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.
