our instructors conducted over 50 music clinics at public schools and we continue to produce family-friendly concerts at our venue in Jack London Square, Oakland.

At the core of our organization are afterschool classes and workshops where young musicians learn to perform together as a group directly from professional musicians dedicated to helping youth develop their talents.

Many of Oaktown Jazz Workshops alumni are now widely recognized as some of the new exciting voices in jazz. Our Founding Director, Khalil Shaheed, was very proud of their musical accomplishments and also proud of how OJW was able to teach youth important life skills far beyond performing music.

Six years ago we launched the Khalil Shaheed Scholarship Fund to cover the cost of our workshops for young musicians whose families could not otherwise afford tuition. This fund has been absolutely critical in supporting local young people seeking opportunities for creative expression and artistic development.

Your support, in whatever amount you can manage, will encourage our children’s creativity, elevate music education and appreciation, and enrich our community.

Sincerely,

Ravi Abcarian
Executive Director

Buy tickets at:
https://oaktownjazz2018.brownpapertickets.com