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The Oakland Girls Choir
The Oakland Girls Choir is a public choir that operates out of the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, PA. Founded in 2005 by Kathryn Barnard, the choir has expanded from a single chamber choir of 15 choristers to 4 separate choirs, spanning different age groups and skill levels. These choirs are known respectively as OGC Melodia, which is for girls in 1st to 4th grade, OGC Harmonia, which is for girls in 4th through 7th grade, the Tour Choir, which is also known as just "The Oakland Girls Choir" and is for girls in 6th grade through 12th grade, and finally, the Chamber Choir, which is made up of especially dedicated choristers in the Tour Choir.

History
Kathryn Barnard, a graduate of Concordia in New York, with a masters degree in music from the University of Texas, had helped lead several church choirs and children's choirs before moving to Pittsburgh, Pa with her husband and three daughters. While teaching at the Peabody Preparatory School in Baltimore from 1986 to 1990, she had students who ranged from 2 years of age to retirees. While she taught, she began to notice children developing as singers.

Mrs. Barnard founded the Oakland Girls choir because she wanted to "create a community for girls where they could feel they belonged" She chose not to make a similar choir for boys because of their changing voices, which occurs during the age period of the girls she would be intructing; junior high though high school. The Tour Choir, in addition to performing at several different local venues throughout the year, also takes a yearly tour. The choir has traveled to England, Wales, Germany and Austria, as well as several venues along the East Coast of the United States.

Mission
The Choir, in all its entities, is committed to several key philosophies. The first is the pursuance of excellence. Artistry and choral excellence pursued at all choral levels, and all members of the Tour Choir and Chamber choir must show mastery over a pre-determined set of skills and concepts in order to participate.

The next is socio-economic and racial integration. Members of the choirs come from all walks of life, from different neighborhoods, schools, and beliefs. OGC is dedicated to raising scholarship funds so that membership is available to all qualified girls regardless of ability to pay.

The final philosophy is the creation and nurturing of an environment of mutual respect and encouragement. Physical, social, and emotional violence are not tolerated on any level. In addition, the girls are encouraged against creating cliques and are taught to treat every member as equally important..