Orkun Akyol (b. 1992) is a PhD student in composition
and theory at UC Davis. Currently he studies with Laurie San
Martin. He holds 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. Orkun’s latest interests are jazz
music and computational creativity. His music writing is
nourished from his diverse experiences as a jazz pianist and as
an industrial engineer with a bachelor’s degree from Bogazici
University.
Dean Kervin Boursiquot, born in 1986, is a
first-generation Haitian-American, and New York native. The
guitar, film music, and music from the twentieth century sparked
his interest in music composition. While in New York, he received
his bachelor’s degree in composition at Mannes College the New
School for Music. Notable awards include: Vox Novus
Fifteen-Minutes-of-Fame: Parhelion Trio 2012, Peter Gross grant
2010, Mannes Orchestra Competition 2009, CRICE
(composer-in-residence Chamber-Ensemble) commission and second
place Jean Schneider Goberman Prize 2009.
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.
Berklee College of MusicCalifornia State University, Northridge, Master's in composition
Peter Chatterjee is a Bay Area-based composer,
arranger, and conductor. He began studying composition at Berklee
College of Music, where his primary mentors were Dr. Marti
Epstein, Dr. Panagiotis Liaropoulos, Bob Pilkington, Ayn Inserto,
and Greg Hopkins. At Berklee, he focused on jazz composition,
film scoring, and conducting. He holds a bachelor of music
in jazz composition and film scoring, and graduated summa cum
laude. Peter earned his master’s degree in composition with
distinction at California State University, Northridge, where he
studied with Dr.
Bachelor of Fine Arts in Composition and Experimental Sound Practices , CalArts
Paul Engle has studied music with many great teachers and
colleagues at Los Angeles City College, CalArts (BFA Composition
and Experimental Sound Practices), and UC Davis where he is
currently a graduate student. He also studies shakuhachi with
Kakizakai Kaoru, performs with the UCD Graduate Student Ensemble,
and teaches young people music theory and composition at New
World Music Academy in Pleasanton.
Max Gibson is a British-Irish composer, sound artist, performer,
writer, and educator, splitting his time between Birmingham, UK,
and Northern California. His works have been performed and
presented internationally in Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada,
France, Slovenia, Sweden, Turkey, the USA, and across the UK.
His teachers and mentors have included Rolf Hind, Antoine Beuger,
Ron Kuivila, Paula Matthusen, Howard Skempton, Michael Zev
Gordon, Scott Wilson, Daria Kwiatkowska, and Michael Finnissy,
among others.
Jacob Lane is a composer, pianist, and educator
who lives in Davis, California. He is the pianist for the chamber
group Sl(e)ight
Ensemble and has been a member of The Music Teachers’
Association of California since 2015. In addition to his private
studio, Jacob teaches piano performance and music theory at New
World Music Academy in Pleasanton, California. Jacob holds
degrees in music performance from Mills College (Oakland,
California), and Northern Vermont State University (Johnson,
Vermont).
James R. Larkins (b. 1999) is a composer and
cellist from North Carolina whose music explores the space
between structural precision and musical spontaneity. He holds a
bachelor’s degree in music and chemistry from the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he studied composition
under Allen Anderson, Stephen Anderson, and Lee Weisert, and
studied cello under Brent Wissick.
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.
B.A. Music: Skidmore College M.M. Music Composition: Boston Conservatory at Berklee
Colin Minigan (b.1994) is a Massachusetts-born composer whose
recent music is concerned with natural phenomena, and the
relationship between static and fluid elements of musical
composition and performance. In addition to composition Colin
spent time studying ethnomusicology and uses this perspective to
inform his compositions. Colin has frequently collaborated on
dance projects with performances throughout the United States and
is an administrator and curator of the Xsection Film Festival, a
festival aimed at promoting interdisciplinary collaboration
between dance, science, and film.
M.A., University of California Santa CruzB.M., San Francisco State University
Bryndan Moondy is a composer and guitarist rooted in Northern
California. Bryndan’s creative practice seeks to engage the
substance and materiality of sound and is driven by a fascination
with the meanings we construct for ourselves through listening
and engagement with[in] sound spaces. His work frequently draws
influence from the natural world and other mediums within the
visual and literary arts. Bryndan has received degrees from
San Francisco State University and UC Santa Cruz. He is
currently pursuing a PhD in composition and theory at UC Davis.
Joseph Donald Peterson (b. 1995, he/him) is a performer,
composer, and occasional violin maker. He received his Bachelor’s
degree in viola performance from The Juilliard School, where he
studied with the violist Samuel Rhodes and the composer Justin
Dello Joio. During his time there, he was runner-up in the
Juilliard School viola competition, contributed to the
student-led newspaper, The Citizen Penguin, and co-led several
student actions.
Joseph Vasinda is a composer and music educator based in the
Sacramento area and is attending school to earn a PhD in
music composition and theory. As a composer, he is deeply
interested in creating works that resonate with performers.
Whether through performer input on the musical material,
performer feedback on the experience of playing through the
piece, or by using improvisational elements, Joseph writes pieces
that he hopes performers will find enjoyable or rewarding.
Zoë A. Wallace (b. 1994) is a composer and guitarist currently
based in Northern California. She has performed in concerts
throughout the country and has had pieces performed by such
groups as KAIA String Quartet, Fulcrum Point New Music Project,
and the Fifth Wave Collective, as well as having been featured in
festivals such as the Hot Air Music Festival and the 21st
Century Guitar Conference.
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
