Biography
Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, Terrance Kelly, Director
Founded in 1986, the OAKLAND INTERFAITH GOSPEL CHOIR (OIGC), a nonprofit 501(c)(3) arts organization, was born out of a gospel music workshop led by Terrance Kelly at Living Jazz’s Jazz Camp West. It became an independent nonprofit organization in 1991. Since then, the award- winning choir has performed with a wide variety of esteemed groups, such as Joshua Nelson, the Prince of Kosher Gospel; the Five Blind Boys of Alabama; and the Duke Ellington Orchestra. The choir also appears on Grammy-winning albums by Linda Ronstadt, MC Hammer, Tramaine Hawkins, and others. In addition, OIGC supports an accomplished youth choir. Started in 1997, it was voted the Best Youth Gospel Choir in the 2007 Northern California Gospel Academy Awards. Comprised of more than two dozen members from diverse ethnic, religious, and cultural backgrounds, the choir provides musical, educational, and social opportunities for Bay Area youth, as well as the chance for mentoring and scholarships. The latest arm of the OIGC family is the Community Choir (OICC), a non-auditioned choir established in 2013 and now numbering almost 200 members.
Artistic Director of the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir TERRANCE KELLY has garnered extensive musical credentials in both gospel and jazz music. His credits include choral arrangements on albums by Linda Ronstadt and the Kronos Quartet, among others. Mr. Kelly received an Emmy Award for his choral arrangement of OIGC’s KGO-TV public service announcement. In 2005, he received the Local Heroes Award from KQED Television for his directorship of the Oakland Interfaith Youth Choir and was also honored at the Gospel Music Awards. In 2013, he was awarded the Dr. Edwin Hawkins Excellence Award. Mr. Kelly currently serves as Minister of Magnification at Oakland’s Imani Community Church.
Artistic Director of the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir TERRANCE KELLY has garnered extensive musical credentials in both gospel and jazz music. His credits include choral arrangements on albums by Linda Ronstadt and the Kronos Quartet, among others. Mr. Kelly received an Emmy Award for his choral arrangement of OIGC’s KGO-TV public service announcement. In 2005, he received the Local Heroes Award from KQED Television for his directorship of the Oakland Interfaith Youth Choir and was also honored at the Gospel Music Awards. In 2013, he was awarded the Dr. Edwin Hawkins Excellence Award. Mr. Kelly currently serves as Minister of Magnification at Oakland’s Imani Community Church.
