CalArts Music 2009-2011

THE HERB ALPERT SCHOOL OF

MUSIC 2009–2011

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

The Herb Alpert School of Music at California Institute of the Arts offers programs for the professional training of music artists in a unique learning environment founded on principles of artistic excellence, experimentation, critical reflection and independent inquiry. Firmly grounded in traditional and contemporary music forms, the school’s programs prepare graduates to develop new expressions and contribute to the evolution of music practice.

THIS PAGE: Visiting composer Sandeep Bhagwati conducts a 30-piece configuration of the New Century Players in the CalArts Main Gallery ahead of a performance at the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater (REDCAT) in downtown Los Angeles. OPPOSITE: MFA candidate Sara Philips with BFA student Paul Fuller

What makes a great school of music in the present age? Here in The Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts, we believe such a school is one of ever-open musical possibilities. It is a fertile environment for the evolution of musicmaking as well as for the teaching and learning of music.

DAV I D ROSEN BOOM DEAN’S INTRODUCTION

A great school of music is one that is in tune with the unprecedented stylistic egalitarianism of our time, a school that enables young music artists to recognize their original voices and develop them with skills on the highest level. It is a school that helps students to build a frame around their creative profiles and to give focus to their emerging visions in the context of the vast and varied global cultural landscape of today. A great school of music is one that fosters informed mobility among cultures and deepens the understanding necessary to be effective across a range of collaborative creative situations and settings.

—including ones that may not have existed before—in our unpredictable and rapidly changing professional milieu. A great school of music is one that adapts flexibly to emerging forms of distribution and information sharing and to changes in what may be considered fundamental for music learning. It is a school that nurtures the tenacity new artistic visions may demand, the will to challenge society’s definitions and presumptions when necessary, and the perseverance required for young artists to manifest the profound gifts they may offer to their evolving cultures. A great school of music is one that embraces an evolving world for its rich possibilities, its new opportunities.

IT IS A SCHOOL THAT OFFERS TOOLS TO EMPOWER YOUNG MUSICAL INNOVATORS IN CARVING OUT UNIQUE AND INDIVIDUALIZED CAREER PATHWAYS

The Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts offers a dynamic learning environment optimized for informed, creative musicmakers. Students are fully immersed at the front lines of their chosen fields, where they can recognize clearly what they need to learn—and why—in order to become effective contributors to those fields.

CREATIVE MUSIC TODAY CAN DRAW INSPIRATION FROM ANY AND ALL FIELDS OF EARLIER MUSICAL DEVELOPMENT.

THIS OPEN CROSS-POLLINATION OF INFLUENCES HAS GIVEN RISE TO A DENSE, LUSH MACROCOSM OF ORIGINAL SOUND: A FERTILE TERRAIN IN WHICH TO CREATE AND RE-CREATE ANEW.

THESE QUALITIES ALSO SPELL OUT THE FORMULA FOR THE SUCCESS OF OUR STUDENTS: THE COMPOSERS, PERFORMERS AND PRODUCERS WHO WILL SHAPE THE GLOBAL MUSICAL LANDSCAPE OF TOMORROW.

Our school is especially attuned to the fact that young practitioners, regardless of their individual stylistic trajectories, must now master a wide range of musical literature and theories, both traditional and new, and a very broad range of practical skills. Most importantly, they must become resourceful and self-reliant practitioners—fast learners who are able to survive on the cutting edge while surfing trends with critical acuity and working within a spectrum of speculative ideas. Now more than ever, young artists must aim for the highest levels of versatility in order to lay the groundwork for future success: They need the ability to move among musical cultures and styles and, increasingly, instruments and media; to work in a variety of interdisciplinary situations; and to develop advanced writing, speaking, playing, teaching, technological and creative skills. Our programs are designed expressly for such artists, helping them to cultivate a far-ranging musical acumen while at the same time providing specialized training best suited for meeting each student’s specific goals. Moreover, our programs focus on the development of intellectual and critical abilities so that each artist can best contextualize his or her distinctive work within broader aesthetic and cultural settings—and effectively project that work out into the world.

Our community of musicmakers represents the highest standards in musical knowledge, skill, creativity, resourcefulness, strong individual initiative, and tenacity.

COUNTER-CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: MFA vocalist Danielle Birrittella; BFA composer Whitney George; one of the school’s many gamelan performances

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: I Nyoman Wenten (RIGHT), holder of the school’s Nicholas England Chair, leads a Balinese gamelan performance; rehearsals for the Jean-Philippe Rameau opera Platée; pianist Danny Holt (MFA 06) gives his graduation recital, a program entitled “Innovators, Mavericks and ‘Bad Boys’”

THE HERB ALPERT SCHOOL OF

MUSICAT CALARTS

The Herb Alpert School of Music teams up each year with the CalArts School of Theater for a full production of an opera at the Walt Disney Modular Theater on campus. Jean-Philippe Rameau’s comédie lyrique Platée (1745) was the work staged in 2008. This performance also featured students from the School of Dance.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE

DEAN’S INTRODUCTION, David Rosenboom

THE SCHOOL AT A GLANCE

PROGRAMS

FACULTY

SPECIAL RESOURCES

FACILITIES

VISITING ARTISTS

ALUMNI

APPLICATIONS

01 01 08 13 32 38 42 48 50 52

The information contained in this publication is subject to change. For the most up-to-date information about The Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts, see calarts.edu/music and/or music.calarts.edu.

As a reflection of CalArts’ longtime commitment to cultural diversity and global understanding in the arts, the school vigorously promotes the study and practice of music across cultural boundaries. This global perspective gives students greater musical and cultural mobility and a dramatically more versatile skill set—important competitive advantages in the rapidly changing world of professional musicmaking.

UNPARALLELED DIVERSITY OF MUSICAL FORMS

The Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts offers rigorous training in an unrivaled variety of musical styles and cultures. This vibrant mix helps each student to acquire the musical fluency to work across conventional boundaries, expand his or her artistic and cultural horizons, and develop a global creative vision.

GLOBAL MUSIC PERSPECTIVE

INTERNATIONALLY

The music faculty consists of innovators and leaders in each specialty—composers, performers, performer-composers, creative artists and producers who have distin-guished themselves at the highest levels. All faculty members are practicing professionals uniquely qualified to prepare students for the demands of a global music community.

ROY AND EDNA DISNEY/CALARTS THEATER (REDCAT)

SUPPORT FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY WORK

calarts.edu/music music.calarts.edu

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REDCAT is CalArts’ downtown Los Angeles center for the presentation of innovative performing, visual and media arts. Qualified music students are invited to perform here with faculty and visiting artists. Besides music performances, REDCAT’s eclectic programming allows all CalArts students to experience a wide range of experimental work by a mix of emerging artists and internationally renowned practitioners.

CalArts’ distinctive educational philosophy has always championed cross-pollination across all the arts. Music students routinely engage in creative work with their peers from other CalArts schools. The school views such work as normal practice for innovative artists, and fully supports individual interdisciplinary work as well as multidisciplinary and collaborative projects.

THE SCHOOL AT A GLANCE

RENOWNED FACULTY

The school’s prolific performance calendar features more than 250 events every year, ranging from on-campus recitals to performances at REDCAT—the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater in the Walt Disney Concert Hall complex—and other high-profile venues in Los Angeles. Faculty members play alongside students in many of these concerts, while the most advanced students have opportunities to perform with faculty at other U.S. and international venues.

THE WILD BEAST

An award-winning, nationally recognized program, CAP links CalArts with local communities through free after-school and school-based arts programs for youth. Many CalArts music students gain valuable teaching experience by leading CAP workshops and classes at community art centers and public schools throughout Los Angeles County.

COMMUNITY ARTS PARTNERSHIP (CAP)

With approximately 260 students, the school offers a low 5:1 student-faculty ratio, small class sizes, and frequent one-on-one lessons. Every student works closely with his or her own mentor, a faculty member who serves as that student’s artistic advisor.

EXTENSIVE

The professional producing arm of CalArts serves as a laboratory for the creation of adventurous new music, dance, theater and interdisciplinary works—original projects that challenge and redefine the boundaries of contemporary performance. The CNP joins CalArts with the broader, international professional community.

CENTER FOR NEW PERFORMANCE (CNP)

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The state-of-the-art Wild Beast is the school’s newest performance space. Named in honor of composer Morton Feldman’s metaphor for the untamable in music, The Wild Beast serves as both a recital venue and an open-air, large-stage performance pavilion. This iconic new building now supplements the Roy O. Disney Music Hall, which is also used as a recording studio and a networked presentation space for multimedia.

In addition to comprehensively outfitted spaces for performance and rehearsal, the school offers a large and distinctly eclectic instrument collection and cutting-edge technical facilities—featuring a wide array of hardware and software tools; digital recording studios; studios for computer music and experimental media; access to networking; and research and development facilities for music technologies.

STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITIES, PRODUCTION TOOLS AND

TECHNOLOGIES

PERSONAL ATTENTION AND MENTORING

PERFORMANCE OPPORTUNITIES

INTERNATIONALLY

calarts.edu/music music.calarts.edu

RENOWNED FACULTY

1010

WHITNEY GEORGEFrom San Francisco

BFA COMPOSITION PROGRAM

“ I play four instruments pretty proficiently now. It’s typical that composers play more than one instrument: You can write for them better if you play them. Most play piano, which I do not—piano because you can play multiple notes at a time to create sonorities. I write horizontally versus vertically. Instead of choosing a progression, I write for instruments as single lines, as if they were saying something. Each instrument contributes to the whole piece by saying a ‘complete sentence.’

“I started writing music (at a very low efficiency level), in high school, where it may have taken me a week, or two or three, to make a minute of music that I really liked. Now I can write a minute of music in about an hour. It comes more easily with practice. Composing is not a choice anymore. It’s my outlet—something that I have to do—an opportunity to let out my emotions.

I USUALLY SET ASIDE ANYWHERE BETWEEN TWO AND SIX HOURS A DAY, BY MYSELF, TO COMPOSE, AND NOT A DAY GOES BY THAT I DON’T DO IT.

“I am so glad I did two of my years of undergrad at another school, because it was really humbling. No one wanted to play new music there—I really had to fight to make something happen. When I got to CalArts, I knew that I wanted to collaborate with people; that I wanted to work with a dancer because I felt my music could be danced to; or I wanted to work with a group of actors, because I felt that they could bring something to the music as a whole, and to how the audience understood it. That’s what I poured myself into. Fighting for performance opportunities for two years made me want to go out and get it: to find collaborators who wanted original music written for their projects, but mostly people who wanted to participate and perform. Just the attitude toward new works and new performances here fosters excitement about creating new pieces.

“I considered other programs at other schools. Obviously, this place is the ‘cat’s meow’—especially if you want to do interdisciplinary work. For me, it wasn’t a question about whether or not to come here; it was a must. I did, and I’m really happy I did. ”

Music students join with colleagues from the Schools of Film/Video and Theater to stage an interdisciplinary installation called The Closest Farthest Away in CalArts’ Black and White Studio.

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THE HERB ALPERT SCHOOL OF MUSIC AT CALARTS

OFFERS PROGRAMS AT THE UNDERGRADUATE

AND GRADUATE LEVELS.

UNDERGRADUATE

PROGRAMS LEAD TO

THE BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS (BFA) OR

THE CERTIFICATE OF FINE ARTS.

PROGRAMS

GRADUATE PROGRAMS

LEAD TO

THE MASTER OF FINE ARTS (MFA) OR

THE ADVANCED CERTIFICATE OF FINE ARTS.

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PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS ARE INVITED TO

APPLY TO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:

Performer-Composer Program (UPPER-DIVISION BFA, MFA)

WITH A SPECIALIZATION AVAILABLE IN

African American Improvisational Music (MFA LEVEL ONLY)

Composition Program (BFA, MFA)


Experimental Sound Practices (MFA LEVEL ONLY)

Jazz Program (BFA, MFA)

Music Technology Program: Interaction, Intelligence and Design (BFA ONLY)

Musical Arts Program (BFA ONLY)

PROGRAMS IN PERFORMANCE

African Music and Dance Program (MFA ONLY)

Balinese and Javanese Music and Dance Program (MFA ONLY)

Brass Program (BFA, MFA)

Guitar Program (BFA, MFA)

Harp Program (BFA, MFA)

North Indian Music Program (MFA ONLY)

Percussion Program (BFA, MFA)

Piano/Keyboard Program (BFA, MFA)


Collaborative Keyboard (MFA LEVEL ONLY)

Strings Program (BFA, MFA)

Voice Program (BFA, MFA)

Winds Program (BFA, MFA)

World Music Program (BFA ONLY)

World Percussion Program (MFA ONLY)

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BFA programs require students to complete a minimum of 120 semester units while candidates for the MFA degree must complete at least 60 units.

Every BFA student pursues coursework in three areas: the Music Core Curriculum, the Critical Studies Undergraduate Requirements, and his or her specialized program curriculum. All BFA programs enable students to acquire musical skills and knowledge through intensive practice and theoretical study, to synthesize learning from multiple sources, and to develop artistic voices that are well-articulated, original, independent and highly versatile. These courses of study are designed to not only prepare graduating students for entering existing professional fields in music, but also to equip graduates with the skills and capabilities to redefine those fields and chart new artistic directions.

MFA students concentrate primarily on advanced work in their respective programs, refining a comprehensive range of technical, creative, contextualization, collaborative and entrepreneurial skills. MFA programs are structured to prepare graduating students to enter the world of high-level professional musicmaking as self-motivated innovators who are fully able to pursue individually defined careers and open new pathways in today’s fast-moving musical environment.

The Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts offers more than 200 courses each semester. Music students may also take elective courses offered by the Schools of Art, Critical Studies, Dance, Film/Video and Theater.

In order to graduate, students must complete all program and course require-ments—including recital, portfolio and thesis requirements—and pass regular faculty reviews of their artistic progress. The faculty continu-ously assess and evaluate student learning in order to address individual needs and provide necessary direction and personalized attention.

See detailed program requirements and current course listings at calarts.edu/courses.

BFA MUSIC CORE CURRICULUM

The BFA Music Core Curriculum provides undergraduates with a solid basis for the conceptual understanding of musical processes and components, and prepares them for more advanced work in their areas of specialty. Reflecting the school’s commitment to the diversity of musical forms and languages, the Music Core Curriculum helps students to hone the fundamentals of perception, analysis, performance and production across different musical styles and cultures.

The curriculum features intensive instruction in music theories and musicianship skills, and covers music history and literature in the context of a worldwide cultural framework spanning historical periods. Additional courses explore improvisation, composition, music technologies, and multicultural music performance.

CRITICAL STUDIES UNDERGRADUATE REQUIREMENTS

Candidates for the BFA degree must complete at least 46 Critical Studies semester units as part of the overall 120 units needed for graduation. This amounts to an average of three Critical Studies classes per semester and represents nearly 40 percent of each BFA student’s course load. Critical Studies courses complement the music curriculum, helping students to integrate intellectually rigorous methods of inquiry and reflection into their creative processes, and to embrace communication and critical thinking as important facets of artmaking. Some courses in music history, literature and other areas can fulfill a portion of the Critical Studies requirements.

For detailed information about the Critical Studies Undergraduate Requirements, see calarts.edu/undergrad.

THIRD- AND FOURTH-YEAR BFA, MFA

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PERFORMER-COMPOSER PROGRAM

Since its founding, The Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts has been recognized worldwide as a leading center for contemporary composition and performance.

For advanced students, this integrated approach to musicmaking serves as a vital linchpin in the evolution of original work and the maturation and refining of individual artistic voices.

This challenging curriculum is not a double major, but rather focuses specifically on ways in which music artists can develop their overall creative profiles and a distinctive body of music by combining technical performance virtuosity with innovative compositional models. Each area depends on the other in order to be fully realized. In this process, students who are already accomplished composers and expert players immerse themselves deeply and intensively all along the entire continuum of creative musicmaking.

T HE SCHO OL IS E X T ENDING T H IS L EG AC Y BY OFFERING A UN IQUE PRO GR A M T H AT REFL EC T S HOW NE W D IREC T IONS IN CRE AT I V E MUSIC INCRE A S INGLY DEM A ND T HE T HOROUGHGOING IN T EGR AT ION OF COMP OSI T ION A ND PERFORM A NCE PR AC T ICE .

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Wadada Leo Smith, coordinator of African American Improvisational Music and curator of the school’s annual Creative Music Festival

PERFORMER-COMPOSER SPECIALIZATION IN AFRICAN AMERICAN IMPROVISATIONAL MUSIC MFA LEVEL ONLY

Students in this specialization are trained to be creative performers who approach music- and artmaking from a variety of angles and con-texts, including musical, theoretical, historical, sociological, philosophical and interdisciplinary perspectives. The curriculum emphasizes immer-sive experiences in improvisation, composition, performance and collaboration—all of which combine to lay the foundation for new and holistic creative work. Students are especially encouraged to explore and research the ways in which innovative improvised music is connected with experimental practices in dance, theater, literature and film. This challenging specialization leads to the completion of a body of original work that includes a major performance, a professional-level portfolio, and a thesis. Each student’s work is closely reviewed by faculty throughout his or her course of study.

The Performer-Composer Program does not prescribe any particular style or direction or point of emphasis. Instead, it provides highly individualized courses of study—comprehensive training regimens in cutting-edge composition and performance that are custom-tailored to the creative interests of each student and assessed continuously by the faculty. Studies may include mastering original systems of improvisation, special methods for notation, unique performance techniques and new music technologies. Students in this program give recitals and other performances centered on original music. In addition to solo performances, they often organize ensembles, sometimes with faculty participation, that are dedicated to exploring emerging musical languages. In keeping with the value CalArts places on interdisciplinary art, the Performer-Composer Program also strongly supports students who wish to explore—and link their work with—disciplines beyond music.

At both the BFA and MFA levels, the Performer-Composer Program culminates with a formal graduation recital and the completion of a professional-grade composition portfolio.

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INS T E A D, T HE CURRICULUM A ND PEDAGO GIC A L ME T HODS SUPP ORT T HE ACQUIS I T ION OF TO OL S A ND ENG AGEMEN T WI T H IDE A S T H AT WIL L EN A BL E E ACH S T UDEN T TO BUIL D A ND SUS TA IN H IS OR HER OWN PROF IL E A S A N INNOVAT I V E CRE AT I V E A RT IS T.

Long noted for its important contributions to contemporary musical innovation, the school’s Composition Program allows each student to develop his or her own artistic voice through the mastery of a broad range of theories, techniques and creative tools. In recognition of the enormous expansion in the stylistic breadth of contemporary music during the last century and now at the beginning of the 21st century, students are not expected to follow any particular stylistic pathway or school of composition.

Composition students also expand their knowledge of historical and current practices so that they are better able to contextualize their work and build successful careers. To support these goals, the Composition Program offers an impressive array of courses, exposure to the work of many prominent guest composers, and continuous assessment and critique of each student’s work as it develops. All students are required to compile a professional-quality portfolio of work by the end of their residencies.

Student composers frequently write for various student and faculty performers, as well as many types of ensembles and chamber groups, including the New Century Players, a professional resident ensemble of the school. They also collaborate regularly with a wide range of performing, visual and literary artists throughout the CalArts community.

COMPOSITION PROGRAMBFA, MFA

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ABOVE: Faculty member Ulrich Krieger (STANDING) leads a seminar called Sonic Boom, aimed at exploring common ground shared by the avant-garde rock, noise, ambient and electronic music genres. OPPOSITE: Wolfgang von Schweinitz, holder of the Roy E. Disney Family Chair in Musical Composition

COMPOSITION SPECIALIZATION IN EXPERIMENTAL SOUND PRACTICES MFA LEVEL ONLY

The Specialization in Experimental Sound Practices gives advanced student composers and sound artists the opportunity to explore uncharted sonic domains and traverse traditional boundaries. Students focus on developing new forms through sound installation and performance, interactive media, advanced technology, improvisation, and acoustic experimentation. They emerge from this course of study as skilled, musically informed composers and sound artists capable of leading in this rapidly evolving field.

This wide-reaching specialization is intended for composition students with strong musical grounding who show an inclination toward experimentation, exploration and linking different methodologies—students who define themselves not strictly as music composers in the traditional sense but, more broadly, as artists experimenting with sound.

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The Jazz Program is widely recognized for its distinguished faculty, successful alumni and award-winning students. This challenging program helps students develop into highly versatile performers, improvisers and composers who are able to successfully initiate, produce and integrate work informed by jazz styles with other musical traditions and the latest innovations in contemporary music.

Students rehearse and perform with faculty on a regular basis, while their work is continuously honed in private sessions, classes, ensembles and performances. Studies in this program culminate with recitals, often augmented by recording projects.

T HE JA Z Z PRO GR A M EMPH A SIZE S SM A L L ENSEMBL E PERFORM A NCE A ND IMPROV IS AT ION , A ND OFFER S E XCEP T ION A L PERFORM A NCE OPP ORT UNI T IE S , BOT H ON A ND OFF C A MPUS , A S WEL L A S OPP ORT UNI T IE S TO WORK WI T H A ND OBSERV E WORL D-CL A S S GUE S T A RT IS T S .

JAZZ PROGRAMBFA, MFA

Since 1990, Capitol Records–EMI Recorded Music has funded the production of an annual recording of original work by students in the Jazz Program. The recording sessions take place at Capitol Studios, located in the historic “stack of wax” tower in Hollywood. David Roitstein (INSET, playing piano), chair of the Jazz Program and holder of the school’s Mel Powell Chair, serves as the CD’s producer. LEFT: Trumpeter Clinton Patterson (MFA 07)

Composer, multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Vinny Golia leads a rehearsal of the 40-piece Large Ensemble.


A FAMILY OF SEPARATE YET INTERRELATED COURSES

OF STUDY, THE PROGRAMS IN PERFORMANCE PREPARE

STUDENTS FOR THE EMERGING CAREER PATHWAYS OF

THE 21ST CENTURY—CHARACTERIZED BY A REMARKABLY

DIVERSE SPECTRUM OF PROFESSIONAL PRACTICES.

Each individual program enables students to develop both high-level technical skills in their areas of specialization and the breadth of knowledge and versatility required for success in today’s evolving artistic world. Students are presented with myriad performance opportunities, extensive studies of both traditional and cutting-edge music, and an excellent student-faculty ratio. They also have unique opportunities to look beyond music by working in settings that merge music with other art forms, new genres, and previously uncharted areas.

Guided by a faculty of internationally acclaimed artists, students hone their skills through concentrated training

and a demanding schedule of formal and informal concerts. Students present traditional and contemporary repertoire, often alongside new original works, in solo recitals and concerts by ensembles in a variety of configurations. Drawing on a whole array of musical traditions from around the globe, such ensembles include chamber groups, chamber orchestras, early music groups, vocal ensembles, opera companies, jazz and experimental ensembles, various world music groups, and specialized crossover ensembles that link different program areas. As part of this training, students frequently rehearse and perform with faculty, both on and off campus.

23The CalArts Javanese gamelan Kyai Doro Dasih (“The Honorable Dream Come True”) performs at REDCAT under the direction of faculty members Djoko Walujo and Nanik Wenten (TOP RIGHT) and guest artist B.R.M. Bambang Irawan. The performance includes a form of shadow puppet play called wayang kuit purwa (RIGHT).

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THE PROGRAMS IN PERFORMANCE ENCOMPASS 13 SEPARATE

PROGRAMS AND ONE GRADUATE-LEVEL SPECIALIZATION:

AFRICAN MUSIC AND DANCE PROGRAM

MFA ONLY

THIS GRADUATE PROGRAM OFFERS INTENSIVE STUDY OF MUSIC AND DANCE FROM THE EWE PEOPLE OF GHANA, WITH VISITING ARTISTS COVERING REPERTOIRE FROM OTHER AFRICAN CULTURES.

Since music and dance are inseparable in most of West Africa, most classes in this program include both disciplines. The coursework gives students the abilities and means to become expert performers, while also featuring classes in theory, transcription and analysis. MFA candidates in this program are required to demonstrate their performing skills in recitals and, depending on the specific nature of an individual student’s work, complete a supplemental thesis.

Alfred Ladzekpo, one of the longest-serving members of the school’s faculty


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BALINESE AND JAVANESE MUSIC AND

DANCE PROGRAMMFA ONLY BRASS, HARP,

STRINGS AND WINDS PROGRAMS

BFA, MFA

Working with a full instrument collection, this program explores the music and dance of both Bali and Java. The curriculum offers courses in Balinese gamelan (orchestra), Javanese gamelan, gadon (small orchestra), gender wayang (metallophone quartet), male and female dances and, periodically, classes in kecak (monkey chant) and gong suling (flute ensemble). In both Javanese and Balinese areas, repertoire encompasses an extensive range of traditional and contemporary works.

Candidates for the MFA degree must demon-strate their performing skills in recitals and, if relevant to the specific nature of a student’s work, complete a supplemental thesis.

THE COURSEWORK ALLOWS STUDENTS TO BECOME EXPERT PERFORMERS AND ALSO FEATURES CLASSES IN THEORY, TRANSCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS.

EACH OF THE FOUR INDIVIDUAL PROGRAMS IN THIS GROUP ENABLES STUDENTS TO BECOME TOP-QUALITY INSTRUMENTALISTS AND, AT THE SAME TIME, DEVELOP INTO CREATIVE MUSICMAKERS WHO ARE BROADLY INFORMED AND PROFESSIONALLY VERSATILE.

As they hone their already solid instrumental skills to achieve technical mastery, the students in these programs study a wide range of historical and contemporary techniques and repertoire. In addition, the coursework in each program allows players to gain both solo and ensemble performing experience in a wide variety of ensemble configurations—frequently in professional situations. The four programs emphasize experimental styles along with extant literature, but also prompt students to explore diverse musical cultures, improvisation and composition techniques, electronic and interdisciplinary media, and new hybrid genres. Students may also study and play early Western instruments and incorporate the use of both new and old tuning systems.

The CalArts Javanese gamelan Kyai Doro Dasih (“The Honorable Dream Come True”) performs at REDCAT under the direction of faculty members Djoko Walujo and Nanik Wenten (TOP RIGHT) and guest artist B.R.M. Bambang Irawan. The performance includes a form of shadow puppet play called wayang kuit purwa (RIGHT).

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Designed to explore the wide musical and artistic range of the instrument, the Guitar Program features a flexible curriculum that equips students with the skills necessary for a variety of professional careers.

NORTH INDIAN MUSIC PROGRAM

MFA ONLY

GUITAR PROGRAM

BFA, MFA

THIS CURRICULUM OFFERS STUDIES IN TRADITIONAL AND CROSS-GENRE TECHNICAL AND STYLISTIC SKILLS, AND HELPS EACH PERFORMER TO DEVELOP A UNIQUE AND PERSONAL STYLE OF PLAYING.

Working closely with program faculty, students can create a customized and multi-faceted course of study drawing from classical guitar, Baroque style, many kinds of improvisation, traditional and free jazz, composition, electro-acoustic practices, flamenco, traditional and modern Balkan, and traditional rock and blues. Students may also study a wide array of plucked-string instruments, including nylon string, steel string acoustic, electric and MIDI guitars, as well as early Western instruments, sarod and sitar.

This graduate program offers a thoroughgoing exploration of the rich Hindustani classical music tradition.

STUDENTS MUST BE SERIOUS PRACTITIONERS AND PREPARED FOR HIGH-LEVEL PERFORMANCE STUDIES IN EITHER TABLA OR AN INSTRUMENTAL OR VOCAL MEDIUM OF THIS TRADITION, SUCH AS SAROD, SITAR, VOICE, FLUTE OR OTHER APPROPRIATE INSTRUMENT.

The curriculum enables students to learn advanced aural, rhythmic and improvisational skills, and includes studies of North Indian raga and tala history and theory, transcription and sargam. Students are required to demonstrate their performing skills in recitals and, depending on the specific nature of an individual student’s work, complete a supplemental thesis.


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VOICE PROGRAMBFA, MFA

TOP: MFA vocalist Julie Mosteller and faculty member Mark Robson perform in the school’s annual Dumont Recital, which features student vocalists and pianists receiving scholarship assistance from The Dumont Foundation.

DESIGNED TO PREPARE STUDENTS FOR THE WIDEST VARIETY OF CAREERS, THE VOICE PROGRAM OFFERS COMPREHENSIVE TRAINING AND PERFORMING OPPORTUNITIES IN CLASSICAL VOCAL REPERTOIRE AND CONTEMPORARY ART MUSIC, WITH A FOCUS ON DEVELOPING A HEALTHY AND VERSATILE VOICE AND CREATING MUSICAL PERSONAS.

Students are prepared for traditional and emerging career pathways by gaining technical facility with Western classical technique along with high-level performance and acting skills, foreign language comprehension and pronunciation skills, knowledge of a wide variety of vocal literature and its contexts, and a thorough understanding of the functioning of the vocal mechanism. Students may also gain fluency in experimental vocal

techniques, improvisation, non-Western vocal styles, composition, technology and interdisciplinary studies. Students routinely perform in recitals, concerts, operas and opera scenes, music theater works, chamber music concerts and interdisciplinary projects, as well as with vocal ensembles, contemporary groups and ensembles from musical traditions around the world.


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PERCUSSION PROGRAMBFA, MFA

THE PERCUSSION PROGRAM PROVIDES STUDENTS WITH A COMPREHENSIVE SURVEY OF THE PERCUSSION FIELD, TECHNICAL SKILLS ON NUMEROUS INSTRUMENTS, CULTURAL FLUENCY, AND THE RESOURCES NECESSARY TO PURSUE CAREERS IN A WIDE ARRAY OF MUSICAL SITUATIONS.

Offering advanced instruction in piano and keyboards, this program is structured to refine performing skills, explore new techniques, and extend new artistic horizons in order to prepare versatile and resourceful professional performers. Students explore a broad spectrum of repertoire, from the Baroque to cutting-edge new music, and enjoy numerous opportunities to perform classical and contemporary music in solo recitals and as part of chamber music groups and large ensembles. The program also encourages students to expand their versatility by investigating other keyboard studies, such as harpsichord, jazz, systemic improvisation, interactive computer technology, and pedagogy.

PIANO/KEYBOARD SPECIALIZATION IN COLLABORATIVE KEYBOARD MFA LEVEL ONLY

This specialization prepares advanced students for careers in various collaborative keyboard disciplines through a course of study that concentrates on multiple aspects of collaborative performance, including work in vocal and instru-mental chamber music, conducted ensembles and opera, while also refining repertoire knowledge and language facility.

PIANO/KEYBOARD PROGRAMBFA, MFA

Students are encouraged to pursue their own individual objectives and to engage in creative cross-cultural and cross-stylistic collaborations that bridge Western classical, new music, jazz, and global perspectives on music.

The extensive instrument collection used in this program includes all standard percussion instruments for orchestra and jazz; a variety

of instruments from around the world; and many non-traditional, custom-built and found instruments. Students also sometimes design and construct their own specialized percussion instruments.

The curriculum covers traditional classical study, intensive chamber music and percussion ensemble experiences, improvisation, and electronic percussion. It may also be augmented by further studies in jazz, Persian, Latin, West African, North Indian, Indonesian and other traditions.


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WORLD MUSIC PROGRAMBFA ONLY

The Herb Alpert School of Music places a high priority on providing professional training that gives its students the abilities and means to become effective practitioners in diverse musical styles—as culturally informed, artistically versatile citizens of an expansive musical world.

THIS GRADUATE PROGRAM IS DESIGNED FOR EXPERIENCED PERCUSSIONISTS WITH APPROPRIATE BACKGROUNDS WHO INTEND TO EXPAND THEIR MASTERY OF PERCUSSION MEDIA FROM AROUND THE GLOBE.

WORLD PERCUSSION PROGRAM

MFA ONLY

STUDENTS IN THE WORLD MUSIC PROGRAM CLOSELY STUDY MUSIC AND DANCE PRACTICES FROM A VARIETY OF MUSICAL CULTURES, WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY ACQUIRING SOLID GROUNDING IN THE TOOLS OF MUSICIANSHIP AND KNOWLEDGE OF MUSIC HISTORY AND LITERATURE.

This unique course of study allows students to acquire high-level performance skills in both solo and ensemble recitals; facility with both notated and oral methods of learning music; and awareness of the cultural, theoretical and social aspects of multiple musical traditions. As its primary areas of focus, the World Music Program offers formal studies in African music and dance, Balinese and Javanese music and dance, and North Indian music. The curriculum can be further augmented with work in other areas such as Persian and Latin percussion, Japanese shakuhachi, and Balkan music. In addition, the program features a variety of courses on music cultures from around the globe, as well as special performances and workshops with visiting artists from many different countries. In recent years, the school has hosted visiting artists from Latin America, Africa, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Tibet, Tuva, Japan, China, Indonesia, India and Korea. Students and faculty frequently play side-by-side, rehearsing, learning and performing together at venues both on and off campus. This rigorous BFA program makes it possible for graduates to move on to more concentrated studies at the MFA level, or to pursue professional creative work in any number of broad cultural and stylistic integrations.

Students spend two semesters studying a combination of styles drawn from the variety of percussion studies offered at the school, including African, Balinese, Javanese, North Indian, Persian, Latin, Western, jazz and other traditions. This is followed by another two semesters in which they concentrate on in-depth studies in one of the major areas of world percussion. Candidates for the MFA degree are required to demonstrate their performing skills in recitals and, depending on the specific nature of their work, complete a supplemental thesis.


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THIS ONE-OF-A-KIND UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM JOINS THE HONING OF STRONG MUSICAL SKILLS WITH MASTERING A VARIETY OF MUSIC-RELATED TECHNOLOGIES—A POWERFUL COMBINATION THAT SUPPORTS A WIDE SPECTRUM OF CREATIVE WORK FOR THE 21ST CENTURY.

The highly interdisciplinary musical and technical curriculum prepares students for careers involving electronic composition and performance, sound design, film and video post-production, web site and multimedia design, audio recording and production, music software development and audio electronics, as well as yet-unforeseen pathways. Among other work, students engage in custom software design, circuit design for human-computer interfacing, the use of robotic mechanical systems, and topics in artificial intelligence in musical and artistic practice. The program is optimally suited

for composers who want to push the limits of soundscape construction; for performers who want to use laptops in new ways on stage; for DJs who want to push the envelope of dance music; for sound engineers who want to take more control in the studio; and for multimedia artists who want to extend the limits of digital arts to generate new musical forms and environments. Graduating students emerge from the program equipped with a full complement of technical, musical and creative skills, prepared to lead and innovate in a rapidly shifting global creative landscape.

A robotic drummer created by faculty member Ajay Kapur, coordinator of the Music Technology Program

MUSIC TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM:

INTERACTION, INTELLIGENCE AND DESIGNBFA ONLY


MUSICAL ARTS PROGRAM

BFA ONLY

THE MUSICAL ARTS PROGRAM IS DESIGNED FOR UNDERGRADUATES WHOSE DIVERSE INTERESTS AND MULTIPLE MUSICAL TALENTS WARRANT INDIVIDUALIZED COURSES OF STUDY.

Students in this program build strong and comprehensive musical articulation skills as they explore and create a wide variety of artistic syntheses and career pathways—covering work in any number of pedagogical, performance-composition, production, technical and interdisciplinary settings.

Relying on the BFA Music Core Curriculum as their foundation, students, with the guidance of their faculty mentors, build customized programs of study on the basis of their own specific musical, creative and professional objectives.

To apply to any of the programs of The Herb School of Music at CalArts, go to calarts.edu/apply.

All application, audition and portfolio instructions are listed on the CalArts application web page. Additional information is available at music.calarts.edu.

Percussionist Mike Purdue performs as part of the James Tenney Festival, a three-day celebration of the late composer and CalArts faculty member.

31The CalArts Javanese gamelan Kyai Doro Dasih (“The Honorable Dream Come True”) performs at REDCAT under the direction of faculty members Djoko Walujo and Nanik Wenten (TOP RIGHT) and guest artist B.R.M. Bambang Irawan. The performance includes a form of shadow puppet play called wayang kuit purwa (RIGHT).

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FACULTY

David RosenboomRichard Seaver Distinguished Chair in Music, Dean

Susan AllenAssociate Dean for Academic Affairs

Jacqueline BobakAssociate Dean for Academic and Special Projects

Julie FevesAssociate Dean for Enrollment Management

Susan Allen (LEFT), an associate dean of the school and coordinator of the Musical Arts Program, with students Sarah Phillips and Paul Fuller

PERFORMER-COMPOSER PROGRAM

Vinny Goliawinds, composition, improvisation

David RosenboomCoordinator, Performer-Composer Program piano, composition, improvisation

Wadada Leo SmithCoordinator, African American Improvisational Music trumpet, composition, improvisation, history and literature

Additional faculty members are drawn from all programs.

Many faculty members give instruction in several programs as well as in the BFA Music Core curriculum. The listing in this section, organized by program, indicates each faculty member’s main areas of specialty. This listing shows faculty for the 2007–2008 academic year.


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COMPOSITION, EXPERIMENTAL SOUND PRACTICES, MUSIC TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS JAZZ PROGRAM

John Fumotrumpet

Vinny Goliawinds, composition

Charlie HadenFounder, Jazz Programbass

Alex Ilestrombone

Alphonso Johnsonelectric bass

Larry Koonseguitar Joe LaBarberadrum set, history and literature

Paul Novrosreeds

Darek Olesbass

David RoitsteinMel Powell ChairChair, Jazz Programpiano, arranging

Aaron SerfatyLatin percussion

Clay ChaplinTechnical Director, Computer Music/Experimental Media Studiosexperimental sound practices, music technologies

Michael Jon Finkcomposition

Arthur Jarvinencomposition

Ajay KapurCoordinator, Music Technology Programmusic technologies

Ulrich Kriegercomposition, experimental sound practices

Anne LeBaroncomposition, theory, history and literature

Michael PisaroCo-Chair, Composition Programcomposition, theory, experimental sound practices

Sara Robertsexperimental sound practices, integrated media, history and literature

David Rosenboomcomposition, experimental sound practices

Barry Schrader composition, analysis

Wolfgang von SchweinitzRoy E. Disney Family Chair in Musical Compositioncomposition

Morton SubotnickSpecial Instructor, January Interim Sessioncomposition

Mark TrayleCo-Chair, Composition Programcomposition, experimental sound practices

Robert Wannamakertheory, composition, history and literature

Martijn Zwartjesmusic technologies


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FACULTY

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Vicki RayCoordinator, Piano/Collaborative Keyboard Programpiano, collaborative keyboard

Mark Robsonvocal coach, accompaniment, collaborative keyboard

Peter Rofécontrabass

Rachel RudichCoordinator, Chamber Musicflute

Miroslav Tadicguitar

Doug Tornquisttuba/euphonium

Nancy Uscherviola

Liam Vineypiano, theory

Allan Vogeloboe

Djoko WalujoJavanese music

Nanik WentenBalinese and Javanese dance

I Nyoman WentenNicholas England ChairBalinese music and dance

Robin GrahamFrench horn

Andrew GrueschowAfrican music and dance

David JohnsonCoordinator, Percussion Programpercussion

Aashish KhanNorth Indian music, sarod, sitar, voice

Amy Knolespercussion, electronic percussion, skills

Alfred LadzekpoAfrican music and dance

Beatrice LawluviAfrican music and dance

Tisha Mabeeharpsichord, organ

Mark MenziesProgramming Advisor, Programs in Performance and REDCATviolin, viola, conducting

James Millertrombone

Houman PourmehdiPersian percussion

William Powellclarinet


Susan Allenharp, improvisation

Paul BerkoldsCoordinator, Voice Programbass baritone

Jacqueline Bobaksoprano

Edward CarrollCoordinator, Brass Programtrumpet

Swapan ChaudhuriChair, World Music ProgramsNorth Indian music, tabla

Kate ConklinBalkan vocal ensembles

Erika Duke-Kirkpatrickcello

Julie FevesDirector, Instrumental Performance Programsbassoon

Maria Fortuna-Deansoprano

Stuart Foxguitar, lute

Lorenz Gammaviolin

Randy Glossworld percussion

MUSICAL ARTS

Susan AllenCoordinator, Musical Arts Program

Additional faculty members are drawn from all programs.

ADDITIONAL SPECIALTIES

Wanda Bryantmusic cultures

Bob Clendenenconcert production

Marc Lowensteinskills, theory, history and literature, conducting

Paul Vorwerkskills, history and literature, conducting

See faculty bios online at calarts.edu/music/faculty.


AMINO BELYAMANI

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BFA JAZZ AND MUSIC TECHNOLOGY PROGRAMS

From Casablanca, Morocco

“ I played classical piano in Casablanca from the age of six. It was great, but I was frustrated by the lack of creativity. In playing people’s pieces from 300–400 years ago, I couldn’t find my own voice. I grew up listening to jazz—not playing it, and I always loved it. For me, jazz improvisation was 100 percent magic. It was so abstract I thought, ‘These guys are just geniuses and I’m not.’ I didn’t consider that there was an educational process through which one could learn to play jazz. After high school, I went to Paris and studied at The Conservatory for two years, and in my second year, I took additional lessons with a jazz pianist who opened up this new door for me.

“When I first came to CalArts, I immediately noticed the school’s flexibility. In my first semester, in every class, I was with BFA4s, MFA2s, MFA3s, and all mixed faculty. There was no distinction, no condescension, like, ‘We’re the teachers; you’re the students. We have the knowledge; you don’t.’ There was none of that here. And I thought, ‘This is amazing! I’ve never seen a school like this!’

“As soon as I arrived, my career began. CalArts is more of an environment than a school. We have nine music recitals a week. We have band shows every week. We have movie screenings. We have openings every Thursday. It’s nonstop! It’s not a school where you go to classes and then, at 8 p.m., the doors close and you go home. We’re always in the performing world; we have many visiting artists; we get a lot of gigs through CalArts; and we play outside of CalArts.

I’VE BEEN GETTING SO MANY GIGS, AND MOST OF THEM HAVE COME THROUGH FACULTY MEMBERS. IT’S AMAZING THAT THE FACULTY HAS SO MUCH CONFIDENCE IN ITS STUDENTS.

“The World Music Program also opened up a lot of musical thinking for me—especially the African music and dance. It’s mostly Ghanaian music from the Ewe-speaking people. When I first walked in the hallways and heard the African ensemble playing, it just sounded like abstract noise. But there was something that pulled me, unconsciously, toward these rhythms that I grew up with in Morocco, but had never really dug into. So, I took the beginning African class, and it just blew my mind. Since then I’ve taken African ensemble every semester, five times.

“I love my country and feel very attached to that culture. Morocco is a ‘Third World’ country, and there’s a lot to be done, especially in the arts. Someday, I hope to create an institution like CalArts in Morocco. That’s an important goal for me. ”

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NEW CENTURY PLAYERS

The New Century Players, a professional resident ensemble of The Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts, brings together the talents of internationally acclaimed faculty performers and selected advanced student musicians in a wide variety of configurations. The group is devoted to the exploration and exposition of emerging languages in contemporary music, and its repertoire emphasizes new forms of composition and collaborative directions in concert music, experimental music, improvisation, cross-cultural musicmaking, new media and other arts. The ensemble frequently collaborates with distinguished guest performers and composers, and also reads and performs works by advanced student composers.

The main performance venues for the New Century Players are the Roy O. Disney Music Hall (ROD) and The Wild Beast on campus and the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater (REDCAT), where the group is the resident contemporary music ensemble. The New Century Players also perform at other venues across Los Angeles and travel abroad for international residencies.

VARIETY OF ENSEMBLE EXPERIENCES

CalArts students perform in many organized ensembles in addition to groups of their own design. In addition to the New Century Players, formal ensembles include the CalArts Chamber Orchestra, the New Millennium Players and Chamber Singers, the New Millennium Brass Ensemble, the CalArts Percussion Ensemble, the Opera/Theater Performance Project, as well as a variety of ensembles from world traditions, such as the CalArts World Percussion Ensemble, African music and dance ensembles, Balinese and Javanese music and dance ensembles, and North Indian ensembles. Rounding out the array of groups are numerous jazz, improvisation and mixed ensembles, and the Creative Music Electronic Ensemble, among others. Groups can vary in size from two to more than 100 performers, and many perform several times each semester.

SPECIALRESOURCES

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RIGOROUS PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

The Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts is performance-oriented. As such, its students take part in an impressive number of performances presented each year, both on and off campus. Regular on-campus events include the Recital Series, featuring students and faculty performing in a variety of styles; weekly Noon Concerts of jazz, international and chamber music; and myriad performances by the school’s formal ensembles. Various chamber ensembles, jazz ensembles, improvisation and new media groups, specially formed ensembles, and guest artists give additional concerts each semester. In addition, many students perform as part of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary projects involving students from other CalArts schools.

CONCERT SERIES, FESTIVALS AND SPECIAL EVENTS

CalArts is recognized internationally for its extensive calendar of festivals, concert series and special events. Highlights include the annual Center for Experiments in Art, Information and Technology (CEAIT) Festival of Electronic Music and Media and the annual Creative Music Festival, featuring new improvisational music and related forms, both of which are held at REDCAT. The school also presents a World Music and Dance Festival and an opera production—staged in collaboration with the School of Theater—at the Walt Disney Modular Theater on campus.

The Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts also collaborates with other Los Angeles-based and international organizations to produce special projects and hold major public events. In recent years, the school has worked with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra; The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles; the Villa Aurora Foundation for European American Relations; the Consulate General of France; French American Cultural Exchange and Etant donnés: The French-American Fund for the

TOP: A Noon Concert of North Indian music in the CalArts Main Gallery

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Performing Arts; the Consulate General of the Czech Republic; the Consulate General of Indonesia; the Italian Cultural Institute; the Netherlands Consulate General; the Goethe Institute; the German Consulate General; the American Composers Forum of Los Angeles; the Getty Center; and the Transatlantic Arts Consortium, among others.

CENTER FOR EXPERIMENTS IN ART, INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY (CEAIT)

The Center for Experiments in Art, Information and Technology is an interdisciplinary research initiative for developing new applications in interactive performance and arts information processing. In connection with CEAIT, CalArts faculty and students have undertaken major projects involving computer music software, performance interface technology and telecommunications arts, many of which have been disseminated outside CalArts. CEAIT also holds an annual festival at REDCAT featuring presentations of innovative new work from around the globe.

BAROQUE INITIATIVE

The Herb Alpert School of Music invites student instrumentalists and singers to engage in an intensive study of Baroque music through ongoing courses as well as short-term workshops, master classes and guest artist residencies. Qualified students also have the opportunity to work with and, in some cases, perform alongside eminent visiting Baroque specialists—artists such as Elizabeth Blumenstock, Sand Dalton and Aaron Westman. In addition, the school is expanding its substantial collection of Baroque instruments to allow students to pursue studies on both original and modern instruments. This growing collection already includes numerous string and wind instruments, two harpsichords and an organ.

EXCHANGE PROGRAMS AND AFFILIATIONS

The school regularly maintains several exchange programs and affiliations with arts and educational institutions in the United States and abroad. CalArts has recently had exchanges with the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow; Dartington College of Arts in Devon, England; Centre National de Création Musicale in Nice, France; and Universität der Künste in Berlin. Other collaborative projects and special programs have involved the Dartington International Summer School; the Studio for Electro-Instrumental Music (STEIM) in Amsterdam; and the Center for Advanced Musical Studies at Chosen Vale, New Hampshire. The school is exploring an exchange program with the Janácek Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts in Brno in the Czech Republic and Institut Seni Indonesia in Denpasar, Bali. Apart from such institutional exchanges, music students and faculty take part in many other special projects of international scope.See music.calarts.edu for more information about current and upcoming exchange programs.

CENTER FOR NEW PERFORMANCE (CNP)

The Center for New Performance is a professional producing arm of CalArts, established to provide a unique artist- and project-driven framework for the development and realization of innovative music, theater, dance and interdisciplinary projects. Bringing the artistic community of CalArts into a direct dialogue with professional communities at the local, national and international levels, the CNP enriches the CalArts educational experience by making it possible for students to work shoulder-to-shoulder with celebrated artists and acquire a level of experience that goes beyond the curricula of individual programs.

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Music faculty, alumni and students have contributed to several major CNP productions that have garnered much international attention and critical acclaim—projects such as King Lear, Stephen Dillane’s Macbeth, Peach Blossom Fan, Bell Solaris–Twelve Metamorphoses in Piano Theater, What to Wear and, most recently, Vineland Stelae.

COMMUNITY ARTS PARTNERSHIP (CAP)

CalArts’ nationally recognized Community Arts Partnership works with community arts centers, youth organizations and public schools throughout Los Angeles County to provide free college-level arts education to middle and high school students.

Many music faculty members and students teach CAP workshops and classes and perform in a variety of public concerts. CAP affords

students the opportunity to share their knowledge and abilities with young artists, work directly with faculty artists in the creation of innovative pedagogical approaches, and test and refine ideas about interdisciplinary art practice. CalArts students involved in CAP gain valuable teaching experience and benefit from real-world engagement with diverse Los Angeles communities.

WEB SITE: MUSIC.CALARTS.EDU

The web site of The Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts, music.calarts.edu, provides detailed information about programs, courses, admissions, auditions, portfolio requirements, placement testing and a variety of other subjects. The site gives an up-to-date picture of the school, profiles ongoing projects, and provides media content, such as recordings, faculty interviews and webcasts of performances.

The Center for New Performance’s world-premiere production of What to Wear, a post-rock opera written and directed by avant-garde theater icon Richard Foreman and scored by composer Michael Gordon, co-founder of the Bang on a Can Festival

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PERFORMANCE SPACES

Most on-campus performances take place in the Roy O. Disney Music Hall (ROD), a multipurpose space with adaptable acoustics, lighting and sound features, and The Wild Beast, the school’s new freestanding indoor/outdoor music pavilion. Named after composer Morton Feldman’s metaphor for the untamable in music, The Wild Beast was designed by architects Hodgetts + Fung in consultation with a team of acoustical engineers. This space can accommodate an audience of more than 1,000 in its open-air “bandshell” configuration. Both ROD and The Wild Beast support traditional recitals and concerts as well as multimedia and other experimental presentations. Both spaces are also used extensively for rehearsals and classes. Additional concerts and performances are presented at the Walt Disney Modular Theater, the Main Gallery, and a variety of other formal and informal spaces across the campus.

FACILITIES

The Wild Beast, under construction in the spring of 2008

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Off campus, most performances are held at the Roy and Edna Disney/CalArts Theater (REDCAT), a downtown Los Angeles venue housed inside the Frank Gehry-designed Walt Disney Concert Hall complex, the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. The REDCAT performance space is ideal for contemporary work in music, featuring acoustics designed by Yasuhisa Toyota, state-of-the-art technology for sound diffusion and image projection, and the flexibility to allow for a range of different stage and audience arrangements.

PRACTICE ROOMS

The Herb Alpert School of Music has more than 25 practice rooms, many with pianos, including designated rooms for piano and percussion majors. All rooms are available 24 hours a day during the academic year.

INSTRUMENTS

CalArts maintains a sizable collection that features 50 pianos, two harpsichords, an organ and a celesta; two harps; various string, woodwind, brass and early European instruments; numerous orchestral and non-traditional percussion instruments; Balinese and Javanese gamelans; African drum ensembles; and sarods, sitars, tablas and other Indian instruments.

Pianos include Falcone, Steinway, Bösendorfer, Baldwin, Fandrich and Yamaha instruments, as well as Yamaha MIDI pianos and Disklaviers. The school employs a full-time technician to maintain the piano collection.

COMPUTER MUSIC AND EXPERIMENTAL MEDIA STUDIOS

CalArts has extensive state-of-the-art facilities for music synthesis, electronic composition, film/video scoring, digital recording, editing, processing and mixing. These facilities also support work with multimedia and telecommunications and the development of custom software and hardware. Studios provide a wide variety of music, sound, graphics, multimedia, telecommunications, and development software, including programs written by CalArts faculty, alumni and students. Studios are connected to each other and to other systems on the CalArts campus by means of a broadband network. All studios are open 24 hours a day during academic sessions.

LIBRARY RESOURCES

The CalArts Division of Library and Information Resources offers individual attention from professional librarians in the areas of research assistance and instruction, and features collections that support the curricula of The Herb Alpert School of Music. The ever-expanding music collection currently holds more than 44,000 performance scores, 20,000 scores, 6,500 CDs and 12,000 other recordings along with music books and periodicals. This collection emphasizes 20th- and 21st-century materials and includes, among other items, the complete published scores of John Cage and the full James Tenney Collection. The Library also provides music listening stations, student computer labs and workstations with Internet access.

TIMUR BEKBOSUNOVFrom Almaty, Kazakhstan

MFA VOICE PROGRAM

I THINK THERE COMES A POINT WITH ANY ARTIST WHEN YOU WANT TO GIVE BIRTH TO SOMETHING; AND I NEEDED TO BE AT A SCHOOL WHERE I COULD NOURISH MY OWN PROJECTS, WHICH WOULD BE SUPPORTED BY THE FACULTY.

“ Opera has the weirdest fan base, because you have all these people who know the aria from Don Giovanni, and they’ve heard 20 different interpretations, and can quote exactly where that singer took a breath between this phrase and that phrase. And you’re thinking, ‘This is just insane.’ What hit me is that I want to work with people who are still alive, who write music, contemporary music that can change, that can be modified, that can have an impact, because then all these different issues come into play—what effect music has on the community, and what are the social implications of art?

“When I came to CalArts, I already had a master’s degree. I was auditioning for the traditional companies, doing what they call conventional, bread-and-butter material. And I felt like, well, maybe I don’t want bread and butter. I’m trying to stay away from carbs! I want something else, something more exotic, something that specifically challenges my mental capacity. Singers are often accused of not having enough of that; the joke is that ‘the brain is out, so we have enough space to produce these beautiful high tones!’

“You’re a producer; you have to be a performer; and you have to eventually be a writer. You collect information. The way I work is that I just let those things germinate; let them sit and brew. And then I find that these things just connect. They seem to be lost in the maze, but eventually they connect. And that’s what I felt when I visited CalArts. It looks and feels fragmented. There are so many ideas in the air, but there is some mysterious way of connecting it. I’m talking about the whole community environment. Because no matter how much funding other schools have, they don’t have the same ability to cross over the disciplines. There is no way to forge lifetime relationships like there is here. One of the important things to tell people coming to CalArts for the first time is that you have to motivate; you have to seek out; you have to branch out, because there are so many things that can happen. The advantage here is that the faculty is always supportive—no matter how crazy the idea. ”4444

The KCIA Music Festival, presented by CalArts’ on-campus radio station

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CalArts music, theater and dance students rehearse in the Main Gallery ahead of the production of the opera Platée. RIGHT: Music faculty member Mark Menzies, the programming advisor for the school’s Programs in Performance and for REDCAT

Trombonist Mike Svoboda (CENTER) leads a 30-piece iteration of the New Century Players in a performance of Sandeep Bhagwati’s Vineland Stelae at REDCAT. The piece—a full-evening structured improvisation played on conventional Western instruments, shakuhachi, sarod, tabla, jal tarang, gamelan metallophones and Ewe drums—was presented by the Center for New Performance.

The New Century Players are configured into a full orchestra for a new interpretation of Terry Riley’s iconic In C at Walt Disney Concert Hall. The performance, conducted by David Rosenboom, was featured as part of the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Minimalist Jukebox series.

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Composer, performer and conductor Lawrence D. “Butch” Morris (TOP) and clarinetist Tara Bouman (RIGHT) with Katherine Hamor [MFA 07])

PERFORMER-COMPOSER, COMPOSITION, EXPERIMENTAL SOUND PRACTICESMuhal Richard Abrams

Thomas Ankersmit

Han Bennink

Sylvano Bussotti

Arte Sonoro

Sandeep Bhagwati

John Bischoff

Henry Brandt

Monique Buzzarté

Andrew Cyrille

Degenerate Art Ensemble

Nick Didkovsky

Michael Gordon

Mark Feldman

Jürg Frey

Fred Frith

Gerry Hemingway

Eva-Maria Houben

VISITING ARTISTS

To ensure that students have the opportunity to examine the widest possible cross-section of music practices, the Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts invites a diverse mix of celebrated artists from around the world. These artists—all key innovators of our time—share their experience and insights with students and supplement the expertise of regular faculty. Recent visiting artists have included:


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The Hub

Jason Kahn

Peter Kowald

Helmut Lachenmann

Joëlle Léandre

Lukas Ligeti

John Lindberg

Radu Malfatti

Miya Masaoka

Bennie Maupin

Diego Minciacchi

Lawrence D. “Butch” Morris

Phill Niblock

John Oswald

Hilda Paredes

Larry Polansky

Eliane Radigue

Roger Reynolds

Terry Riley

Irmin Schmidt

Laetitia Sonami

Markus Stockhausen and Tara Bouman

Jean-Luc Therminarias, Jean Lambert-Wild and Comédie de Caen

David Wessell

William Winant

Trevor Wishart

Christian Wolff

Masakazu Yoshizawa

Pamela Z

John Zorn

JAZZGabriel Alegría Afro-Peruvian Jazz Sextet

Ralph Alessi

Gregg Bendian

Ignacio Berrio

Bobby Bradford

Billy Childs

Steve Coleman

Alice Coltrane

Ravi Coltrane

Brad Dutz

Mimi Fox

Fred Hersch

John Hollenbeck

Vijay Iyer

Kneebody

Art Lande

Yusef Lateef

Kate McGarry

Mark Miller

Andy Milne and Dapp Theory

Roberta Piket

Rova Saxophone Quartet

Kenny Werner

Leni Stern

PERFORMANCEShankar Bhattacharya

Boris Berman

Theo Bleckmann

Elizabeth Blumenstock

Dušan Bogdanovic

Pierre Boulez

Bozzini Quartet

Phylis Bryn-Julson

I Nyoman Cerita

Abbie Conant

Gabriele Cassone

Amelia Cuni

Charles Curtis

Sand Dalton

Stuart Dempster

Bill Douglas

Anang Tokok Dwiantoro

Eve Egoyan

Djivan Gasparyan

Sidi Goma

Mark Gould

Paul Hanson

Tom Heasley

Yu Hongmei

Lorin Hollander

Huun-Huur-Tu

K.G. Kalyanasundaram

Abhiman Kaushal

Kitka

Jennifer Lane

Nikola Lutz

Jonathan Mack

Brian McNeill

Michael Milenski

K. Munikumar

A.K.C. Natarajan

Kristin Norderval

Michael Sachs

Rohan de Saram

John Schneider

Stefano Scodanibbio

Lucy Shelton

Thomas Stevens

I Wayan Susila

Emiko Saraswati Susilo

Aki Takahashi

Tibetan Monks from Drepung Loseling Monastery

Hom Nath Upadhyaya

Vasudevan

John Wallace

Aaron Westman

Endang Sulastri Wimboprasetyo

William Winant



ALUMNI

Alumni of The Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts include:

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John Luther Adams (BFA 73) composer

Gustavo Aguilar (MFA 98) percussionist Phil Curtis (MFA 97) composer/electronics Nina Sun Eidsheim (MFA 01) mezzo-sopranomembers of soNu

Ralph Alessi (BFA 87, MFA 90)

jazz trumpeter

James Carney (BFA 90)

jazz pianist, composer

Gary Chang (MFA 77)

film composer

Rebecca Bower Cherian (BFA 79)

trombonist

Ravi Coltrane (BFA 90)

saxophonist, composer, bandleader

Mark Coniglio (BFA 89)

composer, multimedia artist co-director of Troika Ranch

John Debney (BFA 78)

film composer

Dean Drummond (MFA 73)

composer, conductor, multi-instrumentalist, instrument inventor

Erika Duke-Kirkpatrick (BFA 78, MFA 82)

cellist Amy Knoles (BFA 82)

percussionist-composer members of The California E.A.R. Unit


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Benjamin Juárez Echenique (BFA 73)

conductor

Peter Epstein (BFA 92)

saxophonist, composer, educator

Pedro Eustache (MFA 91)

flutist, composer

Peter Garland (BFA 72)

composer, author

Randy Gloss (MFA 97)

Andrew Grueschow (BFA 96, MFA 99)

Austin Wrinkle (BFA 97, MFA 99) percussionistsmembers of Hands On’Semble

David Johnson (BFA 72)

percussionist Pirayeh Pourafar (MFA 00)

tar player, composer members of Lian Ensemble

Roland Kato (BFA 74, MFA 76)

violist

Tom Lopez (MFA 93) composer, digital artist

Ani Maldjian (BFA 04)

soprano

Arturo Márquez (MFA 90)

composer

Ingram Marshall (MFA 71)

composer

Devin Maxwell (MFA 02)

Katie Porter (MFA 02)

wireless media content developers founders of LoudLouderLoudest

Peter Otto (MFA 83)

music technologist, educator

Randall Packer (MFA 81)

composer, media artist, author

Paula Rasmussen (BFA 87)

mezzo-soprano

Douglas Repetto (MFA 97)

composer, media and installation artist

Marina Rosenfeld (Music–Art MFA 94)

composer, sound and installation artist

Stephen Schultz (MFA 80)

flutist

Marcus Shelby (93)

composer, bandleader

Rand Steiger (MFA 82)

composer, conductor, educator

Carl Stone (BFA 75)

composer, computer music artist

Kubilay Üner (ACRT 91)

film composer, multi-instrumentalist, instrument builder

Libby Van Cleve (MFA 84)

oboist, author

Jack Vees (MFA 86)

composer, bassist

Lois V Vierk (MFA 78)

composer

Nedra Wheeler (BFA 87, MFA 89)

bassist, educator

Todd Winkler (MFA 84)

composer, multimedia artist

Philip Yampolsky (MFA 72)

ethnomusicologist

Marcelo Zarvos (BFA 92)

pianist, composer



52

APPLICATIONS

To apply to The Herb Alpert School of Music at CalArts, go to calarts.edu/apply.

All application, audition and portfolio instructions are listed on the CalArts application web page.

David Rosenboom (CENTER RIGHT), dean of the school and holder of the Richard Seaver Distinguished Chair in Music, and School of Dance faculty member Colin Connor (CENTER) lead an interschool class entitled Choreographers and Composers.


Students and faculty from CalArts’ Experimental Music Workshop give a concert entitled 4'33" and Beyond at REDCAT. The program traced the enduring impact of John Cage’s famous 4'33"—his controversial “silent” piece—and the artistic lineage that runs from Cage, George Brecht and James Tenney to composers Antoine Beuger, Jürg Frey and CalArts’ own Michael Pisaro, the co-chair of the school’s Composition Program.

The school’s Hyperopera class

David Rosenboom conducts the New Century Players in a rehearsal ahead of a performance at REDCAT. This particular program, called International Innovations, featured the world premiere of Hiroko Ito’s Kamen-Bina, a double flute concerto in which guest artist Reiko Manabe and faculty member Rachel Rudich (LEFT) expounded on traditional Japanese and extended instrumental techniques.

CalArts Music 2009-2011

Documents

Transcript of CalArts Music 2009-2011