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

Dean Beckerman's New Book Asks Whether Meaning in Art Can Ever Be Shared

OUT NOW: Dean Michael Beckerman’s new book, “The Doctrine of One: Personal Encounters with Film, Art and Music,” explores one of the most intriguing questions in the humanities: Can meaning

Album Drop: Inna Faliks, "Stranger Things"

Inna Faliks, professor of piano performance, had just released her new CD “Stranger Things: Piano Works From a Young Refugee’s Backpack” with Navona Records. A highly personal collage of musical

In Memoriam Mitchell Morris

By Robert Fink UCLA Professor Emeritus Mitchell Morris (64), of Cathedral City, California, passed away peacefully on August 17, 2026 after a long illness. Following appointments at McGill and the

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

More News

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

uclaalpert

1,340 9,294

The home of 21st-century music. Share your photos with us by tagging @UCLAalpert. #ThisisUCLAmusic

SUMMER DISPATCH | Yaron Cherniak (Ethnomusicology PhD `29) writes: As part of my fieldwork for my UCLA dissertation on Masorti identity and Piyyutim in Israeli society, I had the honor to perform alongside @hind_ennaira and the @piyutensemble. Hind Ennaira, from Essaouira, is a profound Gnawa vocalist and master of the gimbri — the sacred bass instrument at the heart of Moroccan Gnawa music, an ecstatic tradition of spiritual trance and prayer rooted in the Muslim and Amazigh tribes of North Africa. At the Tatzrif Music Festival at Yad Ben-Zvi, no one could remain indifferent to the polyrhythms escalating across the songs, the colorful ceremonial djellabas and tasseled caps, the dancing, and the merging of Gnawa chants with Hebrew piyyutim of the Abeḥsera family from Tafilalt. Performing from the inside — not just observing — is exactly why this kind of fieldwork matters.

27 0

Open

SUMMER DISPATCH | Yaron Cherniak (Ethnomusicology PhD '29) writes: As part of my fieldwork for my UCLA dissertation on Masorti identity and Piyyutim in Israeli society, I had the honor to perform alongside @hind_ennaira and the @piyutensemble. Hind Ennaira, from Essaouira, is a profound Gnawa vocalist and master of the gimbri — the sacred bass instrument at the heart of Moroccan Gnawa music, an ecstatic tradition of spiritual trance and prayer rooted in the Muslim and Amazigh tribes of North Africa. At the Tatzrif Music Festival at Yad Ben-Zvi, no one could remain indifferent to the polyrhythms escalating across the songs, the colorful ceremonial djellabas and tasseled caps, the dancing, and the merging of Gnawa chants with Hebrew piyyutim of the Abeḥsera family from Tafilalt. Performing from the inside — not just observing — is exactly why this kind of fieldwork matters.

27 0

SUMMER DISPATCH | Madison Bottenberg (Percussion Performance MM ‘26) writes: This summer, Julie Xiang, Demitrius Alleyne, and I joined la.fci for the studio intensive at Sony Picture Studios. I had the chance to work with and hear from industry professionals, like MB Gordy and Angel Velez, about the expectations of the studio world and what it takes to be a studio musician. We also acquired hands on experience on the Barbra Streisand Scoring Stage where we recorded famous film scores like the Polar Express, Main Title of Star Wars, and Married Life from Up.

91 0

Open

SUMMER DISPATCH | Madison Bottenberg (Percussion Performance MM ‘26) writes: This summer, Julie Xiang, Demitrius Alleyne, and I joined la.fci for the studio intensive at Sony Picture Studios. I had the chance to work with and hear from industry professionals, like MB Gordy and Angel Velez, about the expectations of the studio world and what it takes to be a studio musician. We also acquired hands on experience on the Barbra Streisand Scoring Stage where we recorded famous film scores like the Polar Express, Main Title of Star Wars, and Married Life from Up.

91 0

SUMMER DISPATCH | Rane Prak (Ethnomusicology PhD `29) writes: I attended a queer folk music jam session with my band members from Sastra Moon. At this session, we taught a Thai folk song that we learned in Dr. Supeena Adler`s Music of Thailand ensemble class at UCLA called Bai Sri Su Kwan, which means "Calling Back the Soul" and is performed as part of a traditional Thai-Lao blessing ritual for weddings, New Year, and homecomings. The ceremony summons the 32 vital life spirits (kwan) back to heal the person from illness or protect them from bad luck. Thank you to my friend, Sara, for taking the group picture!

22 0

Open

SUMMER DISPATCH | Rane Prak (Ethnomusicology PhD '29) writes: I attended a queer folk music jam session with my band members from Sastra Moon. At this session, we taught a Thai folk song that we learned in Dr. Supeena Adler's Music of Thailand ensemble class at UCLA called Bai Sri Su Kwan, which means "Calling Back the Soul" and is performed as part of a traditional Thai-Lao blessing ritual for weddings, New Year, and homecomings. The ceremony summons the 32 vital life spirits (kwan) back to heal the person from illness or protect them from bad luck. Thank you to my friend, Sara, for taking the group picture!

22 0

SUMMER DISPATCH | Julie Xiang (Percussion Performance BA `28) writes: I got to play Timpani 2 on Alpine Symphony at a summer music festival and also played my first solo marimba performance at the festival’s student showcase.

83 4

Open

SUMMER DISPATCH | Julie Xiang (Percussion Performance BA '28) writes: I got to play Timpani 2 on Alpine Symphony at a summer music festival and also played my first solo marimba performance at the festival’s student showcase.

83 4

SUMMER DISPATCH | Haiden Chase (Trombone Performance BM `29) writes: These photos were taken during the 10-day LA Brass Institute at Colburn. Elias, Bishop, and I were in the same brass quintet, and we performed Four Sketches by Anthony Plog together. It was a really fun experience getting to rehearse, perform, improve as a group, and of course eat some great food together throughout the institute.

143 4

Open

SUMMER DISPATCH | Haiden Chase (Trombone Performance BM '29) writes: These photos were taken during the 10-day LA Brass Institute at Colburn. Elias, Bishop, and I were in the same brass quintet, and we performed Four Sketches by Anthony Plog together. It was a really fun experience getting to rehearse, perform, improve as a group, and of course eat some great food together throughout the institute.

143 4

SUMMER DISPATCH | Olivia Phaneuf (Saxophone Performance DMA `27) writes: This July, I attended the Université Européenne de Saxophone (UES) in Gap, France. During this two-week program, I studied with renowned saxophone professors from around the world through lessons, masterclasses, and performances. I also participated in the Challenge Gap, where I received feedback from both faculty and peers and had the opportunity to perform with phenomenal collaborative pianists. In addition, I performed as part of a saxophone nonet throughout the Hautes-Alpes region, bringing classical saxophone music to several rural French villages. It was an incredibly rewarding experience, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn, perform, and connect with saxophonists from around the world.

107 5

Open

SUMMER DISPATCH | Olivia Phaneuf (Saxophone Performance DMA '27) writes: This July, I attended the Université Européenne de Saxophone (UES) in Gap, France. During this two-week program, I studied with renowned saxophone professors from around the world through lessons, masterclasses, and performances. I also participated in the Challenge Gap, where I received feedback from both faculty and peers and had the opportunity to perform with phenomenal collaborative pianists. In addition, I performed as part of a saxophone nonet throughout the Hautes-Alpes region, bringing classical saxophone music to several rural French villages. It was an incredibly rewarding experience, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn, perform, and connect with saxophonists from around the world.

107 5

SUMMER FACULTY DISPATCH | Greg Goodall (Percussion Performance) writes: On stage at the iconic Hollywood Bowl for a performance of the score to How to Train Your Dragon, which was written by two-time Oscar-nominated composer John Powell. The score was played along with the film, and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra was conducted by David Newman, also an Oscar-nominated composer.

56 0

Open

SUMMER FACULTY DISPATCH | Greg Goodall (Percussion Performance) writes: On stage at the iconic Hollywood Bowl for a performance of the score to How to Train Your Dragon, which was written by two-time Oscar-nominated composer John Powell. The score was played along with the film, and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra was conducted by David Newman, also an Oscar-nominated composer.

56 0

SUMMER DISPATCH | Alexa Clawson (Percussion Performance MM ‘27) writes: This summer I had the opportunity to join @icyola_ for their “I too sing, America” tour to Mount Rushmore, Washington DC, and New York City. We played many pieces, including Lincoln Portrait, Danzon No. 2, and Afrospire by @bakhari.nokuri
I had a great time during this tour and was very excited to be part of the first orchestra to play in the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC!

129 3

Open

SUMMER DISPATCH | Alexa Clawson (Percussion Performance MM ‘27) writes: This summer I had the opportunity to join @icyola_ for their “I too sing, America” tour to Mount Rushmore, Washington DC, and New York City. We played many pieces, including Lincoln Portrait, Danzon No. 2, and Afrospire by @bakhari.nokuri
I had a great time during this tour and was very excited to be part of the first orchestra to play in the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington DC!

129 3

Load More Follow on Instagram

@UCLAalpert on Instagram

Press

Inquiries

Recent News

Press Releases

uclaalpert

Follow Us On Social @UCLAAlpert #ThisisUCLAmusic