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 2010-2013 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, he 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 PhD in EE. Antipa currently studies computational imaging and have continued to perform with the UC Berkeley Symphony Orchestra.
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 UCD, 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 5 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.
