For the first time since 2019 the Oakland Symphony will begin its new season with a Music Director on the podium. The inaugural concert of Kedrick Armstrong is this coming Friday (October 18) at The Paramount (2025 Broadway, Oakland).
Just 30 years of age, Kedrick first conducted the Oakland Symphony in 2022, returning in 2023 and again this past spring. Shortly after, he was announced as Music Director commencing with the 2024-25 season. He succeeds Michael Morgan who passed away in 2021 after 30 years at the helm. Kedrick’s work with the orchestra has already showcased his broad knowledge of the classical repertoire and enthusiasm for spotlighting diverse voices. He will conduct all six Oakland Symphony concerts this season, including the annual holiday program, “Let Us Break Bread Together,” which embraces and engages Oakland’s rich arts community.
Kedrick commented, “I am about to lead my first concert as the Music Director of an orchestra I have long held as my ideal–for its music making, for its singular commitment to its community, and for the unique audiences that gather here at The Paramount for compelling, shared musical experiences.”
For his inaugural program, Kedrick has curated a signature Oakland Symphony program, eclectic and inventive, beginning with music of Julia Perry (1924-1979), her A Short Piece for Orchestra. Three works by modern jazz composers follow in celebration of the 40th anniversary of Oakland’s Living Jazz. The concert concludes, appropriately, with Nielsen’s “Inextinguishable” Symphony.
THIS FRIDAY (October 18) at 8:00pm, the Oakland Symphony and Music Director Kedrick Armstrong in his inaugural concert: “Inextinguishable Oakland.” The performance is at The Paramount (2025 Broadway, Oakland). Tickets start at just $25. Slipped Disc readers can enjoy a 15% discount on all other priced tickets with this promotional code: DISC1018.
INEXTINGUISHABLE OAKLAND
OAKLAND SYMPHONY
Kedrick Armstrong, conductor
JULIA PERRY: A Short Piece for Orchestra
Celebrate the 40 Year Anniversary of Living Jazz with jazz-rooted compositions by Meklit, Allison Miller, and John Santos
CARL NIELSEN: Symphony No. 4, “The Inextinguishable”
https://www.oaklandsymphony.org/event/kedrick-armstrong-inaugural/
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