Carroll Hosts Kelly Takunda Orphan In Conversation 4/6

Acclaimed columnist Jon Carroll will host an evening in conversation with world music artist Kelly Takunda Orphan to discuss and perform selections from her debut album "Give It to The People," Monday, April 6, 2009 at First Congregational Church of Oakland, 2501 Harrison St., Oakland at 7pm. Tickets ($20) can be purchased online at www.ParkDaySchool.org or by calling 510-653-0317 x103. All proceeds benefit the academic and financial assistance programs at Park Day School in Oakland.

Kelly Takunda Orphan was raised in a family of mixed heritage musicians in the San Francisco Bay Area. She sang in her church choir, studied piano, voice and percussion, and toured with Grammy Award winning West African drummer Babatunde Olatunjo, before moving to Africa and discovering her deep-rooted passion for music and dance in Zimbabwe. There is a sophisticated jazz element to Kelly's vocal phrasing and a hint of horn running throughout many of the tracks. From 1998-2001, she toured with Keith Terry and Crosspulse Percussion Ensemble, prior to forming her own band, The KTO Project. Her music, sampling sounds from all around the world, including from her own Armenian heritage, is equally at home in a jazz concert or on the dance floor.

Orphan boasts a rich and diverse resume of participation in music programs throughout the Bay Area. She has served as a Minister of Music at First Congregational Church of Oakland since 2002. Along with leading The KTO Project, she is the founding member and musical director of the group Mutama, a women's vocal and percussion ensemble. Orphan is currently teaching music at Park Day School in Oakland, performing with women-led group Nosotras who specialize in music and dance from Latin America, and visiting over 100 elementary schools in the San Francisco area. In addition to her conversation with Carroll, audiences can expect to hear some samples of her unique musical style when Ms. Orphan performs live.

Jon Carroll attracts an avid and passionate following for the column he has written for the San Francisco Chronicle since 1982, in which he skewers politicos, espouses moderate to liberal causes, and hilariously chronicles the lives of house cats and occasionally the World's Most Perfect Grandchild. Prior to this career, Carroll was an award-winning editor at publications including Rolling Stone, The Village Voice, and New West Magazine. Carroll is the current winner of the Ernie Pyle Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Society of Newspaper Columnists.

Monday, April 6, 2009 at 7pm
First Congrational Church of Oakland
2501 Harrison Street, Oakland.

Tickets ($20) can be purchased in advance online at www.ParkDaySchool.org or by calling 510-653-0317 x103. All proceeds benefit the academic and financial assistance programs at Park Day School in Oakland.