Oakland Symphony Presents Requiem For Ghost Ship

Oakland Symphony Presents Requiem For Ghost Ship

PHOTO BY VALENTINA SADIUL

Composer Richard Marriott wrote the Ghost Ship Concerto.


In honor of those lost in the fire two years ago, the Oakland Symphony presents Requiem For Ghost Ship.

Back in December 2016, a tragic fire broke out in an artist collective warehouse known as Ghost Ship. A total of 36 people died in the fire, making Ghost Ship the deadliest fire in Oakland’s history. The entire Oakland community felt the loss, but no one was hit harder than The Town’s local creatives.

In honor of those lost, the Oakland Symphony presents Requiem For Ghost Ship. Anchored by the world premiere of Richard Marriott’s Ghost Ship Concerto, a moving cello piece commissioned in the victims’ memory and performed by guest cellist Matthew Linaman, the evening will also include a performance of Brahms’ Requiem by the Oakland Symphony Chorus featuring soprano Patricia Westley and baritone Robert Sims.

Additionally, the symphony will play Leonard Bernstein’s “Take Care of this House” from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, a musical that covers a hundred years of American history from the standpoint of the White House and its residents. The performances will contemplate death as a natural part of life, with all of the beauty and grief that are part of the process.

Oakland Symphony’s Requiem For Ghost Ship, Fri., Nov. 16, 8 p.m., $25-$90, Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, Oakland, OaklandSymphony.org.