Shawyon Malek-Salehi graduated from UC
Davis in 2014 with a double major in music (violin performance)
and pharmaceutical chemistry. He began studying the violin at the
age of five and was concertmaster of the UC Davis Symphony
Orchestra (UCDSO) from 2010 to 2013 and during their
international tour to Spain in 2012. He won the UCDSO Concerto
Competition in 2009, 2012, and 2013. At UC Davis, Malek studied
with Dan Flanagan and also participated in masterclasses with
Fritz Gearhart, Ida Kavafian, Rachel Barton Pine, David Halen,
and Gil Shaham.
Since graduating, Antipa completed his MS in Optics at
University of Rochester, then began working as an optical
engineering at NIF at Lawrence Livermore National Lab. While
working there, Antipa began playing with the UC Berkeley Symphony
Orchestra and studied with Adam Luftman. After a few years, he
moved to Boston where he continued to work with LLNL remotely.
While there, Antipa played with the New England Brass Band. He
was then accepted to UC Berkeley for a PhD in EE.
Since graduating from UC Davis, Courtney earned an M.M. degree
from Sacramento State in cello performance, an M.M. in Music and
Human Learning from the University of Texas at Austin, and K-12
teaching certification. She is currently a faculty member of the
University of Texas String Project, and teaches 2nd through 5th
grade orchestra at UT Elementary School. Courtney has received
Suzuki Cello Teacher Training from Carey Cheney and Tanya Carey,
and worked for two years as the Business Administrator for the
Suzuki Music Institute of Dallas.
Richard Chowenhill is an award-winning composer and guitarist.
His music has been performed across North America by the Lydian
String Quartet, the Talujon Percussion Ensemble, the Beat City
Percussion Ensemble, the Wellesley Composers Conference
Orchestra, Music from China, members of the UC Davis Symphony
Orchestra, members of the UC Davis Early Music Ensemble, the
Davis Shakespeare Ensemble, and numerous other soloists and
ensembles. Originally from California, he has performed as a
guitar player in numerous California-based bands and chamber
ensembles.
After graduating, Front moved to Brooklyn, working for Boosey &
Hawkes as a part-time Database assistant and part-time at a small
non-profit called the Gruber Foundation. He eventually moved to
the Gruber Foundation full-time, then worked at a few different
non-profits, and in the past few years, has started specializing
in the Salesforce database.
After graduating from UC Davis, she completed a Master of Music
degree in flute performance at San Francisco State University and
has taken a number of professional auditions. She also
established a private teaching studio, which now includes about
twenty private students. Green frequently performs in chamber
music concerts around the Bay Area, and is now preparing to join
the San Jose Wind Symphony.
Jessica M. Gutierrez is an ethnomusicologist-in-training with
research interests in Mexico, Native American music, music in
video games, indigenous studies, music and identity, and
ethnography. She is fascinated by how native peoples in the
Americas not only maintain, but celebrate their traditions
through music and dance. In her current research, she is using
Diamond’s Alliance Studies Model (2007) as the primary
analytical framework to trace cultural and historical connections
to a famous Zapotec- Mexican song and dance.
Jonathan Pwu is now a band and orchestra director at his alma
mater, Saratoga High School in Saratoga, California. During
his time at Davis he assisted Pete Nowlen with the UC
Davis Concert Band and played clarinet.
“One of the best things about studying music at Davis was the
flexibility and support that the professors and staff gave
the students. They really consider your interests and
encourage student involvement beyond just playing in
an ensemble.”
Hari (“Indi”) Savitala graduated in 2003 from UC Davis with
a Bachelor of Arts in Music, focusing on percussion performance.
After hearing a lecture on acoustics and seeking advice from the
music faculty, he studied acoustics at Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute (RPI) and graduated in 2006 with a Master of Sciences
degree in Architectural Sciences with a concentration in
Acoustics.
Megan Shieh is an active freelance percussionist residing in the
SF Bay Area, devoted to the performance of Western Contemporary
Classical and Afro-Caribbean percussion. She graduated from UC
Davis in 2008 and received her M.M. in percussion performance in
2010. Over the past five years she has performed with the
San Francisco Contemporary Music Players, San Francisco Chamber
Orchestra, Empyrean Ensemble, Opera Parallèle, Silicon Valley
Symphony, Grupo Samba Rio, Maracatu Luta, and many other
ensembles. Megan started her own private teaching studio, Shieh
Percussion Studio, in 2011.
