Heather Fong, Neighbor

I am the Managing Director of the Oakland Jazz Choir, a non-profit.

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.