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UCOP gathers for 2016 End-of-Year Celebration

A festive crowd gathered at Faz in downtown Oakland on Friday, Dec. 16 for the annual UCOP End-of-Year Celebration. The UCOP Singers welcomed arriving partygoers with traditional holiday songs, and a tantalizing spread of appetizers and beverages was provided by generous donations from UCOP management staff.

Once the group had gathered, President Napolitano offered her heartfelt thanks for the hard work that UCOP staff has done this year. “Whatever work you do, you do it for the greater whole, in service of the best public university in the world. Please know that you are changing the lives of thousands of students and their families every year.” Chief Risk Officer Cheryl Lloyd then took the microphone to ask for a moment of silence in honor of victims of the recent Oakland fire, which included students and alumni from three UC campuses. She also paid tribute to the many staff members who had just received service awards.

Making their performance debut, the UCOP String Quintet showed that old favorites like “Frosty the Snowman” and “Let It Snow” sound utterly elegant when played on violin and cello. And their rendition of “Winter Wonderland” was so catchy that Lloyd, President Napolitano and CFO Nathan Bostrom couldn’t help but sing along.

Capping the event was a special performance by a choir of eighth graders from the nearby Oakland School for the Arts (OSA), which blends immersive arts with academics to promote innovative learning. Their creatively arranged group harmonies and solos on songs such as “Cold War,” “Take Me Home,” and “Ain’t No Sunshine” drew thunderous applause while “Man in the Mirror” got the whole group clapping and hooting. As examples of the California students that UC is dedicated to serving, the singers from OSA provided a perfect finale to a celebration of the year’s accomplishments.

List of performers at the celebration:

UCOP Singers

Julia Arno

Christopher Hanson

Sonya Hill

Regina Ranoa

Sue Taylor

Kim Williams

Sandra Wulff

Director: Daniel Scuiry

Coordinator: Charlotte Strem

Keyboard accompanist: Gail Lew

Cornet: George Lemp

UCOP String Quintet

Nicola Gruen

Pauline Metzgar

Gregory Sykes

Margaret Wu

Annie Yeh

Oakland School for the Arts Singers

Anneke Angstadt

Bentley Blalark

Hyacinth Callado

Grace Connalon

Susanna De Angelis Nelson

Kaila De Souza

Nina Erikson

Audrey Gilbert

Jax Martinez-Franks

Tai-Ge Min

Persephone Smith-Donohoe

Richard Watson


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  1. Dan Scannell December 19, 2016 Reply

    Many thanks to the senior managers who contributed funds to pay for all the food and beverages, and to the amazing performers. A great event!

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