Oakland East Bay Symphony Presents Annual Non-Traditional Holiday Performance Today

Celebrating holiday musical traditions in the most festive and non-traditional way has been a year-end hallmark of the 25-year-old Oakland East Bay Symphony and Music Director Michael Morgan since 1992, and this year's edition of Let Us Break Bread Together promises seasonal sizzle today, December 15, at 4 pm at the Paramount Theatre.

Joining Morgan and the Oakland East Bay Symphony will beOakland Symphony Chorus, Mt. Eden High School Choir, Kugelplex, Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, Linda Tillery's Cultural Heritage Choir and Crystal Children's Choir in a program that celebrates and festively fuses multiple holiday traditions including the world premiere of new Gospel settings of Christmas favorites and, of course, plenty of opportunities for audience sing-alongs. Let Us Break Bread Together is often a sold-out performance that, for many concert-goers, marks a high point of the season. For more information, visit www.oebs.org.

Tickets are priced $20-$75. To order tickets and for complete information about Oakland East Bay Symphony, visit www.oebs.org.

Oakland East Bay Symphony at 25

A unique and dynamic blend of high-caliber performances and innovative programing, a following as diverse as its home base, promotion and partnership with young musicians and composers and a roster of guest artists ranging from top classical soloists to Carlos Santana and Joan Baez set Oakland East Bay Symphony apart as it celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2013-2014. The Symphony is a nationally recognized orchestra that serves the diverse population of the East Bay and greater San Francisco Bay Area. Together with the Oakland Youth Orchestra and Oakland Symphony Chorus it operates as a unified organizational entity providing performances and music education to youth and adults.

Oakland East Bay Symphony has gained wide recognition for its compelling convergence of artistic excellence and community engagement as exemplified by Music Director Michael Morgan's expansive and inclusive programming philosophy that is regarded as a national model for re-defining symphony orchestras' artistic profiles and, especially, their relevance to the communities they serve. On any given Oakland East Bay Symphony season, masterworks of the standard repertory are presented in masterfully crafted programs that also include new and less well-known works by composers of non-Western traditions and exceptional works from the musical theater world, all delivered with humor and a casual sophistication that draws audiences from all age groups and backgrounds.

Under the artistic leadership of Maestro Morgan, Symphony activities reach over 50,000 people annually, with more than one-third of the operating budget dedicated to education and outreach programs. These programs include several acclaimed engagement programs under the umbrella of the MUSE (Music for Excellence) Program: In-School Mentor and Instrumental Instruction, Young People's Concerts, Ensembles in the Schools, Young Artist Competition, Free Ticket Distribution and regular school visits by Michael Morgan and other musicians. These programs serve over 20,000 young people each year.

Oakland East Bay Symphony was incorporated in July 1988 through the efforts of the Oakland Symphony Musicians Association and the Oakland Symphony League. Michael Morgan was appointed Music Director in 1990. Concerts were performed at the Calvin Simmons Theatre until moving to the Paramount Theatre in the 1994-95 season. The Symphony's growth has resulted in such landmarks as the addition of the American Masterworks Series including concert performances of Bernstein's Mass, Gershwin's Porgy and Bess, and Sondheim's Follies; the "Notes from" series of programs featuring music from non-Western traditions; the annual "Let Us Break Bread Together" that expands the definition of holiday concert; and numerous awards including ASCAP's Award for Adventurous Programming in 2006.

Oakland East Bay Symphony has fostered collaborations with local arts organizations from children's choruses to jazz ensembles to dance and opera companies and museums. The Symphony showcases new American works in performance and encourages young artists. In its efforts to support new music, the Symphony formed a multi-year partnership with The James Irvine Foundation in 1998 to initiate various commissioning projects including the newly established New Visions/New Vistas initiative. For five years, the Symphony has presented a free Independence Day concert and celebration at Richmond's Craneway Pavilion with more than 5,000 attendees annually.

CALENDAR EDITOR PLEASE LIST: CLASSICA MUSIC/HOLIDAY CONCERT/FAMILY EVENT:

25-YEAR-OLD OAKLAND EAST BAY SYMPHONY PRESENTS ANNUAL NON-TRADITIONAL HOLIDAY TRADITION:

LET US BREAK BREAD TOGETHER WITH OAKLAND SYMPHONY CHORUS, MT. EDEN HIGH SCHOOL CHOIR, KUGELPLEX, OAKLAND INTERFAITH GOSPEL CHOIR, LINDA TILLERY'S CULTURAL HERITAGE CHOIR, CRYSTAL CHILDREN'S CHOIR

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 15, AT PARAMOUNT THEATRE IN OAKLAND

WHAT: Oakland East Bay Symphony's Let Us Break Bread Together: A Holiday Celebration
WHEN: Sunday, December 15, at 4 pm
WHERE: Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland
WHO: Oakland East Bay Symphony, Oakland Symphony Chorus, Mt. Eden High School Choir, Kugelplex, Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, Linda Tillery's Cultural Heritage Choir and Crystal Children's Choir in a program that celebrates and festively fuses multiple holiday traditions including the world premiere of new Gospel settings of Christmas favorites and, of course, plenty of opportunities for audience sing-alongs.
TICKETS: 20-$75. To order tickets and for complete information about Oakland East Bay Symphony, visitwww.oebs.org.