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

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

Matthew Vest named UCLA’s 2026 Librarian of the Year

Music research librarian Matthew Vest has been honored with UCLA’s 2026 Librarian of the Year Award, given by the Librarians Association of the University of California, Los Angeles (LAUC-LA). Established

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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 FACULTY DISPATCH | Neal Stulberg (Director of Orchestral Studies) writes: “I spent ten days in Mexico City in late June conducting and playing chamber music with the musicians of Orquesta Escuela Carlos Chávez — Mexico’s premiere training orchestra. Around 15 musicians from this orchestra had joined UCLA Philharmonia in December 2023 for a Schoenberg Hall concert, and their music director, Eduardo Barrios, will be guest-conducting Philharmonia in March 2027.

On June 23, I joined four of the young musicians for a performance of the Beethoven Quintet for Piano and Woodwinds, Op. 16 at the beautiful Sala Xicoténcatl of the Antigua Sede del Senado (Old Senate Building) in the historic city center.

We performed the orchestra program twice — at the Blas Galindo Auditorium of the National Center for the Arts and at the Los Pinos Cultural Complex. The program was Britten “Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra,” Copland Suite from “Appalachian Spring” and Elgar “Enigma” Variations.

Terrific organization and outstanding orchestra! The second photo is from our first orchestra rehearsal. (Not quite sure why I was “hanging ten” off the podium...)”

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SUMMER FACULTY DISPATCH | Neal Stulberg (Director of Orchestral Studies) writes: “I spent ten days in Mexico City in late June conducting and playing chamber music with the musicians of Orquesta Escuela Carlos Chávez — Mexico’s premiere training orchestra. Around 15 musicians from this orchestra had joined UCLA Philharmonia in December 2023 for a Schoenberg Hall concert, and their music director, Eduardo Barrios, will be guest-conducting Philharmonia in March 2027. On June 23, I joined four of the young musicians for a performance of the Beethoven Quintet for Piano and Woodwinds, Op. 16 at the beautiful Sala Xicoténcatl of the Antigua Sede del Senado (Old Senate Building) in the historic city center. We performed the orchestra program twice — at the Blas Galindo Auditorium of the National Center for the Arts and at the Los Pinos Cultural Complex. The program was Britten “Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra,” Copland Suite from “Appalachian Spring” and Elgar “Enigma” Variations. Terrific organization and outstanding orchestra! The second photo is from our first orchestra rehearsal. (Not quite sure why I was “hanging ten” off the podium...)”

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SUMMER DISPATCH | Tony Italia (Ethnomusicology PhD, 2030) writes: This summer I’ve been taking bağlama (turkish long-neck lute) lessons online and in person in Istanbul Turkiye. I visited several workshops to see the instruments being made and I got to see one of my favorite bands Yasak Helva perform live.

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SUMMER DISPATCH | Tony Italia (Ethnomusicology PhD, 2030) writes: This summer I’ve been taking bağlama (turkish long-neck lute) lessons online and in person in Istanbul Turkiye. I visited several workshops to see the instruments being made and I got to see one of my favorite bands Yasak Helva perform live.

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SUMMER FACULTY DISPATCH | Tim Taylor (Ethnomusicology) writes: "At the Library of Congress, where I was researching Henry Mancini and the archives of Score Productions, Inc., a New York City-based music production company that provided music for many television shows, especially game shows and sporting events starting in the 1960s.�"

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SUMMER FACULTY DISPATCH | Tim Taylor (Ethnomusicology) writes: "At the Library of Congress, where I was researching Henry Mancini and the archives of Score Productions, Inc., a New York City-based music production company that provided music for many television shows, especially game shows and sporting events starting in the 1960s.�"

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SUMMER FACULTY DISPATCH | Wendy Richman (Director, uclaFLUX; Performance Studies) writes: "I spent a second summer as viola faculty at FOOSA (Fresno Summer Orchestra Academy). Led by Artistic Director Dr. Thomas Loewenheim, this summer`s repertoire for the flagship FOOSA Philharmonic was Ibert`s Ouverture de fête, Bartók`s Miraculous Mandarin Suite, and Strauss`s Alpine Symphony. One of three orchestras in the intensive two-week program at Fresno State University, the FOOSA Philharmonic performs annually at Los Angeles`s Walt Disney Concert Hall and Fresno`s Paul Shaghoian Memorial Concert Hall.

Here I am after the June 28 Shaghoian concert with two UCLA performance graduate students attending the festival, Ricky Medina (flute, middle) and Daniel Hernandez (clarinet, right). Undergraduate harpist Brian Molina was also a member of the FOOSA Phil. Notably, Daniel Hernandez was the top prizewinner in the FOOSA Concerto Competition, performing Mozart`s Clarinet Concerto in its entirety earlier in the week! Bravo to all!�"

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SUMMER FACULTY DISPATCH | Wendy Richman (Director, uclaFLUX; Performance Studies) writes: "I spent a second summer as viola faculty at FOOSA (Fresno Summer Orchestra Academy). Led by Artistic Director Dr. Thomas Loewenheim, this summer's repertoire for the flagship FOOSA Philharmonic was Ibert's Ouverture de fête, Bartók's Miraculous Mandarin Suite, and Strauss's Alpine Symphony. One of three orchestras in the intensive two-week program at Fresno State University, the FOOSA Philharmonic performs annually at Los Angeles's Walt Disney Concert Hall and Fresno's Paul Shaghoian Memorial Concert Hall. Here I am after the June 28 Shaghoian concert with two UCLA performance graduate students attending the festival, Ricky Medina (flute, middle) and Daniel Hernandez (clarinet, right). Undergraduate harpist Brian Molina was also a member of the FOOSA Phil. Notably, Daniel Hernandez was the top prizewinner in the FOOSA Concerto Competition, performing Mozart's Clarinet Concerto in its entirety earlier in the week! Bravo to all!�"

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SUMMER FACULTY DISPATCH | Jacques Lesure (Global Jazz Studies) shares with us some shots of him playing in Tuscany and Barcelona!

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SUMMER FACULTY DISPATCH | Jacques Lesure (Global Jazz Studies) shares with us some shots of him playing in Tuscany and Barcelona! ...

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Watching the World Cup? Tiffany Naiman will break down the halftime show, and what the entertainment means for our culture. Read more, link in bio.

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Watching the World Cup? Tiffany Naiman will break down the halftime show, and what the entertainment means for our culture. Read more, link in bio. ...

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SUMMER DISPATCH | Isabelle Ragsac, (Piano Performance BM ‘27) writes: This summer, I had the privilege of attending the Chigiana Global Academy’s Piano Intensive program! I traveled to the beautiful Siena, Italy, participated in lessons and masterclasses with professors from around the world, and nurtured friendships and connections with fellow pianists and coordinators. I’ve left this experience feeling inspired by the music I’ve heard, lessons I’ve learned, and centuries of culture I’ve witnessed.

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SUMMER DISPATCH | Isabelle Ragsac, (Piano Performance BM ‘27) writes: This summer, I had the privilege of attending the Chigiana Global Academy’s Piano Intensive program! I traveled to the beautiful Siena, Italy, participated in lessons and masterclasses with professors from around the world, and nurtured friendships and connections with fellow pianists and coordinators. I’ve left this experience feeling inspired by the music I’ve heard, lessons I’ve learned, and centuries of culture I’ve witnessed.

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CONGRATULATIONS TO MATTHEW VEST! Our Music Inquiry & Research Librarian has been named UCLA`s 2026 Librarian of the Year by the Librarians Association of UCLA.

The award recognizes excellence in librarianship, celebrating creativity, innovation, leadership, courage, and a commitment to inclusivity. Since 1994, it has honored librarians whose work makes a lasting impact—and we`re proud to see Matthew recognized for his outstanding contributions.

Congratulations, Matthew!

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CONGRATULATIONS TO MATTHEW VEST! Our Music Inquiry & Research Librarian has been named UCLA's 2026 Librarian of the Year by the Librarians Association of UCLA. The award recognizes excellence in librarianship, celebrating creativity, innovation, leadership, courage, and a commitment to inclusivity. Since 1994, it has honored librarians whose work makes a lasting impact—and we're proud to see Matthew recognized for his outstanding contributions. Congratulations, Matthew!

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