Winter Graduate Composers' Concert
UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music
Tuesday February 20, 2024
Schoenberg Hall
8:00pm
Performers
Morgan Kelly Moss
See BioMorgan Kelly Moss is a composer, teacher, and pianist from Philadelphia, PA, currently based in Los Angeles. Morgan’s music has a sound world that is described as neo-American with inspiration from nature, and always spirited with a twinge of optimism. Morgan’s works have been presented by performers such as Hilá Plitmann, Suuvi (fka Sophia Bacelar), Lisa Pegher, and Phyllis Pan, and additionally has worked with ensembles across the country such as the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the Allentown Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Brass Alliance, the Bach Society of Dayton Ohio, the Argus Quartet, and the Temple University Concert Choir, Concert Band, and Composers’ Orchestra. She currently studies composition with GRAMMY Award-winning composer Richard Danielpour, and also studied piano with world-renowned pianist Sara Davis Buechner for many years.
Moss is also very active in scoring music for film; she currently works in Los Angeles at Bear McCreary’s composing studio, Sparks and Shadows, and has scored 1 feature film and over 30 short films to date.
Morgan plans to continue onto her PhD at UCLA in 2024, and continue to grow her career as a composer and teacher.
Kevin Bodhipak
See BioKevin Bodhipak is a Los Angeles-based composer/artist devoted to new music in the holistic sense, regardless of medium, form, or genre. Kevin has been composing and studying piano for about 23 years and maintains an active pursuit of his longtime interest in music theory. As an avid composer for the concert hall, screen, and stage, he was a National Finalist in the MTNA Young Artist Composition Competition for three years. He earned 1st and 2nd Places in the MTNA Junior and Senior Composition Competitions for six years. He has also been awarded several times by other organizations, including ASTA, WorldStrides Heritage Performance, National School Orchestra Association, and Ben Turner Memorial Foundation. His works have been performed and recorded at renowned venues by ensembles such as the Eastman School Symphony Orchestra, Eastman Wind Orchestra, Phoenix Youth Symphony, Youth Symphony of the Southwest, Dobson Symphony Orchestra, and Passerelle String Quartet. He participated in the soundSCAPE Festival for contemporary music in Maccagno, Italy, where he collaborated with emerging international artists to present a newly commissioned work. Kevin is pursuing his M.A. at Herb Alpert School of Music at UCLA. He received his B.M. from Eastman School of Music at University of Rochester.
Qiren Lu
See BioQiren Lu was born January 21st, 1995 in Nanning, China and has been studying piano since the age of 4. Qiren was enrolled at the Central Conservatory of Music Middle School in 2008 where he studied for 6 years. After graduating high school in 2014, Qiren attended the Manhattan School of Music before continuing studies at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music where he is now a third-year master-doctoral composition student.
Joaquin Lichtle
See BioJoaquin Lichtle is a Mexican composer and conductor with a Magna Cum Laude degree from Berklee College of Music. While at Bleeding Fingers Music, a composer collective led by Hans Zimmer and Russell Emmanuel, Joaquin participated in the Around The World In 80 Days series (BBC). The project received a nomination for the Music+Sound Awards 2022 for which Christian Lundberg, Joaquin’s former mentor, gave him the privilege of being included as a finalist along with Zimmer, Emmanuel and himself. Being a part of Forbes Mexico’s list of the 100 Most Creative Mexicans In the World, Joaquin has given masterclasses in top institutions in Latin America. He has received additional international recognition from institutions such as the Global Music Awards, IBLA Grand Prize, Marker and Pioneer International Competition and the New York Latino Film Festival. He is currently pursuing a Master’s in Composition at UCLA on a fellowship, during which he will be studying with world-renowned faculty members such as Richard Danielpour, Ian Krouse, Peter Golub, Kay Rhie, and many others.
Sergey Nesterov
See BioSergey Nesterov is a composer of concert and film music, orchestrator, and songwriter who is currently completing his graduate degree at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.
Born in Moscow in 1997, he began studying composition from a young age with professor Tatiana Chudova at the Moscow Conservatory. He later went on to study with professors Valery Kikta and Alexander Tchaikovsky. In 2020, he graduated from the Moscow Conservatory with honors. In 2022 he was accepted into UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music to continue his education with professors Richard Danielpour and Ian Krouse.
Among Sergey’s works are orchestral pieces, ensemble music, choral, and electro-acoustic music, jazz-influenced pop songs, as well as music for video games, live-action and animated films. Sergey eyes dramatic and melodic development in his music, choosing flavorful harmonies to accompany intricately crafted themes.
His original pieces and orchestrations have been performed in various countries across Europe, Asia, and Africa, and films featuring his music have been shown at international festivals.
John Hollywood
See BioJohn Hollywood is a violist and composer from Houston, TX. He has studied composition with Nicholas Vasallo, Kay Rhie, and David Lefkowitz. In his spare time, he enjoys reading.
Robby Good
See BioRobby Good (b. July 2, 2000, Valencia, CA) is a second-year master’s student at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music for composition in visual media. He graduated from UCLA’s undergraduate music program in 2022 with a double degree in composition and percussion performance, with a minor in film. In 2015, he was accepted into the Nancy and Barry Sanders Los Angeles Philharmonic Composer Fellowship Program, where he studied under composers Andrew Norman and Sarah Gibson. Robby has also studied privately with Professor Ian Krouse and Derrick Skye, and currently works for film and television composer Charles Fox.
Robby has scored over 40 films and animations from students at UCLA, CalArts, Chapman University, Pratt Institute, Sarah Lawrence College, and more. Robby has also provided the scores to a number of video games developed within game jams, and is currently working on the music for the visual novel Project: Eden’s Garden. Robby was the primary composer and orchestrator for the musical theater production “Dis-topia,” which recently premiered as a full production under his music direction on February 17th and 18th, 2024, at the Hart High Auditorium in Newhall.
Robby’s concert works have been premiered by ensembles such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the International Contemporary Ensemble, the National Children’s Chorus, the Los Angeles Percussion Quartet, the Calder String Quartet, the Kaleidoscope Chamber Orchestra, and the CSUN Wind Ensemble.
Repertoire
Morgan Kelly Moss (b. 2000)
Reflections
Mark DeFalco, piano
Kevin Bodhipak (b. 1995)
Berceuse (for a Frightened Child)
Natalie Vatcher, soprano
Stacey Chou, piano
Qiren Lu (b. 1995)
Capriccio
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
VII
Qiren Lu, piano
Joaquin Lichtle (b. 1994)
Matices
I. Movimiento
II. Sombra
III. Madurez
IV. Serenidad
Xenia Deviatkina-Loh, violin
Andreas Fevos Apostolou, piano
INTERMISSION
Morgan Kelly Moss
The Space Man
Paix Auslander, bass
Morgan Kelly Moss and Zachary Aceto, vocals
Sergey Nesterov (b. 1997)
Wynken, Blynken and Nod
Mia Ruhman, soprano
Sergey Nesterov, piano
John Hollywood (b. 1989)
I Can’t Help You
I. Let’s Go to the Beach
II. Sick
III. Empty
IV. I Know
Gabriela Acosta, soprano
Abby Brendza, bassoon
Michelle Yang, French horn
Frankie Peacock, percussion
John Hollywood, viola
Robby Good (b. 2000)
Neverland
Mia Ruhman, Vera Nelson
Nat Pendergraft, Kats
Abigail Torrence, Barbara
Mo Moffett, Clancey
Mitchell Pratt, Walt Disney
Jordan Hadley, Kevin Nelson
Jalen Feniquito, Board Member/Ensemble
Holden Cooper, Board Member/Ensemble
Louis Hillegass IV, Board Member/Ensemble
AJ Boulund, Board Member/Ensemble
Matthew Deegan, Board Member/Ensemble
Finley Gaedke, Ensemble
Dylan Crawford, Ensemble
Robby Good, Ensemble
Donor Acknowledgement
This event is made possible by the David and Irmgard Dobrow Fund. Classical music was a passion of the Dobrows, who established a generous endowment at The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music to make programs like this possible. We are proud to celebrate this program as part of the 2023 – 24 Dobrow Series.
Program Notes
Reflections
This short piano piece was written as a “reflection” of Schoenberg’s Piano Suite no. 25, in celebration of Schoenberg’s 150th birthday. This piece uses the idea of reflections, both literally and figuratively, to drive the music toward it’s climactic finale. This work will also be featured on a concert in March 2024 along with other UCLA composers’ “reflections” of Schoenberg’s music.
-Morgan Kelly Moss
Berceuse
Hush, little baby.
No tears shall you weep,
While sirens echo through the night.
Just go to sleep…
Outside there is danger.
Terror runs deep.
But down here you’re safe with me.
No need to fear,
So go to sleep…
For no-one can harm us.
Now go to sleep…
It’ll all soon be over.
Till then, love, sweet dreams!
Hush, little baby.
Don’t open your eyes.
As you lay still, remember this:
Your bed is your theater for dreams.
All you have to do is close your eyes,
And wait for the show to start.
Matices
This piece explores various developmental techniques found in late 20th-century music. Drawing inspiration from the concept of ‘Matices,’ translated as ‘Nuances’ in English, the composition revolves around contrasting elements. Consequently, the movements and themes of the piece alternate between Movement, Shade, Maturity, and Serenity (Movimiento, Sombra, Madurez y Serenidad). These components are revealed in an emotional landscape that suggests a realization of how we perceive and react to specific objects or experiences.
-Joaquin Lichtle
The Space Man
Things get musical when the Space Man faces his biggest foe yet — Los Angeles parking…?
-Morgan Kelly Moss
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod
by Eugene Field
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night
Sailed off in a wooden shoe,
Sailed on a river of crystal light
Into a sea of dew.
“Where are you going, what do you wish?”
The old moon asked the tree.
“We have come to fish for the herring fish
That live in this beutiful sea,
Nets of silver and gold have we, ”
Said Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.
The old moon laughed and he sang a saong
Asd they rocked in the wooden shoe
And the wind that sped them all night long
Ruffled the waves of dew.
The little stars werfe the herring fish
That lived in the beautiful sea.
“Now cast your nets wherver you wish
For never afeared are we, ”
So cried the sdtars tioo the fishermen three:
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.
All night long their nets they threw
For the fish in the twinkling foam.
Then down from the skies came the wooden shoe
Bringing the fishermen homer.
‘Twas all so prettty a sail it seemed
As if it could not be
And some folks thought ’twas a dream they dreamed
Of sailing that beautiful sea
But I shall name you the fishermen three:
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod.
Wynken and Blynken are two little eyes
And Nod is a little head.
And the wooden shoe that sailed the skies
Is a wee one’s trunble bed.
So close your eyes while mother sings
Of wonderful sights that be
And you shall see the beautiful things
As you rocvk in the misty sea
As the old moon rocked the fishermen three:
Wynken, Blynken, and Nod
I Can’t Help You
These songs are from the point of view of somebody alive in 2024, surrounded by all the deadness. You can imagine how such a person must feel pretty angry.
-John Hollywood
Neverland
“Neverland” is the ninth song in the original musical, “Dis-topia,” and the closing number to the first act. It is a song that disguises itself as a power ballad that conveys triumph over adversity, but in reality it highlights the failings of the characters to hear the grander call to action that they need to take, eventually becoming a song of denial as opposed to one of acceptance.
This song begins in response to an argument between the two main characters, Vera and Kats. Their personal values and approaches to reality are diametrically opposed. Vera attempts to get through to the cynical Kats and show them the validity in her willful naïveté and optimism, but she is shut down even after making a strong case. However, it shows Kats that their own standpoint can be challenged in a meaningful way, something that they had neither considered nor prepared for. After Kats storms off, Vera begins to sing in an attempt to reconcile her own thoughts, and to justify her own perspective primarily to herself. As Vera proclaims to stand her ground and embrace her innocence, both Kats and our other major party, Walt Disney, face similar mental blockades: Kats grapples with the idea that they could be somewhat misguided despite their ego demanding that they be the “savior of the oppressed” that they purport themself to be, while Walt stands firm on the idea that he, and only he, knows what is best for his city and for his people, regardless of the constantly-increasing evidence to the contrary. By the end of the number, every character in the show recognizes the opposition encroaching on them from all sides, and chooses to stand firm in their beliefs and their decisions, however misguided or unjustified they may be.
I would like to give an enormously special thank you to each and every member of the cast, orchestra, and crew that made the February 17th and 18th production of “Dis-topia” possible. This show has been in the works for upwards to almost three full years, and to see it come to fruition is truly a life-changing experience. To get to work with each of you and help develop and harness your musical talents (and my own directing skills, I suppose!) for four months was one of the most rewarding and enjoyable feelings I have ever had. Particular mentions have to go to Matthew Deegan, the playwright and my long-time best friend and creative partner; Abby Torrence, a huge factor in creating the show and one of the most all-around talented people I know; and Mia Ruhman, who not only provided a stunning performance as the lead role in the production, but sacrificed the opportunity to attend her own composer’s concert for the sake of this show – the cast providing one last encore to highlight her incredible talent is the least we can do to say thank you to her for everything.
-Robby Good
VERA:
Whatever happened to Neverland,
To the dream of endless youth?
Why can’t we want to play pretend?
Why does it have to be the truth?
Tell me when did “When I grow up”
Turn to something that was real?
When did everyone up and decide
Innocence was wrong to feel?
You tell me all this is futile,
That there’s nothing I can do.
But life is not only brutal
’cause the sky is sometimes blue.
But you draw the shade and you douse the light
Every time the weather’s clear.
Behind the smirk and the snide remark
Is a subtle hint of fear!
So let me take you by the hand to a world across the sea
We won’t grow old, we won’t do what we’re told,
We can pretend that the world is free!
You can call it fake, you can call it lies,
You can call it fantasy,
But you’ll never take my Neverland away from me!
No, you’ll never take my Neverland away!
Okay, sure, some things are screwed up,
But there’s others we can keep.
You were all just children once,
It can’t be buried all that deep.
Take a look, the world is waiting.
What’s lost can still be found.
I’ll remind you how it feels
To get your feet up off the ground.
And maybe I’m just immature,
I know you said that I’m naïve.
But I’m sure it’s somewhere up above,
With my help you could believe
So let me take you by the hand
There’s so much we have to see.
If I don’t change your mind, then at least I tried
To share the hope that’s inside of me.
And you can call it fake, you can call it lies,
You can call it fantasy,
But you’ll never take my Neverland away from me!
No, you’ll never take my Neverland away!
KATS:
Don’t stop. Just walk.
Keep moving
Onward. Forward.
No time for distractions.
Stay firm. Don’t slip.
I know I’m
Right here, right now.
I will not stand down.
I will not blink.
All I can think is
How not to sink inside.
CLANCEY:
I’ve never seen this.
BARBARA:
They can’t get past their pride.
KATS:
Nothing can be changed if we
Live our lives estranged from all that’s real.
Look it in the eyes, never
Stoop to sympathize with how they feel.
Play their little game, Vera,
You’ll know who to blame when it winds up the same while I’m
Locked up. Nailed down.
You couldn’t land if you tried.
CLANCEY & BARBARA:
You’re always burning,
Wheels always turning.
KATS:
No more bullshit.
Hope must be earned, it’s
Not something you decide!
BARBARA & CLANCEY:
Why do you feel like you have to hide?
WALT:
No sleep. No rest.
They can’t see
All this progress
Didn’t come from nothing.
Our world could change
If we just-
EXEC. BOARD:
Buy this! Sell that!
Greenlight them!
Sign those!
We need your word!
WALT:
Sometimes I wonder
What would my brother say?
But as the clock says, I
(with EXEC. BOARD:) Live in the present day.
Waking from the past, you find
Nothing good can last, so you hold tight.
Wisdom comes with age, so you
Make yourself engage to set things right.
Give them what you can but they
Never understand that you’re only a man
So you stick to the plan and you
Work hard. Play fair.
Never go back on your word.
KEVIN:
Now I just pray no harm comes her way.
WALT:
I don’t need pushback.
I can see clearly
What you have all obscured!
KEVIN:
When did my life get so darn absurd?
My word.
VERA:
Never giving up on hope.
KATS:
Keep moving ahead, never break.
VERA:
Never giving up on faith.
CLANCEY & BARBARA:
We’ll be with you no matter the stake.
VERA:
Never giving up on tomorrow.
WALT:
Lily, how I wish that you were here.
VERA:
Say goodbye to all my fears,
My tomorrow starts today!
KEVIN:
Vera, promise you’ll be safe!
WALT:
It will be worth it for tomorrow.
I’ll pull the future from yesterday.
I know that wisdom can’t be borrowed.
KATS:
All people have bled, what’s a little more?
CLANCEY & BARBARA:
And we’ll remind you that we’re behind you.
VERA:
Whatever happened to innocence,
To the youth you left behind?
KEVIN:
God, whatever happens to her,
I hope and pray that I’ve made the right choice.
EXEC. BOARD:
We must move quick, suppress the threat.
We can’t afford to take on larger debt!
ENSEMBLE (WORKERS):
Overwhelmed and under-heard,
It seems we never get the last word.
Time moves on, but we move slower.
Day by day, they push us lower.
WALT:
Now only I can take the lead and bring us to our destiny,
’cause no one really knows their needs, so let me be the guiding key!
VERA:
This is my voice,
(with KATS:) And you won’t stop me!
(Solo:) So let me take you by the hand,
We’re not who we have to be!
It might not be now, but I know somehow,
You’ll understand what I finally see!
That it may be fake, and it might be lies,
It could all be fantasy!
But you’ll never take my Neverland away from me!
No, you’ll never take my Neverland a…
Though I’m far from home…
Though my hero’s out to get me…
WALT:
Though I’m sinking in the red…
KATS:
Though I feel among the dead…
VERA, KATS, & WALT:
Though I’m stacked against the odds
And no one understands,
VERA:
They’ll have to learn to live in this world.
KATS & WALT:
My world!
ENSEMBLE:
Our world!
VERA, KATS, & WALT:
You can call it what you want,
But I won’t be broken down!
And you’ll never…
ENSEMBLE:
Take my Neverland a…
VERA, KATS, & WALT:
Never!
ENSEMBLE:
And you’ll never take my
COMPANY:
Never…
VERA + ENSEMBLE:
Land away!
KATS & WALT:
Never!
Vera:
Never!
Text by Matthew Deegan and Robby Good