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Heather Fong

Managing Director of the Oakland Jazz Choir (a non-profit)

About Me

I joined the choir as an alto in 1995 and never looked back. I became the Managing Director in 2008. I grew up a classically trained pianist and choral singer but loved jazz and improvisation which I discovered in college. Vocal jazz provided me a way to more freedom of expression but the Oakland Jazz Choir impacted me even more deeply with their unique choral jazz. With them I found a way to connect with both structure and yet uninhibited expression. We are one of the only community jazz choirs in the nation. I continue to seek opportunities to bring our diverse, multi-generational, music to underserved communities in the Bay Area and beyond as well as more traditional performance venues and jazz festivals. I am blessed to have had this remarkable experience. As a clinical microbiologist by trade, this musical journey has been an empowering and transcendent chapter in my life.