"The stage manager informs me we are maxed out on the stage, with 150 people in the choirs and orchestra. The stage is completely full," he said. The concert, billed as a multichorus extravaganza, brings together the symphony, the Oakland Symphony Chorus, the Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir and the Mt. Eden High School Chamber Singers. Tuck and Patti, the jazz singer-guitarist duo, are special guests.

"To my mind it's ideal if from the time you walked off the street, to the people in the audience, to the peopleon stage, they (the groups) should all look the same," Morgan said. "That's my ongoing philosophy. It's probably not achievable by any art form, but it should be the ideal. For everybody. We do better than a lot of people."

He finds too much cultural segregation, with certain art forms aimed at one group when they actually apply to everyone. As an example, he mentioned Tyler Thompson, the 10-year-old African American from Oakland who has attracted national attention because he sings Chinese opera.

"Well, why not? He's African American and he can sing well and he has a teacher who teaches Chinese opera," Morgan said. "It's exposure, just like with anything else."

Or, as another example, he named Notorious MSG, a Chinese rap group.

"It's people doing what you don't expect until you think about it and you realize everyone can do everything," he said.

That attitude served him well as a young African American studying classical music in his native Washington, D.C. He said he never felt out of his element because his parents raised him and his sister as free spirits, before the phrase was coined.

"We were raised to think we could do whatever it was we wanted. They gave us guidance but never told us we must do that. They never made me practice the piano," he recalled.

While the struggle to achieve diversity in the classical arts can seem daunting, Morgan said he remains hopeful.

"I take the little victories to heart," he said. The symphony's Muse program sends musicians to 18 Oakland public schools. The first graduate will attend Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Morgan's alma mater.

Or the story of Rachel and Danielle Taylor, two girls he discovered at El Sobrante elementary school. Recognizing their potential, he arranged private violin lessons for them. Rachel recently won a $10,000 award for young musicians.

"When their father talks about how his daughters' involvement in music has changed the whole family's life, the whole neighborhood's point of view is changed. Rachel and Danielle are seen as heroes in their neighborhood for playing the violin. You hope a victory has a multiplier factor like that."

Although the Oakland public school district doesn't get credit for it, Morgan said it has done better than the surrounding cities in terms of restoring music to the schools.

"We just had the District Orchestra Festival at Skyline with about six schools participating," he said. "It's moving toward how it was when I was in school and we had an all-city orchestra." He described himself as equally passionate about arts education and building the symphony.

"I'm not expecting every kid to become a professional musician, but they are being exposed and aware. They are potential audience members and donors," he said.

"When I first came to Oakland, if you brought up the orchestra, people would say it was elitist and Eurocentric. No one says that now. The orchestra has to reflect the community in every way it can. Otherwise it doesn't make sense for Oakland to have one."

Conductors of other city symphonies have expressed interest when he's told them about the "Let Us Break Bread Together" concert. However, Oakland remains the only city to have such a diverse performance.

"In the East Bay, artists aren't as territorial. They're looking for reasons to work together. Break Bread is about community. You will leave there thinking, 'I've just seen Oakland give a concert.'"

"Let Us Break Bread Together," 8 p.m., today, (pre-concert lecture at 7 p.m.) Paramount Theater, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. Tickets are $15 to $60.

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