Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Bogazici University and a Master’s degree in composition from Istanbul Technical University, Center for Advanced Studies in Music (MIAM)
Orkun Akyol (b.1992) is a composer from Istanbul, Turkey. He
holds a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Bogazici
University and a Master’s degree in composition from Istanbul
Technical University, Center for Advanced Studies in Music
(MIAM), during which he studied with Jeremy Woodruff, Pieter
Snapper, and Reuben de Lautour. His latest interests include
harmonic series, jazz music, and machine learning tools developed
for music composition. His music writing is nourished from his
diverse experiences as a jazz pianist and as an engineer.
Addie Camsuzou is a composer and violinist from
the central coast of California. She holds a Bachelor of Music
degree in music theory/composition from Sacramento State
University, where she studied composition with Dr. Stephen
Blumberg, and violin with Ian Swensen and Anna Presler. She is
currently pursuing a Ph.D. in music composition.
Josiah Tayag Catalan is a Filipino-American born
in New York City and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area. He
holds a degree from the Sacramento State School of Music
where he studied composition with Stephen Blumberg and
Leo Eylar and violin with Anna Presler and Ian Swensen.
During his studies at the Sacramento State School of Music,
he was chosen to represent the music department for the
annual One World Initiative campaign to raise awareness
around current global issues.
Samuel Clark-McHale (b. 1992) is an American
composer currently residing in Davis, CA. His works have been
performed by, among others, Ensemble Signal, Quartetto Indaco,
and the Illinois Modern Ensemble at venues and festivals
including June in Buffalo and the highSCORE New Music Festival.
His piece metallic cocaine bebop for Pierrot ensemble
was a 2015 ASCAP Morton Gould Award Finalist.
Jonathan Favero is a doctoral candidate in Music
Composition and Theory at the University of California, Davis,
and a former Mellon Public Scholars Fellow. His research
interests include music in U.S. social movements, morality in
music, and arts education in the U.S. criminal and juvenile
justice systems.
Born and raised in central Illinois, Daniel
Godsil (b. 1982) is a composer of chamber, orchestral,
vocal, electronic, and film music, currently pursuing his
PhD in Composition and Theory at the University of
California, Davis. He holds an MFA in Music Composition from the
Vermont College of Fine Arts, where he studied with John Fitz
Rogers, John Mallia, and Jonathan Bailey Holland.
Trey Makler (b. 1994) is a musical
storyteller. His music creates dramatic, poignant
narratives that take the listener on unexpected journeys through
memories of hope, play, struggle, and triumph. Aside from
composing, he enjoys writing poetry, doodling, and
organizing concerts. He is a doctoral candidate in composition
and theory at the University of California, Davis, and holds
degrees from the Juilliard School and the University of
Missouri. His primary teachers have included Mika Pelo,
Melinda Wagner, Stefan Freund, and W. Thomas McKenney.
Born and raised in Tehran, Iran, Aida Shirazi is
a Ph.D. student in composition and works with Pablo Ortiz.
Shirazi’s music is described as “well-made” and “affecting” by
The New Yorker. She holds her B.A. in classical piano
from Tehran University of Art (Iran), and her B.M. in music
composition and theory from Bilkent University (Turkey). She
studied santoor (traditional Iranian dulcimer) with Parissa
Khosravi Samani.
A Sacramento native, Ryan Suleiman was born to
Lebanese and American parents. His music aims to explore new
worlds both sonically and expressively, incorporating
“impressionistic textures and large melodic gestures” (SF
Classical Voice), resonant sonorities, and lively rhythms.
Ryan is deeply inspired by the wonder of natural world and the
tremendous beauty and complexity of everyday life.
Master’s in music composition, SUNY Fredonia; BA in music, Amherst College
Emily Joy Sullivan (b. 1987) is a composer, educator, and choral
director based in Northern California. Her music
is animated by the spirit of song, dance, and
storytelling, and is grounded in various vernacular
traditions. Ms.
Sarah Wald was born in Chicago. She
attended Columbia University in the City of New York for her
bachelor’s degree in music with a focus in
composition. While at Columbia, Sarah studied composition
with Tristan Murail and Arthur Kampela, as well as with Robert
Lombardo in Chicago. She also studied flute with Sue Ann
Kahn. Sarah then studied with Conrad Susa and David Garner
at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music for her master’s
degree in composition. For her master’s thesis, she composed
and produced Elegy for a Lady: a Music Drama in One A
When doctoral music composition students at UC Davis hear their
music played for the first time, they hear it played by
professionals who are champions of new music with years of
performance experience.
“There’s no shortage of performance opportunities, especially
for a research program, and that’s something that’s attractive
to students.” —Professor Kurt Rohde
