OAKLAND<\/p>\n
Following its 2025 world premiere, the Piedmont East Bay Children\u2019s Choir (PEBCC) will bring back \u201cEchoes of Eureka,\u201d a landmark choral opera by internationally acclaimed Artistic Director Eric Tuan, for a limited series of 2026 performances \u2014 highlighted by a major April 18 media and community event in Oakland.<\/p>\n
Originally debuting at PEBCC\u2019s annual \u201cMaking History\u201d concert, \u201cEchoes of Eureka\u201d is said to have left audiences profoundly moved, earning a sustained standing ovation and widespread critical praise for its emotional depth, artistic ambition and historical resonance.<\/p>\n
Tuan \u2014 recognized for his synthesis of music, narrative and social inquiry \u2014 has crafted a seven-movement work that redefines the possibilities of contemporary choral storytelling. The opera traces the story of \u201cCharley\u201d Wei Lum, a young Chinese immigrant in 1880s California, whose community in Eureka was violently expelled amid rising anti-Chinese sentiment. Through a striking fusion of music, poetry and movement, the work illuminates the injustice endured and the extraordinary resilience that followed \u2014 including early legal battles that helped shape U.S. civil rights history.<\/p>\n
Grounded in rigorous historical research and developed in collaboration with scholars, poets and community organizations, \u201cEchoes of Eureka\u201d stands as a bold, genre-defying achievement \u2014 one that bridges past and present. The work invites audiences into a deeply reflective space, exploring themes of belonging, solidarity and the ongoing struggle for inclusion.<\/p>\n
The PEBCC will perform \u201cEchoes of Eureka\u201d at 4 p.m. April 18 in the Oakland Asian Cultural Center at 388 Ninth St., Suite 290 in Oakland and at 4 p.m. Sunday in Los Altos in Christ Episcopal Church at 1040 Border Road. Admission to both concerts is free.<\/p>\n
The April 18 Oakland performance will serve as the concert\u2019s primary photo opportunity, featuring strong, compelling visual and storytelling elements with youth singers in motion with choreography, surrounding the audience for an immersive choral experience. The event is ideal for press coverage, video, and photography, and showcases community engagement with civic and cultural partners.<\/p>\n
PEBCC officials also look toward the future appearance of \u201cEchoes of Eureka\u201d at the upcoming Golden Gate International Choral Festival in July, placing the opera within a broader calendar of significant international arts programming. For more details online, visit piedmontchoirs.org\/spotlight-echoes-of-eureka<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u2014 PEBCC<\/p>\n National Coalition of 100 Black Women\u2019s annual luncheon Friday<\/p>\n The National Coalition of 100 Black Women Inc. \u2014 Oakland Bay Area Chapter (NCBW OBAC), is proud to announce the 28th Annual Madam C.J. Walker Business & Community Recognition Luncheon & Empowerment Forum scheduled this week for Friday.<\/p>\n The event will take place in the Oakland Marriott City Center at 1001 Broadway in Oakland. This year\u2019s theme, \u201cLegacy in Motion: Celebrating Resilience and Impact,\u201d reflects the chapter\u2019s commitment to advocacy, empowerment and positive change within the Bay Area communities they represent. For more information visit onehundredblackwomen.com<\/a> online.<\/p>\n \u2014 NCBW OBAC<\/p>\n PIEDMONT Get inspired by three Piedmont households who\u2019ve made major home upgrades that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and model what the transition away from fossil fuels can look like at the household level.<\/p>\n The 2026 Sustainable Living Award honorees show that there is no single path to more sustainable living. Their stories reflect different starting points, different motivations, and different routes to electrifying their homes. Hear their stories and celebrate them at next week\u2019s Design and Sustainability Awards Gala starting at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Piedmont Community Hall at 711 Highland Ave.<\/p>\n The Sustainable Living Awards, now in their third year, add a new dimension to the city Planning Commission\u2019s longstanding Design Awards program, which recognizes home renovation projects that reflect the highest level of design excellence among all the Commission has reviewed.<\/p>\n The addition of award categories showcasing green improvements is part of the City\u2019s ongoing commitment to helping community members incorporate more sustainable choices into their homes and daily lives. Visit piedmont.ca.gov\/news\/design_awards_gala_april_2026<\/a> online for more details.<\/p>\n \u2014 city of Piedmont<\/p>\n Lantern Projects donations aid those in need in developing world<\/p>\n Recent contributions to Piedmont-based nonprofit Lantern Projects have provided desks and benches to those in need in the developing world, along with school uniforms and supplies, aquaponic building repairs, food, a solar pump, dog-sterilization supplies, water. medical supplies and more.<\/p>\n All funds received go to the projects, and every donation really helps. Lantern Projects is currently requesting donations to fund beds and bedding in Nepal (project #539), house-building supplies in India (project #540), cybersecurity in Kenya (project #541) and more. For further details or to donate, visit lanternprojects.org\/projects<\/a> online.<\/p>\n \u2014 Lantern Projects<\/p>\n To submit an item for the Montclarion and Piedmonter\u2019s \u201cIn brief\u201d section, which is now usually published in print on each month\u2019s second Friday, please email it, at least three days before print publication, to njackson@bayareanewsgroup.com<\/a>. Each item should be 90 to 180 words and include a short headline along with the name of the group or individual to credit for it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"OAKLAND Following its 2025 world premiere, the Piedmont East Bay Children\u2019s Choir (PEBCC) will bring back \u201cEchoes of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":258065,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[3764,143,145,144],"class_list":{"0":"post-258064","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-oakland","8":"tag-community-briefs","9":"tag-oakland","10":"tag-oakland-headlines","11":"tag-oakland-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=258064"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/258064\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/258065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=258064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=258064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=258064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nSustainable Living Award recipients to be honored next week<\/p>\n