Because of the county health guidelines and the campus safety
measures, we will be offering most of our courses as
entirely remote classes this fall. We are hoping to offer a few
of our performance classes as hybrid or in-person classes (more
information about that below). The Music Department, which
usually presents over 100 events a year—including student
recitals, student composition premieres, scholarly presentations,
and so much more—will look very different this fall. While
we will miss the daily encounters with our music students—our
students who are usually running between rehearsals, or cramming
for a midterm in the bustling listening lounge, or glowing from
an amazing performance on the Pitzer or Mondavi Center stages—we
know that this pause and isolation from each other is temporary
and crucial to helping prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Music 2A, 6A, and 16A must be taken concurrently for a total of 7
units. This set of courses comprises first-year theory
requirements for music majors and begins once a year, in the
fall quarter.
One of the most important priorities of the music department
today is establishing a fund to cover the otherwise out-of-pocket
expenses for individual music lesson instruction for UC Davis
students. These students gain necessary one-on-one instruction
from a career professional in their field and use those skills in
individual and group performances—including the UC Davis Symphony
Orchestra, Choruses, Percussion Ensemble, Baroque, Early Music,
and more. We seek everyone’s support in this endeavor.
One of UC Davis’s highest priorities is the safety of its
students and all members of its community. UC Davis
prohibits all forms of sexual harassment and sexual violence,
including sexual assault, dating and domestic violence, and
stalking. Such conduct violates University policy and may
violate California law.
Recently William Storz (B.A. Music, ’20) received the 2020 David
S. Saxon Award for Excellence in the Performance of Early Music
bestowed by UC Davis Music Department. Storz also received the
honor in 2019.
The Department of Music is proud of its students. Not only have
they risen to the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic,
but in the wake of the senseless killings of George Floyd,
Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, they have committed themselves
to social justice. We resoundingly support our students’ efforts
to make the world a more inclusive and safer place, and we
continue to elicit their input on how best to address the
systemic racism that endangers people of color. We stand
with our students in protesting violence against black and brown
members of our community.
The UC Davis Department of Music brings life to both classic and
newly created works. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic we will
not offer in-person concerts in the Fall of 2020. We hope we
can return to presenting in-person concerts sometime between
January and June of 2021. In fact, we have many spectacular and
diverse programs planned by the UC Davis Symphony Orchestra,
Empyrean Ensemble, Chorus, Concert Band, and others.
Beginning in October, we will livestream weekly noon
concerts thanks to generous gifts made to the Joy S. Shinkoskey
Series of Noon Concerts Endowment. Gifts to the endowment are
made by local Davis resident Brett Hewitt and others, and support
professional musicians from our region. If you are able, consider contributing to
the fund.
We are also exploring the possibility of streaming a few creative
performances by our student ensembles. We will release more
information as our options become more clear. Any streamed
concerts will be shown on the Music at UC Davis YouTube
channel.
