Alexandra Grabarchuk, a third-year graduate student in the Department of Musicology, traveled to Finland in early December to present some of her pre-dissertation work at the Sibelius Institute’s Radical Music History Symposium.  Alexandra’s project explores radical art rock of the Soviet Union from the mid-‘70s, focusing on the complicated relationships between songwriters and the official [...]

Roméo et Juliette photos by Robert Millard
Music Department professors Vladimir Chernov and Michael Dean (Chair of the Music Department) will be appearing in the L.A. Opera’s upcoming production of Charles Gounod’s tale of the famous star-crossed lovers, Roméo et Juliette. The conductor for this production will be Placido Domingo.
Professor Dean, as an “L.A. [...]

Kevork Andonian, Music graduate student in composition (whom we have blogged about several times) sent us the following email about his summer activities–glad you are keeping busy, Kevork!
“Kevork Andonian, UCLA PhD Candidate in Music Composition, had his composition for flute and marimba entitled A Longing For Joy performed at this year’s “Piccolo Spoleto Festival” in [...]

Peter Yates, professor of guitar in the Music Department, sent in this short note about his summer activities:
“My summer begins with performances on bowed guitar (arpeggione) at the Los Angeles Guitar Festival, and then moves on to various recording projects. These include “Four Bagatelles” for two guitars by UCLA MFA alumnus Buzz Gravelle, “Five Hobo [...]

We have heard from Musicologh Ph.D. Student Jeremy Mikush about his fun and wide-ranging summer activities. Here is a quick blog about what he is doing this summer:
Jeremy Mikush, a Ph.D. candidate in the Musicology Department, has been in France since early June practicing his French and doing research in Paris for an article [...]

What first strikes me about John Cale as he comes onstage is his hair. A full rainbow of color sits atop his head. And these colorful locks bestow an unearthly quality to an otherwise unassuming figure. Having acknowledged our applause in kind, soft-spoken words, he bangs out a D minor chord at [...]

Just received from Music Department professor Neal Stulberg, Director of Orchestral Studies:
“On July 24, 2010 at Mannes College in New York, I was honored to participate in a daylong centennial tribute to Leonard Shure (1910-1995), a magnificent American pianist and one of my formative teachers. The symposium included sessions about Shure’s recordings, showings of master [...]

We just received this news from Organ Professor Christoph Bull:
“Christoph Bull musical travels have led him to Germany and the Netherlands this summer. On June 19, he performed for the film museum in Düsseldorf, Germany, improvising scores for one of the earliest silent movies, The Great Train Robbery, and Hitchcock’s The Lodger. Subsequently, he travelled [...]

Professor Neal Stulberg has shared with us a recent “Bloomsday” experience at the Hammer Museum:
“June 16 is celebrated around the world as “Bloomsday” — the 24-hour period portrayed in James Joyce’s epic novel “Ulysses.” (The protagonists of the book are Leopold and Molly Bloom.)
This past June 16, Los Angeles celebrated Bloomsday at the Hammer [...]

We have heard some exciting news from Musicology graduate student Marianna Ritchey about her summer plans. She says:
“I’m a sixth year in the Musicology department, finishing up my dissertation (Susan McClary is my chair) and applying for jobs this year. This summer I got a CEES grant to spend a month in Paris doing [...]