Oakland Public Conservatory of Music (OPC) Announces Inaugural Black Banjo & Fiddle Fellows
Landmark fellowship fills a missing link in
the recognition of African American influence in American music
Inaugural 2023 Black Banjo and Fiddle Fellows (L-R): Ann Wright, Patrice Strahan, Darcy Ford-James, Joe Zavaan Johnson
April 27, 2023, Oakland, CA–Oakland Public Conservatory of Music (OPC) proudly announces the four fellows selected for the inaugural Black Banjo & Fiddle Fellowship (BBFF). Done in collaboration with the Berkeley Old Time Music Convention, this 2-year fellowship and teacher training program repatriates old time music in African American communities, illuminates the Black experience in creating old-time music, and repairs the historical and cultural ruptures that erased the Black origins of banjo and fiddle music.
“The Black Banjo and Fiddle Fellowship is a missing link in the propagation of the influence of the African American role in the development of American music.,” says renowned old time musician Dom Flemons. “The African American experience touches every genre of music created in America . . . and it is important that the knowledge of this fact be cultivated in the African American musical community. ”
The Fellows selected for this landmark fellowship are musicians from a variety of musical experiences and backgrounds. They share a desire to reclaim the Black roots of old time music and to teach it in Black communities.
Darcy Ford-James (she/her) is a violinist and educator with more than two decades as a public school strings teacher. Darcy is co-founder of Stockton Soul, a nonprofit Soul Orchestra dedicated to educating, empowering, and inspiring audiences through the performance of Black Music.
Joe Zavaan Johnson (he/him) is a multi-instrumentalist, arts educator, and Black music researcher currently pursuing a Ph.D.in Ethnomusicology at Indiana University-Bloomington. His research puts the Black banjo reclamation movement into conversation with critical constructions of race, place, belonging, gender, and sexuality.
Patrice Strahan (she/her) is a life-long musician who cultivated her love for music singing in church choirs and playing in bands. Her music practice is driven by her passion for communal music, at the intersection of land stewardship/kinship and engaged spiritual social justice. Patrice is dedicated to ensuring that Black Old Time Music is learned and passed on to future generations.
Ann Wright (she/her) is a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist devoted to building community through the music of the banjo and broadening the experiences of Black music for Black people.
The faculty is comprised of three highly esteemed musicians and culture bearers:
Earl White, renowned fiddler, who has been performing and preserving Appalachian music and dance for over 50 years. Jake Blount, award-winning musician and banjo player who has performed at the Kennedy Center, Newport Folk Festival, and NPR’s Tiny Desk. Leading historian of the banjo origins and American banjo playing Tony Thomas will facilitate the program’s History seminar.
Guest artists include Grammy nominated Carolina Chocolate Drops co-founders Rhiannon Giddens and Dom Flemons. Giddens is a MacArthur Genius recipient who has “dedicated her career to speaking up for Black people via the sound and structures of our oldest musical traditions”. Flemons is a Grammy Award winner and two time Emmy nominee recognized for his expansive music repertoire that covers over a century of American roots music.
In Fall 2023, fellows will receive professional development in curriculum design and teaching to prepare them for teaching at OPC. In Spring 2025, fellows will launch OPC’s first Old Time Music program, specializing in the Black banjo and fiddle traditions. By teaching Old time music, the Black Banjo & Fiddle Fellowship ensures that this musical history is passed on from generation to generation in the Black community.
The musical interchange between African American, European American, and Native people created what we now call “Old Time Music.” African American styles of fiddling, banjo, guitar, singing, and string band music have been a significant component since its earliest days.
Over the past four decades, an ongoing movement to honor Black old-time music has arisen to revive Black banjo, fiddle, and other old-time music playing. It has produced events like the 2005 Black Banjo Gathering, the work of banjoist/historians like Tony Thomas and Sule Greg Wilson, and musicians like Rhiannon Giddens, Amythyst Kiah, the Ebony Hillbillies, Leyla McCalla, Hubby Jenkins, Dom Flemmons, and OPC’s own Dr. Angela M. Wellman.
The Black Banjo & Fiddle Fellowship and the OPC seek to continue the work of this movement by training teachers of Black history, culture, and musical performance to bring this music and knowledge to the African American community.
Oakland Public Conservatory of Music: A Home for the Preservation of African American Music
Founded by musician/educator Angela M. Wellman and opened in 2005, the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music centers African American culture in the development of American musical culture and identity. OPC programs celebrate, preserve, and extend the musical heritage of the people of Oakland, and the broader Bay Area by providing affordable, culturally sustaining experiences for people of all ages.
For nearly two decades, OPC has offered culturally sustaining musical experiences for people of all ages, and community events by local and international artists, including members of the world-renowned Count Basie Orchestra and Rhiannon Giddens, MacArthur “Genius Grant” Recipient and co-founder of the Grammy Award winning Carolina Chocolate Drops amongst others.
Upcoming Events
Zoom Meet & Greet with BBFF Fellows and Teaching Artists
June 2023
Free virtual event
Details to be announced
BBFF Fellows performance
Saturday, September 23, 12:30 pm (time is tentative)
BOTMC String Band Contest
Civic Center Park, MLK between Allston and Center Streets, Berkeley
Free admission
BBFF Fellows Showcase
October 22, 3:00 PM
Oakland Public Conservatory of Music
3445 San Pablo Ave, Oakland, CA 94608
Free admission, details to be announced
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Oakland Public Conservatory of Music is a project of Music Is eXtraordinary, Inc, (MIX), a California 501c3 which provides music education for people in urban areas. Music Is eXtraordinary(MIX) was founded in 2001 by Musician/Educator, Angela M. Wellman. Ms. Wellman consulted with schools to develop music programs that reflected each school's culture. In 2004 MIX became a 501c3 non-profit and opened its first music center, the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music (OPC) in 2005. OPC is part of a broader agenda to build a national network of Public Conservatories with a unified teaching philosophy and teaching practices that engender equity, belonging, and empathy through the music. For more information visit: opcmusic.org
The Berkeley Old Time Music Convention is a five day music festival featuring performances by local and national acts, rollicking square dances, instructional workshops, and the illustrious stringband contest at venues throughout Berkeley. Berkeley’s first fiddle and banjo contest was held in Provo Park (now Civic Center Park) in 1968; it was called the 35th Annual. The following year the 17th Annual was held and 22nd Annual the year after that. These contests were put on by a loose-knit group of volunteers, musicians organizing a good time for themselves, other musicians and the public. The Berkeley Old Time Music Convention takes place Sept. 20-24, 2023, celebrating its 20th consecutive year. For more information, visit: berkeleyoldtimemusic.org