Department of Music Winter 2021 Newsletter
2 | UC Santa Barbara Department of Music | Winter 2021 Newsletter
Contents Welcome from the Chair.........................................................................................................4 Breana Gilcher Appointed Lecturer of Oboe.......................................................................5 Jennifer Kloetzel Promoted to Professor of Cello................................................................6 Student Testimonials...............................................................................................................8
Through My Ears Quarantine Edition..................................................................................11 Corwin Chair Series...............................................................................................................12 Fall 2020 Virtual Concert Series............................................................................................13 New Lot on Life for Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall...............................................................15 Faculty News and Accomplishments...................................................................................18 Emeritus Faculty News..........................................................................................................20 Current Student Successes...................................................................................................21 Alumni News..........................................................................................................................22 Remembering a Champion of the Choral Arts...................................................................23 Pictured on cover: Students from Assistant Teaching Professor Dr. Sarah Gibson’s Ensemble for Contemporary Music performing inti figgis-vizueta’s “form the fabric” with Dr. Gibson conducting (pictured second from left on top row) Copyright © 2021 The Regents of the University of California, All Rights Reserved. UC Santa Barbara Department of Music | Winter 2021 Newsletter | 3
Welcome from the Chair A warm welcome to 2021! As we begin the new year, I am witnessing a renewed hope and determination from all of our faculty, staff, and students. The COVID-19 pandemic has deeply affected all of us and I have the greatest admiration for everyone’s continued resilience and strength through such challenging times. Now that a vaccine is on the horizon and there is a glimmer of hope for a return to some sense of normalcy, I could not be prouder of the UCSB Music Department for triumphing through tremendous difficulties with such an incredible collaborative spirit. The Performance and Academic faculty continue to do stellar work, our students continue to inspire with their talent, flexibility, and enthusiasm, and the amazing team of staff members keeps us all on track with their tireless dedication and commitment. On behalf of the Music Department, I send my best wishes for Winter Quarter 2021 and beyond. Sincerely,
Robert Koenig, Chair and Professor of Keyboard
4 | UC Santa Barbara Department of Music | Winter 2021 Newsletter
Breana Gilcher Appointed Lecturer of Oboe The UC Santa Barbara Department of Music has appointed Breana Gilcher as Lecturer of Oboe, beginning in Winter 2021. In addition to an extensive career in classical and historic performance, Gilcher performs with many of today’s most recognized new music groups in Los Angeles, and is also a board-certified Music Therapist. “The Department of Music at UCSB is excited to welcome Breana Gilcher as Lecturer of Oboe,” said Robert Koenig, Professor and Chair of the Department of Music. “A well-known and established musician throughout California, Breana performs frequently with many well-known ensembles and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to our woodwind programs at UCSB. With her additional experience as a board-certified Music Therapist with the American Music Therapy Association, she brings a unique and special educational experience to our students at UCSB.” “I’m thrilled to be joining such an enthusiastic and welcoming music faculty, and to support our intrepid oboe students in achieving their musical goals,” said Gilcher. “Having grown up on the coast of Florida, I’m looking forward to smelling the sea air in between classes when in-person instruction resumes!” Gilcher performs throughout California in a variety of musical settings, playing classical orchestral music with groups such as the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, LA Opera, Santa Barbara Symphony, Long Beach Symphony, Hollywood Chamber Orchestra, and Fresno Philharmonic, new music with wild Up contemporary music collective, WasteLAnd new music, Ghost Ensemble, and Jacaranda Music, as well as historic performance with Musica Angelica Baroque Orchestra. Passionate about improvisation, Gilcher frequently performs in improvised settings, including her own electroacoustic chamber ensemble Petrichor, which was invited to perform at the 2019 International Society for Improvised Music Festival and Conference. As a soloist she won second prize in the Riverside Philharmonic’s 2018 Concerto Competition for her performance of Vaughan Williams’ Concerto for Oboe and Strings. Gilcher also works extensively as a studio musician, contributing to scores for film and television. Gilcher holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Music Therapy with specialized studies in Oboe Performance from Florida State University and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Oboe Performance from California Institute of the Arts. Her primary teachers were Dr. Eric Ohlsson and Dr. Allan Vogel, respectively. She has pursued additional studies of English horn with Carolyn Hove, Baroque oboe with Gonzalo Ruiz, and improvisation with Vinny Golia. A dedicated educator, Gilcher maintains a private teaching studio in addition to her work at UC Santa Barbara. She is a certified Personal Trainer with a passion for helping artists prevent and care for performance-related injuries. As a boardcertified Music Therapist with the American Music Therapy Association, Gilcher has provided care for children with developmental disabilities, patients with Multiple Sclerosis, and the elderly, including a six-month clinical internship with Big Bend Hospice in Tallahassee, FL. Read more about Gilcher here.
UC Santa Barbara Department of Music | Winter 2021 Newsletter | 5
Jennifer Kloetzel Promoted to Professor of Cello Renowned cellist and educator offers valuable mentorship to next generation of performers and leaders at UC Santa Barbara After joining the UC Santa Barbara Department of Music in Fall 2016 as Lecturer of Cello, and later Assistant Professor, cellist Jennifer Kloetzel has been appointed to the position of Professor of Cello beginning Winter 2021. In her new role, Kloetzel will continue to serve as Head of the Strings Program and teach a full studio of cellists pursuing degrees ranging from the Bachelor of Arts to the Doctor of Musical Arts degree. During her time at UC Santa Barbara, Kloetzel has frequently participated in collaborations with UC Santa Barbara faculty members, including chamber music recitals, the department’s annual Montage event, and the Community Arts Music Association of Santa Barbara (CAMA) Centennial Kickoff Concert, which featured UC Santa Barbara faculty and students. In January 2020, Kloetzel organized a residency at UC Santa Barbara with composer Elena Ruehr, which culminated in a concert that featured Ruehr’s music and included two world premieres given by UC Santa Barbara performance faculty. As the Head of the Strings Area, Kloetzel also organized the inaugural UCSB Strings Intensive in September 2020 with UC Santa Barbara Strings faculty members violinist Ertan Torgul and violist Jonathan Moerschel. The virtual workshop was open to students ages 15-25, and focused on practice techniques and fundamentals, and included discussions on careers in music and instrument care. A graduate of The Juilliard School and a Fulbright Scholar, Kloetzel has concertized throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia as a soloist and chamber musician. A founding member of the San Francisco-based Cypress String Quartet (1996-2016), Kloetzel has toured the globe and performed at
“The Department of Music at UCSB is thrilled to offer our biggest congratulations to cellist Jennifer Kloetzel on her promotion to Full Professor. Professor Kloetzel is in the top echelon of performers on the national scene as a soloist and chamber musician. As Head of the Strings area in our department, she has brought vitality and commitment with her strong dedication to educate the next generation of cellists and young string players.” Professor Robert Koenig 6 | UC Santa Barbara Department of Music | Winter 2021 Newsletter
such renowned venues as Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Chautauqua Institute, the Ravinia Festival, the Lobkowicz Palaces in both Vienna and Prague, as well as prominent colleges and conservatories worldwide. Kloetzel is noted for her elegant playing and her vibrant tone. She is a sought-after recitalist, performing concerts for San Francisco Performances and on WQXR in New York. Strad Magazine hailed, “Cellist Jennifer Kloetzel is impressively passionate…” A fervent champion of new music, she has received the Copland Award for her work with living American Composers and has commissioned and premiered over fifty works, including five concertos written specifically for her. In the past few seasons, premieres included a Cello Suite by Daniel Asia, a Cello Concerto, “Cloud Atlas” and two unaccompanied cello works “Lift” and “Cricket the Fiddler,” which were both written for her by MIT composer Elena Ruehr, and a Cello Sonata dedicated to her by Joseph Landers. The San Jose Mercury News proclaimed, “Cellist Jennifer Kloetzel shines in premiere” and called her a “terrific soloist…with a robust and earthy sound.” Kloetzel has recorded the Ruehr Cello Concerto with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, which was released to critical acclaim in October 2014. “Lift” is the title track of an all-Ruehr disc, released on the Avie label, and was included on Keith Powers’ 13 Best Classical Music Recordings of 2016. Kloetzel is the featured cellist on a 2019 Albany Records release of music by Richard Aldag, and recently premiered Lee Actor’s Cello Concerto, written for her in 2017. In the upcoming seasons, she will give world premieres of sonatas written for her by composers Richard Aldag and Elena Ruehr and “Inferno: Double Concerto for Viola, Cello and Chamber Orchestra” by Joel Friedman. Kloetzel is winner of The Juilliard School’s top award, the “Peter Mennin Prize for Outstanding Leadership and Achievement in Music,” and a Presser Music Award, as well as a Fulbright Grant to England. In 2004 she was honored with the McGraw-Hill Companies’ “Robert Sherman Award for Music Education and Community Outreach” in recognition of years of outreach work in schools and community centers. She has appeared at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, the Sarasota and Aspen Music Festivals, the Britten-Pears School, the Prague Mozart Academy, and performed as cellist of the Cassatt Quartet during the 1995-96 season. From 2003-2009, Kloetzel taught cello and chamber music at San José State University, where the Cypress String Quartet was Ensemble-inResidence. She has given master classes at The Juilliard School, San Francisco Conservatory, and at universities throughout the U.S. Growing up near Baltimore, Kloetzel began her cello studies at age six. Her teachers included Aldo Parisot, William Pleeth, Harvey Shapiro, Stephen Kates and Paula (Virizlay) Skolnick, as well as members of the Juilliard String Quartet, the Amadeus Quartet, and the Cleveland Quartet. After performing with pianist André Previn at the La Jolla Chamber Music Festival, Kloetzel was invited to appear as one of his select “Rising Stars” for two seasons at the Caramoor Festival in New York. Kloetzel has been featured regularly on National Public Radio’s “Performance Today” as both a soloist and a chamber musician and her performances have been broadcast on radio stations from coast to coast. A passionate recording artist with 36 CD releases to date, recent recordings include the entire cycle of Beethoven Quartets and Brahms Sextets on the Avie label. In 2021, Avie will release her recordings of Beethoven’s complete works for cello and piano with Robert Koenig. She performed as principal cellist of the Concert Artists of Baltimore, the Baltimore Opera, and the Juilliard Orchestra under Maestro Kurt Masur. She is also a frequent soloist with orchestras throughout the United States, performing works by Beethoven, Brahms, Dvořák, Elgar, Glazunov, Fauré, Ibert, Haydn, Hindemith, Lalo, Saint-Saëns, Shostakovich, Strauss, and Walton. Learn more about Kloetzel here. UC Santa Barbara Department of Music | Winter 2021 Newsletter | 7
Student Testimonials Department of Music students share why they chose UC Santa Barbara This past fall, potential undergraduate and graduate students around the globe narrowed down their top choices for schools and began the application process. With its stunning campus, incredible faculty, and ample opportunities for collaboration and interdisciplinary work, UC Santa Barbara has been ranked among the top 10 public national universities by U.S. News & World Report for seven consecutive years and remains at the top of many students’ lists. We took the opportunity to ask some of our current graduate and undergraduate students why they chose UC Santa Barbara and what makes studying music here so ideal.
Tanner Cassidy, Doctor of Philosophy in Music Theory Why did you choose UC Santa Barbara? I originally heard about UCSB from an enthusiastic alumnus, and was sold on the exceptional faculty. It’s a department big enough to get a breadth of experience that’s also intimate enough to work closely with faculty and colleagues. Plus, the fair weather and nearby beaches don’t hurt either! What is your favorite part of studying theory at UC Santa Barbara? The best part of theory at UCSB is definitely how engaged and friendly my cohort is. Classes and conferences are always accompanied by lively discussions, and everyone is supportive of each others’ research. The excellent UC library services and UCSB archives also make the research process a breeze.
Photo: Zach Mendez
Jared Holton, Doctor of Philosophy in Ethnomusicology Why did you choose UC Santa Barbara? I chose UCSB for the world-class professors, teaching opportunities as a graduate student, and the impressive interdisciplinary networks across campus. I have not been disappointed! Add to this access to the immense Special Collections sound archives, professional development opportunities in pedagogy, and exposure to top-touring musicians—I’m honored to be a member of the UCSB community. Through these experiences, I have gained confidence in my abilities to research, teach, and write in the Humanities across a range of academic and non-academic positions. Plus, my musicianship has increased through participation in diverse music ensembles at UCSB. The Ethnomusicology department, in particular, is a vibrant and challenging place to absorb the past history of the field and explore the cutting edges of the present. My thinking is sharper, my writing clearer, my musicianship more perceptive, and my teaching practiced. 8 | UC Santa Barbara Department of Music | Winter 2021 Newsletter
Alexis Mancilla, Bachelor of Music (Flute) Why did you choose UC Santa Barbara? I chose to attend UCSB primarily because I was so ecstatic to work with the flute professor, Jill Felber. Before enrolling in the university, I had worked with Professor Felber in a few masterclasses and lessons, which inspired me to attend a program with an instructor that I was receptive to. Because of her amazing teaching style and incredible passion for music, UCSB was my top university choice! Why did you choose your major? Studying music was the only thing that I was certain of going into college. Because I have been playing the flute for almost ten years and have participated in several types of music organizations, I definitely wanted to continue my involvement of music at a collegiate level. What is your favorite part of studying music at UC Santa Barbara? One of my favorite aspects of studying music at UCSB is being able to collaborate with, engage with, and learn from such a diverse community of students and faculty. It has been so interesting to connect with those of different backgrounds and experiences, while maintaining a similar passion for music. The world music courses, specifically, have allowed me to analyze and listen to music from such an open-minded perspective.
Joel Jaffe, Bachelor of Arts in Music Studies Why did you choose UC Santa Barbara? I chose UCSB because the beautiful campus and energy of IV are unbeatable. I was looking for places to enjoy the ocean, play music and live the college experience—and at UCSB I’ve found all three. Why did you choose your major? I’ve been playing electric bass for over four years now, and wanted to use the university system as a scaffolding for my music career. I was made aware that UCSB’s music department has a lot of knowledge and resources to offer, including groundbreaking research and the amazing feat of human creativity that is the AlloSphere. What is your favorite part of studying music at UC Santa Barbara? My favorite part so far of studying music here has been all the great musicians I’ve had the pleasure of jamming with in IV. From the lead guitarist of Closeout to my awesome fraternity brothers, I’ve already been having a blast playing with some of the best musicians at UCSB.
UC Santa Barbara Department of Music | Winter 2021 Newsletter | 9
Daniel Marella, Bachelor of Arts in Music Studies Why did you choose UC Santa Barbara? I was being recruited to swim at a Division 1 level all across the country, and ended up choosing UCSB for reasons in and out of the pool. Outside of the pool UCSB excels in the classroom at the highest level, on par with the best public and private universities in the world. Not to mention the social atmosphere and the one of a kind location. In the pool I joined a program with a winning tradition that would elevate my athletic talent and skill to its highest level. Why did you choose your major? I chose to be a Music Studies major because all aspects of music fascinates me: performance, theory, history, and writing. Here at UCSB, I get a taste of everything and get to dive deep into the early roots of music, and walk through the music history timeline to the present day. What is your favorite part of studying music at UC Santa Barbara? My favorite part of studying music at UCSB is how the professors tailor the material towards the students’ best interests. They’ve always been very lenient towards final paper guidelines, pieces we can play, and material they cover based on what the student is most interested in. For example, Jon Nathan, the Jazz Band instructor, let me and a few others pick repertoire to play at our final concert, so long as it fell under the genre of New Orleans Jazz. Another being that I am super interested in the history of Rock and Roll, and have been able to deeply research the subject and write numerous papers on it.
Clara Pitsker, Bachelor of Arts in Music Studies Why did you choose UC Santa Barbara? I chose UC Santa Barbara because I liked the friendly attitude of the students and the many opportunities available at a big school, including the ability to easily double major. Not to mention the beautiful campus! Why did you choose your major? I chose a BA in Music Studies because I loved the music classes I took for fun and wanted to further my musical education. The Music Studies major in particular was flexible with a double major in Environmental Studies. What is your favorite part of studying music at UC Santa Barbara? My favorite part of studying music at UC Santa Barbara is the support of my fellow music majors. The small size of the music department allowed me to make new friends easily and be able to get help from someone I know in class. To learn more about our undergraduate and graduate degree programs, please visit music.ucsb.edu/apply.
10 | UC Santa Barbara Department of Music | Winter 2021 Newsletter
Pictured from left: Assistant Teaching Professor of Music Composition Dr. Sarah Gibson and Doctor of Musical Arts candidate Kelly Guerra (photo by JShoots)
Through My Ears Quarantine Edition Doctoral Candidate Kelly Guerra hosts Instagram Live Q&A with Assistant Teaching Professor Dr. Sarah Gibson The UC Santa Barbara Department of Music hosted a special quarantine edition of the department’s new podcast, Through My Ears, as an Instagram Live via the department’s Instagram account on December 3, 2020. The live interview was hosted by mezzo-soprano and Doctor of Musical Arts candidate Kelly Guerra with Dr. Sarah Gibson, Assistant Teaching Professor of Music Composition in both the UC Santa Barbara Department of Music and the College of Creative Studies. They discussed the importance of creating music during lockdown, Dr. Gibson’s use of improvisation in her compositional practice, and the creative freedom her piano duo HOCKET allows her to have. Listen to the podcast now on all major platforms, including Spotify, Anchor, and Apple Podcasts. The interview is also available in its original format as an Instagram Live on the Department of Music’s Instagram here. Learn more about Dr. Sarah Gibson here and Kelly Guerra here. This podcast was produced by Connor Long and the UC Santa Barbara Department of Music. Intro and outro music was recorded at the Kerr Hall Sound Studio, performed by music major Kaitlin Webster-Zuber. UC Santa Barbara Department of Music | Winter 2021 Newsletter | 11
2020-2021 Corwin Chair Series Kicks Off in Virtual Format Corwin Chair of Composition João Pedro Oliveira curates events showcasing composition at UC Santa Barbara In Fall 2020, amidst the pandemic and continued lockdowns, Professor and Corwin Chair of Composition João Pedro Oliveira made several Corwin Chair Series events available to the public as virtual events. These events included three lectures with guest speakers via Zoom and a special Corwin Chair Series Concert featuring original music from the UC Santa Barbara Department of Music and College of Creative Studies Composition Faculty. The first Visiting Artist of the 2020-2021 Corwin Chair Series, composer Manuella Blackburn, gave a talk titled “Composing with Short Sounds” on October 16, 2020. Blackburn specializes in acousmatic music creation and currently lectures within the Music Technology Program at Keele University in the United Kingdom. Read more here. The second lecture, titled “Composing Sound,”on November 6, 2020 featured guest speaker Panayiotis Kokoras, Associate Professor of Composition and Director of the Center for Experimental Music and Intermedia (CEMI) at the University of North Texas. Read more here. The final lecture of the quarter, titled “Shadows for Piano and Electronics. An Exploration of Texture, Harmony and Timbre,” was given on December 4, 2020 by Professor Liviu Marinescu, Head of Composition at California State University, Northridge. Read more here. Using innovative visuals, media arts, technology, and sound, the final Corwin Chair Series event of the year, a concert titled “Synesthesias,” showcased the relationship between both visual and auditory senses. With works by UC Santa Barbara Department of Music and College of Creative Studies Composition faculty members João Pedro Oliveira, JoAnn Kuchera-Morin, Curtis Roads, Sarah Gibson, Andrew Watts, and Leslie Hogan, the program featured pieces that responded to color, artwork, and images, which invited the listener to interact with the crossing of their own senses. Watch the full concert—which premiered on December 2, 2020—on YouTube here and read more about the composers and their works here. Pictured from top: João Pedro Oliveira, JoAnn Kuchera-Morin, Curtis Roads, Sarah Gibson, Andrew Watts, and Leslie Hogan
12 | UC Santa Barbara Department of Music | Winter 2021 Newsletter
Students from the UC Santa Barbara Chamber Choir meet with Sorensen Director of Choral Music Dr. Nicole Lamartine over Zoom in Fall 2020 (Dr. Nicole Lamartine pictured second from left in top row)
Fall 2020 Virtual Concert Series Choirs, Ensemble for Contemporary Music, Chamber Players, and Chamber Orchestra present virtual offerings Faced with another quarter of remote instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic, directors of the Department of Music’s chamber and large ensembles found creative ways to share the work of their students with new virtual audiences. By compiling pre-recorded performances from their students, directors were able to create virtual concerts and multi-media programs that were shared as YouTube Premieres on the Department of Music’s YouTube channel. Under the direction of Dr. Nicole Lamartine, the Sorensen Director of Choral Music, the UC Santa Barbara Choirs presented a special multi-media concert, titled “Home: A Postcard from UCSB Choirs,” on December 7, 2020. For her first concert at UC Santa Barbara, Dr. Lamartine crafted a program of singing, poetry, and visuals representing the idea of what “home” means to us in this tumultuous time. The video included testimonials from students, plus performances by the UC Santa Barbara Chamber Choir, led by Dr. Lamartine, and Lumina (formerly the UC Santa Barbara Women’s Chorus), led by David Torres, a Doctor of Musical Arts student in Choral Conducting. By including music from a wide array of cultures from around the world—including music from Basque Country, Northern Mexico, Moldova, Hawaii, and Bluegrass music from the Appalachian region in the United States—the UC Santa Barbara Choirs hoped to offer a sense of belonging to all through their culture of singing. View the full concert on YouTube here. UC Santa Barbara Department of Music | Winter 2021 Newsletter | 13
For her first concert as Director of the Ensemble for Contemporary Music, Assistant Teaching Professor Dr. Sarah Gibson curated a program, titled “Finding Your Place,” that included thirteen world premieres of compositions written specifically for the Ensemble for Contemporary Music’s performers by UC Santa Barbara’s student composers. In their collaborative solo works, the composer and performer responded musically to the theme of “Place,” with performers and composers ranging from undergraduate to doctoral students. The concert aired as a YouTube Premiere on December 8, 2020 via the Department of Music’s YouTube channel, and is available to view here. Each member of the Ensemble for Contemporary Music also collaborated in a performance of inti figgis-vizueta’s form the fabric, a piece which provides a flexible lead sheet for group-oriented improvisation and music making. The title derives from NMAI [National Museum of the American Indian (Smithsonian)] archaeologist Ramiro Mato’s phrase describing the cosmological understandings of the Incan and Andean peoples through description of the Inca Road as “threads interwoven to form the fabric of the physical and spiritual world.” Watch a video of the performance here. On December 10, 2020, the UC Santa Barbara Chamber Players and Chamber Orchestra presented a joint concert as a YouTube Premiere via the Department of Music’s YouTube channel. Directed by Dr. Maxim Kuzin, the UC Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra opened the concert with the fourth movement, “Gewitter, Sturm,” of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 “Pastoral.” Directed by Jonathan Moerschel, the Chamber Players program included works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Igor Stravinsky, Katherine Hoover, Johannes Brahms, Nadia Boulanger, and more. Watch the full concert here. In addition to the programs presented by the department’s ensembles, several students accepted the challenge of producing their degree recitals in the new virtual format, and had them premiered on the Department of Music’s YouTube channel. Graduate violinist Gulia Gurevich, a student of UC Santa Barbara faculty member Ertan Torgul, presented a virtual master’s recital with pianist Erik Lawrence on November 30, 2020. The program included Johann Sebastian Bach’s Chaconne from Partita No. 2 in D minor for Solo Violin, BWV 1004; Ludwig van Beethoven’s Sonata for Violin and Piano in G major, Op. 30 No. 3; and the “Allegro non troppo” from Johannes Brahms’ Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77. Watch the video here. Graduate cellist Chenoa Orme-Stone gave a virtual lecture recital, titled “Cello Teaching Methods: An Analysis and Application of Pedagogical Literature,” in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Musical Arts degree on December 1, 2020. The program included cello duets by Friedrich August Kummer, Jacques Offenbach, and Jean-Baptiste Barrière, and featured performances by students from OrmeStone’s private cello studio. Orme-Stone is a student of UC Santa Barbara Professor Jennifer Kloetzel. Watch the video here. Mezzo-soprano Terra Giddens, an undergraduate student in the studio of UC Santa Barbara Associate Professor Dr. Isabel Bayrakdarian, presented a virtual recital with pianist Erik Lawrence on December 6, 2020. Giddens and Lawrence performed “Près des remparts de Seville” from Georges Bizet’s Carmen; Manuel de Falla’s Siete Canciones Populares Españolas; Kurt Weill’s Youkali; “Le spectre de la rose” Op. 7, No. 2 from Hector Berlioz’s Les nuits d’eté; “O del mio amato ben” from 36 Arie di Stile Antico, No. 18 by Stefano Donaudy; Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Als Luise die Briefe ihres ungetreuen Liebhabers verbrannte, K. 520; and “Sein wir wieder gut” from Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos. Watch the video here. View upcoming events on our website, by subscribing to our weekly events newsletter, or by following the Department of Music on our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter accounts. 14 | UC Santa Barbara Department of Music | Winter 2021 Newsletter
Historical photo of an opera rehearsal on the stage of Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall
New Lot on Life for Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall
Photo: Gaby Goldberg
By Dr. Anthony Garcia, Production and Events Manager Built in 1969, and named for the famous German soprano, Lotte Lehmann, the Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall at the UC Santa Barbara Department of Music is one of the oldest and largest spaces on the UC Santa Barbara campus. Home to many of the department’s performances, the hall holds a special place in the hearts of the community. An unconventional space, designed for multi-use as a hybrid concert hall, theatrical venue, and lecture hall, Lotte sees an average of 1,500 people on a typical day of instruction and is home to dozens of performances and presentations each year. In recent years, after decades of heavy use and little funding for upkeep, Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall was starting to show its age with functional and cosmetic elements of the facility falling into disrepair. The hall needed to be re-examined with fresh eyes and, as a result, the department began focusing on how to modernize the venue. So, in 2017, a fund-seeking campaign was initiated by the Department of Music’s production team to address facilities issues in Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall. The plan focused on four areas: safety and compliance, deferred maintenance and repair, technical updates, and cosmetic refresh. As of 2021, the campaign is ongoing, but the department is already seeing some of the fruits of those efforts after numerous completed projects. UC Santa Barbara Department of Music | Winter 2021 Newsletter | 15
Safety first
In partnership with the Dean of Humanities and Fine Arts, and Facilities Management, the department made a number of critical safety updates to the hall in 2018 and 2019. About 20 panels of stage drapery, which had been initially installed in the early to mid 1990s, were fully replaced with all new, custom drapes from LA-based company Sew What. Not only was this a long-overdue cosmetic update but these new IFR (Inherently Flame Production and Events Manager Anthony Garcia and Operations Retardant) curtains reduce the risk of Manager/Technical Specialist Connor Long laying flooring in Fall 2019 fire significantly, and with proper care and regular testing, they will maintain their flame retardancy for the lifetime of the fabric. Additionally, the old safety net over the orchestra pit, originally installed in the mid ‘70s, was replaced with a new, custom net from In-Cord. This state-of-the-art net ensures that rare accidental trips or falls into the pit are not cause of serious injury or worse. Along with other lighting projects detailed below, the ambient lighting and safety lighting in the hall was improved greatly by adding LED strip lighting on the aisles in the house. This project is thanks to a partnership with Facilities Management and the Department of Environmental Health and Safety.
Function over form
In tandem with addressing safety items, the production team also tackled some of the functional concerns in the venue. Most of these projects were funded through grant-writing and partnerships with Facilities Management and the Department of Instructional Development, which oversees inclassroom technology. In the summer of 2019, the old and severely worn masonite that covered the stage floor was demolished and replaced with over 100 new sheets of MDF (fiberboard) to cover the 3,600 square feet of stage. This necessary refresh was long overdue—the decades-old masonite was decaying, chipping, and separating causing unevenness, tripping hazards, and eye sores. The demolition and installation was done completely in-house by department staff working long hours and saving the department significant labor costs. As of 2021, two large-scale lighting efforts are also underway. The goal of each of these projects is two-fold: modernizing control systems and improving lighting by installing LED fixtures, thereby reducing energy usage by 70%–80% and creating a greener and more energy efficient facility. First, as of January 2021, Facilities Management has begun installation of new LED house lights, replacing the old and inefficient halogen lamps and revitalizing the seating area while also introducing more flexible lighting control. As a lecture hall, the low lighting had historically been problematic for students trying to write or take written tests. The new, brighter house lights will address that issue with the added benefit of lower energy consumption and more consistent and controllable audience lighting for department productions. 16 | UC Santa Barbara Department of Music | Winter 2021 Newsletter
Second, lights used to illuminate the stage are also being transitioned to LEDs. With generous funding from a TGIF (The Green Initiative Fund) grant, the department kicked off the first of a multiyear, multi-phase plan to replace or retrofit the over 170 theatrical lighting fixtures with their LED counterparts. This phase, focused on replacing lights most frequently used and those that are rapidly falling into disrepair, will be completed early in 2021 and is calculated to reduce use by 78% or by 8,000 kWh annually. The stage lighting renovation has an added benefit of reducing risk of fire from the hot, high-wattage halogen lamps by utilizing low-wattage and cool running LEDs. Turning to sound, a noticeable technological gap has been present in the hall since its inception—a permanent, professional sound system. Hosting dozens of events requiring a sound system including large ensemble performances from the Middle East Ensemble and the Jazz Big Band, the lack of a proper sound system meant that a temporary system needed to be assembled from the ground up by concert hall staff each time. The equipment used for this temporary sound system had become outdated long ago and did not adequately serve the needs of ensembles and presenters. For instructional use, the decades-old single speaker installed at the top of the proscenium had become overused and the sound rendered less and less clear with each passing year. With grant funding from a proposal to Letters & Science IT’s Collaborate program, the Department of Music partnered with Instructional Development while designing the new state-of-the art system so that the major use cases—instruction and performance—could be seamlessly integrated. The new system features two 15” Martin CDD-Live “main” speakers and two 18” Martin SXC subwoofers all connected via highly shielded Cat6 ethernet cable and controlled by the industry standard DANTE protocol for sending high volumes of signal and control information without the need for excessive cabling. Finally, in 2020, Instructional Development simultaneously launched their own initiative to update instructional technology in the hall. Completed in the Fall, the overhaul features a new lectern outfitted with a new computer and easy-to-use current multimedia ports, hookups, and a crestron control system to accommodate all presentation needs. In addition, the old large projector was replaced with a new high-resolution unit.
What’s next?
As the department moves toward the completion of many of the functionality and safety projects, they now set their sights on cosmetic updates and repairs. These projects will surely be numerous and will vary in size and scope—from replacing house seating to repairing chipped paint. Of course, as of this writing, the COVID-19 global pandemic rages on and, with it, financial hardship grows. Without the normal income generated from ticket sales and facility rentals, the Department of Music finds itself in a uniquely difficult financial position, the likes of which it has not seen before. While recovery from the pandemic will surely delay these efforts, department staff and faculty are hopeful that, with the support of its community and the resurgence of live performance, the improvement of this beloved space has only just begun.
“This hall means so much to this department. From bearing the name of such a revered figure in opera to hosting so many incredible performances for over 50 years, this space is a kind of heart of our building and our culture. We have a lot of love for its history, and I think it’s vital that we honor that history by providing and maintaining a space that our incredible students can feel proud of and excited to perform in.” Dr. Anthony Garcia UC Santa Barbara Department of Music | Winter 2021 Newsletter | 17
Faculty News and Accomplishments Works by Corwin Chair of Composition João Pedro Oliveira recognized in International Composition Competitions
Six of UC Santa Barbara Corwin Chair of Composition Dr. João Pedro Oliveira’s works have recently been recognized internationally in competitions such as the Chicago Composers’ Consortium Composition Competition (La Mer Emeraude), Sound Silence Thought International Composition Competition (N’vi’ah), She Lives Budapest Prize International Composition Competition (Mosaic), “New Vision” Composition Competition (Full Moon), the Thomas Edison Black Maria Film Festival (Tesseract), and Grand Prize in the Double Bass and Electronic Media category for the 2020 International Society of Bassists David Walter Composition Competition for the piece Bass on Fire. Read more here and here.
Professor of Horn Steven Gross interviewed on Celebrity Hornist Series
During the summer, Professor of Horn Dr. Steven Gross was interviewed on Zoom as part of a public Celebrity Hornist Series featuring internationally prominent horn players. The interview was hosted by Director Charles “Skip” Snead of the School of Music at the University of Alabama. Other interviewees included British soloists Michael Thompson and Richard Watkins; former Chicago Symphony member Gail Williams, now at Northwestern University; Jeff Nelson, past member of the Canadian Brass, currently at Indiana University; and David Ohanian, previous member of the Boston Symphony, Empire Brass, and Canadian Brass. An interview with Dr. Gross was also featured on UC Santa Barbara’s Division of Humanities and Fine Arts website for “Focus on Faculty.” Read more here.
Senior Continuing Lecturer Charles Asche awarded California Association of Professional Music Teachers Lifetime Achievement Award
Senior Continuing Lecturer Dr. Charles Asche was awarded the California Association of Professional Music Teachers (CAPMT) Lifetime Achievement Award for 2020. With over 900 members, the CAPMT is the California state affiliate of the Music Teachers National Association, one of the largest music teacher associations in the United States. The CAPMT’s Lifetime Achievement Award is presented each year to a musician who has distinguished themselves in the fields of performing, teaching, and service to the profession. Past winners of the award include renowned mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, and From the Top host Christopher O’Riley. Read more here.
Professor Curtis Roads and Center for Research in Electronic Art Technology (CREATE) release EmissionControl2
The Center for Research in Electronic Art Technology (CREATE) at UC Santa Barbara released a new software app for sound granulation: EmissionControl2 for MacOSX, Linux, and Windows. EmissionControl2 is a granular sound synthesizer. Granular synthesis is one of the most important methods of sound design, the theory of which is described in the book Microsound (Curtis Roads, 2001, MIT Press). The new app was developed by a team consisting of Professor Curtis Roads acting as project manager, with software developers Jack Kilgore and Rodney DuPlessis. DuPlessis is a PhD student in Music Composition at UC Santa Barbara and is also pursuing a Master of Science degree in Media Arts and Technology. Read more here.
Professor of Cello Jennifer Kloetzel featured on Performance Today Radio Program and Gold Coast Chamber Players Series
Professor Jennifer Kloetzel was featured on the Performance Today radio program on September 28, 2020. Hosted by Fred Child, Performance Today is one of the most popular classical music radio programs in the country, broadcast to roughly 1.2 million listeners each week. The September 28th program featured a recording from February 15, 2020 of the first movement of Kloetzel’s solo performance of Antonín Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B minor, Op. 104, B.191 with the Lexington Symphony, conducted by Jonathan McPhee. On October 11, 2020, Kloetzel also performed a virtual concert, titled “Bach Inspired,” presented by the Gold Coast Chamber Players on their Bach Shorts series. Read more here. 18 | UC Santa Barbara Department of Music | Winter 2021 Newsletter
Faculty News and Accomplishments Lecturer of Composition Andrew Tholl wins 2020 Luigi Nono International Composition Award
Lecturer Dr. Andrew Tholl was named the winner of the 2020 Luigi Nono International Composition Award for his piece every moment is another opportunity to shine. Organized by the Amici per la Musica di Venaria Reale, the adjudicators for the seventh edition of the competition included Andrea Portera (Italy), Alissa Firsova (England/Russia), and Anna Pidgorna (Ukraine/Canada). The 2020 competition saw applicants from 20 different countries, including Italy, China, Egypt, and more. Commissioned in 2017 by Grammy-nominated, Los Angeles-based new music collective wild Up (of which Tholl is also a member), every moment is another opportunity to shine is scored for 13 solo strings (4.3.3.2.1). Read more here.
Photo: Zach Mendez
Associate Professor of Voice Isabel Bayrakdarian releases recording with Canadian Rock Band Glass Tiger
Associate Professor of Voice Dr. Isabel Bayrakdarian collaborated with the Canadian rock band Glass Tiger on the band’s first-ever Christmas album, Songs For A Winter’s Night. For the release, Bayrakdarian joined fellow Canadian guest artists singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, violinist Natalie MacMaster, and pop vocalist Roch Voisine, as well as the Steve Sidwell Orchestra. The album includes ten original songs written by Glass Tiger, including “An Every Day Wish,” which features Bayrakdarian as soloist. Winner of five Juno awards and five Canadian Classic awards, Grammy-nominated Glass Tiger has shared the stage and recorded with some of the world’s leading acts, including Rod Stewart and Tina Turner. Read more here.
Lecturer Maxim Kuzin serves as Chair of Instrumental Division for 13th Annual Colibri International Arts Competition for Young Performers
Lecturer of Orchestral Conducting Dr. Maxim Kuzin served as Chair of the Instrumental Division for the 13th edition of the Colibri International Arts Competition for Young Performers, which is organized by the Unity in Diversity Arts Foundation (UIDARTS) with the support of the City of West Hollywood. The competition is held annually and consists of four individual competitions—Instrumental, Vocal, Dance, and Visual Art—and runs from September to December. The event usually takes place in-person in West Hollywood and involves over 600 competitors between the ages of 4 and 20. Even though the 2020 edition was virtual, the Instrumental Division received over 100 applications, from all over the world. Read more here.
Assistant Teaching Professor of Music Composition Sarah Gibson featured on I Care If You Listen for HOCKET’s #What2020SoundsLike
Assistant Teaching Professor of Music Composition Dr. Sarah Gibson and fellow pianist and composer Thomas Kotcheff—members of the new music piano duo HOCKET—wrapped their #What2020SoundsLike project at the end of October 2020. In June 2020, the Los Angelesbased duo had set out to commission 50 composers to write miniatures for piano duo as a response to the challenges of 2020. The duo recorded each of the pieces and posted them to HOCKET’s YouTube and social media channels. I Care If You Listen (ICIYL), one of the foremost contemporary classical music blogs and a program of the American Composers Forum (ACF), recently featured a review of HOCKET’s #What2020SoundsLike. Read more here.
Department Chair and Professor of Keyboard Robert Koenig featured on Santa Barbara Symphony’s Beethoven @ 250 Concert
Professor Robert Koenig was featured on the Santa Barbara Symphony’s Beethoven @ 250 Concert on November 21, 2020. The event was streamed live from the Music Academy of the West as part of the Santa Barbara Symphony’s 2020/2021 digital concert season. The chamber music program featured highlights from Beethoven’s extensive repertoire. Koenig joined Santa Barbara Symphony’s concertmaster, violinist Jessica Guideri, for the “Allegro” from the Violin Sonata No. 5, Op. 24 “Spring;” soprano Julia Metzler for Marzelline’s aria from Fidelio; and Santa Barbara Symphony clarinetist Juan Gallegos and principal cellist Trevor Handy for the “Theme and Variations” from the Trio, Op. 11 for Clarinet, Cello and Piano. Read more here. UC Santa Barbara Department of Music | Winter 2021 Newsletter | 19
Faculty News and Accomplishments Lecturer of Violin Ertan Torgul featured as Guest Teaching Artist for The REALLY Big Class
Lecturer of Violin Ertan Torgul was featured as a Guest Teaching Artist for The REALLY Big Class, an online masterclass series, on December 3, 2020. Torgul worked virtually with students from Austria, the UK, North Carolina, and Texas, playing music of Bach, Mendelssohn, and Lalo. The REALLY Big Class was created to provide inspiration, motivation, and community for violinists worldwide during the COVID-19 lockdown. The first session of the series ran from April to July 2020 with guest teaching artists from the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada, and the United States, and over 100 student performers from around the world, ranging in age from 11 to adults. Read more here.
Continuing Lecturer of Percussion Jon Nathan featured in Opera Santa Barbara and Lobero Theatre’s “Staying Home for Christmas”
Continuing Lecturer Dr. Jon Nathan performed in Opera Santa Barbara and the Lobero Theatre’s “Staying Home for Christmas” holiday concert, which was recorded live at the Lobero Theatre and streamed online from December 23-26, 2020. Hosted by Opera Santa Barbara Artistic and General Director Kostis Protopapas and Lobero Theatre Executive Director David Asbell, the free event featured Santa Barbara artists. Dr. Nathan led a jazz quartet with Santa Barbara City College’s Jim Mooy (trumpet), Santino Tarafella (bass), and Andy Langham (piano). Dr. Nathan arranged Jingle Bells and God Bless Ye Merry Gentlemen for the quartet, and the group also played a Gospel-style arrangement of Silent Night. Read more here.
Emeritus Faculty News Teaching Professor Emeritus Jeremy Haladyna contributes essay to Brazilian music journal ORFEU
Teaching Professor Emeritus Dr. Jeremy Haladyna contributed an essay, titled “Villa-Lobos Vindicated (At Last): A Pan-American Prescription,” to the October 2020 issue of the Brazilian music journal ORFEU. In the essay, Haladyna argues that the “New World” can lay claim to new confidence as to musical matters: it can now rival Europe, at least as to raw material. He seeks to bolster this assertion with a look into three specific areas: rhythm, tuning, and contextualization. Haladyna retired from UC Santa Barbara in June 2019, after serving over 25 years on the composition faculties of both the Department of Music and the College of Creative Studies. Read more here.
Photo: Gaby Goldberg
Professor Emeritus Joel Feigin’s Opera Outcast at the Gate now available online
Professor Emeritus Dr. Joel Feigin’s opera, Outcast at the Gate, is now available to view online via the composer’s YouTube channel. The video is a pre-recorded performance of a presentation by the Center for Contemporary Opera, which took place on June 14, 2019 at Symphony Space’s Leonard Nimoy Thalia Theatre in New York, NY. This semi-staged public workshop featured half of the original work and was directed by Sara Erde and conducted by Sara Jobin, with Tracey Woolley as Production Stage Manager. Feigin served as Professor of Composition at UC Santa Barbara from 1992-2015. He studied with Nadia Boulanger at Fontainebleau and with Roger Sessions at The Juilliard School. Read more here.
20 | UC Santa Barbara Department of Music | Winter 2021 Newsletter
Current Student Successes Undergraduate Student Daniel Marella raises $12,000 for COVID-19 Relief with 10-Mile Ocean Swim
Third-year undergraduate student Daniel Marella organized and completed a 10-mile ocean swim on August 15, 2020 in support of COVID-19 relief for Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, raising over $12,000. Money raised supported funds for “COVID Home Kits”—which provide essential supplies for individuals who test positive but do not need to be hospitalized—and Cottage Hospital employees from double-income and frontline worker households who had unexpected expenses related to the pandemic. Marella is pursing a Bachelor of Arts in Music Studies. He is co-captain of the men’s team for UC Santa Barbara Swimming and is a member of the UC Santa Barbara Jazz and Percussion ensembles. Read more here.
Doctor of Musical Arts Student Valdis Jansons to be featured as soloist during Santa Barbara Symphony’s 2020/2021 Season
Doctoral student Valdis Jansons was announced as the baritone soloist for the Santa Barbara Symphony’s performance of Gustav Mahler’s Songs of the Wayfarer (arr. Arnold Schoenberg) on April 17, 2021. The performance, to be conducted by Nir Kabaretti, is part of the Santa Barbara Symphony’s 2020/2021 season, which is being streamed live from the Granada Theatre with socially-distanced audiences from October 2020 to May 2021. The April 17th program will include Aaron Copland’s Fanfare for the Common Man, as well as works by Henri Tomasi, Bramwell Tovey, and Johannes Brahms. Jansons is a student of Associate Professor Dr. Isabel Bayrakdarian. Read more here.
Photo: JShoots
Doctor of Musical Arts Candidate Kelly Guerra named a finalist in the Catapult Opera Accelerate Competition
Doctoral candidate and mezzo-soprano Kelly Guerra was named a finalist in the team-based Catapult Opera Accelerate Competition, which was created to inspire innovation and creativity during this time of socially-distanced performances. Guerra and her team were given a grant of $1,000 to create a video depicting an excerpt from Los Angeles-based composer David Hertzberg’s opera, The Wake World. Described as a “hallucinatory choral fantasy,” the work was originally scored for five instruments and nine singers, and is based on a fairy tale written by British poet, magician, and occultist Aleister Crowley. Guerra is a student of Associate Professor Dr. Isabel Bayrakdarian. Read more here.
Photo: Andrew Hernandez
Undergraduate Student Noelle Barr named a winner of the Pacific Bridge Arts Foundation’s 2020 Musical Arts Scholarship
Undergraduate student Noelle Barr was named one of six winners of the Pacific Bridge Arts Foundation’s 2020 Musical Arts Scholarship. The Musical Arts Scholarship provides resources for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) students pursuing a degree in the musical arts to break into the music industry with mentorship, networking opportunities, and financial support. The fields of study of the 2020 awardees ranged from audio engineering to performance. The foundation provides a “platform to support and celebrate Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in arts and culture.” Barr is a senior and a double major in Music Studies and the History of Art and Architecture. Read more here.
Doctoral Composition Candidate Rodney DuPlessis selected as finalist for Musica Nova International Electroacoustic Competition
Doctoral Candidate Rodney DuPlessis was named a finalist for the Musica Nova International Electroacoustic Competition for his work De Rerum Natura. DuPlessis’ piece was presented alongside works by composers Annette Vande Gorne, James O’Callaghan, Louise Rossiter, and Apostolos Loufopoulos. De Rerum Natura was also a finalist for three other awards, including the Society for Electro-Acoustic Music in the United States/The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Award; SIMEC Electroacoustic Music Competition; and the Destellos International Electroacoustic Competition. DuPlessis has studied with UC Santa Barbara professors Curtis Roads, Clarence Barlow, and João Pedro Oliveira. Read more here. UC Santa Barbara Department of Music | Winter 2021 Newsletter | 21
Current Student Successes Doctoral Student Alvise Pascucci gives virtual solo piano recital from Teatro degli Industri of Grosseto, Italy as part of Scriabin Concert Series
Doctoral student Alvise Pascucci gave a virtual solo piano recital on December 23, 2020 from the Teatro degli Industri of Grosseto, Italy as part of the Scriabin Concert Series. The program included Ludwig van Beethoven’s Variations and Fugue in E-flat Major, Op. 35 and Robert Schumann’s Fantasy, Op. 17 in C Major. Pascucci has been awarded over 60 prizes in national and international competitions, and has performed in venues all over the world. He received a Performer Diploma from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University and is now working towards his Doctor of Musical Arts degree with Professor Paul Berkowitz at UC Santa Barbara, where he has been awarded the prestigious Chancellor’s Fellowship. Read more here.
Alumni News Alumna Rachel Short ‘16 contributes to Institute for Creativity article on Public Music Theory
Alumna Dr. Rachel Short ‘16 contributed to an Institute for Creativity article on public music theory, titled “Music Theory, Professional Conferences, and Community Engagement.” Short and her collaborators focused on the concept of bringing music theory to public spaces, allowing interested parties outside of academia access to information that would normally be reserved for presentations at universities and conferences. Short was also interviewed about her personal experiences presenting music theory in public spaces during the 2019 Society for Music Theory annual meeting. Short earned a PhD in Music Theory from UC Santa Barbara, where she studied with professors Lee Rothfarb and Pieter van den Toorn. Read more here.
Alumna Stephanie Choi ‘20 featured as panelist for The New Yorker’s “Expert Perspectives: K-pop In America”
Alumna Dr. Stephanie Choi ‘20 was featured as a panelist for The New Yorker’s “Expert Perspectives: K-pop In America” video, which was released on YouTube on December 8, 2020. The New Yorker’s “Expert Perspectives: K-pop In America” is a discussion among six experts from the fields of political science, philosophy, cultural studies, ethnomusicology, music production, and music journalism. The experts shared their opinions on the political economy, music structure, masculinity, authenticity, and intimate labor of K-pop in the American market. Choi earned a PhD in Ethnomusicology from UC Santa Barbara, where she worked primarily with professors David Novak, Tim Cooley, and George Lipsitz. Read more here.
22 | UC Santa Barbara Department of Music | Winter 2021 Newsletter
Remembering a Champion of the Choral Arts D. Stephen Sorensen (April 6, 1960-January 17, 2021)
The UC Santa Barbara Department of Music regretfully shares the news of the passing of D. Stephen Sorensen, a beloved member of our UC Santa Barbara community. Sorensen was a devout leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and his faith and affection toward music, especially choral music, inspired a major gift to the UC Santa Barbara Department of Music. This pledge resulted in the creation of a new position, the Sorensen Director of Choral Music, established in 2018 by Steve and his wife Shannon P. Sorensen. The Sorensen’s vital gift will ensure that there is a permanent position and resources available to the Director of Choral Music in future years to support teaching and programmatic excellence in UC Santa Barbara’s Choral Music Program within the Department of Music. In Fall 2020, Dr. Nicole Lamartine joined the Department of Music Faculty and was appointed as the inaugural Sorensen Director of Choral Music. Under Dr. Lamartine’s direction, the Choral Music Program has expanded immensely. For the first time in many years, the program now supports master’s and doctoral degree programs in Choral Conducting, affording talented students the opportunity to study the art of choral music and leadership under the guidance of one of today’s most recognized choral music educators. Dr. Lamartine has also expanded the Choral Music Program to include a new tenor-bass choir, the UCSB Singing Gauchos, and has worked to make existing groups more inclusive of all singers by changing the name of the UCSB Women’s Chorus to Lumina. Dr. Lamartine is inspired by Steve’s ability to “dream big,” and his penchant to amplify the positive impact of choral music in the lives of UC Santa Barbara students. She says, “Thank you, Steve, for your generosity in support of choral music at UCSB by endowing the position I hold—the Sorensen Director of Choral Music. I’ll continue your work.” The Department of Music is eternally grateful to Steve and to the entire Sorensen family for their commitment to support the choral arts at UC Santa Barbara. The impact of their generosity will be felt by generations of UC Santa Barbara Department of Music students, faculty, and alumni.
UC Santa Barbara Department of Music | Winter 2021 Newsletter | 23
Support the Department of Music Our alumni, parents, and friends provide essential support for teaching, research, and program needs. The department benefits from annual unrestricted support and major gifts designated for special purposes. Your generosity plays a critical role in our ability to fulfill our mission and is truly appreciated. Every gift counts. Listed below are some of our highest priorities: Funding for undergraduate scholarships and graduate student fellowships Chamber Music Program Community Outreach Support Cross-campus Interdisciplinary Projects Contact Leslie Gray, Senior Director of Development, at (805) 893-4193 or leslie.gray@ucsb.edu to make a donation. Gifts can also be made online at giving.ucsb.edu. It is the policy of the University of California, Santa Barbara that a modest portion of gifts and/or income from gifts may be used to defray the costs of raising and administering funds. music.ucsb.edu
Department of Music
University of California Santa Barbara, CA 93106-6070
24 | UC Santa Barbara Department of Music | Winter 2021 Newsletter
