He put together a jazz group to play for dances at 13, and at the age of 15 he joined the Oakland Symphony.

Oakland Symphony Chamber Chorus on "Snow in San Anselmo"

During this period he performed with the Oakland Symphony.

The PARAMOUNT THEATER (510-465-6400) features everything from performances by the Oakland Symphony to screenings of classic movies.

In 1980, the nearby San Francisco Symphony had opened Davies Symphony Hall; although the Oakland Symphony failed to differentiate its programming and image, this was a relatively minor factor in its collapse.

The main attraction and cultural resource remains the refurbished Paramount movie palace, a nationally recognized landmark of Art Deco design built in 1931, currently the home of the Oakland Symphony - at 2025 Broadway, guided tours available.

She has been a guest conductor with a number of orchestras, including, the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra, The Long Beach Symphony, the Oakland Symphony, and the Bay Area Women's Philharmonic.

Gerhard Samuel, then conductor of the Oakland Symphony, was in charge until 1968.

LEAD: An article on Jan. 7 about Oakland, Calif., referred incorrectly to the Oakland Symphony and the Paramount Theater's relation to it.

In any given month there'll be rock concerts (Morrissey, Nelly Furtado), the Oakland Symphony or stand-up comedy.