Press Inquiries - The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music

Robert Baker
Director, Strategic Communications and Marketing
robertbaker@schoolofmusic.ucla.edu

If you have general questions regarding public relations, image requests, or would like to be added to our mailing list, please email us at communications@schoolofmusic.ucla.edu.

Most of our faculty are available for news media interviews by arrangement. Please contact Russell Kelban, Director of Strategic Communications and Marketing, for assistance. Our faculty are leaders in their fields and include a boundary-pushing medievalist, a leading scholar of the American musical, jazz legends, masters of traditional world music instruments, a punk scholar, in-demand composers and others who are fostering transformative critical thinking about music and musical practices. Other areas of expertise include:

African diaspora, critical race studies, social movements, nationalism, national anthem
Rap, hip-hop, jazz, blues, funk, R&B, soul; pop music, rock n roll, Motown
East Asia, Korean music
Film and TV music
Jewish music, Klezmer, Jewish liturgical music
Music business, streaming media, technology and entertainment, copyright
Music and politics; music, gender, and sexuality
Opera studies
And more…

More News

From Punk Rock to PhD, Candace Hansen Documents Queer Music

From Daily Bruin — Candace Hansen, alumnus of the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, will soon make their final stop on a two-decades-long tour of making the case for

UCLA VEM String Quartet Conducts Six-City Tour

From the Armenian Mirror-Spectator — The UCLA Vem String Quartet, during a spring tour sponsored and planned by the Tekeyan Cultural Association (TCA) and the UCLA Armenian Music Program, gave

Tiffany Naiman Breaks Down the World Cup Halftime Entertainment Show

FROM WIRED: Tiffany Naiman, director of the Berry Gordy Music Industry Center, discusses FIFA’s World Cup’s premiere halftime show and its choice of global roster of artists. Subscription required to

Where Musical Traditions Meet: Inside UCLA Ethnomusicology’s Living Laboratory of Performance and Scholarship

When Taiwanese graduate student Roy Huang arrived to study in UCLA’s Department of Ethnomusicology in 2025, he expected to deepen his research into the traditional music of Vietnam, Taiwan and

Tiffany Naiman Breaks Down the World Cup Halftime Entertainment Show

The 2026 World Cup brought a renewed focus on entertainment. Tiffany Naiman, director of the Berry Gordy Music Industry Center, explores why music has become central to FIFA’s global strategy

Latin American Musicians and the Shaping of Classical and Popular Music

Modern music didn’t develop along a single path—and it certainly wasn’t confined to Europe and the United States. Hermann Hudde‘s recent publications trace the rich exchange of ideas across the

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Universal Music Group and The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music Establish the Berry Gordy Music Industry Scholarship to Honor the Legacy of a Music Pioneer

The endowed scholarship builds on UMG’s Sounds of the Future initiative and The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of music industry leaders LOS

Award-Winning Scholar and Musicologist Michael Beckerman Named New Dean of The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music

Acclaimed higher education scholar and author Michael Beckerman has been named the new dean of The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. He will begin his role at UCLA on

The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music Receives Gift from Mike Curb Foundation for State-of-the-Art Student Recording Facility and More

Through a special pledge by Mike Curb, California’s former lieutenant and acting governor, and music industry veteran, The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music will begin construction on a new

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SUMMER DISPATCH | Johnathan Ma (Music Education and Piano Performance double major, Music Industry minor, BA&BM `28) writes: This summer I had the opportunity to travel to Nepal and visit different music shops to understand more of Nepalese music influenced by Indian music and religious ties. I had the opportunity to partner with local music shops to play music together, learn the cultural instruments and historical significance. I had the opportunity to learn tabla-like techniques with different cultural instruments. One specific fun thing was I got to learn mandal drum which is a traditional double sided folk instrument of Nepal. Bringing that instrument around and learning from the locals while reciting or singing a song was a core memory.

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SUMMER DISPATCH | Johnathan Ma (Music Education and Piano Performance double major, Music Industry minor, BA&BM '28) writes: This summer I had the opportunity to travel to Nepal and visit different music shops to understand more of Nepalese music influenced by Indian music and religious ties. I had the opportunity to partner with local music shops to play music together, learn the cultural instruments and historical significance. I had the opportunity to learn tabla-like techniques with different cultural instruments. One specific fun thing was I got to learn mandal drum which is a traditional double sided folk instrument of Nepal. Bringing that instrument around and learning from the locals while reciting or singing a song was a core memory.

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SUMMER FACULTY DISPATCH | Theresa Dimond (Percussion Performance) writes: This is the performer`s view from the stage at the Arboretum in Arcadia where I have been performing for the Pasadena Pops all summer. It is, arguably, the best summer venue for both performers and audience. The orchestra plays 5 concerts each summer in this beautiful garden setting.

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SUMMER FACULTY DISPATCH | Theresa Dimond (Percussion Performance) writes: This is the performer's view from the stage at the Arboretum in Arcadia where I have been performing for the Pasadena Pops all summer. It is, arguably, the best summer venue for both performers and audience. The orchestra plays 5 concerts each summer in this beautiful garden setting.

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SUMMER DISPATCH | Rane Prak (Ethnomusicology BA `29) writes: This summer, my band, Sastra Moon, had so much fun playing Southeast Asian fusion folk and popular music at Tuesday Night Cafe in Little Tokyo, the longest-running Asian American free public arts series in the country. Besides being a vocalist in the band, I also play wot (Thai circular panpipe) and khaen (mouth organ from Laos and Northeastern Thailand), which I learned to perform with Dr. Supeena Adler`s Music of Thailand ensemble. Thank you so much to the staff at Tuesday Night Cafe for taking care of us, especially to Gwendolyn Hill for the beautiful photographs!

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SUMMER DISPATCH | Rane Prak (Ethnomusicology BA '29) writes: This summer, my band, Sastra Moon, had so much fun playing Southeast Asian fusion folk and popular music at Tuesday Night Cafe in Little Tokyo, the longest-running Asian American free public arts series in the country. Besides being a vocalist in the band, I also play wot (Thai circular panpipe) and khaen (mouth organ from Laos and Northeastern Thailand), which I learned to perform with Dr. Supeena Adler's Music of Thailand ensemble. Thank you so much to the staff at Tuesday Night Cafe for taking care of us, especially to Gwendolyn Hill for the beautiful photographs!

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SUMMER DISPATCH | Raqib Dar (Ethnomusicology PhD `29) writers: This summer, I am conducting a pilot study for my dissertation research on the Folk musical tradition (Gyawun) in Indian-administered Kashmir. My project examines how people in conflicted regions use Sufi poetry and music to express their sentiments and navigate everyday life.

As a part of this research, I am working closely with local musicians and attending musical and poetic performances (Mehfil), which are generally held at night. In addition to ethnography, I am conducting archival research by collecting poetry collections from both state archives and personal collections.

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SUMMER DISPATCH | Raqib Dar (Ethnomusicology PhD '29) writers: This summer, I am conducting a pilot study for my dissertation research on the Folk musical tradition (Gyawun) in Indian-administered Kashmir. My project examines how people in conflicted regions use Sufi poetry and music to express their sentiments and navigate everyday life. As a part of this research, I am working closely with local musicians and attending musical and poetic performances (Mehfil), which are generally held at night. In addition to ethnography, I am conducting archival research by collecting poetry collections from both state archives and personal collections.

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SUMMER FACULTY DISPATCH | Theresa Dimond & Greg Goodall (Percussion Performance) writes: The picture shows from left to right, Theresa Dimond, percussion faculty, Peter Boyer, film composer, and Greg Goodall, percussion faculty. This picture was taken on the Sony Sound Stage last week where Greg and Theresa recorded the score for Peter Boyer`s current project, American Mosaic, a bold new film that celebrates the people, places, and spirit of the United States on the occasion of its 250th birthday. Created by composer Peter Boyer and photographer Joe Sohm, the project blends sweeping orchestral music, a narration by Martin Sheen, and vivid 4K video drawn from all 50 states. The film will be released to the public soon!

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SUMMER FACULTY DISPATCH | Theresa Dimond & Greg Goodall (Percussion Performance) writes: The picture shows from left to right, Theresa Dimond, percussion faculty, Peter Boyer, film composer, and Greg Goodall, percussion faculty. This picture was taken on the Sony Sound Stage last week where Greg and Theresa recorded the score for Peter Boyer's current project, American Mosaic, a bold new film that celebrates the people, places, and spirit of the United States on the occasion of its 250th birthday. Created by composer Peter Boyer and photographer Joe Sohm, the project blends sweeping orchestral music, a narration by Martin Sheen, and vivid 4K video drawn from all 50 states. The film will be released to the public soon!

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SUMMER DISPATCH | Brian Molina (Harp Performance BM `28) writes: Earlier this summer, I was thrilled to play in the FOOSA Philharmonic at FOOSA (Fresno Summer Orchestra Academy) 2026! We had a full two weeks of rehearsals at Fresno State, ending in concerts at Disney Hall (LA) and Shaghoian Hall (Fresno) led by Artistic Director Dr. Thomas Loewenheim. Outside of the orchestra, I had many opportunities to watch and perform solo and chamber literature.

Here are some photos of my time on stage and in rehearsal. We had a strong harp section—5 of us!—led by Laura Porter, principal harpist of the Fresno Philharmonic. I had a great time meeting fellow harpists, growing as a performer, and connecting with friends old and new in the orchestra.

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SUMMER DISPATCH | Brian Molina (Harp Performance BM '28) writes: Earlier this summer, I was thrilled to play in the FOOSA Philharmonic at FOOSA (Fresno Summer Orchestra Academy) 2026! We had a full two weeks of rehearsals at Fresno State, ending in concerts at Disney Hall (LA) and Shaghoian Hall (Fresno) led by Artistic Director Dr. Thomas Loewenheim. Outside of the orchestra, I had many opportunities to watch and perform solo and chamber literature. Here are some photos of my time on stage and in rehearsal. We had a strong harp section—5 of us!—led by Laura Porter, principal harpist of the Fresno Philharmonic. I had a great time meeting fellow harpists, growing as a performer, and connecting with friends old and new in the orchestra.

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SUMMER FACULTY DISPATCH | Dr. Dee (Director, African American Ensemble) writes: At home composing for an upcoming festival. Can’t show what I’m working on but it’s a sacred piece for SAB & piano. Crunch time!

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SUMMER FACULTY DISPATCH | Dr. Dee (Director, African American Ensemble) writes: At home composing for an upcoming festival. Can’t show what I’m working on but it’s a sacred piece for SAB & piano. Crunch time!

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SUMMER FACULTY DISPATCH | Juliana Gondek (Voice Performance) writes: three-week recording project with 17-time Grammy-winning producer Humberto Gatica (known for his work with Celine Dion, Michael Jackson, Chicago, Cher, Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban, Barbra Streisand, Quincy Jones, the 1985 “We Are the World” single & video...). This is my second collaboration with Humberto as vocal consultant and coach.

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SUMMER FACULTY DISPATCH | Juliana Gondek (Voice Performance) writes: three-week recording project with 17-time Grammy-winning producer Humberto Gatica (known for his work with Celine Dion, Michael Jackson, Chicago, Cher, Andrea Bocelli, Josh Groban, Barbra Streisand, Quincy Jones, the 1985 “We Are the World” single & video...). This is my second collaboration with Humberto as vocal consultant and coach.

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