Theresa Dimond
Lecturer - Percussion Performance, Music Performance

Originally from Phoenix, Arizona, Theresa Dimond began her percussion studies with Mervin Britton at age 8. Upon moving to Los Angeles, she attended the University of Southern California where she studied with Ken Watson, earning a B.M., M.M. and D.M.A. in Music Performance. As a student, she also attended the Interlochen National Music Camp, the Aspen Music Festival, the Music Academy of the West and the Los Angeles Philharmonic Institute. She has studied with the late Mitchell Peters (Los Angeles Philharmonic), Neil De Ponte (Oregon Symphony), F. Michael Combs (formerly of the University of Tennessee) and the late Charlie Owens (Philadelphia Orchestra).

Dimond is currently the principal percussionist of the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra. She has been a member of the orchestra since its inception in 1985. The LA Opera Orchestra has recently won four Grammy Awards for its recordings of Kurt Weill’s The Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny, and John Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versaille.

As a free-lance musician in Los Angeles, Dimond has worked with every orchestral ensemble in the city, including the LA Philharmonic and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. As well as her duties at LA Opera, she is currently Principal Percussion of the Pasadena Symphony and Pops and Principal Timpanist of Muse/ique, the Los Angeles Master Chorale and the California Philharmonic. She has worked with many preeminent conductors including Leonard Bernstein, Michael Tilson Thomas, Jeffrey Kahane, Placido Domingo, Herbert Blomstedt, Kent Nagano, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Gustavo Dudamel and James Conlon. A highlight of her career has been performing with soprano Dawn Upshaw, and members of the Boston Symphony, on a contemporary music tour. Dr. Dimond has also appeared as soloist at the Aspen, Sun Valley and Tanglewood Summer Music Festivals.

Dimond serves on the faculties of UCLA, UC, Irvine, Pomona College, Whittier College and Cerritos College. She has previously taught at her alma mater, USC. In 1998, she founded TouchDown Publications, a music publishing company which edits and publishes opera percussion parts.

One of a handful of experts on the cimbalom, a Hungarian hammered dulcimer, she has performed with Pierre Boulez, Lalo Schifrin, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Kurt Masur, Dawn Upshaw, and Grant Gershon on that specialty instrument. Her recording credits include The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons, Far from Heaven, The Dewey Cox Story, Rush Hour 3, Rocky 5, andEdward Scissorhands, to name but a few.

Dimond makes her home in the Mt. Washington area of Los Angeles, with her husband, Jim, their dog, Monte, and their two cats, Tiggy and Widget.

Antonio Lysy
Professor - Cello Performance and Strings Area Head
Cheryl Lin Fielding
Lecturer - Vocal Diction, Vocal Coaching
Wendy Caldwell
Lecturer - Vocal Coaching
Jens Lindemann
Distinguished Professor of Trumpet
Alison Deane
Associate Adjunct Professor
Aubrey Foard
Lecturer - Tuba Performance
Michael Dean
Professor, Voice Performance
Ji Young An
Lecturer - Violin Performance
David Kaplan
Assistant Professor - Piano Performance
Gloria Cheng
Adjunct Professor - Contemporary Music, Performance Studies
Victoria Kirsch
Lecturer - Vocal Coaching
Christoph Bull
Adjunct Professor - Organ Performance
Chris Hanulik
Adjunct Professor - String Bass Performance; Principal Bass LA Phil
Brendan McBrien
Lecturer--Music Education
Adam Gilberti
Lecturer - Music Education/Woodwinds
Gregory Goodall
Lecturer - Percussion Performance
Lou Anne Neill
Lecturer - Harp Performance; Harp LA Phil
Boris Allakhverdyan
Lecturer - Clarinet Performance; Principal Clarinet LA Philharmonic
James Miller
Lecturer - Trombone Performance; Associate Principal Trombone LA Phil
Joshua Ranz
Lecturer - Clarinet Performance
Rakefet Hak
Lecturer - Music Director of the UCLA Opera Workshop
Arturo O’Farrill
Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion; Professor
David Lefkowitz
Professor and Vice Chair, Department of Music
Johanna Gamboa-Kroesen
Assistant Professor--Music Education
Nick DePinna
Lecturer--Introduction to Musicianship
Ian Krouse
Distinguished Professor
Kay Rhie
Assistant Professor
Erin Bouriakov
Lecturer - Flute Performance
Vladimir Chernov
Distinguished Professor - Voice Performance
Varty Manouelian
Lecturer - Violin Performance; Violin LA Phil
Che-Yen Chen
Professor - Viola Performance
Iris Malkin
Lecturer - Vocal Coaching
Peter Kazaras
Distinguished Professor - Director of Opera UCLA
Jonathan Davis
Lecturer - Oboe Performance
Hitomi Oba
Director of Contemporary Jazz Ensemble, Lecturer
Amy Sanchez
Lecturer - Horn Performance
Inna Faliks
Professor - Head of Piano
Jan Berry Baker
Professor of Saxophone, Vice Chair of the Department of Music, and Special Assistant to the Dean for Faculty Mentoring
John Steinmetz
Lecturer - Bassoon Performance
James Bass
Professor and Chair of the Department of Music, Director of Choral Studies
William Kinderman
Elaine Krown Klein Chair in Performance Studies, Professor
Lucy Yates
Lecturer - Vocal Diction, Vocal Coaching
Denis Bouriakov
Lecturer - Flute Performance; Principal Flute LA Philharmonic
Juliana Gondek
Distinguished Professor, Voice Performance
Herbie Hancock
Adjunct Professor; LA Phil Guest Artist
Movses Pogossian
Distinguished Professor of Violin; Founder and Advisor, Armenian Music Program - Music Performance
Lily Chen-Hafteck
Professor and Special Assistant to the Inaugural Dean for Curricular Reform

Explore Other Degrees

Conducting
Graduate study and training in choral, orchestral, or wind conducting
Ethnomusicology
The study of global musical traditions through performance training, research, and field work
Global Jazz Studies
Jazz performance and musicianship courses are paired with African American Studies
Music Composition
Mentorship in the creation and realization of music for concerts, opera, and visual media
Music Education
Preparation for music educators leading to a B.A. and teaching credential in just four years
Music History & Industry
Combining Musicology and the Music Industry minor for practical hands-on training with the study of music within the context of different societies, cultures, and theories
Music Industry
Industry professionals and UCLA faculty prepare students for music-related careers
Musicology
The scholarly study of the histories, cultures, and critical interpretations of music and music-making
Music Performance
Study and training towards professional performance careers in Western classical music