UC Davis graduate student in music Josiah
Tayag Catalan, and Chris Castro (Ph.D.,
music, ‘18), now a UC Davis lecturer in music, are among the
composers given premieres at this year’s Composers
Conference.
In its first professional album released by Centaur Records,
and distributed internationally by Naxos, several of the UC Davis
Symphony Orchestra’s live-concert recordings now appear alongside
the Munich Radio Orchestra. The performances were
conducted by Professor Christian Baldini, music director
and conductor of the UC Davis Symphony
Orchestra and the Barbara K. Jackson Chair in
Orchestral Conducting.
At 7 years old, Tiara Abraham took her first college class at
American River College.
Her mother Dr. Taji Abraham accompanied her to the Spanish
class where they sat together in the front row.
While at ARC, it was not unusual for Tiara’s classmates to be
three or four times her age. However, the other students were
always welcoming once they saw her in action.
“I was very focused on what the professor was saying, so I
think that it was easy for the professors and classmates to
understand that I was serious about learning,” Tiara said.
Daniel Godsil (PhD, composition, ‘21) has joined
the full-time faculty at Columbia College, which is located in
California’s Sierra Mountains. He will be both developing
and teaching music theory and musicianship, along with teaching
piano, guitar, chorus, orchestra, and other ensembles.
Alum Alex Van Gils (PhD, composition ‘17)
has joined the staff of Cycling ‘74, which produces the
industry’s leading electronic music software—including Max/MSP.
In his new role he will be a part of the materials team, teaching
users—particularly at universities and other similar
organizations.
Alumna Angelica
Cortez (B.A., music, ‘12) has been named Interim
President and CEO of El
Sistema USA. El Sistema started in Venezuela as a hope
for all young people to have access to music education. Its
leader and the community El Sistema created was so bold and
captivating it inspired musicians, artists, and activists around
the world to create programs committed to exploring the
intersection of music and justice.
“I’m so thankful to the board of directors, who have trusted me
to support the organization through this transition,” said
Cortez.
On Wednesday, June 23, 2021, at 6:00 pm (Pacific Time) the
ensemble Earplay will give its virtual summer
gala, Gratitude, Gathering, and Music. They
will present new compositions by UC Davis graduate student
Josiah Tayag
Catalan, Andrew Conklin, Richard Festinger,
and Hyo-Shin Na. This program will be hosted by Andrew
Conklin with introductions by the composers and commentary
from fans and colleagues of Earplay.
UC Davis Professor of Music Kurt Rohde will
have his It Wasn’t a Dream performed by the
Brooklyn Art Song Society as part of their final concert series,
“New Voices,” on June 12, 2021, at 7:30 pm. It Wasn’t a
Dream was recorded by the Brooklyn Art Song Society and
released by Albany Records in 2020.
When Tiara Abraham was 4 years old, her parents noticed she had
a knack for singing with vibrato, a style more often found in
accomplished opera singers than preschoolers. “They noticed I
really enjoyed singing,” she said. Soon after, they signed her
up for private singing lessons. Still just 15 years old, the
Sacramento native has performed with as a soloist at Carnegie
Hall, the Vatican and in Vienna.
Emily Joy Sullivan’s piano trio, Dangerous Curves
Ahead, was accepted into the Society for Composers
(SCI) National Call for Scores 2021. (A prior recording of)
the piece will be
livestreamed on the first concert of the 2021 SCI National
Conference Thursday, May 6 at 7:00 MM PST.
Graduate student composer Sarah Wald will
have her 2017 Percussion
Trio performed at 5:00 pm Pacific on April 12 via
YouTube. The trio will be performed by Northern Illinois
University’s Percussion Ensemble, which is directed by Greg
Beyer. Greg is also the leader of Arcomusical and gave
several first performances of UC Davis graduate student works
earlier this year with Arcomusical.
UC Davis graduate student Josiah Tayaq
Catalan will have his new composition,
unravel, composed for solo piano, premiered on
the SFCMP program available April 10 through May 10,
2021. The concert is part of the Contemporary Music
Players CROSSROADS series and is accessed
via an
on-demand webcast for $8–12 beginning April 10 at
8 pm Pacific time.
Undergraduate music major Tiara Abraham performed “Quia Respexit”
from J.S. Bach’s Magnificat, and earned the
Grand Prize from the Enkor International Music
Competition. She received a score of 96.25 percent,
which is the highest received by a contestant during its six
years and won the Grand Prize among ages 10–25 in the vocal
category. Enkor is a unique music competition with a jury
board consisting of more than 500 members throughout the
world.
Delayed from fall of 2020, this year’s festival features eight
women, including co-director Jane Lenoir, in celebration of 100
years since ratification of women’s right to vote in the
United States. Concerts will be livestreamed via
the Berkeley Choro Ensemble’s YouTube
channel. Pioneering women composers of Brazil, notably
including Chiquinha Gonzaga and Carolina Cardoso de
Menezes, will be featured in this year’s festival.
Kurt Rohde, UC Davis professor of music,
will for the second year running be the composer-in-residence at
the summer festival produced by New York’s Weekend of Chamber Music in
the Catskill Mountains. The festival is titled “Into the
Light,” and will feature chamber music of Ludwig van Beethoven,
Elliott Carter, Füsun Köksal, Huijuan Ling, Kurt Rohde, Franz
Schubert, Andrew Waggoner, and Shelley Washington.
Alumna Emma Gavenda
(B.A., music, ‘10) recently appeared in New Zealand Opera’s world premiere of
Ihitai
‘Avei’a – Star Navigator. It was performed in concert by
the Manukau Symphony Orchestra, Auckland Choral and the Graduate
Choir New Zealand. Gavenda was a chorister in presentation,
which featured Amitai Pati, one of the 2016 Rising Stars of Opera
at UC Davis Robert and Magrit Mondavi Center for the Performing
Arts.
UC Davis professor of music Laurie San
Martin’s duo Zeppelin, for flute and cello, will be
performed
via livestream on Monday, April
5, 2021, at 5:30 pm Pacific Time,
from the Hamel Music Center at the Mead Witter School of Music,
University of Wisconsin. The program also includes works by David
Lang, Lou Harrison, and Astor Piazzolla.
