Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir
Resilence. Strength. Freedom.
Celebrate Juneteenth with the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir and experience the music that brings resiliency, joy, and strength to the African American community. Under the direction of Terrance Kelly, this diverse, inclusive group takes us through a gospel music journey – introducing different styles of Black gospel music, and connecting it to the Freedom Songs of the Civil Rights movement and to music today. Get ready to stand up, clap, and even sing along!
Founded in 1986, by Terrance Kelly, the mission of the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, Inc. is to inspire joy and unity among all people through Black gospel and spiritual music traditions. OIGC weaves together more than 300 singers across multiple choirs from a wide range of faiths, races, and cultures.
Under Artistic Director Kelly, the namesake Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir performs 25-30 times a year and is inclusive of an ensemble of nine to 15 singers representing OIGC at additional events. Performance highlights include jazz festival tours, the CA Governor’s Tree Lighting, inauguration ceremonies, and annual performances with the Oakland and San Francisco Symphonies.
Additional choirs include the Oakland Interfaith Youth Choir founded in 1997, the non-audition Oakland Interfaith Community Choir in 2013, the Oakland Interfaith Kids Choir in 2022, and the Oakland Interfaith World Choir, a virtual choir project keeping singers connected through the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021. The summer of 2022 saw the acquisition of the Oakland Youth Chorus, bolstering OIGC’s youth program and outreach with three ensembles from second grade through high school.