Mission & Vision: An Academic Home for Music of the American Jewish Experience

The Lowell Milken Center is committed to introducing new people beyond UCLA’s campus to the musical journeys of America’s Jews and engaging them with this wonderfully rich musical heritage. The Center fosters new artistic expression, presents performances and offers educational programming in communities, such as the adult education curriculum, called Stories of Music. Much of this engagement happens through partnerships with local, national and international organizations, and features artists from UCLA, Los Angeles and beyond.

Upcoming Events
Symposium
Early Sounds of Jewish Music Symposium
Upcoming
April 27
1:00 PM
In person
Uncovering the hidden gems of Jewish music prior to 1800, ranging from Europe to the Middle East.
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Early Sounds of Jewish Music Concert
Upcoming
April 27
6:30 PM
In person
Our program will combine the scholarly presentation of information and ideas along with performance. The repertoire presented will include 16th and 17th Century Yiddish songs, liturgical music from Amsterdam in the 18th Century along with German synagogue music from the late 1700s to the early 1800s.
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Book Reading
Book Talk: For Women and Girls Only: Reshaping Jewish Orthodox Through the Arts in the Digital Age with author Jessica Roda
Upcoming
May 1
2:00 PM
In person
For Women and Girls Only is a groundbreaking novel on the reversal of mainstream portrayals of ultra-Orthodox religious women, and of those who have left the community yet maintain ties to it. In this talk,  the audience will learn about these hidden artistic worlds, the experience of Hasidic women who now perform for public audiences, and their challenges to transform the image of Hasidicness.
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Live Performance
From Vienna to LA: UCLA Philharmonia Celebrates Milken Archive Composers
Upcoming
May 4
4:00 PM
In person
Distinguished faculty and alumni soloists with UCLA Philharmonia will perform works by an exciting range of composers featured in the Milken Archive of Jewish Music: The American Experience. The concert is part of the worldwide Schoenberg 150 celebrations.
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Discussion
“Driven into Paradise”: Schoenberg in Los Angeles
Upcoming
May 7
5:00 PM
Livestreamed
This online event panel gathers venerated historians, musicologists and composers to explore Schoenberg's complex relationship with Los Angeles.
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Exiled in Hollywood: Thomas Mann & Arnold Schoenberg at 150. Doris Berger, Inna Faliks, Lily E. Hirsch, Alex Ross & Hans Rudolf Vaget in Conversation
Upcoming
May 8
7:00 PM
In person
To honor Thomas Mann’s 150th birthday anniversary and to celebrate the West Coast premiere of the opera “Schoenberg in Hollywood,” produced by the Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience, which explores the hypothetical scenario of what would have happened if Schoenberg had composed for Hollywood, this event will explore the fascinating and complex relationship between two key figures of the German-speaking émigré community and their relationship with the Hollywood film industry.
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Lowell Milken Lecture in Jewish Music with Professor Joy H. Calico
Upcoming
May 15
4:00 PM
In person
There is a long history of representing Jewishness on the operatic stage. Calico's talk situates Tod Machover's Schoenberg in Hollywood (2018) in that tradition, and considers the ways in which music, libretto, and staging conventions index various aspects of Jewish identity.
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Schoenberg in Hollywood: The Making of a Modern Opera
Upcoming
May 18
1:30 PM
In person
Preceding the West Coast premiere of composer Tod Machover’s chamber opera, Schoenberg in Hollywood, the Hammer Museum will host a pre-opera panel addressing the opera’s history and creation. Joy Calico, UCLA Professor and Chair of Musicology and Arnold Schoenberg scholar, will lead a discussion amongst composer Tod Machover, conductor Neal Stulberg, director Karole Armitage, and Larry Schoenberg of Belmont Music Publishers and son of Arnold Schoenberg.
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Schoenberg In Hollywood: West Coast Premiere
Upcoming
May 18
4:00 PM
In person
The Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience and the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music are proud to present the West Coast premiere of composer Tod Machover’s chamber opera, Schoenberg in Hollywood, May 18, 20 and 22, 2025 at the newly-renovated UCLA Nimoy Theater. These performances are part of Schoenberg 150, the worldwide celebration of the sesquicentennial of composer Arnold Schoenberg’s birth.
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Schoenberg In Hollywood: West Coast Premiere
Upcoming
May 19
7:30 PM
In person
The Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience and the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music are proud to present the West Coast premiere of composer Tod Machover’s chamber opera, Schoenberg in Hollywood, May 18, 20 and 22, 2025 at the newly-renovated UCLA Nimoy Theater. These performances are part of Schoenberg 150, the worldwide celebration of the sesquicentennial of composer Arnold Schoenberg’s birth.
Learn More
Schoenberg In Hollywood: West Coast Premiere
Upcoming
May 20
7:30 PM
In person
The Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience and the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music are proud to present the West Coast premiere of composer Tod Machover’s chamber opera, Schoenberg in Hollywood, May 18, 20 and 22, 2025 at the newly-renovated UCLA Nimoy Theater. These performances are part of Schoenberg 150, the worldwide celebration of the sesquicentennial of composer Arnold Schoenberg’s birth.
Learn More
Schoenberg In Hollywood: West Coast Premiere
Upcoming
May 22
7:30 PM
In person
The Lowell Milken Center for Music of American Jewish Experience and the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music are proud to present the West Coast premiere of composer Tod Machover’s chamber opera, Schoenberg in Hollywood, May 18, 20 and 22, 2025 at the newly-renovated UCLA Nimoy Theater. These performances are part of Schoenberg 150, the worldwide celebration of the sesquicentennial of composer Arnold Schoenberg’s birth.
Learn More
Music Performance by Miqedem
Upcoming
May 27
7:00 PM
In person
On May 27th, the Tel-Aviv-based band Miqedem will be performing live at UCLA.
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Academic Talk
Jewish Music Masterclass Featuring Gerard Edery
Learn about Edery's work as he engages with attendees and explores the inspirations behind his compositions.
Live Performance
UCLA Klezmer Ensemble Gets Funky
Featuring the tunes "Baym Rein in Palestine" and "Rumshinsky's Bulgar (Zetz!)" as performed by members of the UCLA Klezmer Ensemble and Jazz IDP.
Live Performance
Secret Chord Concerts: Tsvey Brider and Baymele
A collaborative performance by two groups, Tsvey Brider and Baymele.
Live Performance
The Gates of Justice
A historic performance of The Gates of Justice took place in February 2023 at UCLA’s iconic Royce Hall. For the first time ever, Brubeck’s sons performed as the accompanying jazz trio.
Live Performance
Spotlight on Inna Faliks
Ukrainian-born pianist Inna Faliks has established herself as one of the most communicative, and poetic artists of her generation.
Discussion
Album Drop with Michael Winograd
Meet clarinetist Michael Winograd, one of the most respected and versatile working musicians in klezmer music today, and get the inside story on his newest album.
Live Performance
How David’s Quilt was Created
"David's Quilt" is a new oratorio created by 15 Los Angeles-based composers including faculty and graduate student composers from UCLA. Learn more about the creation of this unique work.

Engaging Students in Music of American Jewish Experience

As a university-based Center, we are committed to providing opportunities for students to explore and participate in Jewish music in a multiplicity of ways.