Arts Leadership Award Program

Representing Alameda County Supervisorial District Three —

Angela M. Wellman is an award-winning Musician, Scholar, Arts Educator, Photographer and Activist. She is also the Founder of the Oakland Public Conservatory of Music in Oakland which centers Blackness in the development of American musical culture and identity by providing quality, affordable music education for underserved and under-resourced populations. Her work is centered on designing music teaching and learning practices that nurture the development of wholeheartedness through courageously embracing vulnerability. As a professional trombonist, Angela has performed with the McCoy Tyner Big Band, Joe Williams, Al Grey, Slide Hampton, and other noted musicians. She is a recipient of multiple local and national awards. In 2021, Angela was a remote Artist-In-Residence at Black [Space] Residency in collaboration with Villa SF, during which she conducted research on African American musicians in Paris, particularly looking at the influences of Jazz and Hip Hop in France. Angela is completing her dissertation about the impact of racism and white supremacy on access to music education for Black students.