The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music Announces the 2024-25 Season

• 5 min read

The new season features celebrated poet Nathaniel Mackey, Tod Machover’s opera “Schoenberg in Hollywood,” student performances and scholarly symposia.

October marks the launch of The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music’s 2024-25 season. Unique in its breadth of live events, the school of music’s programming features over 200 public concerts, recitals and panel discussions with most taking place in Lani Hall, Schoenberg Hall and Royce Hall on the UCLA campus.  Featuring an array of international guest artists, world-renowned scholars and student-driven ensembles, the 2024-25 season spans a range of genres and styles that explore musical traditions from diverse eras and regions around the world, reaffirming the school’s commitment as the home of twenty-first century music.

“This year’s programming is exceptionally rich and challenging,” said Eileen Strempel, inaugural dean of The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. “Our faculty have crafted ambitious programs, introducing audiences to inspiring new works and innovative performances, as well as inviting scholars from multiple disciplines to talk through some of the most important cultural issues of our day. This is an exciting season that will not only push creative boundaries in the global music landscape, but also showcase the remarkable talents of our students.” 

Season highlights include “In the Beginning Was the Word,” a jazz concert featuring readings by renowned poet Nathaniel Mackey, a concert by the UCLA Philharmonia showcasing works by Arnold Schoenberg and Eric Zeiss, and a scholarly conference about trauma and disabilities in the arts that will engage artists and scholars from multiple disciplines.  The Virginia State University choir will participate in a residency that culminates in a choral concert titled “Trouble the Water,” that will follow a day-long symposium about the music of Undine Smith Moore and the choral tradition from Historically Black Colleges and Universities.  This year will also mark the 64th annual Spring Festival of World Music. Most programs are free and open to the public, and livestreamed.

Global Music

  • An Evening of Iranian Music, Sunday, October 20, Schoenberg Hall, featuring the Iranshahr Orchestra conducted by Shahab Paranj, the UCLA Iranian Music Ensemble, tanbouri and composer Kaykhosrous Pournazeri, and singer Sahar Borougjerdi. 
  • Sumeet Anand, Sunday, October 20, Lani Hall. A Dhrupad vocalist belonging to the Darbhanga tradition, New Delhi-based artist Sumeet Anand caps his one-week residency as a Fulbright Professional Fellow with a public concert.
  • Spring Festival of World Music, May 4-31, Schoenberg Music Building. Entering its 64th year, the spring festival exhibits the school of music’s world-renowned student ensembles supported by our Department of Ethnomusicology. Concerts feature music ensembles from Mexico, Bali, Java, Korea, Thailand, Ghana, Turkey, Armenia, Iran, Ghana, as well as African American, Klezmer, and old-time string music. 
  • Other highlights include the Music of China Fall concert on November 30 in Schoenberg Hall and the 5th Annual “Day of Armenian Music” on May 30 in the Schoenberg Music Building.

Opera, Symphonic Ensembles, Chamber Music, and Acclaimed Soloists

  • “Schoenberg in Hollywood,” May 18, May 20, and May 22, Nimoy Theater. Acclaimed composer Tod Machover, hailed as “a musical visionary” by The New York Times, brings his latest opera to The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. “Schoenberg in Hollywood,” imagines what might have happened if Schoenberg had accepted an invitation to write music for the movies. The performances are a collaboration between The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and the Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience. 
  • “Resonate,” Sunday, November 3, Schoenberg Hall. The Bent Frequency Duo (saxophone and percussion) will perform Yi-Ting Lu’s winning composition from the Resonate competition and other new commissions. 
  • The David L. Abell Piano Master Series will host three internationally acclaimed guest artists, including Orli Shaham on January 23, Ian Jones on April 24, and Alexander Kobrin on May 22. 
  • The Faculty Recital Series will offer professional concerts from The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music’s world-renowned musical faculty. This year’s season includes flutist Ben Smolen on October 26 in Schoenberg Hall, violinist Varty Manouelian on November 26 in Schoenberg Hall, vocalist Victoria Kirsch on January 18 in Lani Hall, and pianist Inna Faliks on May 15 in Lani Hall.
  • UCLA Philharmonia, Sunday, May 4 at Royce Hall. The program will feature the orchestra performing Arnold Schoenberg’s “Five Pieces,” Eric Zeiss’s “Moon Portraits (Mondbilder),” Paul Schoenfield’s “4 Parables: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra” and more. 

The Many Stylings of Jazz

Provocative Discussions and Symposia

  • “Trouble the Water,” Friday, March 14, Schoenberg Hall. The Virginia State University Choir participates in a public symposium and performs live with the UCLA Chamber Singers. The concert will celebrate the work of Undine Smith Moore, hailed as the “dean of Black women composers.” 
  • “Theorizing Trauma and Disability in the Arts,” February 7-9, Lani Hall. Hosted by the Center for Musical Humanities, this symposium brings artists and scholars together to share insights into how to approach the critical questions of access and representation in music and the arts. 
  • The Musicology Distinguished Lecturer Series gathers scholars from across the country to speak on significant and pressing cultural issues. Highlights include: Anna Gatdula from UNC Chapel Hill, discussing Toshio Hosokawa’s oratorio Voiceless Voice in Hiroshima on October 29; Paula Harper from the University of Chicago, historicizing the concept of “virality” (music going viral) on social media platforms on January 21; and Nate Sloan of the USC Thornton School (a self-described “reluctant public intellectual”), talking about his ten years of producing the podcast “Switched on Pop,” on May 13. 

The Music Industry

  • Madame Gandhi, Wednesday, November 6, Lani Hall. The former drummer for Thievery Corporation and M.I.A., Madame Gandhi will speak at Lani Hall about activism, inspiration, and her path to becoming a prominent voice in the music industry for positivity and inclusion. This thought-provoking event is sponsored by the school of music’s Berry Gordy Music Industry Center.
  • Student Capstone Showcase, April 19, Lani Hall. Experience the next generation of leaders in the music industry in a showcase of student projects, from performances to presentations. Special guests from the industry (executives and artists) will be on hand to comment on projects. 
  • “Blurred Laws and Lines with Richard Busch,” Wednesday, May 28, Lani Hall. Richard Busch, attorney for the Marvin Gaye estate, won the Blurred Lines lawsuit in 2018. Richard Busch will discuss the case, its implications for copyright law, and how the legal landscape has changed since. The talk will be followed by a Q&A session.

 
ABOUT THE UCLA HERB ALPERT SCHOOL OF MUSIC

The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music prepares students for twenty-first century music careers. Home to renowned musical scholars, music industry experts and world-class musicians, educators and composers within one institution, the school of music offers students an interdisciplinary education that prizes music performance and scholarship while also emphasizing active engagement in the greater Los Angeles community. Esteeming all musical traditions as vital expressions of an evolving global society, the school of music boasts over 40 ensembles performing music from around the world. 

Founded as a stand-alone school of music in 2008 with a naming gift of $30 million from Herb Alpert, the school originally comprised the departments of ethnomusicology, music and musicology, which are now joined by interdisciplinary programs in global jazz studies and music industry, and the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz Performance. School of music graduates and faculty members are recipients of prestigious MacArthur fellowships, Grammy Awards, and Emmy Awards, and are leaders as composers, musicians, educators, scholars and innovators in the music industry. Learn more at www.schoolofmusic.ucla.edu.

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Contact

Russell Kelban
rkelban@schoolofmusic.ucla.edu
(310) 486-8953