News

Mari Kimura Explores Music’s Intersections with Technology and Science

By Richard Chang Mari Kimura, a professor of music at UCI’s Integrated Composition, Improvisation and Technology program, is connecting students, disciplines and departments with her groundbreaking work. She’s fostering collaboration and interaction during times when the coronavirus pandemic has...

News | Student | Connect

Emerging Brighter

UCI student artists discovered and honed new skills in 2021 By Christine Byrd When UCI moved operations online a year and a half ago, everyone gained new skills: creating an at-home studio, mastering Zoom meetings and troubleshooting technology. But as artists struggled to keep their creative...

News | Alumni

Kevin Kwan Loucks named CEO of Chamber Music America

After an extensive national search, Chamber Music America (CMA), the national network of ensemble music professionals, has named Kevin Kwan Loucks (B.Mu. ’04) as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective Sept. 1, 2021. Loucks brings over 15 years of national and international music and performing...

News | Faculty

Dr. Rajna Swaminathan joins the UCI Music faculty

The Department of Music is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Rajna Swaminathan as Assistant Professor of Music. Professor Swaminathan holds a Ph.D. in Music from Harvard University’s Creative Practice and Critical Inquiry program and is an improviser, composer, and scholar. Her...

News | Student

UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts Names Ten New Medici Scholars

UCI Claire Trevor School of the Arts (CTSA) is pleased to announce the 2021 Medici Circle Scholars. Ten awards were given to both undergraduate and graduate students offering an opportunity to take their education beyond the classroom and collaborate with academics and artists in our community and...

News | Connect

Zooming to UCI

Artists from around the world paid virtual visits to UCI students, opening new windows of opportunity By Christine Byrd When music major Cassandra Leisher asked the New York Philharmonic’s Ryan Roberts, a classical French horn and oboe player, how he calms pre-audition nerves, she was surprised...

News | Faculty

Women in Global Music (WIGM): Network Launch

The Department of Music is pleased to support the online launch of the Women in Global Music (WIGM) Research and Industry Network, co-founded by Dr. Joe Davies, a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Global Fellow, and Dr. Yvonne Liao, from the Oxford Research Center in Humanities. The official launch events...

News | Student

2021 Dean's Scholarship Awardees

Congratulations to the 2021 Dean’s Scholarship awardees! A very special thank you to the Giving Day donors who made these scholarship funds possible. As the leading campus in the nation providing access to all qualified students, no matter what their background, our students rely on the generous...

News | Alumni | Connect

Alumni Ryan Rost, M.F.A. ’14 produces new album

Jazz musician and UCI Music alumnus Ryan Rost released his jazz trio album, “I Was Here,” on Oct. 29, 2020. The album features Doug Carter on piano, Peter Buck on drums and Rost leading on bass, and explores Rost’s curiosity through a unique compositional framework. “I’m constantly asking myself...

News | Alumni | Connect

Alumni Headed to the Grammys

Kalbasi (B.Mu, ’10) performed as a soloist and with the Los Angeles Master Chorale on “IVES: Complete Symphonies,” nominated for Best Orchestral Performance. Allen (M.F.A., ’14) performed on “Choirmaster” by Ricky Dillard, which has been nominated for Best Gospel Album. Kalbasi is a SAG-AFTRA and...

News | Faculty

Prof. Darryl Taylor presented two masterclasses at the New England Conservatory

World-renowned countertenor and founder of the African American Art Song Alliance, Darryl Taylor will held two master classes as part of the NEC Song Lab, a brand new and unique curriculum for singers and pianists. Student participants included graduate students in Vocal Performance and...

News | Alumni | Connect

Rachel Fine discovers her calling by leading arts organizations

by Richard Chang Not everyone who studies piano and music in college grows up to be a world-class, professional artist. Some grow up to be world-class, professional arts executives. Rachel Fine attended UC Irvine in the 1990s as a transfer student, graduating magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa...

News | Faculty | Student

ICIT Faculty and Students Produce a New Album

Release of Kooch-e Khamân, the Live Concert Recording of the Del Sol String Quartet with Young Iranian Composers Dr. Samuel M. Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture at UC Irvine is proud to announce the release of Kooch-e Khamân, the live concert recording of the Del Sol String Quartet...

News | Student | Connect

Practice Makes Perfect

Miles Vinson created an app for musicians with help from the Medici Scholarship Program By Christine Byrd Violinist Miles Vinson wanted to replace his handwritten practice journal with an iPhone app to help him track his practice sessions, similar to a fitness app that might help a runner train...

News | Faculty

Dr. Nicole Grimes delivers Keynote Lecture at Graduate Student Conference in Ireland

Dr. Nicole Grimes, associate professor of musicology, delivered the Keynote Lecture at the annual joint conference of the Society for Musicology in Ireland and the Irish Chapter of the International Council on Traditional Music on Friday, Jan. 22, 2021. Dr. Grimes presented her paper, "An die...

News | Faculty

Prof. Kei Akagi to perform in Spring Arts & Lecture Series for CSUSM

The longstanding Arts...

News | Faculty

Prof. Chris Dobrian will serve on a panel about Korean film music

Lecture Recital and Panel Q...

News | Student

CTSA Music Student Spotlights: Can Anybody Still Hear Me?

Get an in-depth view to the challenges students in UCI music have and are facing during the pandemic. The cancellation of concerts and recitals, plus the challenges of performing though an online portal. Read more from the student reporters at the New University.