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Sights + Sounds

Oakland Public Conservatory of Music celebrates 20 years and founding Director Angela Wellman's retirement

By Jeneé Darden
Published October 15, 2026 at 9:59 AM PDT
Angela Wellman, the founding director of the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music
Vaschelle Andre
Angela Wellman, the founding director of the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music

Music educator and scholar Angela Wellman, Ph.D. wanted to make music education accessible to adults and youth, especially Black and brown youth. So she founded the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music back in 2005. For just over 20 years, this musician, originally from Kansas City, has been impacting the creative spirits of Bay Area artists. Now, Angela Wellman is retiring, buut she’s going out on a big celebration. The Oakland Public Conservatory of Music is hosting a gala on Saturday, October 24, at the Downtown Oakland Science Academy. Angela talks about what led her to launching the conservatory and what's next for her.

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Sights + Sounds Arts & Entertainment
Jeneé Darden
Jeneé Darden is an award-winning journalist, author, public speaker and proud Oakland native. She is the executive producer and host of the weekly arts segment Sights & Sounds as well as the series Sights + Sounds Magazine. Jeneé also covers East Oakland for KALW. Jeneé has reported for NPR, Marketplace, KQED, KPCC, The Los Angeles Times, Ebony magazine, Refinery29 and other outlets. In 2005, she reported on the London transit bombings for Time magazine. Prior to coming to KALW, she hosted the podcast Mental Health and Wellness Radio.
See stories by Jeneé Darden